I hear you....I copied the following from a Bass Guitar web page...(I just started taking lessons, but need to also practice on my keyboard and drum set..lol)..Warning....it's long..
Despite every instructional book and video requiring practice, they never seem to address how to practice. Practicing is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as a musician. Effective practicing can save you years off the time it takes to be a competent bassist. It can mean the difference between becoming a professional and quitting altogether.
In these practicing articles I will give you some ideas on how to practice well. Not all of these ideas will work for you. Take what you can, test them out. Use what works. Everyone is a little different. Reread these articles periodically. Certain concepts may help you at different points in your development.
What is practicing?
First, you need a concept of what practicing is. This is how I define it:
Practicing is the absorption, mastery and maintenance of skills.
Let’s examine that more closely. Skills are things we use to create music. Skills can be bass techniques, concepts, rhythms, basslines, etc.
You can divide skills up into new, unlearned skills, and old, learned skills. Many people learn a few skills and continue practicing those same skills over and over. In order to advance, it is important to keep a balance of new and old skills in your practice routine. Only working on things you can already do will take you nowhere. The trap is you play old skills well and it is gratifying. Practicing new skills can be frustrating. People often keep playing the same stuff to make themselves feel better about their playing. Don’t tread water only reviewing things you can already do. Work on old and new skills.
Absorption is a process. Absorption means learning how to play and apply those new bass-playing skills. Absorption is the art of practicing; it is how to learn. There are a number of ways to learn skills. In this practicing lesson category and throughout studybass.com I will explain learning strategies you can apply to all your bass studies.
Often times I ask my students, “Do you know [something they were supposed to learn]?” And they reply, “Oh, yes. I learned it.” But when they play it back they fumble through it, get stuck, or need to look at something for a reference. They are familiar with it, but they have not yet mastered it.
Mastery is a result. Mastery means absorbing a new skill so well you have access to it whenever you need it. Some skills can be mastered in an hour; other skills take decades to master. If someone were to shake you awake you at 3 a.m. and asked you to play something and you could, you probably have it mastered. If you need to play through something once or twice before you can make it through it, you haven’t mastered it yet. Mastery means being able to execute at will. You will know when you really have something mastered. It will feel effortless. Keep in mind it is possible to play bass fairly well without having hardly anything mastered at all.
Maintenance means to review those skills you have mastered. Many learned skills need to be used consistently if you want them ready at will. It’s very easy to forget skills like reading, fingerings, basslines, and the like if you don’t use them.
To practice is to absorb, master and maintain skills.
Why Practice?
Practicing is simply the only way to get better. I promise, much to our dismay, my students and I have all tried not practicing and it just doesn’t work. (It’s a real bummer, I know.) Occasional practicing or very inconsistent practicing also doesn't work well.
Another way people try to improve their playing is by throwing money at it. Books, videos, lessons and clinics do not improve your playing. Only practicing what is presented in them improves your playing.
With that said, keep the following things in mind:
· Don’t think about practicing – Practice!
· Don’t buy more stuff to practice – Practice the things you have!
· Don’t buy more equipment – Practice on the equipment you have!
· Don’t put it off – Practice now!
You’ve got to practice. It’s the only way to get better. If playing bass didn’t require practice, everyone would be able to do it. Think about how few people you encounter that can play a musical instrument well. Playing well is not easy to come by. It takes a lot of work. And, it is work anyone can do if they want it badly enough.
Practicing will be one of the most rewarding things you will do for yourself. The skills you develop are yours through hard work. They can’t be bought. They can’t be taken away from you.
Many other daily activities in which we engage don’t have the same lasting results like practicing gives us. There is little reward for watching TV or playing video games. (Wow! You can quote Seinfeld?!!) I’m not suggesting you don’t do these things. But, I am suggesting for you to evaluate the things you do in your day-to-day life. Ask yourself if you are getting something you want for the time you contribute to each activity. If you want to relax, you could watch TV. But if you want to play bass well, you need to practice bass.
