How did you design your practice session?

[Balog]

After a fairly lengthy absence occasioned by work and family taking all my free time, I'm trying to get back in the habit of playing. I never had very good practice habits, and after thinking about it I believe that was a result of lack of structure in my practice time. I never really had defined exercises or set goals for myself to achieve in a certain time frame.

So as I set about trying to fix that, I find myself stumped. Not just in finding exercises that will grow my skills while not being so dry that I don't want to do them, but also in knowing how to set realistic yet challening goals for myself.

For those who favor a more structured approach to practice, how have you answered those questions in your life?

[bassinplace]

Transcription is said to be one of the best ways, but I wouldn't know because my reading skills are weak. That said, listening and copying by ear will do wonders for you!

[MalcolmAmos]

Depends what you want to practice. Fundamentals or tunes.

Gotta get the fundamentals under your finger first, then you can work on the fun part - playing tunes.

After I got to playing tunes the best instructor I ever had gave me three things to work on each week.

1. A new tune.
2. Theory paper explaining the theory behind - used in - the new tune.
3. Continue working on last week's tune till I could play it for him and we both agree I had it. I relate this to technique training. Knee to knee, try it this way.

So IMO what you practice depends how far down the road you've traveled. If you need to get the fundamentals, how to read standard notation, how to mute those strings, how to compose your bass line, that's what you practice.

If you are beyond that, beware, if you don't continue to practice reading standard notation you will get rusty. If you do not practice arpeggios they fall out of muscle memory. So..... that takes up the warm up part of your practice time. Then you get into what you need to practice to get better during the remainder of your session. Only you know what this includes.

Of course IMO.

[sammyp]

1. work on exercise or scales to warm up ...do new things like scales in 3rds etc.

2. learn tunes by ear

3. practice tunes from a transcription or from your transcription that are just slightly out of your reach technically but attainable in a week or two.

4. play songs for enjoyment

5. practice site reading if you are so inclined!

practice all scales and exercises with a groove loop or metronome ....practice songs till you can play with the mp3 perfectly.

[miltslackford]

I find that joining a band is the best way to improve because you have a real situation that has importance, so you can justify the practice time. Also you have an external motivator so you don't always have to be self motivating. Also if there is a performance element then it means you have a reason to improve the 'finish' of your playing. Without this there's no reason to iron out big inconsistencies or weak areas in your playing.

[MalcolmAmos]

This goes beyond what you do when practising, however....... Yep! Gotta play with others to know what else you need to know. I learn all kinds of things playing with and being around other musicians. Just me up in my pout room doing the same ole same ole......... boring.

[bassnj]

1) 15 minutes practicing what I HATE to practice, which will make me a better player. Anything that's new to me, I usually HATE, because I suck at it, and I don't like to suck. This first 15 minutes is my chance to buckle down and learn how NOT to suck. No pain, no gain.

2) 15 minutes practicing what I really don't like to practice but I know I have to. Most of this material comes from practicing #1.

3) 15 minutes playing what I want to play . . . because I'm supposed to ENJOY playing music!!

[bassnj]

And yes . . . I agree with those who say that playing with other musicians is great practice. If anything, it helps me stay on my game. But I'll never be in the 'game' unless I put in my time in the woodshed.

[BassOfSpades]

1) slap
2) figuring out songs i like and playing them
3) chords, scales, other theory

i do this every day, as long or short as i want, and im certainly noticing improvement.

[hernameisrio]

1) Slap/pop. Slap/pop. Rinse, repeat. (Octaves, mostly) Sorry, neighbors.

2) Arpeggios played over either a click, a drum loop, or even a song as long as the key matches. I work up to whatever tempo I can play them at fastest without being sloppy.

3) "Rio" by Duran Duran. If I flub the solo, I have to start over and play again. It is my number one warm-up song.

4) "Synchronicity 1" by The Police. Whew!

5) "Planet Earth" by Duran Duran because I hardly ever play with a pick; this is the one song in which I use one.

5) At least 20 minutes of improvising over various Chic songs and learning/practicing certain bass lines note-for-note...I usually pick out two or three songs a week to work through. If not Chic, James Brown. If Not James Brown, Motown/Jamerson or Duran Duran, sometimes Rose Royce.

6. By this point I've usually been playing for at least 45 minutes and time has become meaningless. Sometimes if I have material to run through for a band, I'll do that for at least an additional half hour and sometimes I'll just play along to whatever comes up on my iPod. At least a few times a week, I focus on learning lines note-for-note and jumping on YouTube if I get stuck and can't pick it out by ear. I keep telling myself I'm going to write out tabs or notation, but I've always had a really good ear and to me, it feels more natural and efficient...especially because as a classical pianist, I am virtually tethered to my sheet music and cannot memorize worth a **** because of this!

I also go through this site and pick out songs from various cover bands' sets in order to get familiar with what everyone else is playing so that I can make sure I know it too. Not in a creepy stalker way, but because I like you guys! :P I usually play for at least an hour and a half a day and at most, five hours, although it's usually broken up into two sessions, especially on days I have rehearsals. I get really antsy if I go a day without playing. I am also incapable of picking up the bass for any amount of time LESS than half an hour because I just enjoy it so much!

[Balog]

Thanks for all the tips guys, I appreciate it.