Why do you practice?

[AaronVonRock]

I practice so our band sounds good when we play live. I just practice songs. I've never practiced scales or other types of exercises.

 

[DrThumpenstein]

Mostly to learn new songs for the band and to keep set lists tight. But also some guilty pleasures (Dua Lipa, that’s some tasty bass and my band won’t touch that), and old favorites.

When I’m holding a bass I’m either happy or I’m about to be.

 

[HardNHeavy]

good for dementia...lol all those time signatures and counting. So i heard somewhere...seriously i like playing everyday. Not in a band anymore, I do get together with a guitarist/buddy every week to noodle about and have a few beers, but i like learning new songs on my own and challenging myself to play them pretty much note for note.

 

[2112]

I practice mainly for 2 reasons:

1. because practice is the mother of skill, and

2. because I love to play.

As far as my current goals, it's probably 50/50 between reviewing current material and learning new material. And both of these categories are probably themselves split 50/50 between working on project and non-project material.

 

[kesslari]

I practice because I have specific goals that I want to achieve, because it allows me to escape from the everyday stress in my life (which is fairly substantial), and because it makes me happy.

Big plus one to this.
Although I have doldrums where I'm not working on anything new, most times I have some specific goals and things to work on, driven by my current projects and passions.

 

[King Harvest]

I just love music and I want to be involved in it. I don't even care if I get any better at this point. Never gigged or been in a band and probably never will.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

I should give it a shot. If I did, I may be as good as I used to be...

 

[Passinwind]

Because there's a lot riding on this?

 

[Stevorebob]

Thanks for your feedback. Do you have a specific goal in mind that you’re progressing to, such as playing a specific song, or just progress in general, becoming more of a master of the instrument?

Well, aside from answering with a quote of Pablo Casals, my practice time is split about evenly learning new material and perfecting it for performance. I’m currently in three projects, each in different lifecycle stages — some more learning, some more perfecting — with about 250 total songs in rotation. These days, any time for technique or theory is within song practice. Still, I think I am making progress.

 

[QweziRider]

I practice because there's something new in an upcoming gig, something I missed in the last gig, or I feel squirrely and want to play the BEAD tuned four stringer rather than the usual fiver tonight and need to remember where certain runs are on a different bass.

 

[Nashrakh]

I practice because I like being unfair to my bandmates.

 

[Peterson]

I practice because I love playing bass

 

[Rev12_11]

I practice because I find it both enjoyable and relaxing.

 

[lbbc]

I practice to:
1. Get better technically
2. To learn new material...even if my band never plays it
3. To "go over" songs on our song list we haven't played for a long time
4. Because I enjoy playing bass

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

Why do you practice?

To make sure I can still do it.

Better answer: To find the most efficient way to get it done. I don't formalise it at all, I just figure out what will get me where I want to go and make it work like a familiar path.

 

[Slevage]

I have Holiday concerts scheduled for December. I practice those shows because they are 95% reading gigs.

Practicing reading helps my skills and gets me familiar with the tunes. One of the gigs is backing a 75+ member choral group. I’m reading off choral/piano arrangements, so reading those parts aren’t quite suitable for bass.

 

[squidtastic]

To be good at what I do. Also, I just like hearing my bass.

 

[dangevans]

My reasons for practicing:
1. I don't want to suck.
2. See reason 1.

 

[onda'bass]

I practice for me and love to. Anyone who has played for 20 years and thinks they know it all, well...you don't.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

If I have a Friday gig, I start reviewing on Wednesday. Gives time for things to incubate. New material I start on right away. Once in a while the band rehearses if a song needs a special arrangement.