Set your priorities. How good of a bass player do you want to be? How good you can be depends on how much time you can put into it and focusing on the right things to study. Once you know what you want to achieve, ask yourself if it is a reasonable goal. Will you have enough time to achieve your aim? If you’re going to school, have two jobs and a child, you’re going to have a hard time fitting in the necessary practice to become the best bassist in the world. Raise or lower your expectations based on your situation. This may not sound motivating but, if your expectations are too high and you don’t achieve them, you may be severely disappointed and quit all together. Be reasonable and do what you can. Push yourself, but don’t make your goals impossible and don't set yourself up for defeat.
Once you have an idea of how good you want to be, you must develop a practice routine that will get you there. Your actions must match your desires. I see a lot of students who say they want to achieve great heights, but then don't perform the actions that will get them there.
Learn to balance your other commitments and activities with your practice time. If you’re serious about learning to play, you’re going to have to sacrifice more than if you just want to play a little for fun. This can be hard to do. Ask yourself with every activity in which you engage, “Is this more important or more rewarding than becoming a good bassist?” Sometimes it is, and many times it isn't.
One of my favorite musical anecdotes:
A famous violinist performed yet another brilliant concert. After the concert a woman backstage said to the violinist, "Sir, I would give my life to play like you play." The violinist replied, "Ma'am, I did."
Practicing is a necessary sacrifice you are going to have to make if you want to play bass and be a musician.
How much to practice….
How much you practice depends a lot on your goals and your schedule. I believe frequency of practice is more important than quantity of practice. You will retain more and learn at a faster pace if you consistently practice 30 minutes every day of the week rather than 6 hours one day a week.
It is very important to pick up your bass once a day even if it is only for five minutes. Just a few minutes of practice when you don’t have much time will strengthen your memory of concepts, improve your musical ear, and reinforce the muscle memory you are developing.
I also find many students retain more if they are able to scatter their practice time in smaller chunks throughout the day. This can be difficult depending on your schedule, but try it if you can.
If possible, keep your bass out of its case. Make your bass accessible. That way it is easy to pick up whenever you have some time. If you want to force yourself to pick it up, leave it sitting in your favorite chair or in your bed! Put your bass where it is in your way; don’t keep it out of sight.
I think a decent, average amount to practice would be 45-60 minutes a day. If you are consistent, you can make a fair amount of progress with that much practice. If you are more serious about playing the bass, 2-3 hours a day would be a good amount of practice time. And, if you want to be really good you might practice as much as 6-8 hours a day.
The famous jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker spent several years practicing 12 hours each day! Jimi Hendrix never put his guitar down. He even took it with him when he went to the bathroom!
The more you practice, the more you will learn. Of course, you need to be practicing the right things, but more practice helps.
I do think there is a saturation point where you can be practicing too much. At some point you will notice you don't get much more return for the time you are putting in practicing. Don't forget there is a world out there that can really inspire you and make you play better, too. Everything is not in your practice room. Don't be a total shut-in!
As you increase how much you practice, you also need to be aware of the increased health risks musicians face. Long practice sessions may stimulate hand injuries, and you are at higher risk of losing your hearing. Remember to be gentler on yourself as you increase your practice time.
Your practice routine doesn’t always have to be the same length of time each day. You could have a full practice routine (maybe 2 hours) and an abbreviated one (maybe 30 minutes). Choose which one fits your schedule best each day. Don’t skip practicing for the day because you can’t get in your normal amount of practice time. This is a common trap into which students fall.
Above all, if you are pressed for time, be sure to pick up your bass and practice for a few minutes. It will do you a lot of good. Maybe you should do that right now....
When to practice
Wrong Approaches to Practice Time
If you plan on practicing whenever you have "spare time", you will rarely practice. There is so much competition for your attention that "spare time" will rarely appear. What you need is a consistent practice routine. You need a set schedule. If you want to learn to play bass well, you need to treat practicing like a second job or like school. Don't treat it as optional. If you are serious about playing bass, don't treat it like a hobby or else that's all it will ever be. Remember to match your actions to your desires. Keep them in line or else you'll be very dissatisfied.
