Why do you practice?

[-Stingray]

I work from home. When I finish a task I grab my bass (sits right by my desk) and bang out a song to recharge, then get back to the next task. Keeps me sane during the work day and up to speed for the upcoming weekend.

Also, I love the feel of the bass neck in my hand and strings under my fingers. Ain't nothing better!

 

[CallMeAl]

I feel I’ve kinda plateaued on bass. But it’s cool im ok with it I have all the technical ability to play in the bands im in, so I don’t practice for speed or fretboard prowess. I still learn new songs, and my big goal now is developing my voice and singing and playing.

I also play guitar. I’m not nearly as good as on bass, and most practice time is spent here. I really just do this for me, and getting better is actually more of a reward than a goal. I practice because it’s an engaging and mentally stimulating hobby, and I love it.

As for the group my #1 is small bits of practice, consistently. 10 minutes a day is better than 70 minutes on Saturday. Also, make sure there’s stuff in there you enjoy. Unless you’re a music major or going pro, why break your back? It’s a hobby for most. Play stuff you love and you’ll keep coming back.

 

[lark_z]

Because the bars aren't open in the morning.

 

[JMarkD]

I try to practice everyday. Firstly, I enjoy it. I love getting out a different bass and messing with the tone etc. I also work on tunes I'm not very familiar with. But most of all, as I have grown older and my hands are failing, I practice to keep my chops together. I can't play like I could twenty years ago and that is probably a good thing.

 

[bearhart74]

Because if i just showed up at a gig and played this good it would just piss the other musicians off.

 

[marchone]

I "practice" because I play bass.

 

[bucephylus]

I play, therefore I am.

 

[yodedude2]

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

my practice habits are poor. but when i do paractice, i do it to keep my meager skills from eroding away ...

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

To suck less

 

[truand85]

For the chicks, man.

Am I on the wrong forum?

 

[bearhart74]

For the chicks, man.

Am I on the wrong forum?

Nope.. wrong planet

 

[Spidey2112]

I didn't buy all these basses to just sit around and look pretty... I can do that, without them.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Finger caluss maintenance.

 

[skidmarkbass]

I practice every night, but now instead of going over the set list songs, I just play for at least an hour, whatever I feel like. I think the key for me is to just play.

 

[Stewie]

I “practice” every day. If I don’t keep up with it, my hands start to hurt in the third set. Nobody told me that upright would be physically harder than electric.
More importantly, I like to play

 

[ebo]

“Don’t practice, play. Practice sounds like work. Playing sounds like fun and if it’s fun you’ll do more of it. If you do more of it you’ll get better, and isn’t that what practice is supposed to achieve?” (Paraphrasing Victor Wooten.) I am the opposite of the OP’s percentages. When I practice, 90% is learning new material, 10% is polishing up or refreshing old material. That same percentage holds when my band rehearses.

 

[ArtechnikA]

90 per cent repertoire, 10 per cent technique.
More when there is a performance of some sort required.

This summer i took almost 2 weeks off, between house and yard projects and nothing happening performance-wise.
I was quite surprised to discover an improved musicality in my playing when I got back to it, so maybe a brief hiatus is not all bad...

 

[fishdude101101]

I just like to play my bass.

 

[conttador]

How else does one get better?

Not to sound cliche but it’s a journey not a destination…

All of the professional musicians I know practice religiously.

 

[jschulman]

Next year will be my 30th year playing bass, and there's so much to learn about this instrument that I still feel like a beginner. Practice helps me address those things I know I can do better, and it also helps me learn my band's songs so I'm fully prepared for band practice and ultimately gigs.