Help me create a productive practice sked

sackvegas · #1 12-15-2007, 05:59 PM

Hi guys

I'm at a plateau in my playing and need help with a practice scheduale.

I bought a day planner and was thinking of getting a timer so I can split my hours of practicing into 15 min intervals.

How should I split it up?

I'm a solid rock bass player but my dirty secret is I can't count and I can't play walking lines or jazz bass for $hit and that's where i'd like to improve my playing the most.

Any help with a good regimen would be great, I was thinking setting some short term and long term goals might help as well.

Thanks.

EADG mx · #2 12-15-2007, 06:11 PM

metronome

I'd get a teacher for jazz

but if not, a good book like Ed Friedland's "Building Walking Basslines"

also a good Real Book

that's a good start

sackvegas · #3 12-15-2007, 06:37 PM

Yeah I definatly think I need to go back to lessons, I will start looking for a teacher soon.

Any other ideas from anyone else??

thanks

DocBop · #4 12-15-2007, 07:32 PM

Just list the thinks you want/need to work on and give each one ten-fifteen minutes a day. Do everything everyday do to a lot one day and none the next. Also track your progress in your day-runner metronome settings and where you left off so you can pick up at that point the next day. Mainly focus on short term goals that will give you constant feeling of accomplishment. Just looking a the long term starts feeling like you aren't progressing. Don't try to do marathon practice sessions they end up counter productive. Treat practice like a gig, practice 45 minutes and take a break, get away from your bass, drink some water or something. You will find if you practice taking a break every hour you can practice all day and not feel like it and get something done.

I would find a teacher even if only to take one or two lessons to have them help you work out a practice routine. Sometime works good to find a teacher you only see once a month. They check out your progress and write out a list of things to work on. If you are disciplined you can get a lot done that way with a good teacher.

Last and most important don't forget to have fun.

sackvegas · #5 12-15-2007, 10:44 PM

Thanks DocBop

~bassgypsy~ · #6 12-15-2007, 11:03 PM

metronome, METRONOME, METRONOME!!!

he is your friend...

a drum machine is cool to bro, take brakes for sure and none of it's a chore.
Listen to the doc^^^ He has good points.
I would suggest also to play with a band as much as you can.
You have to internalize (is that spelled right?? lol) time!
Get it inside you.
As for your schedule...it all depends on your daily habits...I do not know yours
but i like to warm up for an hour or two with all my scales, brake, move on to the next area.. (be it jazz, funk, ETC.)
I really like to practice reading as much as I can.
Your taste are your own.
Don't forget some time to review theory...and work on the areas you love to.
As doc said...make it as fun and musical as possible...
Get that counting part down man!! Learn some time sigs and practice making grooves.
Good luck man

sackvegas · #7 12-16-2007, 12:31 AM

Thanks, yeah I definatly need to dust off the metronome, that's one area that gets neglected for sure

PocketGroove82 · #8 12-16-2007, 12:57 AM

-Stretch/Warmup
-Scales/Arps in all 12 keys(..it's easier than it sounds if you have consistent fingerings and start all on the E string)
-Something fun that you are interested in learning...like a tune/standard/funky groove/improvisation/jam with a cd.
-Something boring like sight-reading or working on consistency and time with metronome
-Something fun dealing with techniques you enjoy like finger funk, slap, chords, tapping...etc
-Transcription/Learning something by ear

I would say that is enough for two-three hours of practice depending on how much you spend on each thing, and it can keep you going because when you're working on something you don't enjoy or something that makes you feel like you suck, you will know that something that strokes your ego and you enjoy is not far away.

Granted, you must evaluate your goals and tweak your practice to suit your needs or what your instructor is giving you...and don't forget the caffeine...lots and lots of caffeine.

sackvegas · #9 12-16-2007, 01:30 AM

^That sounds like a good plan, what would be the best amount of time on each excercise? 10,15,20 mins?

Thanks

PocketGroove82 · #10 12-16-2007, 09:06 AM

Sackvegas,

It really depends on what you need to work on. If you are serious about your instrument and becoming a "complete" musician, not just a bass player, then you should find a teacher who can help you become aware of the things you should be focusing your attention on.

Musical development can be likened to a wheel where the spokes are your abilities.
Maybe some spokes are longer than others (technique, for instance), while some are quite short (sightreading in treble clef, maybe) and our goal is to have them all in equal proportion so that the wheel can roll.

For me, 20 minutes might be a great length to practice sightreading before moving on to something different, but in 20 minutes of transcription I would get very little done, depending on the difficulty of the music.

So, learning to recognize your weaker areas is part of the process and it's up to you to decided how to divide your time. Good Luck!

Matt

sackvegas · #11 12-16-2007, 06:47 PM

^sweet thanks man

Amenra · #12 12-17-2007, 07:20 AM

yep even helpful for me too. I also feel i'm at a point where i can't teach myself anything new so maybe look for a teacher. My main problem is that I play in two very different bands and at the moment we're busy writing our first/new material so I always feel like I have to try and write some awesome basslines in stead of practising techniques i probably won't use in my music.

BassChuck · #13 12-17-2007, 08:29 AM

Practice time is wasted if you don't have a goal. Schedules are good for warm-ups and building and maintaining technique, but you have to have your mind set on doing something new and/better everytime you get the bass out of the case.

Ten minutes a day if you plan your goals is better than 2 hours of aimless noodling and doing the same things you did before.

tZer · #14 12-17-2007, 10:03 AM

+1 to everyone above - especially regarding getting a teacher. I felt the very same way a while ago (plateaued). I wanted to see real improvement in my technique and didn't see my current routine getting me there. I found a teacher and started following a regular practice routine. Within weeks I saw measurable improvement in my technique and in my understanding of the instrument - both musically and mechanically.

Practice Abstract:

1. Have series of exercises each designed to develop key aspects of your technique dexterity, touch, right hand plucking, left hand fretting (or vice versa if you are left handed and play that way) - scales (modes), arpeggios, etc... A teacher will help immensely, but if you cannot find a teacher, get a good method book and start assigning yourself exercises.
2. Have a warm-up routine designed to get your muscles and your head ready to absorb the results of the work you are about to do. Be sure to warm up/stretch out before you get fully into your session. Practicing on cold muscles and with your head still thinking about work is not very productive.
3. Have a designated part of the morning/day/evening 100% dedicated to practice time (I had one hour from 9pm to 10pm every night slotted for my practice).
4. Keep notes detailing what you did each practice session - even better, record each practice session so you can listen back and review your progress.
5. Use a metronome to help you keep your time true. Practice everything slowly and gradually increase until you max out your ability - mark that tempo. Each day, start slowly and work up to and passed the previous days mark.
6. Stick to your schedule as religiously as you can!

But the quickest way to get over a plateau is find a good teacher and do what they tell you.

sackvegas · #15 12-26-2007, 05:18 AM

Thanks again to everyone that posted, great advice!

ibanezshredder · #16 12-26-2007, 12:22 PM

This is what I do, I usualy will do this everyother day or twice a week at least.

1)Scale and mode runs up and down the neck and in octaves
2)Figure out a challenging song or a challenging part by ear
3)Some improvesing to a metrodome
4)Touch up on bands basslines
5)Just some basic technique practice

Thats what one of my practice sessions by myself w/o my band would look like. If im practiceing alot with my band I realy dont do this.