Another trap is to practice only when you "feel like it." There will be times when you have no desire to practice. There may be a lot of them. If you want to learn to play bass well, you have to learn to do it regardless of how you feel. Often you'll find you just needed to get started and then you're into it. Again, don't treat practicing as optional. You go to school or work whether you feel like it or not. You pay bills and brush your teeth whether you feel like it or not. And, you practice whether you feel like it or not. Practice is the only way you progress. Eventually practicing will become a habit if not an addiction. It will feel strange when you don't practice.
Scheduling Your Practice Time Wisely
Now you know not to only practice in your spare time or only when you feel like it. An excellent thing to do is set a specific time each day to practice. Something important to realize is a lot of people sabotage their musicianship just by choosing the wrong time of day to practice! Try to strategically pick a time when you are alert and no one will disturb or interrupt you. You need to give it a lot of thought; most people don't. Examine your typical day-to-day life and wisely choose the times when you practice.
Interruptions
Your practice session is an important appointment between you and your bass that no one else should interrupt. I know avoiding interruptions can be difficult for a lot of people. You need to get others to really understand what you are doing. Even if you are deeply serious about practicing and playing bass well, others don't perceive it that way. To others you are merely playing bass and having fun. People rarely mind interrupting your fun. Unless you explain to them how serious you are about your practicing, they will interrupt you. If possible, explain to the people who often interrupt your practicing that it really interferes with your passionate goal of becoming a great bass player.
Another common interruption is the telephone. Avoid answering the phone. When you do, your 1-hour practice session quickly turns into 20 minutes.
Prepare ahead so you don't interrupt yourself. Go to the bathroom, get yourself a beverage and whatever else you need to do beforehand. Do your best to clear your mind of things before you start to practice.
Be Alert
You won't practice very effectively if you are exhausted. Try to choose times when you are most alert. Avoid practicing right after a meal or just before going to bed if you can. You're better off with less practice time when you're clear-headed and rested, than more time when you're not.
Wake Up and Practice
If you can manage it, I highly recommend practicing first thing in the morning. You will develop a much more positive relationship with practicing. When you practice in the evening, you have to think about it all day. It looms over you. All day you will think, "Will I have time to do it today?" And, many things are bound to occur throughout the day that will eat up your practice time. When you practice in the morning, all day you feel good about having it finished. You will feel positive with your progress. The morning is also good because there are usually fewer interruptions and distractions. The phone doesn't ring too much and there's nothing good on TV! I remember when I was in college I would often get up at 4:30am to practice for a couple of hours before going to class. Learning to play bass or any instrument is always a sacrifice for something else.
Make It a Routine
Once you have your set time and people know not to bother you, you must learn to stick to your practice routine. It may take several weeks to get into the habit of consistently practicing. The beginning is always the most difficult. Most importantly, if you slip, don't give up on your routine. Failing is part of the whole learning process. Just as you are learning to play bass, you are learning how to practice bass.
A common pattern of failure is setting up your practice routine and you miss a day or two and feel like you can't pull it off. Then you give up completely and don't practice at all. What you need to do instead is determine what caused you to fail at your practice routine — just as when you run into problems playing a bassline or exercise on your bass. Maybe you set yourself up to fail. Maybe you picked a time you didn't expect a lot of conflicts, but there were some. How can you avoid them? What other time could you choose? Is it you causing the problems? Or is it others bothering you? Maybe you expect to practice more than is really possible right now. Figure it all out and adjust accordingly.
Also, there's nothing wrong with easing into your routine. If this is something new in your life, it will take some getting used to. I often recommend getting comfortable with the every day aspect of a routine first. Practice every day for at least five minutes. If you do more, fine. Once you successfully get the every day part going, increase the amount of time you practice each day. Do that until you get to your goal amount of practice time.
Commit to Yourself
You need to come up with a well-conceived practice plan and stick to it. You can be a great bass player if you do this and focus your practice time on the right things.
You will find it is very easy to let yourself down. When there is no one else to answer to for not doing something, we don't feel the same kind of pressure as when there is. This is one of the many reasons teachers help you progress. You don't want to let them down and they push you. You must learn to live up to your commitments to yourself just as you should live up to commitments you make to others. Don't let yourself down by not practicing. If you want to learn to play bass well, you need to put in the time. If you've read this far, you know it's something you want to do. You can do it with the right plan and commitment.
