Instead of playing stright up and down a scale (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), play them in intervals. Start with thirds - 1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, 4, 6, etc. Then, fourths (1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6) fifths (1, 5, 2, 6, 3, 7), etc. This will teach you the proper fingering for getting from any note in the scale to any other note.

In addition to playing straight up and down a scale (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc.), try playing groups of three notes - 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5, etc. Once you've mastered this, do four note groups, then five, and so on.

Top ^

Arpeggios are just chords played one note at a time. By adding them to your scale practice, you strengthen your ability to incorporate them into your basslines. The easiest way to do this is to play the appropriate arpeggio at the end of a scale - Major 7 arpeggio at the end of a Major scale, e.g..

When learning scales, it's often easier to focus on one new scale at a time. Learn to play the new scale in all keys and in several rhythms. These variations should be enough to keep you engaged. Once you've developed proficiency with one scale, you can then add another. Trying to learn too many scales at once is a sure way to get confused.

As you learn new scales, patterns, techniques, etc., it's important consistently review what you've learned. It's great that, six months ago, you learned the Fridgidairian Mode and practiced it until you could play it as 16ths at 482BPM. But if you stopped working on it, chances are you can't play it as well now. Ongoing, consistent review is the key to holding onto everything you picked up.

Sometimes, the only way to get out of a rut is to walk away from it. If you find yourself becoming frustrated with a lack of progress, take a week or two off. Don't play bass at all - unless you have a gig. Often, when you come back to practicing, you'll find that things seem much better.

About once every three months or so, sit down with your notebook and take a look at how far you've come. Has your speed increased? Have you learned new scales, or new fingerings for old ones? How many new songs did you learn? Things like that. This helps you see how far you've come and can keep you from feeling as if you're stuck in a rut.

Last week, I told you to turn off the TV to avoid distractions while practicing. Now we're going to flip on and use the TV as a practice tool. Listen to the sound track (and commercials) and try to play along. You'll notice that certain riffs repeat, as do commercials. This gives you a second (or third, or fourth) chance at a lick. Used properly, this can be great ear training.

Top ^

Trying to practice while watcing TV is NOT practice. It's wasting time. If you want to watch your favorite show, go ahead. But if you want to practice, get rid of the distractions and concentrate on what you're doing.

If your practice routines are dominated by technical exercises that focus on speed and technique through the use of scales, arpeggios, or fingering patterns, drop them for a while and get creative. Here are a few other things to consider adding to your practice regimen:

• transcribing solos to train your ear
• sight-reading
• chord playing
• improvisation over unfamiliar chord changes
• solo or play along with an unfamiliar CD, trying to stay "in the changes"

Many of us learn only a single fingering pattern for a scale. Normally, however, there are two or three patterns available to us. By learning all the patterns, you'll become more comfortable when you find yourself in a situation in which your "normal" pattern doesn't apply. As with any exercise, start slow and give yoruself time to build speed and accuracy.

Most players focus on either fingerstyle or using a pick. There's nothing wrong with that, but it can sure help to know both. For instance, a fingerstyle player may want a pick sound for certain Rock tunes. (can you say Chris Squire?) A pick player may need rounder, fatter notes on a ballad. A studio musician should be able to do both in order to meet a producer's needs. So, take the time to learn and do both.

Top ^

To climb out of the rut of using the same notes and patterns all the time, try dropping a note out of a scale, perhaps even two. Then see what patterns you can build. This can be an interesting way to get yourself thinking along different. . . well. . . lines.

The next time you re-string your bass, leave one off. Then, see if you can get through a few songs from your band's repertoire. This will make you think very carefully about how you're going to play the same riffs -- or compensate for the loss of your E string. Next time you re-string, leave a different string off and repeat the exercise. You may think this is silly. . .until you break a string in the middle of a set.

When learning a new song, write the chord chart first. Then, work on the actual bass line. Knowing the chords can help you figure out that turnaround into the bridge.

Top ^

Using a metronome, "hear" the click on the AND of the beat instead of on the downbeat. You'll find you can't help but walk a good, pulsing bass line with great feel. It's just a matter of training your brain to hear the click that way.

If you ever work in Nashville, or other music towns, a number chart is 99.9% likely the *only* chart you'll ever see - or you may be expected to write out your own number chart while listening to a demo of the tune once or twice through. Don't cheat and write out chords instead of numbers, unless you can instantly transpose: the singer might need to record in a different key than the demo. So, learn the Number System and use it for all your charting activities.

Yes, many bassists are self-taught. However, many of them will admit there are gaps in their knowledge and skills because they never worked with a teacher. Even if you only take lessons for a few months, it's a great way to clean up your technique, identify weak areas that need work, and learn some things you may not otherwise be exposed to. It also helps instill self-discipline by forcing you to prepare for each week's lesson.

When working on you picking hand, practice at a 45 degree angle to a mirror. This will allow you to see how your fingers are releasing the string.

Top ^

Tuck a piece of sponge under the strings, right next to the bridge, and low enough that you can still get a little bit of a note,but no ringing or heavy vibes. This allows you to hear the notes flat and direct - without sustain. I find this helps tighten up my technique.

When fretting a note, your finger should be right up against the fret wire, not in the middle of the fret. Consider that, if you are playing in the middle of the fret and fall a bit short of your normal position, this could lead to a fuzzy note, or a note that's 1/2 step flat if you're up in those short frets. If you aim for the fret wire and fall a bit short, you're still in the middle of the fret, and still have a clean sounding note. Carol Kaye drilled this into me more than 20 years ago, and I am forever in her debt for doing so.

