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3 times per week for an hour is the wrong approach. You'll retain far more practising for a shorter time but on more days - particularly for reading where the most vital element is doing it all the time. Just like any other language. 15 minutes per day, every day will be far more beneficial. Don't confuse learning music with learning a tune. They are different things. Find somewhere that you can leave your gear and a stand set up all the time so you only have to switch it on. Then read every day. All your individual aims will happen automatically as you read different types of music You'll play different genres, different key and time signatures, get used to where all the Bs are on your fretboard and deal with phrasing, time and groove just by reading music. If you've never read then a basic book on sight reading such as Stuart Clayton's Beginner one is a good start - then something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1848493584/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They are short phrases of a couple of lines each. Very easy at the beginning, betting gradually more difficult. It's a Double Bass book - but just ignore the bow information. You'll improve massively in just the first week. I spent the first 20 years of playing not being able to read a note. Now I'm playing in an educational trust jazz ensemble and I'm sight reading (ish!!) new pieces every week at rehearsal.The above process was recommended to me by the music teachers at the trust. It works and it only needs 15 minutes per day.

As the title says, I rarely play my bass, we've not been gigging very much, anytime we get a gig I have to cram to relearn the songs and while I play more than well enough to earn my money coasting isn't what I want out of life and I don't want to waste any talent I might have. Today's my birthday and I'm treating it like a new year and making a resolution. I am going to practice at a minimum 3 times a week for an hour. I've got some info from Scott's Bass Lessons (video at bottom of post) on how to structure practice and each session will be Technique, facility and articulation Time and groove Fingerboard visualisation Genre based studies Language of music (phrases and harmony) So what? I'm posting this here as I need to be held accountable. I need the support of the community to ensure I keep it up because I am easily distracted and fall out of habits far too easily. I'm going to post here each Monday morning at a minimum and briefly chat about what I've been up to that week. I also hope this inspires others to do the same and we can all raise our game together.

IMO they are taking the p*ss getting musicians auditioning for a band and the vocalist can’t be ars*d to attend.

NBD: Vintage VJ74 Jazz - Refurbished! I’ve had low-level GAS for a Vintage brand V4 P Bass for some years, but for whatever reason had never considered their Jazz offerings. But when I saw a Vintage VJ74 Reissue Jazz for sale here on BC at a very reasonable price, I took a punt - on a whim. However, the bass had one or two problems: Firstly, it was black - and secondly, it didn’t have its original ‘Vintage VJ74’ decal, which had been replaced with a ‘Moon Bass’ decal (see pics). The pickguard is tort, but considering it’s not what I call ‘proper’ tort, it’s actually not too bad. These are the ‘before’ pics: I refinished the bass in Heritage White, with matching headstock. Then I made a ‘Vintage VJ74’ decal in PhotoShop and printed it onto inkjet waterslide decal paper - my first DIY decal. The rosewood fretboard was a bit chalky and quite dry, so I treated it to a drop of oil, which made it much darker. Result. Other modifications were minimal, as I’m perfectly happy with the electrics, pickups and hardware which are all Wilkinson as standard, Vintage being one of Trevor Wilkinson’s brands. The 'refurbishment' isn't absolutely to stock - as far as I know Vintage don't produce a matching-headstock Jazz in their range, so I allowed myself a little leeway - it's a bit 'custom'... It plays really nicely and sound-wise it’s right up there with the competition. I’ve owned and played Fender Jazzes and various Jazz clones from other makers and the VJ74 absolutely holds its own. The Wilkinson pickups are strong and clear with a big, yet tight and controlled low end, punchy mids and a ringing, almost piano-like tone with a new set of rounds. Very intoxicating and quite addictive. My original intention was to titivate the bass and move it on, but it has immediately become my number one go-to instrument. Obviously 'Vintage' brand basses are way underrated! I’m totally chuffed with it, and it will have its first outing at rehearsal this evening. I’m also chuffed with the cost. As I already had the paint, the amber tint and the waterslide decal paper, and as it wasn’t necessary to upgrade the pickups, tuners or bridge, all it took to get this where I wanted it was a little time and effort. Well worth it - and I’m now a happy bunny. Well... until P-Bass GAS comes around again of course, but as usual I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Note - the tort guard looks red on black; and much darker on white. Juxtaposition! It's the same guard. Anyway in conclusion, it's obviously possible to pick up a bass for little money that's already a decent, solid player and have it become your main squeeze with a bit of cosmetic work. Result. These are the ‘after’ pics: I thank you! And many thanks to Basschatter Aidan63.

