Tag Archives: bass guitar practice

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How to Find Time for Bass Practice

You have a busy life- how are you supposed to find time to play some bass everyday? Here are some tips so that you can make time for a daily practice time.

Wake up Earlier

This may be the hardest thing I suggest! Consider setting your alarm 10 or so minutes earlier and playing as soon as you wake up. A little morning bass never hurt anyone.

Go to Sleep Later

Also try going to sleep 10 or so minutes later. If you add the earlier wake up time with a later sleep time, you’ll have 20 extra minutes to play.

Cut Out TV Time

Turn off the television and play some bass! It’s that simple.

Multi-Task

Instead of quitting television, try to play and watch tv at the same time. It’s great for when you need to do warmups or easy exercises, without much thought. It’s better to NOT multi-task if you have to really focus on technique.

Focus on Better Practice

Instead of trying to get more time, try to become better at practice. How does one become better at practice? FOCUS. Work harder to maintain a high level of focus while you are playing, so you get more skill for less time.

Got any time saving strategies? Leave a comment below.

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Creating The Perfect Practice Environment

Where you are practicing can be as important as what you are practicing. Take a second and look around your practice space.

Is it a practice space? Or is it just your amp with some stacks of paper on top of it? Here are some easy ways perfect your practice environment.

Organization

You should be able to find anything at anytime in your practice space. Consider buying some binders for keeping your printed out tabs and sheet music organized. It might also be smart to buy a custom desk built for musicians.

Wrap up your cords and store them, rather than waiting for someone to step on them or a chair to roll over them.

Keep it Clean

Vacuum your floor and dust your amps. Your practice place shouldn’t be littered with last night’s dinner or a stray cup of water. This will help with the organization also.

Right Resources

I always have my chromatic tuner and metronome right next to me. Those are basically my two essential practice tools. I also have a space I can put my laptop if I’m reading the tab off the computer.

Distraction Free

It’s easy to get distracted by your cell phone or something on the internet. Resist the urge to break up your practice time so you can stay focused and become a better bassist.

Got any tips? I’d like to see some pictures of everyone’s practice environment also!

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3 Strategies For Better Practice

beginning bass practiceThese 3 simple practice strategies will help you grow as a bass player, in all aspects!

1. No Distractions

It helps if you know what you want to accomplish, and how, before you even pick up the bass. Consider turning your cell phone off and keeping only sites related to bass guitar on the internet open.

This will help you focus in, whether it’s learning a new song or learning a technique. Just do it, without being distracted.

2. Pick The Right Environment

This goes hand in hand with no distractions. You need to practice in a comfortable environment, not too hot or cold. If you are too hot, that’s all you’ll think about, and you will sweat! Too cold, and your hands will take a while to fully warm up.

Set the room to a comfortable temperature. If it’s too hot, bring a fan in your room, that’s what I’ve found works the best. The right environment will help you remain focused on your goals for that practice session.

3. Try Something New

Keep your hands and fingers guessing by mixing up your practice with new riffs and techniques to master. If you usually play rock, try learning some jazz riffs, you get the idea.

The best way to grow as a player is by better practicing, and by using these three tips, you can achieve just that! Leave any comments or criticisms below.

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Consider Taking A Break!

Have you been working really hard, everyday, to improve your speed, technique, or learn a new song you’re really excited about? Maybe it’s time to take a small break.

Hear me out. Sometimes you need to step away from the bass for a day or two and come back refreshed, ready to become a bass rockstar. Overworking your hands and fingers will lead to a more serious injury in the future.

I’m talking about callouses, wrist sprains, and carpal tunnel kind of injuries, which can really set a bassist back.

I’m not trying to scare you or discourage you from playing, I’m just talking about how you need to keep your body in fighting condition. Don’t over practice!

Being a musician is just like being an athlete- you have to take care of your body and mind, which sounds overly dramatic, but it’s not.

If you start feeling pain in your wrist, I recommend you just set the bass down, to keep your wrist from becoming sore. Also- callouses can be really painful, but are really important for you to “grow” some.

If it feels like your finger tips are going to fall off, stop playing for the day and come back to it tomorrow.

Hopefully this post struck a chord… remember to take care of your body!

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Setting A Daily Practice Time

Setting aside time to practice bass guitar everyday is the easiest way to get better faster.

I practice about 30 minutes around the same time, each day. Often I’ll end up going way longer than 30 minutes if I have a song idea or if I am working on a technique. Sometimes I will only play 5 minutes and put my bass back in it’s case.

But 5 minutes of practice will always beat 0. Every time.

If you are not already practicing bass guitar everyday, I encourage you to give it a try. Write down in your calendar or just make a mental note that you will take 30 minutes each day to practice, in between 6:30-7:00 pm (Any convenient time will do).

Don’t make excuses, practice. If you’ve got to be somewhere, take 5 minutes to play. It keeps your fingers limber and your bass mind sharp!

How much time are you spending on practice?