This is my routine. Thoughts?

[10emmanuel]

Hello mates!

Before anything, I want to let you guys know that even though I take it seriously , I never forget that the reason I play bass is for fun, I dont make a life with it, so beyond the fact that I establish this daily tasks, I never forget to have fun!!.

Having said that, I want to share with you how I practice to see if I am in the right path.

My minimum amount of hours of practice is 1 hour my working days and 3 my days off.
I work 4 days a week so that makes 13 hours minimum of real practice ( I dont get distracted with phone or tv ).

This are my homework list at the moment:
* scales practice with metronome, trying to bit up my last speed record. This help me improve my fingering, and memorize the scales of course.
*reading charts. Whatever they are songs, exercises, scales, whatever is written, I read it.
* jam along a chord progression with the knowledge I have of scales.
* currently making a jazz course so that I understand better about chord progression and walking bass.
*learn songs that are either difficult or I like.

In my 1 hour practice days: 20 minutes scales. 20 minutes reading. 20 minutes the jazz course.
additionally I watch videos of music theory and/or bass , sometimes I take notes. I take it easy with this. Sometimes I watch clinics .

In my 3 hours practice days: 1 hour each task.

Plus I play song that I already know every time I finish my homework. I might play either 1 song or sometimes many !.

And another details is that I practice with the tone open 100% and with 0 % bass in the amp so that I can hear every little bad plucking and buzz and that way force myself to improve the fingering and technique

And finally I show you guys my bass!!

It's a Peavey Fury 96'

Thats all!!

Thanks for reading!!

 

[WrapRough]

Maybe chuck some arpeggios and inversions in there. I'd argue they're more valuable than running scales

 

[jallenbass]

You might want to add a rhythm exercise. I like Rich Brown's series. Here's the first one.

 

[BassChuck]

Maybe shift to a musical thinking of tasks versus a clock based schedule.
I like to organize my practice like the old wedding verse:
Something Old: Start off with music I can easily play and enjoy. Sometimes that songs, but mostly scale and chord exercises that I've made up to help learn the neck. In this category, I do the ones I know well to remind myself of the neck and the sound.
Something New: Whatever is coming up that I need to learn. For me that would be music for the next show I'm playing.
Something Borrowed: Music that is not necessarily written for bass. Trombone, Bassoon, or Cello etudes. Melodies from different sources.
Something Blue: Music I love. Bass lines or songs or just something that reminds me of what it feels like to be a musician.

 

[JonathanPDX]

Practice isn't just about hours, but about how much you are challenging yourself. Spending 1,000 hours playing the same comfortable shape, fingering, chord, scale, or pattern isn't going to make you significantly better than spending 10 hours focused in on stuff that really pushes you and challenges you to not just play difficult stuff by understand music and your instrument in different ways.

Nothing will help you develop faster or more efficiently than a good teacher, even infrequent Zoom sessions will do more to fine-tune your practice routine than a random YouTube lesson from someone who can't evaluate how you play and where your knowledge gaps are.

There are tons of challenging practice exercises and goals, Vic and Ant teach quite a few in the Groove Workshop DVD. Without knowing what you already know, here are a few things to consider:

Do you truly know your fretboard? Can you close your eyes, plop your hand down at random, and name that fret? Can you also name it's interval/connection to every other note? IE C is a perfect 5th from F, a Major 3rd from G#, etc.

Do you know how many of each note you have, both in unique pitches and in total locations for each note? IE how many DIFFERENT G pitches are on your bass, and how many TOTAL G notes are on it?

Sequencing and arpeggios can make your scale practice way more varied and challenging. Playing scales through only chord tones, non-chord tones, and sequences of 3, 4, or 5 notes will give you both a hand and brain workout. To go further, add some substitutions, or challenge yourself to play these exercises in different neck positions or to move vertically instead of horizontally across the fretboard.

To get into heavier jazz stuff you also want to spend some time not just playing scales, but shifting between scales, modes, and keys at tempo. For example, play straight quarter or eighth notes playing either a scale or an arpeggio in a given key. Continue that pattern while shifting between different keys or modes. You can even grab a random jazz chart, like Giant Steps, and just practice this exercise as the chords move by, to get your brain and hands used to going in and out of one tonal center.

 

[10emmanuel]

Practice isn't just about hours, but about how much you are challenging yourself. Spending 1,000 hours playing the same comfortable shape, fingering, chord, scale, or pattern isn't going to make you significantly better than spending 10 hours focused in on stuff that really pushes you and challenges you to not just play difficult stuff by understand music and your instrument in different ways.

