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Week 21-10: Lose a Note

One way to get out of the rut of playing "the same old thing" is to force yourself to think more about what you're playing. Losing a note or two will help you do just that.

Choose a scale, then choose a "no-play note" or two. See what you can find without playing the taboo notes.

Week 20-10: Lose a String

Here's one you can try just before you change strings. Take one string off, then retune the rest. Now, see if you can play your favorite lines without that string.

This exercise serves two purposes:

• It prepares you for the dreaded broken string during a gig.
• It helps you think outside the box, opening the door for new ideas.

Week 19-10: Expanding Your Horizons, Part 3

Now that you've learned all scale tones in each position, it's time to connect the positions so you can move smoothly across the neck. Look for likely position shift points, as well as opportunities to slide up one scale tone, putting you up a position or two. Look for as many ways as possible to move up and down.

Remember to rotate scales and keys, and take the time to get it right.

Week 18-10: Expanding Your Horizons, Part 2

The next step in expanding your horizons is to learn every note in the scale in every position. This includes notes above and below the single octave you practiced last week. Don't move positions; just find the extra notes.

Practice as before, rotating keys and scales (major, minor, etc.), and work it every day.

Week 17-10: Expanding Your Horizons, Part 1

Once you've learned a scale in one position, learn it in every other position possible, everywhere on the neck. All the way up to the skinniest frets you own. Do this with every scale, in every key. Rotate keys and scales to make sure you cover them all regularly.

Spend 10-15 minutes a day on this, and you should see major progress by next week, and Part 2.

Week 16-10: Eyes Front

Learn to play without having to glue your eyes to the fretboard. Having the ability to look elsewhere allows you to visually connect with other musicians and the audience. Begin with lines or scales you know well. Then, simply look forward. If you have to peek, it's OK in the beginning. Once you're down to the occasional glance, take it up a step and close your eyes.

Week 15-10: Practice in Your Head

Last week I encourage you to work on hearing something in your head, then being able to play it. Here's why that's an important skill to learn: Once mastered, you can begin to practice in your head, without the need for a bass. Certainly this won't help maintain or improve your technical skills. Just imagine, however, what it would be like to learn songs without needing a bass. Why, you could learn the songs while you drive to work, on your lunch break, while your wife is compla... never mind. You get the picture.

Week 14-10: Hear it in Your Head

If you can sing a line, chances are you can also hear a line in your head. And if you can do that, you can practice anywhere. Start by singing a line to yourself, then check it on the bass. Next, close your eyes and hear the line in your head. If you can do that, you can reverse the process: hear it first, then play it.

Again, start with easy lines and work your way up.

Week 13-10: Learn to Sing Your Lines

One great way to improve on the bass is to learn to sing your lines. As you improve on this, you'll find the skill allows you to practice "in your head" when you don't have a bass handy.

Start with easy lines, such as basic scales, and work your way up.

Week 12-10: Build a Riff Encyclopedia

Since you're using a notebook-based system, you could also build a riff encyclopedia. Group them according to style, open position (generally E or A) or closed position (pretty much everything else), and mood - or at least whether it's major or minor.

Week 11-10: Build a Scale Encyclopedia

One of the best ways to keep track of the scales you have learned is to build an encyclopedia of them. As you learn each scale in a new key, write it in your book. You can use this book to review occasionally to keep everything fresh.

Week 10-10: Keep Your Mind Open

As we progress as bassists, most of us concentrate on specific styles. However, you can learn from almost any style, regardless of what you want to focus on. Learn how to rock eighth notes from Cliff Williams. Learn synchopation from funk players. Learn about chord progressions from everything, because you'll see the same chords in all styles of music.

Week 9-10: Accuracy Exercise

In my article, Proper Hand Position, I discussed the importance of placing your fretting finger right on the fret wire. Here's an exercise to teach your fretting hand where those wires are across the entire neck.

Beginning with the G (or highest) string, play groups of 4 chromatic notes, starting with first through fourth frets and fingering 1 - 2 - 3 - 4. As you're playing the last note, your index finger should set up for the next set of notes, which will start on the second fret. Work your way up the neck one fret at a time ( 1 2 3 4 - 2 3 4 5 etc.) until you get to the very end. Then, reverse the drill and go back down. ( 24 23 22 21 - 23 22 21 20 etc.). Do this on every string. Very quickly your hand will learn to hit each wire correctly, even as the width of the frets decreases.

Week 8-10: Turn on the TV

Here's one way you can actually benefit from watching TV: Listen closely to any music, in both shows and commercials, and try to pick up as much of the bass part as you can. This can be an excellent ear training exercise. However, this does not count as daily practice. Call it extra credit.

Week 7-10: Turn off the TV

Noodling around on your bass while watching TV may be fun, but it isn't practicing. Practicing entails focused concentration and mental effort. Instead of sitting in the family room watching the tube while your sister keeps yelling at you to turn down so she can hear her show, head off to your room and give your bass 30 minutes of serious attention.

Week 6-10: Stay Focused

A rule to live by is "as you practice, so shall you perform." If you don't concentrate and properly execute during your practice time, how can you expect to do any better at other times? Remember what we said about muscle memory and learning to play incorrectly. And stay focused!

Week 5-10: What to Keep in Your Notebook

Here are some of the things you can track in your notebook:

Week 4-10: Practice Every Day

Daily practice helps keep your skills up to speed, and it also helps you transfer new knowledge to long-term memory. Every day you skip makes it more difficult to remember what you've learned. Even if you can only squeeze in fifteen or twenty minutes to review new material, you'll find you progress faster if you play every day.

Related Article: Practicing Perfectly

Week 3-10: Keep a Notebook

One of the best ways to focus your efforts is to keep a notebook of your activities. Make note of the exercises and concepts your are currently developing, and also make notes about the tempos at which you can successfully perform each exercise. Review at the beginning of each practice session.

Week 2-10: Don't Noodle

Noodling isn't practicing; it isn't a proper use of practice time. When you practice, be serious, be focused. You'll be amazed at how quickly you progress when you focus your practice time.

Week 1-10: Wash Your Hands

Before you play your bass, wash your hands with soap and hot water. This helps warm up your muscles, and keeps your strings clean.

Related Article: One Hand Washes the Other