So, this happened! Fell in love with this colour when they announced the 2018 range, so when these basses arrived at Andertons I played a few and just had to get one!

Last few pictures from this build. First up is the shielding of the control cavity, I've found the self adhesive copper sheet easy enough to work with. I have found two distinct thicknesses of it but both seem to stick equally well. You can also see from this picture how it would be very difficult to drill frim the control cavity to the battery box at this point - much easier to pre-drill holes before assembling the two halves of the body. I've fitted an EMG 35 DC pickup and EMG 2 band preamp. Will see how it performs before I decide if they are staying. EMG active pickups do not need a grounding wire to the bridge - there is a wire connected to the bridge but it does not connect to anything. It is just there if I decide to change to a different type of pickup at a later date. I bought a cheap box of crimp connectors so I can make up my own interconnects to suit the EMG parts. It's fairly tight in there to work - the plug together parts have made this a bit easier! I had to route a small recess into the neck pocket for the wire off the pickup. This is an older EMG pickup that does not have quick connect plugs; it has a wire out of the back of it that just needed a little more depth. With the exception of the screws to hold the control cavity cover in place, all of the assembly is complete. It does need a bit of setting up and fret levelling but it is not too far off the mark at this point. Only frustration is that I haven't really got opportunity to play it through an amp at the moment - that will have to wait until the weekend. I'm also still trying to finish another bass for the weekend but that still has lots to be done!!

I'll bet you all thought I'd gone to that great gig venue in the sky!! I'm in the middle of the finishing process for the body so there's not a huge amount to see at the moment. I still try various things in terms of acoustic guitar finishes - some work and some don't. When this is done, I'll run through what I have used and also the other things I've used in the past. This is how it's looking at the moment with probably 3-4 coats more to do: It's only when the finish is done and set that the neck and bridge can be fitted...all a bit back to front in many ways, but I reckon the whole thing will be finished by the end of next week

Good for you and, good luck. I agree with the comments that it's better to play everyday for a shorter period of time. You retain far more information and don't get as frustrated. If something isn't working, come back to it with a clear head the next day and break it down. It really helps build stamina and focus technique. I put in 30 minutes every day and it has made a huge difference to my playing focus wise and technique wise.

As said, if 'learning' bass becomes a chore it will be counter-productive. I don't think of it in terms of what I 'must' do. I'm one of those people who will go out of my way to avoid what I 'must' do, and over the years have become very good at that! 'Targets' are for people who work in offices. I'm not a 'target' person and I'm not a 'box-ticking' person. As far as bass guitar goes, if a day passes when I don't pick up a bass and play it, that's a very bad day. I'll usually play for around three hours a day at least, some days I'll play for five or six hours if left to my own devices. I have been known to stay up all night playing bass. But the key is that I don't imagine I'm improving myself in any way - I just really, really like playing bass and can't imagine anything more worth doing. When I'm not playing the bass I'm thinking about it and trying to engineer a situation where I can be playing again. Non-bass time is just wasted time, as far as I'm concerned.

Controversial post time... I would suggest that a basic understanding of chords/scales will serve you better in your development than trying to read. When it comes to bass, I don't read. I generally use tab if I want to learn a song that's by someone else. I can move around a fretboard quicker that way and play along with something like GuitarPro. I'll read the timings from the score and the position from the tab. I "can" sightread for other instruments (mostly keyboard these days) but haven't found a need for it on bass myself. That's just me though!

"Time and groove" is a wasted slot. Replace that with reading. Reading has time in it. Groove is a nebulous subjective thing that doesn't happen without playing with other people. Groove really is ignoring strict time and either pushing or pulling the beat. That's a performance point rather than a learning about music point.

