How do YOU practise?

You should practice hard. That should help your playing.

You should learn how to read notation, it is a lot better than tab. Jazzbo wrote a lesson on theory. You should read that, too.

 

I practise by just playing along to mp3's, or by just messing around with a scale or something, nothing big. Mind you, I'm not really making any progress as a bassist, which is fine by me, I'm only in it for the fun, but if you're a beginner, you might want to get better. So you should probably do different than me.

 

I practice by reading real music notation, and play songs I haven't heard before, and then asking my friends if that is how it sounds.....if it is, then I know I'm getting better.

I stopped using Tab... it just hurts you in the end...but at the beginning you might wanna learn some fun songs to play along too, and then play scales to get fast and get your chops.

First get the ability to play the songs, then you'll get better.

Just do alot of scales. It's boring, but you'll do good in the end.. here's a jazz scale pattern...

----------3-5
----3-4-5----
3-6----------
-------------

Mess around with the scale, go back and forward, thats in Concert C... then go to C sharp, then D, and so on and forth.

 

for me it is all about finger exercises you can never have enough finger exercises. Play them forward and then backwards over and over and over.... Till your brain hurts. This wont help your ears a whole lot, but for me it really improved my memory, my familiarity with my fretboard and my speed.

Another thing is most players get so used to using only their 1st and 3rd finger on the fretboard. make sure to use all of them. dont get in the habit of not using all fingers -because trust me it is hard to break.

 

I find it hard to learn reading notes.
it doesn't take a lot of time to practice but sheet music for bass is so rare (at least free sheet music) that I can barely use it and often leave it and stop practicing untill I feel the urge to learn it again Un Infinitum...