Give me your 30 minute practice routine (jazz/fusion focused).

[nonohmic]

I need more structure. I've been learning standards, and transcribing solos (to the best of my ability). Which has been great. But I need a little more structure.

I'm thinking pick a standard, or a fusion tune.

5 min warm up. Known exercises. Running through roots or harmony of the song.
10 min technical drills (scales, exercises etc.) like something out of here; Ten-Minute Manual eBook
5-10 min walking bass at increasing tempos (3-4 times through the song)
10 min transcribing/writing/soloing.

I know if I stick to 30 min I have a way better chance of doing this every day. Thoughts?

 

[Polfuste]

Well i would not go for 10 minuts by 10 minuts: just 5 minuts warm up with exercises then choose one thematic and work on it 25 minuts. I think it will be more efficient for learning something and keep it well written in your memory.
This is what i do and it works well. These days i work on a simplified chords sheet transcription of Utopia from Hiromi. Not simple but after 30 minuts i lose a bit of concentration, so i switch to playing with tunes for next 30 minuts. Good balance to me.

 

[nonohmic]

Well i would not go for 10 minuts by 10 minuts: just 5 minuts warm up with exercises then choose one thematic and work on it 25 minuts. I think it will be more efficient for learning something and keep it well written in your memory.
This is what i do and it works well. These days i work on a simplified chords sheet transcription of Utopia from Hiromi. Not simple but after 30 minuts i lose a bit of concentration, so i switch to playing with tunes for next 30 minuts. Good balance to me.

Yeah I think you're right. I just sat down with one of the '10 minute exercises' and 30 min passed like nothing

 

[JRA]

hey, @nonohmic --- pretty cool if you can facilitate all of that in 30 minutes! i'd need/want more time with any of those segments, i think.

i don't practice like i used to, but i still practice/play some, everyday (multiple times a day), totaling ~1 hour, unless i have an upcoming rehearsal or gig: then i'm reviewing tunes for as long as it takes.

but for the most part, i'm always warming up. and because i sit by my instruments most of the day, i'm compelled to pick one up to see if i can still play it...and see if it's any easier to play than the last one i picked up!

 

[Dana R Gregory]

I practice by playing along with a tune from one of my iTunes playlists. I usually start with a jazz/fusion song then move down the list. Works quite well for me.

 

[JohnBrown13]

I need more structure. I've been learning standards, and transcribing solos (to the best of my ability). Which has been great. But I need a little more structure.

I'm thinking pick a standard, or a fusion tune.

5 min warm up. Known exercises. Running through roots or harmony of the song.
10 min technical drills (scales, exercises etc.) like something out of here; Ten-Minute Manual eBook
5-10 min walking bass at increasing tempos (3-4 times through the song)
10 min transcribing/writing/soloing.
Provider Games | WinCraft
I know if I stick to 30 min I have a way better chance of doing this every day. Thoughts?

The only thing I'd add is a little bit of focused time on actually applying whatever you're drilling. Even just 5 minutes of improvising strictly inside a concept (one scale, one arpeggio shape, guide tones, etc.) can make the technical work connect to real playing much faster.
Walking bass reps are great too — maybe rotate tunes every few days so you don't burn out on one form.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

I need more structure. I've been learning standards, and transcribing solos (to the best of my ability). Which has been great. But I need a little more structure. I'm thinking pick a standard, or a fusion tune. 5 min warm up. Known exercises. Running through roots or harmony of the song. 10 min technical drills (scales, exercises etc.) like something out of here; Ten-Minute Manual eBook 5-10 min walking bass at increasing tempos (3-4 times through the song) 10 min transcribing/writing/soloing. I know if I stick to 30 min I have a way better chance of doing this every day. Thoughts?

It seems like you have plenty of structure. A word of caution and tempered expectations, whatever they are or if nothing else a reminder that progress is not linear. There will be times where you feel stagnating or flatlining and more effort or time or different approach will not really move the needle. Then there will be times if you have some time away and when you come back to something the things that always seemed to require more effort are inexplicably easier. Improvement IS NOT linear like a marathon runner saying that one step forward is one less step needed to win the race. First, learning and playing bass is a journey not a destination. Second, in a way like running however, during training (or practice) there are good days and bad days, easier days where you feel fresher and days where everything feels like drudgery.

Be easy on yourself. Expecting DAILY improvement because you practiced daily is a surefire recipe for failure and disenchantment. Again, be easy on yourself.

 

[ijump206]

It's fantastic that you are playing every day!

My current warm up exercise usually takes 15 minutes. I am not saying that 30 minutes is definitively not enough time for daily practice - anything you can do daily is a great thing.

I personally need more time with each exercise or idea, specifically to play everything through all keys, ensuring I know the note names, note functions, chord names, and can actually visualize each chord that is being played at any given ponit in the song or exercise. I am not in my 20s anymore, though, so the brain is a bit slower at absorbing these things.

As has been said above, make sure to give yourself plenty of grace - this is a marathon and not a sprint, and you will have good days/weeks/months and bad days/weeks/months, so don't get too high in the good ones and definitely don't get too low in the bad ones.

 

[Shenron]

Well my thought is in general to avoid a daily structure, meaning don't decide in advance how much time goes into each exercise/topic, but rather let it take whatever it takes on that given day.

If you feel you need organization or just more practice topics, I think it is much better to have a weekly structure (or even just a set of topics to cover, not necessarily fixed by day).

 

[Topkat13]

IMO sounds like you already have some structure. I get where you are coming from tho. Are you having fun?

