Musical Goals & Practice Schedules

[ErikP.Bass]

I have been feeling like I am wandering in my learning and practicing as of late and am wondering how some of you go about identifying musical goals and pursuing them.

I am playing in a rock band that plays out two to three times a month and practices at least two nights a week. Other nights I practice on my own, mainly working on learning lines from songs, playing through cycles and some fingering exercises.

I really like Carol Kaye's books and would like to find a teacher who uses her methods in the Boston area. I know some theory and am a firm believer that short focused practice sessions on a handful of topics are best. To be honest I have been having trouble defining a routine and sticking to it.

Any people out there want to share how they identified the "path" they wanted to pursue and how & whether they got there?

[funkybass]

You need to find a good teacher. He or she will be able to identify your weeknesses and help you reach your goals. Just make sure it's a good teacher.

[ErikP.Bass]

Thanks for the input funkybass. I definitely agree I need to find a good teacher. I also toyed with the idea of trying one of the Berklee online courses or just simply starting to record my practicing more so I could listen back to it. Often times I feel like I can play something fairly well but in reality it needs a lot of work. Maybe I have the notes and fingering but the phrasing and feel are off.

The thing with finding a teacher is that I feel like they would want me to have a set of goals ready. Also it is hard to choose someone without knowing too much about them.

[KingRazor]

Originally Posted by ErikP.Bass

Thanks for the input funkybass. I definitely agree I need to find a good teacher. I also toyed with the idea of trying one of the Berklee online courses or just simply starting to record my practicing more so I could listen back to it. Often times I feel like I can play something fairly well but in reality it needs a lot of work. Maybe I have the notes and fingering but the phrasing and feel are off.

The thing with finding a teacher is that I feel like they would want me to have a set of goals ready. Also it is hard to choose someone without knowing too much about them.

A good teacher will work with you wherever you are, whether you have goals or not.

[ErikP.Bass]

I will open this up to people who are taking lessons and are in the Boston area to recommend their teachers. Feel free to post in the thread or send me a PM if you'd prefer to do it that way.

Other overall suggestions are of course welcome.

[ErikP.Bass]

No one in the Boston area want to recommend their teacher?

[FretlessMainly]

Hey Erik: While I've never done any formal teaching, I have helped a few bassists over the years with various technical and theory problems. I'm in the Boston area, and I have 30 years experience as a bassist. I'm starting to think that I should impart some of what I've learned before the cobwebs make that too difficult. I've played professionally (I also have a day job) off and on for about 15 of those years and in addition to studying classical and jazz theory for a year in college, I studied regularly with bassist Bruce Gertz (Melrose, MA; also on Berklee faculty) for about five-six years in the 90s.

I suppose it's to our potential mutual benefit, since I don't have any formal credentials, I wouldn't charge too much, and by spending some time figuring out where you're at and what you need help with, I might bolster my credentials a bit, in case I'd like to do this more formally going forward.

Maybe send me a PM with your playing/music preferences and where you think you're at.

Cheers,
John

[ErikP.Bass]

Thanks John - PMs sent!

Anyone else have any input?