If I could learn bass all over again, THIS is what I’d do differently. And no, it’s not practice more with a freaking metronome.
If you’re doing the Beginner to Badass course, this lesson would fit anywhere! Inner game is for everybody. 
If you could time travel back to when you first started, what advice would you give your younger self?
++ See this thread for more stories about this stuff from the forum family:
How I Would Learn Bass (If I Could Start Over)
Some thoughts on this one:
Comparison is truly the thief of joy.
It’s also helping to keep GAS guy quiet.
MEGA Thanks for this very insightful video Josh!
Josh, I was finishing up some bass practice when I reloaded the forum and saw this post. What a great video to end today’s bass practice with, I got a bit of a shock seeing myself quoted!
I started learning almost exactly a year ago and the realisation I’ve had today, thanks to reading ‘Deliberate Practice for Bass’ by Paul Wolfe again, is that my practice was always random rather than intentional. B2B lessons were intentional of course, but after I finished I would ‘practice’ some scales and then do something like randomly choosing a pentatonics video, or try to learn a song I liked that was typically too challenging. I rarely developed a plan for practice nor reflected on a previous day’s practice.
I’m seeing a teacher next week, and I’m also going to create a deliberate/intentional practice plan that the teacher will contribute to.
another excellent video! really loved hearing the motivation/do the work stuff that is so easily forgotten (especially by me).
a really excellent book about this is “art & fear” — this is a book we have our students read as it is super important in understanding the mechanics/frameworks of being an artist (or designer, or musician, or writer, or whatever). very very very strongly recommend giving it a read. bonus: it is very available online for free:
Just wanna say, as an artist (non musician) who struggled/struggles with this stuff, that this video is really good and important. These topics go beyond bass and into any area of your life, and I wish somebody had told me this stuff when I was younger 
Very inspiring and without a doubt it will help a lot of people, thanks Josh
Duuuuuuuude! You just achieved guru status 
Now, give me that BassBuzz Intermediate course for my daily dose!!
This is the new bible and Josh is its prophet.
It’s funny, the bit about “why” to play, because I often find myself thinking about that and I’m not confident that I have a solid answer. There’s the inner 15 year old inside that still wants to be in a touring punk band, then there’s the 43 year old who couldn’t imagine being away from home and dealing with the aggravation and just wants to play some Joe Dart grooves. I feel like it’s a thing I’m still exploring, but thankfully it’s a process I’m enjoying doing.
After years of private lessons and getting the 'ol degree in Jazz Studies - thousands of hours logged into learning music…
No one ever mentioned this stuff in the way you do here, 'ol Joshykins.
It’s great stuff.
On that subject, the other thing I always wished had been covered in music school - how to take care of your musician muscles/body.
Maybe future video?
Since, you know, you’re basically making up for a century of hyper-focused-outcome-only music pedagogy here.
Bravo, I say. Bravo for all of this.
This is one of your better videos. Lot of good stuff here.
Many thanks for this video @JoshFossgreen ! This is exactly how I have been feeling lately. This video couldn’t have come a better time.
This video had a lot of stuff that resonated with me.
Hey @JoshFossgreen, that was a really well done video. The learning and growth mindset is something that few teachers cover because frankly I think it’s poorly understood unless you’ve taken the time to study it. There’s a lot of great coaching out there about it, weirdly enough, just not in music. This feels like a great area for you to expand in the future.
It also feels to me like maybe this one was a step up in production for you. All the quick jokes and cuts were really well timed and executed. I liked it a lot.
Thank you for being open and sharing these things with us, @JoshFossgreen! 
Your video is great ! very useful tips 
At bass (and tennis), I have a tendency to conclude each session by “I suck”… that was again yesterday after our family music lesson … my sons are nailing it much quicker than I do …
At 47, problably my learning abilities are lower than <20 (and I probably have less time as well…)
Funny enough, the Beginner to Badass lessons are not creating this result? I usualy finish them with a positive mindset (just 5 more to go… excluding slap).
btw, it is the 2nd time you play with a Bass I own ! I have the Squier PB Walnut that you use in another video + the Fender Player jazz bass Tidepool that you play here.
Haha, glad you tried the exercise! That was so off the rails, I looooove that epic zoom in on my horrible slide on Feel Good Inc. lol.
Haha yep you’re famous, good luck fielding the groupies!
I guess that means I’m 5 years away from a Netflix documentary exposing my crimes against humanity. 
I feel the same way! Sometimes it changes day to day too - same with my fitness motivation, my actually-show-up-to-work motivation. In the video I said “why’s change over time”, but it might really be more like “whys change on a moment to moment basis depending on mood and hunger level.” 
You realize you’re consenting to me harassing you into being in another video, right?
nice video…and you have a nice board going, so keep up the pedal experimenting too 
I really admire that video. The world seems to tainted and angry and dark but I love seeing guys like josh living, working, creating and proving that hard work wins out. We need more Joshes in the world.
Nah not everywhere, move to Canada 
Consent granted.
I’ll get my blindfolds laundered and ready.
…don’t read that in a weird way.