You’re supposed to make mistakes, you will always make mistakes
The way that I did it, I’d move on only after I was satisfied with how I did the fast work out… of course eventually that ended and I had to eat some humble pie and move on before that.
There’s no time of practice that can predict/guarantee success, you have to figure out how much is right for you, and some lessons will come easier than others for whatever reason
The “right” way to this imo is practice as much as you can as long as you’re enjoying it, that’s it, you can create some well structured schedule or just noodle around or play songs you like, none of it really matters as long as you’re doing with the bass what you feel good doing it
Most of us here have no intention of being professional musicians, so don’t turn it into a chore
Have fun, bass is fun
It is interesting where we trip up. I got to where Billie Jean was no issue but now even years after finishing the course I can’t do the fast disco octaves lesson at full speed 
Mostly this is because something about the octave shape chugging like that gives me some hand pain for an unknown reason. Just need to put time in to it someday I guess.
I think I’m saying what everyone is saying, hopefully with an added nugget or two.
On mistakes: So, this is actually how humans learn. Contrary to the educational system you & I came up in, getting it right the first time doesn’t reveal how or why you got it right. Getting it wrong kicks in the critical thinking do-dads in your brain and then you compare, and then you learn, then you know, then you boogie-woogie.
On not looking: I hope others will correct me on this:: Outside of being a classical musician in an orchestra or a quartet I can’t think of a real need to not look at the fretboard. I mean knowing the fretboard to the point where you don’t have to look would be awesome, of course. But I’d put a couple a dozen other milestones on the list before that, like locking in with a drummer, learning every bass line on all <insert favorite artist here>'s albums, jamming with friends, not effing up a 12 bar blues song that’s longer that 3 minutes, being funky as $h1t … okay, I’ll stop now.
Anyway, you get the point. What you described is just the learning process and it sounds like you are doing well. I printed out the B2B schedule pdf and circle the lessons I didn’t “nail” or want to refer back to (like Billie Jean and Midnight Hour) because they are fun.
Agree. I do it so I can look away here and there and not have to stop playing and stand there like a dope. 
It’s interesting how we are wired differently, I’m just the opposite, I got the disco octaves down with ease, but the last time that I tried Billie after finishing the course I couldn’t do the fast at all still … my left pinky and ring fingers can’t agree on what to do, who goes first, going up or down, they end up tangled, so I just left it at that and will try again when I get to her in the 50 songs challenge
I despise disco octaves. Lol
Love the reference to Lost In Space. 
Funny how some sayings stick in your head.
I did not think you were that old
In my head and heart, I’m 22!
When it comes to the number of trips I’ve made around the sun, there are quite a few dozen more than that.
I started last year and did really well on BJ. Thought that if I was able to do BJ at full tempo from the get-go, everything else would be easy. Then I got COVID and did not play for about 2-3 months. Brain fog from COVID kicked my ass. I still deal with it today. BUT, I reapplied myself to doing at least one lesson a day to get through the course, bought a bunch of decent equipment to motivate me and just had my ass kicked by “Red Clay” and “Under the Bridge”. But it was only the full tempo “Red Clay” and the syncopation on “Under the Bridge”. I did get through the medium work-outs on both and am moving on. I will never be a Les Claypool or Geddy Lee. They been playing for decades. My realistic goal is to continue to get better by small amounts over time and enjoy myself when I do. I relish the small improvements I have made to this point and know that if I keep chugging along, I will one day be decent enough. Maybe not great, but would be able to play along at a jam or something without being a total trainwreck. I am 59 years old and am having a great time even just being able to sit and play. It winds me down from my day, all problems disappear for the time I am playing. And when I nail a song that my new little wife recognizes, it makes me feel proud of myself.
So I’ll just say this, Billie Jean had me beat for a long time. I practiced it daily for months. Finally one Fast it clicked.
The double pluck disco octaves? Same thing. I really did spend 5-10 minutes a day on just that, fur months.
The slap version of rollercoaster? That still trips me up.
I still do all of these in my daily warm-up.
I am about to sign up for B2B. I am trying to figure out which level I should sign up for. I have about 3 or 4 nights I can spend about 1 hour on it a week. I was considering the 3 months. Would that be enough time? Thanks
Yes, because no matter the time frame you do, even if you take longer the lessons will always be there.
That’s what I figured. Thanks for the input though. I will be ordering it this week now that Christmas is finished.
Eddie’s correct: The beauty of B2B is that it will adapt to your schedule. Enjoy!
When I started playing two years ago, I picked up the bass and found songs on YouTube that were easy to play. Rolling Stones anyone seen my baby, and rolling Stones almost hear you sigh are too easy songs to play. The base is very pronounced and easy to follow and hear.
I would encourage you to put the lessons down for a while if you’re getting stuck. Find some music you like and try to play to it and just have fun with what you’re doing. You don’t have to read music and you can play by ear, even Glen Campbell played by ear and could not read music if you can believe that. It’s not a sin, nothing to be ashamed of.
What helped me the most was just pick up the base and start playing it. I got the B2B course about 1 year in and I’m still working on it, I’m about halfway through. You have to pace yourself. Some days I take a lesson, some days I just sit and play music, some days I look around on YouTube to see what someone can teach me.
One thing is for sure though, if you’ll be patient and just have fun you’ll find yourself getting better and better. Keep the faith and keep working at it. We’re all here to encourage you when you get stuck or have problems. Everyone on this forum probably had a different way of learning, but we’re all getting there at our own pace.
I see you joined the program! That’s a really good choice, and i think you’ll find it’s money very well spent. My investment for b2b would have been a bargain at 5x the price. I never, ever thought I’d play at all-let alone actually understand how to play. There is nothing like hearing something and thinking to yourself “yeah, i think i can play that. I see what they did there”
3 months is a really good goal, and if you can do it that fast, that’s awesome. I’ll happily admit it was 6 months for me to run through it once-and I’ve spent the following year repeating lessons to solidify them. That’s one of the big bonuses of this-you bought it, it’s yours. You can use the lessons as much or as little as you like.
Now go make some noise!