Practice Routines!

[Hutton]

How do you guys practice? As a player of, let's say, maturing years I find it difficult at times to set aside time for practice. Sometimes practice happens in flurries when I'm not so busy whilst at other times practice is more sporadic. I know my job and routines are different from other folks but just wondered how all of you organise your practice.

Thanks!

 

[Mobay45]

I just practice when I can. We usually have a new song or two for the band to learn every month. I need to work on two or three tonight and tomorrow night for our rehearsal this Thursday.

BTW - The time I spend alone playing my bass is practice, the time with the band is rehearsal. Everyone should have already learned and practiced their parts by the time they get to rehearsal.

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Modes. From the bottom to the top of the neck. My favourite is Dorian

 

[roballanson]

Modes. From the bottom to the top of the neck. My favourite is Dorian

Now that is serious and scary!!!

Me - when ever I can, flurries, a good half hour solid twice a week when I have to house to my self. Even just getting five mins to run a scale up and down the neck is all muscle memory and keeping that fingerboard in your head....

 

[tommyindelaware]

How do you guys practice? As a player of, let's say, maturing years I find it difficult at times to set aside time for practice. Sometimes practice happens in flurries when I'm not so busy whilst at other times practice is more sporadic. I know my job and routines are different from other folks but just wondered how all of you organise your practice.

Thanks!

i used to practice....

the key to getting results (i think)......is to..
1. do it everyday (3minues after u wake up workes suprisingly well......even if it's just for 15-30 mins. especially if you already have a prepared agenda )
2. keep it short & sweet......addressing only your problematic aspects of your playing.

i am way overdue for some woodshedding......& it IS comming soon.

 

[tommyindelaware]

Modes. From the bottom to the top of the neck. My favourite is Dorian

u strike me as a lydian type......

 

[roballanson]

u strike me as a lydian type......

or perhaps mixolydian......

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

>>>Now that is serious and scary!!!

Evens out the fret ware

 

[UKFIN]

A few minutes practice a day is better than an hour once a week .

Paying scale modes is my prefered method

 

[tommyindelaware]

>>>Now that is serious and scary!!!

Evens out the fret ware

it's off the beaten path !!!!!
start it on the flat 5......

 

[shamus63]

I practice whenever I feel like it...usually 3-4x a week @ 2-3 hours a pop.

 

[SharonG]

Every day for at least 15 minutes is ideal, but sometimes life intervenes. When I do get a chance, I'll spend 10 to 15 min. on speed isssues, and whatever's left on trouble spots in songs, or new songs. I'f I'm really lucky, I'll pull out the real book and go to town with the chord changes ranging as far around the neck as I can - but (sigh) that doesn't happen very often.........

 

[Mobay45]

I practice whenever I feel like it...usually 3-4x a week @ 2-3 hours a pop.

When I do get to practice, I'll spend at least an hour. It seems that I usually lose track of time though and end up practicing for 2 or more hours.

 

[Motojunkie]

I don't really practice much at all....Though I tend to try to play daily. When I do play I usually just run through some fun things to play to get warmed up. Then I play things that have given me trouble to try to tighten it up. Then I'll play along to 6 or 7 songs to get in the pocket - helps with timing. Then if I have the time I'll try to learn something new. Even though I'm practicing, I don't do any kind of regimen that could make it boring. I practice by playing real world lines from songs to learn the techniques or rhythms it seems to work best for me this way. I'm not the type of person that can run scales or just sit and practice with a metronome.

I really need to learn how to slap and pop, so that's going to be my focus to learn for a while. I got a Slap Bass DVD by Ed Freidland that looks to be nicely done to help me through it.

 

[lonote049]

I often sit down to watch TV and have my bass with me. I then attempt to play along with anything that comes on. You'd be amazed what that does for your ear!

 

[bassplayer7770]

I try to practice at least a little every day. At first, I may start with some finger exercises from the book Bass Fitness. Then I might do some theory exercises. All exercises are done with a metronome. Then I make sure I'm tight on all the songs my new band is playing, and I learn any new songs so I'm fully prepared at rehearsals. I also have to spend some time on songs for my lessons which are bi-weekly. This time I have to work on "Oakland Stroke" by Tower of Power. Lots of 16th notes at 130 bpm!!!

 

[tkarter]

I practice 1 hour sight reading every day. I can do that at my computer.

Try to get one hour per day to play Triads from the bottom of the neck up and Extended Triads for another 30 minutes.
This I fail to do every day but maintain that to the best of my ability.

Also half hour every other day on the upright playing triads.

Like Larry I learn my parts for my songs before rehearsal.

tk

 

[Hutton]

Thanks everybody for these really helpful answers. Keep 'em coming!

 

[Aussie Mark]

What Larry said. Practice for me is learning new songs, or jogging my memory on old ones that are hiding away somewhere in my brain.

 

[Dr Stankface]

Anybody got a link to some scales and modes and anything else?