Question for bassists:

[HippieOfDoom]

Just curious. How much, in terms of time spent and content concentrated on, practice are you committing to?
How regimented are you with exercises or does the stream of consciousness flow?
Thanks,
SDG

 

[israel]

I know you don't practice at all (LOL) but when I used to play more often I did practice about an hour a day at most... but I was never a professional player or anything like that...

 

[AleTheSnail]

Lately I've been playing more bass then I have been in a long time.
I say playing opposed to practicing because I rarely ever say "Okay I am going to sit down and practice scales for an hour". I know its useful, don't get me wrong but it doesn't appeal to me right now. These days I enjoy just picking up my bass and writing. I find it to be alot more fun and it pushes me to grow as a player aswell as finding my own voice on the fretless. If I can't play something I've written thats when I sit down and practice til I get it to a level I'm happy with.

I work graveyards so I play two hours before bed everyday. That's pretty good for me.
My band is recording right now, two albums have been hugely inspirational in helping me add my own voice to the recording, the first is The Fragile Art of Existence. I love the bass playing on that album. Awesome tone and just such great use of the fretless in metal. The second is Planet X by Derek Sherinian. Anyone who wants to hear some amazing fretless bass playing NEEDS to check out this album. I always knew Tony Franklin is a amazing bass player (Hell, I own one of his signature basses) but I never knew he had so much prog in him. Those two albums have been a gold mine in giving me ideas in how to expand my playing.

 

[Júlio Salotti]

To me it's just a flow. When I feel the need (or the urge) to play, I pick up the bass and play some music. My theory exercises are inside the creation of music. Whenever I wanna create a song, I try to incorporate (or at least try) something new. I can't practice scales or modes with a strict regime, because it bores me and I end up learning very little. Sometimes I also try to dissect a song or a part of a song to see how it's made, what is used and what I can incorporate with my playing.

And... Sometimes I just pick up the bass and improvise something in front of the computer over a song or over the silence so I don't lose practice/speed.