If your WANT and WHY is strong enough none of the reasons or excuses in any of the posts mean anything to the person who’s Why is more important.
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Every person in this thread is speaking his/her own truth to the question asked.
There is no right or wrong, much less a better answer. People’s reasons for not getting better exist. What each person does in light of them is up to each individual to actualize.
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For me its being all over the place not being sure of where and what to focus on. One day I’m studying modes, next day studying harmony, another day studying rhythm or the another day studying the circle of 5ths. All practiced on the bass of course. But not sure of how to combine all that I’m learning to make music.
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The mountain wont come to you…
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@Halbert39, it’s a common situation, man. There is such a glut of info and courses online to choose from that determining what you ought to practice the most is often daunting.
Check out this helpful video by bass guru Mark Smith of TalkingBass. As usual, Mark’s insights and advice are brilliant.
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Thanks
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After finishing B2B I slowly fell into the squirrel chasing trap. I don’t have a structure to my practice, I hear a bass line, the ADD flairs up and I abandon what I’m working on cuz there’s a new shiny.
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For guidance, check out the video above.
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Nothing, I’m killing it 
I’m a legend in my own lunchtime.
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You are my hero!
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I’ve got others. 
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I totally agree, 2 hours a day minimum of practice for 8 months and I haven’t plateaued yet… Better everyday. 
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Good to know.
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Unrealistic expectations
These cause a multitude of issues for me. Sap motivation, cause frustration, and can generally make playing not fun. I’m trying to learn to put these aside. I keep telling myself, “its not a competition”.
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Obviously, it’s because I my bass isn’t top-tier enough. As soon as I get that Dingwall…
Seriously though, others have said what I’m thinking (and more eloquently) but I’ll chime in…
Lack of committment. I simply don’t spend the consistent time to really improve. I’ll practice for an hour/night for a few nights, then won’t practice for a couple of weeks (typical “reasons”). So, the consistent, intentional practice just isn’t there, so the progress doesn’t happen.
Some secondary reasons …
- lack of focus - I have multiple books, many courses, sheet music for more songs than I could play in a lifetime. B2B is the only course I’ve actually completed (and now I’m going through it again for the revamp and to work on using a pick). So, I fall victim to “shiny object” syndrome, and don’t make any real progress in any of them.
- frustration - I’ve worked on a couple of songs for “longer than I think it should have taken” and I’m not even close. I get burned out trying the same things over and over and over, but if I take a break, then I’m practically starting over when I get back to it. So, I get frustrated and de-motivated. I know what I “should” do and how I “should” approach it - the discipline to do so gets outweighed by the frustration.
- lack of a “why” - I’m not letting anyone down if I don’t get better - I don’t have a performance that I need to be ready for - there’s no external force driving me towards improvement, so it’s much easier to let the other reasons take effect.
At the end of the day, it all just boils down to me not putting the time in. I’[m looking forward to hearing your answer Josh…
And @MEE3294 - excellent write-up. I hope people read it and internalize it. I hope I internalize it.
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Super important, for everything music related. It’s not a contest. It’s not a job (well, for most of us.) Making it into either is a recipe to fail at enjoying it.
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Well, when I pick up the bass I’m not really focussed on my progress, or my journey if you will. When I’m playing then I am already there. Sure, there are more complicated pieces out there which I would like to play, but I don’t see playing tougher and more complex music as my goal; however, the ability kind of emerges by itself as I play.
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Great idea! Having a rig like this in the bedroom would make changing clothes much easier!
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