Nothing will help you develop faster or more efficiently than a good teacher, even infrequent Zoom sessions will do more to fine-tune your practice routine than a random YouTube lesson from someone who can't evaluate how you play and where your knowledge gaps are.

There are tons of challenging practice exercises and goals, Vic and Ant teach quite a few in the Groove Workshop DVD. Without knowing what you already know, here are a few things to consider:

Do you truly know your fretboard? Can you close your eyes, plop your hand down at random, and name that fret? Can you also name it's interval/connection to every other note? IE C is a perfect 5th from F, a Major 3rd from G#, etc.

Do you know how many of each note you have, both in unique pitches and in total locations for each note? IE how many DIFFERENT G pitches are on your bass, and how many TOTAL G notes are on it?

Sequencing and arpeggios can make your scale practice way more varied and challenging. Playing scales through only chord tones, non-chord tones, and sequences of 3, 4, or 5 notes will give you both a hand and brain workout. To go further, add some substitutions, or challenge yourself to play these exercises in different neck positions or to move vertically instead of horizontally across the fretboard.

To get into heavier jazz stuff you also want to spend some time not just playing scales, but shifting between scales, modes, and keys at tempo. For example, play straight quarter or eighth notes playing either a scale or an arpeggio in a given key. Continue that pattern while shifting between different keys or modes. You can even grab a random jazz chart, like Giant Steps, and just practice this exercise as the chords move by, to get your brain and hands used to going in and out of one tonal center.

You are right!
Every time I practice I challenge myself, when I get something right, I try to make it more difficult. If I learn songs, I look for songs that are a challenge to my skills, etc.

Thanks!

 

[vindibona1]

Your practice routine is what works best for you. I recommend shorter sessions with mulitple returns to practice if there is time and opportunity during the day. Me? I've got the attention span of a gerbil so when I have to practice it's several 10-15 minute shots at it throughout the day. Longer if I'm preparing something for performance.

 

[Dis Tournear]

Hello mates!

Before anything, I want to let you guys know that even though I take it seriously , I never forget that the reason I play bass is for fun, I dont make a life with it, so beyond the fact that I establish this daily tasks, I never forget to have fun!!.

Having said that, I want to share with you how I practice to see if I am in the right path.

My minimum amount of hours of practice is 1 hour my working days and 3 my days off.
I work 4 days a week so that makes 13 hours minimum of real practice ( I dont get distracted with phone or tv ).

This are my homework list at the moment:
* scales practice with metronome, trying to bit up my last speed record. This help me improve my fingering, and memorize the scales of course.
*reading charts. Whatever they are songs, exercises, scales, whatever is written, I read it.
* jam along a chord progression with the knowledge I have of scales.
* currently making a jazz course so that I understand better about chord progression and walking bass.
*learn songs that are either difficult or I like.

In my 1 hour practice days: 20 minutes scales. 20 minutes reading. 20 minutes the jazz course.
additionally I watch videos of music theory and/or bass , sometimes I take notes. I take it easy with this. Sometimes I watch clinics .

In my 3 hours practice days: 1 hour each task.

Plus I play song that I already know every time I finish my homework. I might play either 1 song or sometimes many !.

And another details is that I practice with the tone open 100% and with 0 % bass in the amp so that I can hear every little bad plucking and buzz and that way force myself to improve the fingering and technique

And finally I show you guys my bass!!

It's a Peavey Fury 96'

Thats all!!

Thanks for reading!!

For a working man with a family, or whatever is a pretty good amount of hours. If youre really serious practice all day doing your method of switching things up. Saturday and Sunday all day for a month. There is a line you are trying to cross but it moves as well so you have to really want it to go get it. I know because that was all I could think of as a young bassist and achieved it, big whoop, I can play fast. No one cares, least of all females LOL. Content in the song is what really matters and will inspire you to compose what the song needs......
And don't neglect good left hand technique.

 

[Malcolm35]

Once you know your scales, arpeggios, chord patterns, etc. time to take all that to songs. And it is here lead sheets and or fake chord sheet music comes into the picture.

Google can call up sheet music on just about anything you need. Ask Google for help using these search words, chords, name of the song.

Get with a band as quickly as you can and use all you have learned so you can play with people.

 

[10emmanuel]

Once you know your scales, arpeggios, chord patterns, etc. time to take all that to songs. And it is here lead sheets and or fake chord sheet music comes into the picture.

Google can call up sheet music on just about anything you need. Ask Google for help using these search words, chords, name of the song.

Get with a band as quickly as you can and use all you have learned so you can play with people.

thanks guys!