how do you tell if youre improving

[ameshokostreet]

as the title says. need to know someways to find out if my practise is paying off. Just trying to keep myself motivated in my practising.

[jordie65]

are there any songs you couldnt get down in the past? go back to them and see if you can learn them now!

[Zombbg4]

Keep a practice log.

[llacnayr]

You can't practice and get worse, I agree with Zombbg4 a practice log would show your improvement.
Another thing to do is practice different things that what you normally practice.

[Honk'n_down-low]

Originally Posted by ameshokostreet

as the title says. need to know someways to find out if my practise is paying off. Just trying to keep myself motivated in my practising.

Your parents stop telling you to turn down.

Friends come over just to hear you play.

People are hanging around outside your house just to hear you Jam.

Your Sister's Hot Friend that wanted nothing to do with you is suddenly flirting and talking with you.

Honestly - you just know....

[aurian4parker]

When you can do something you couldn't do before.


Even going ONE BPM faster on your chromatics is proof of getting better.

[cmewhinney]

Originally Posted by llacnayr

You can't practice and get worse

You absolutely CAN get worse if you practice with poor technique or the wrong material.

Do you have a teacher? He/she should be able to give you a good indication of your progress.

[mrjim123]

Originally Posted by cmewhinney

You absolutely CAN get worse if you practice with poor technique or the wrong material.

I don't agree. Your bad habits may become more ingrained over time, but, if anything, you develop workarounds. In the end you're ALWAYS at least a little better for having practiced.

[ameshokostreet]

yes i have a teacher but i only see the man once a week. Its mainly to take note of my own progress within the week

[cmewhinney]

Originally Posted by mrjim123

In the end you're ALWAYS at least a little better for having practiced.

Not if all you accomplish is ingraining bad habits, you're not.

Obviously the electric bass is young enough that there is not a definitive method to go about playing, but there are still specific things that all the great players do that most people, without guidance, would never figure out.

[cmewhinney]

Originally Posted by ameshokostreet

yes i have a teacher but i only see the man once a week. Its mainly to take note of my own progress within the week

So does he let you know how you're doing? If he doesn't say so specifically, directly ask him about the progress you've made since you started studying with him. It can't hurt, and it will probably put your mind at ease. Unless you haven't been practicing enough...

[mrjim123]

Originally Posted by cmewhinney

Not if all you accomplish is ingraining bad habits, you're not.

It's pretty hard to practice and not eventually learn SOMETHING new (and improved) unless you are INTENTIONALLY practicing to only ingrain bad habits.

[rdpbass]

Record your self, keep the recordings and compare them

[cmewhinney]

Originally Posted by mrjim123

It's pretty hard to practice and not eventually learn SOMETHING new (and improved) unless you are INTENTIONALLY practicing to only ingrain bad habits.

You can learn "something", but still not progress at the rate you want to, or not become a well-rounded musician. For instance, when I first learned how to play, all I did was learn Stu Hamm songs by myself, so I had pretty good chops, but my groove was terrible. So I gained something, but I wasn't becoming a good all around bassist.

[DudeistMonk]

Play with people, it really highlights your strengths and weaknesses, and you'll know you are getting better, cause you will hear it.

[OtterOnBass]

In what way are you trying to improve? Here's some of my ideas:
1. sense of time
2. fretting speed
3. plucking speed
4. ear training
5. genre-specific techniques and knowledge
6. sight-reading

I'm guessing that you're thinking of improving in 2 & 3. These will come quicker than you'd think. Pick a song you own and learn it by ear -- write it out (in tab if you like), find the chord changes, analyze what the bassist is doing and play it until you know it by heart. Unless you can do this without breaking a sweat in 5 minutes, you have improved in the first 5 skills above. Chances are you will have a hard time so pick something relatively simple but inspiring to start. Maybe Another One Bites The Dust by Queen or The Distance by Cake.

[BassActionBtard]

just read The Music Lesson a Spritual Search for Growth Through Music by Victor Wooten.

[iamthebassplayr]

Originally Posted by rdpbass

Record your self, keep the recordings and compare them

Pretty much.

[b sharp]

Originally Posted by ameshokostreet

as the title says. need to know someways to find out if my practise is paying off. Just trying to keep myself motivated in my practising.

Practice makes you no perfect but perfect practice makes you perfect.

----young grasshopper.

[Mike Saville]

I like to give myself a 'self test' once a month. I use a recorder and a metronome as well as just making notes. I just set a date and then take around 30mins testing the limits of my technique.

I usually find that most areas have moved forward a little, some have progressed a lot and others seem to have stayed still.

This works very well from a technical point of view but I also have to ask myself the wider question: Am I a better musician now than I was last month? If I have read widely, been to concerts/gigs, done some transcriptions, worked on theory and all the other elements outside of pure playing then I think I can say I've improved.

When I get a chance I'll post the template a fill in.

Good luck.