The thing that I find most gets in the way of me spending quality time on the fretboard is spending far too much time on the keyboard discussing gear on Basschat! GAS is without doubt the biggest enemy of the good when it comes to practising 😀

At last count 62,980,160 in the US. 🙄

Being semi-retired (more retired than semi!) I can spend a good amount of time playing the bass at home. However, I have found that practicing for 30 minutes then going off for an hour or so, or longer, to do something else and then doing another 30 minutes works for me. I'm still getting back into playing and I find if I play for more than about 30 minutes my left (fretting) hand begins to ache - not to mention my back. If I try to practice a song for more than 30 minutes I feel as though I make more mistakes the longer I play. That could be tiredness, boredom or over confidence. I use backing tracks, chord charts and (if I can get them) the bass parts in sheet music. I have signed up for Scott's Bass Lessons new 26 week technique course to correct any playing habits I may have picked up and I hope that will enable me to pluck the strings for longer and more accurately.

You should be fine, I do it regularly without any issues

Totally bananas!

Scratch-plate. Pick-guard is yet another Americanism. I never play with a pick (I hate that term, its a plec, as in plectrum) so It would also be impossible for me to have a pick-guard.

There's a debate going on about what each other thinks is correct. Surely offer the advice and let him decide for himself whether one way or another is right for him rather than a continued debate about which way any other individual thinks is right or wrong. All i'm saying is offer the advice and let him decide if its right for him. So far the advice has been really good no matter what anyone thinks and each has its own merits but its not up to us to dictate what is right and suitable for the OP Dave

It was scratchplate and plectrum when I started playing , It shall remain scratchplate and plectrum until I'm dead 😉 I don't care if folk use other terms,I just wont change mine to make them happy. I also prefer machinehead to tuner though when talking with my old pal I may use tuning peg. He calls a headstock a peghead so not much I can do there 😁

Hi Ray: I didn't take the photo, I was too engrossed listening to the song and enjoying your playing! One of the organisers took it and posted in on FB here along with some other memorable photos - including a couple of me! It was a great, tiring weekend, with some great music. Gets better every year. Hope to see you next time too.

Raymondo: spotted having a crafty twang!! .....and levitating whilst doing it.......

You can't help but get a lift from a good yellow like that.

The issue I have with all the advice about little and often/everyday/not large amounts is two fold. It is generally touted as being the only way which means people like myself who don't have everyday to practice feel they are wasting their time (it happened in this thread). When you look at a lot of very good people they may be playing everyday but they are doing it for 6 hours at a time. I've been on residential music courses where we played all day, I got a LOT better. I don't really want to get into an argument about what is the most efficient way or anything really, simply I need to be held accountable for doing ANY practice and I'm hoping you chaps help me.

I'll be there to support Paul (Nancy Johnson) in the bass shootout with my Sire V7, USA Jazz Deluxe and USA Precision. I noticed the SB700 on the list - I have an SB1000 I could bring along. Also an early '80s Tokai Hardpuncher with flats. I'll speak to Paul. Cheers

Been watching this too, fascinating. I wonder if they all turned up for their interviews on time..?

Got the neck all sanded and reshaped the headstock to a more traditional tele style! I have started shaping the body and going to rout out for the controls and pups then I can get some paint on this bad boy!! 😀

It would have been quicker, but I'm closer to your way of doing things and have been for years!! Being able to pick up lines very quickly gets me gigs, but it's a curse because I don't do any of the other stuff. I started well, teaching myself to read music but got distracted in the middle years. Now I'm trying improve myself before it's too late. . . it's probably already too late, but people who want to do better will always get encouragement from me.

It's the basics. It's important to know this stuff if you want to progress to be a better musician, and I think the OP wants that. The biggest chore for me was learning to play the bass in the first place. If you have the drive to push through and beyond the chore stage you'll do well on the other side.

as promised here's a very quick demo... DecoTest.mp3 1. clean bass, Fender Jazz elite 5 with nickel rounds. both pickups, active mode 2. saturation at 50% 3. saturation at 75% 4. saturation at 100% 5. clean Slap 6. slap with saturation at 50% I think it illustrates what the saturation does at differing amounts. Below 50% I love the way it warms up the signal in a really old school way. kind of like chucking a set of used flats on. i'm working on a new track where i intend to use the Deco on the bass so ill post it here and you can see how it sounds in a mix.

