I’ve been a bass enthusiast for about a year. I completed Bass Buzz using a pick and am planning another pass using fingers. I played guitar as a kid, reached enough proficiency to perform, and stayed at that skill level for, uh, decades! This time I’ll follow the advice from “Learn Faster, Perform Better” and “Let’s see how it floats.”
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Ditto LOL It’s kind of hilarious when someone recommends a book they haven’t read yet. 
Yeah, I’m just giving you a hard time. 
The fact that it’s actually science-based is enough to make me want to read it. There’s gotta be at least a few things to learn in there.
I definitely plan to read this book, but like others I have a stack of books to read already, so it might be a while.
I’m curious for those reading it, if it gives any support for a couple observations I’ve made (and been told) about praciticing.
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That it’s more effective to practice a short amount of time every day than a long time once in a while (e.g. ten minutes per day vs. 1 hour once a week).
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That taking a break (of a day, few days, or even more) can actually help with the learning process.
I’ve observed these things enough in my own life to believe they’re true, but I’m really curious if the book has any research to back that up and any explanation for why they are true (if they are).
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Can’t speak for anyone else, but these statements are true in my experience.
Learning and practicing bass requires mental and physical stamina. Either one of these endeavors can be tiring, but fatigue is felt far more when both of those activities are attempted at the same time, with either one or the other aspect potentially derailing progress.
It’s always best to take it slow and easy in order to absorb everything. Speed comes with familiarity.
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There have been so many times I’m struggling with something, I take a couple days off practicing, and when I come back to it, it’s a lot easier.
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These are covered in the book, yes.
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The Author, Molly Gebrain, has a YouTube video she created while quarantined. Just started watching. Seems like a good summary of the book. She also provides links to additional info. I’m anxious to get started. Being 76 with no previous experience I’d like to skip the 10,000 hour part.
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The link to Molly’s "The Amazin List of Practice Techniques.
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I finally got around to starting this book and so far it’s an easy read with solid, science backed recommendations. Stay tuned.
I’ve finished this book. This book contains a pretty comprehensive list of very specific and practical things you can do to improve your music skills, and everything is backed by one or more scientific studies. The author addresses specific situations such as trying to learn a piece of music, or trying to learn to play faster, as well as generally good practices such as how long to practice for, when and how long to take breaks and the importance of sleep. Additionally she also dives into mental practice and effective strategies for memorization. It’s a pretty easy read and I recommend it to pretty much anyone at all levels. I’ve tested and implemented a few of the specific methods with immediate success. Probably my only regret is purchasing it on Kindle and not a paper back. She’s also got a workbook and an online self paced course available at her website. I may purchase the workbook for $25, but I’m going to pass on the online course for now ($199) until I decide if I can get by on implementing what I read. Happy to answer questions.
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