 

[LSM07]

30 mins is too short a routine in my opinion, but if I only had 30 mins I would probably use iRealB and play a tune I don't know well in all 12 keys (walk lines, no soloing yet) on 30x repeat until I have the sound in my head and can play it in any key just by sound, and after that play chord voicings or arpeggios through all the changes all the way up and down the neck for each chord change (not in time, no accompaniment), prob 15 mins for each one.

 

[cluelock]

No amount of time is too short for valuable practicing.
My advice would be to play a tune (roots, half notes, walking, melody -- however) from memory/ear (not reading).
If you have more time, play it in a different key (again, not by reading).

 

[BassicJazzy]

This is what we used to call "thrashing" in the mainframe computer world, where the operating system swaps out program pages too quickly, not allowing enough time for instructions to execute properly, so nothing gets accomplished.

You need at least 15 minutes just to get your fingers warmed up properly. To do that, you can do whatever drills you like, just keep them moving and working scale or chord tones. Playing scales in intervals of 3rds, 5ths, and 6ths in ascending and descending patterns, and using different fingering and positions on the board to do this, will get you most of the way there.

After that, focus on what you want to play. If it's a tune, play the tune. At this point you can change styles if you get bored with one. Walk if you want, slap if you want, etc. It would be nice if you could make this segment at least 30 minutes long.

 

[BassicJazzy]

hey, @nonohmic --- pretty cool if you can facilitate all of that in 30 minutes! i'd need/want more time with any of those segments, i think.

i don't practice like i used to, but i still practice/play some, everyday (multiple times a day), totaling ~1 hour, unless i have an upcoming rehearsal or gig: then i'm reviewing tunes for as long as it takes.

but for the most part, i'm always warming up. and because i sit by my instruments most of the day, i'm compelled to pick one up to see if i can still play it...and see if it's any easier to play than the last one i picked up!

You bring up a good point, I too practice in multiple segments during the day. Usually I only play for about 20 - 30 minutes at a time, because I am old and my fingers get tired easily, but total time is about 2 hours per day. I usually pick up speed and dexterity as the day goes along. When my fingers feel like they have given their all, that is my sign to hang it up for the day.

 

[Low Main]

I got in the habit of practicing in 20 minute blocks because I used a metronome that was built into a small Yamaha keyboard and it would stop after 20 minutes. Turns out it's a good amount of time to block out, at least for my purposes.

 

[logdrum]

I need more structure. I've been learning standards, and transcribing solos (to the best of my ability). Which has been great. But I need a little more structure.

I'm thinking pick a standard, or a fusion tune.

5 min warm up. Known exercises. Running through roots or harmony of the song.
10 min technical drills (scales, exercises etc.) like something out of here; Ten-Minute Manual eBook
5-10 min walking bass at increasing tempos (3-4 times through the song)
10 min transcribing/writing/soloing.

I know if I stick to 30 min I have a way better chance of doing this every day. Thoughts?

Maybe play with other in a jazz jam. There's at least 2 in town -- lookup Michael Metz trumpet guy . Really nice guy and he is very open and encouraging and he will have charts. I am sure you can drive the bass line if you already know standards.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

I'm the opposite. Need less structure. Think Fartlek, but applied to bass practice

 

[Polfuste]

You bring up a good point, I too practice in multiple segments during the day. Usually I only play for about 20 - 30 minutes at a time, because I am old and my fingers get tired easily, but total time is about 2 hours per day. I usually pick up speed and dexterity as the day goes along. When my fingers feel like they have given their all, that is my sign to hang it up for the day.

And according to Molly Gebrian book (violonist and neuroscientist ) it's the better way to learn better and quicker by fixing things in the brain.

 

[nonohmic]

It seems like you have plenty of structure. A word of caution and tempered expectations, whatever they are or if nothing else a reminder that progress is not linear. There will be times where you feel stagnating or flatlining and more effort or time or different approach will not really move the needle. Then there will be times if you have some time away and when you come back to something the things that always seemed to require more effort are inexplicably easier. Improvement IS NOT linear like a marathon runner saying that one step forward is one less step needed to win the race. First, learning and playing bass is a journey not a destination. Second, in a way like running however, during training (or practice) there are good days and bad days, easier days where you feel fresher and days where everything feels like drudgery.

Be easy on yourself. Expecting DAILY improvement because you practiced daily is a surefire recipe for failure and disenchantment. Again, be easy on yourself.

Yeah this is good advice. And in my old(er) age I'm finally able to let go of the ego and practice and play cause I love it. Not cause I have any need to get better to please others.

Maybe play with other in a jazz jam. There's at least 2 in town -- lookup Michael Metz trumpet guy . Really nice guy and he is very open and encouraging and he will have charts. I am sure you can drive the bass line if you already know standards.

Yep, nail on the head. This is the massive piece missing in my playing. And I feel like I have the skill to join a jam. Just so much else going on in life I'm not sure I'm ready to open that can of worms yet. But then if I don't go and play with others I shouldn't bitch online about not improving.

 

[nonohmic]

You bring up a good point, I too practice in multiple segments during the day. Usually I only play for about 20 - 30 minutes at a time, because I am old and my fingers get tired easily, but total time is about 2 hours per day. I usually pick up speed and dexterity as the day goes along. When my fingers feel like they have given their all, that is my sign to hang it up for the day.

This would be a good way to approach it. Do 20 min of technical work in the morning when you maybe don't need to be as awake. Then listen to music during the day and come home and try and transcribe it/play it.