IME if you have to set yourself a regime you'll never stick to it. It will become a chore and you'll soon loose interest. People learn best when they want to learn and make time to learn because it is fun, not because they think that that they ought to.

Have discipline and a plan. Write down a list of 10 things you're not very good at, 10 things that you want to do better and work through them. Pick 10 bass lines you can't play and work them out. If you can knuckle down, Scott's bass lessons (the free ones and the pay ones) are worth investigating.

I like that idea 15mins reading every day. That makes a lot of sense and have now added the book to my wish list for Xmas. I can already read but nowhere near sight reading. I still need to sit down and work my way thru a passage but i use it as a tool for learning songs. I quite fancy polishing up on my technique tho. Been playing for over 40 yrs and its never too late to learn and improve what you are doing Dave

I have always had difficulty with applying myself. It was actually stated on one of my annual school reports - "Has natural aptitude but needs to apply himself". I wish you every success!

I see a flaw in the plan. Attempt to get 1000+ online at the same time has 312 views. Mmm.

Well, a very unexpected night tonight. So different from last night. Usually, this venue is really quiet and it’s hard work. They like us, we get encores etc, but it’s hard work, especially after the previous night’s stonking gig at the blues festival. This was amazing, totally unexpected! From the off we were in Stevie Wonderland with some ska a couple of numbers later, the usual swing blues but with lots of interplay and throwing phrases between each other - where the hell did that come from? I think it’s the addition of our keys player; finally, I have the band of my dreams, this is something else! What a fabulous night! Now we need to work out how the hell we market a swing, funk, jazz, rock n roll, blues band?

..cos they're nearly the same.

I played an all-dayer at The Fleece in Bristol yesterday, 7 punk/oi bands and today my ears are whistle-free. The sound-people they have there are to be applauded, they make all the bands sound great, at volumes which are tolerable. Bear in mind punk/oi isn`t exactly subtle, yet you could hear the bar staff when ordering a pint of diet coke, chat - albeit loudly - to people when the bands were playing. A great venue made even better for the sensible approach to the sound.

Sorry to add this after your hard work, but for info, 36 years ago I defretted a neck and used a darkish woodfiller rather than wooden inserts. Finished the rosewood board with a darker stain and waxed after fine sanding. I was never bothered about changing neck profile etc as the neck was perfectly playable whilst fretted. It's never let me down since. Audiences may disagree mind, as my band mates always referred to it as my Tuneless bass.... 😖

The current mrs discreet is delighted when I'm rehearsing or gigging, because she can then watch all the terrible crap she's recorded on TV. Occasionally she'll come to a gig, but she tends to drink too much then stand at the back and shout 'Fùck Off!!' Which can cause friction later...

Hi, a couple of days into ownership now so I thought I’d feed back a bit. This Guild is singularly the most special acoustic bass I’ve ever played - I could tell the Tacoma was a beautiful instrument; akin to a Taylor - clinically good, a real workhorse instrument with a solid, functional existence. I found it to very like the Furch acoustic I played at a trade show - another great example of this type of instrument. The Guild is much more like a Gibson or Martin, you feel like you’re playing something with heart and soul - the bass resonates and there’s a warmth to the sound you don’t get with other ABG’s. The problem is - it’s loud. So I can only play it while the kids are awake. When I play while the kids are awake they want to watch, or join in...so I can’t enjoy it in peace. Just had an offer accepted on a new house with a separate garage - so I’ve been given the nod on an external “studio”...bloody love my wife.

Well I hope it sounds as good as it looks. Fantastic that is! I empathise with your lack if patience haha.

And think of all the time you'd have saved!

Perfect! ...I can't add anything to that except to say that I played my first gig 56 years ago.

I've been gigging for 41 years or so now. What I have learned is to play what suits the song. To sit down and learn songs rather than just busking it. Play with players who are as good or better than myself and make damn sure I keep up. Not to take duff musicians on, as the band will only go to their level. Let mistakes go and try to laugh. It''s not all about me. To try to 'project' while playing and to talk to the audience. To try to smile sweetly when a venue dumps on you. Perseverance.

Just read his Wikipedia entry, and also Dave Peacock's. Interesting to see the latter was described as 'musician and bass guitarist'.......