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What are you doing in the practice room now?

#41
Being original and creative. After dedicating 95% of my efforts the last two years into playing awesome lines in an 80s/90s hard rock cover band, it's been wonderful just creating my own sounds (and playing guitar 50% of the time). I've written and recorded 9 songs since mid-March.
 
#42
Normally do a little warming up. Play through some music I've got lying around. Maybe put my music collection on random and see if a song I'd like to try comes up(ex. from yesterday, 311 - You Wouldn't Believe). Might play for an hour or two and call it a day.

I've been trying to write my own songs too but it's a very slow process as when I have a idea, I'll write down lyrics first but forget the music/beat I had in mind. Next time I'll try it the other way around haha.
 
#43
I'm working on material for a couple weeks from now - I'm playing two churches that Sunday (I can do this now, as the work is actually done ahead of time via at home recording). That, and working to "normalize" playing a 5 string. I'm very at home on my 4's, but my 5's are a relatively recent addition, and I need many more hours of playing pretty much anything on them to make them feel just as familiar.
 
#44
I practice standing up with my bass on so that my first gig back won’t be a backbreaker. After not holding a bass for a month, I was shocked how much my neck and shoulder hurt at the muscular and skin level.

I also just watch youtube videos of TED talks or other random stuff while I let the fingers fly around the fingerboard with out any focus or plan. It is like musical babbling with your fingers to keep them strong and calloused.
 
#45
Currently, schoolwork as I'm winding up the 2019-20 school year. I'm an elementary teacher. These days, multitasking is a way of life, but musically-speaking, beginning to work on this month's selection, Eye of the Tiger for our Corona Orchestra. It's an online group that recently broke a world record for most musicians playing one song; 1,320 players. Yep, there were a lot of bass players, but I'm told I was like the only one from TB. It's out of Germany and most of the musicians are from Europe. We need more Yankees, so anyone interested should check us out on YT.
 
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#46
Composing and recording - remote collaboration with a guitar player friend. Ostensibly working on a movie soundtrack - but we have no visuals! More of a concept album, I guess.

My basses and guitars gets pulled out when I need them, but I'm spending a lot of time with my MIDI keyboards and large number of patches. Having fun with the recent release of Spitfire Audio's BBC Symphony Orchestra, but also some Kontact instruments and Alchemy for vintage synth stuff. I *really* am tempted by some of the newer hardware such as Roland Jupiter Xm.
 
#47
I usually spend about an hour doing various speed and technique exercises on my fretted basses each day and then spend some time learning songs on my fretless. I am just learning fretless on an unlined board so playing songs that I already know but on my fretless has been important. It's starting to feel pretty comfortable now though.
 
#49
Mostly playing songs to try and keep some chops up. Looked up a transcription of Bernie Worrell’s synth bass line for “Flashlight” and started shedding on that. Since I have a 4-string will have to use an octaver and play it 8va to get the low C in it. With a 24 fret bass I have just enough to cover the part.

Also working on “Skin Tight”.
 
#56
i play through all my scales and arpeggios, all keys, and modes at least once a day. I learn between 3 and 5 songs to play along with for my fiancé later after dinner. I have been slowly learning portrait of tracy. sight reading out of the real book, and learning standards. sometimes I just put on a Brad Mehldau/Bill Evans/Hiromi playlist and play along for ear training. looking forward to the jazz jam starting back up again. trying to remain ready!!
 
#59
Right now it's the torturous slog of note-reading studies. My first instrument was violin and I never bothered to learn to read the bass clef very well, and in my adult life I never really needed to read either clef for much of anything except sight reading as a singer.

It's very disheartening to work through these etudes, because I know that if I just heard them played I could play them easily and well. But reading them makes me feel like I'm just learning the instrument for the first time and I have to keep reminding myself that isn't the case. I do know how to play the bass. I just need to learn to read better. The result is that I don't have a lot of patience for the exercises and end up only spending about 20 minutes on them each day, so it's a long haul.
 

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