Being able to quickly write charts is an extremely important skill. Do some real-time charting of tunes on the radio once in a while; it's great practice for what you might encounter in the studio or when subbing on a gig. For best results, learn the "Nashville Number System".

Throw out your "grip masters" and other spring loaded hand things and buy a bag of rubber bands instead. While sitting in traffic or any where you are idle, draw your fingers together and place a rubber band over the tips. Slowly open your fingers, stretching the rubber band. Hold it for a few seconds, then slowly close. Repeat over and over again. This will build up the muscles and tendons on the outside of the hand. With that strength built up, your hands will work more freely and cramps will disapear for ever. We close our hands under pressure tens of thousands of times a day by tensing palm muscles to draw the hand closed and this is where the cramps start. By using the outer muscle group we will actually push our fingers down instead of tensing our palms. It's like bowflex for the half of the muscle group that has never gotten exercise.

Get to know the raw, unamplified sound of your bass. By practicing without an amp occasionally, you'll find you're smoother and much more articulate when you do plug in.

Have a goal everytime you practice, and work towards that goal. Just playing "White Room" isn't practicing if you don't have a specific goal in mind with it.

One of the best ways to improve is to put yourself in a situation that allows you to use the skills you've practiced. For beginners, this means finding some friends to jam with. Start with easy songs and perfect your presentation of them. Then work your way up to more complex tunes. You'll be amazed at how quickly you improve.

Even if your chosen situation doesn't require reading as part of the gig, learning to read will open a vast storehouse of knowledge. There are many excellent books available that can expand your abilities. But you have to know how to read to make use of them. Start slow . . . and at the beginning. As with any other skill, be patient with yourself. Even if you devote ten or fifteen minutes a day to this part of your practice regimen, you will soon see benefits.

When practicing scales or patterns, play them on all areas of the neck. Don't just play a G Major scale starting on the 3d fret of the E string. Start on the 10th fret of the A string, too. Play a Bb Major scale, starting on the 13th fret of the A string. Play a C# Major Scale starting on the 4th fret of the A string as well as the 9th fret of the E string. Those frets get smaller as you go higher, so this helps you learn the proper spacing across the entire range of your instrument.

If you can practice with a drum machine, don't just use a basic beat. Try different patterns for practicing different style grooves. Drum machines are also nice for practicing different time signatures. Practicing to a beat will help you lock in with a drummer and will enhance your ability to play different feels.

When working on scales, speed and dexterity exercises and other musical building blocks, it helps to keep notes on your progress. It can also help you remember to practice that Db scale you've been forgetting.

This is particularly important for those who hang their bass low. It's important to practice with your bass in the same position as when playing live. Muscle Memory is a large part of learning an instrument. If your hands are in significantly different positions (relative to the bass) when you practice, you may find it difficult to recreate live what you've practiced for hours in your room. If necessary, practice while standing up.

The biggest problem some people have with writing music is that they only think musically while they have their instruments in their hands. For me, some of my best ideas come when I'm no where near a bass, and having a way to record those ideas is paramount. Often, I beat box ideas for rhythms or beats into my cell phone's voice recorder. I know it sounds silly, but when I get home, listen back to them, and then write bass or guitar parts to go with the rhythms, I know that I've written a bassline or riff that wouldn't have come to me if I were just sitting in my room with my bass in my hands. James Hetfield of Metallica said once in an interview that when he's driving, he'll often get an idea and call his answering machine so it's there when he gets home. Whatever works for you!

On his TV show back in the day, Steve Allen would often have audience members come up to pick out random notes on the piano. He would then write a song using those notes as his starting point. And he came up with some very neat stuff. You can do the same thing to help keep you from playing the same old stuff. Pick a few random notes out on the neck. Then create a bassline using these notes as the foundation. Get weird. Have fun. You'd be amazed at what you can do with a few random notes.

Basses get boring too, or at the very least, we tend to fall into ruts of playing in certain areas of particular fretboards. Pick up your back up bass if you have one, even if it's a $200 knockoff and you'd rather play your $3000 custom. You'd be surprised how effective an unfamiliar bass can be on your ability to come up with interesting ideas.

Here's a way to improve your technique, feel and soloing chops. Put on a song from one of your favorite bass players and play along. (I've found a lot of interesting material on the web.) I find this has really improved my groove.

Has your band ever changed practice places or jam rooms and suddenly everyone was more creative? It seems that over time, surroundings get boring and a change of scenery can spark creativity. So if you're in a rut and can't figure out why, try dragging your amp into a different room and practicing there for a while. Even if it's just the next room over, the results can be very dramatic.

Most mp3 software offers a "Shuffle" mode, which will play all the songs in your library in a totally random order. Plug your bass and a line out from your computer or mp3 player into a headphone amp. Then, using Shuffle, play along with whatever song comes up next. If you know there are changes coming up, and you have to guess where the next note is, it keeps you on your toes, and helps you anticipate the chord changes by ear.

It's one thing to sit down a learn a specific song note for note, but it's an entirely different exercise to try "winging it" with whatever tune the mp3 player feels like throwing at you. After doing this for a while, you'd be surprised at how quickly your ear develops. It could save you the next time you have to fake a song you've never played before in front of an audience.

Scales are a great warm-up but can sometimes become too repetitive. To combat this, try changing the feel in which you play them. For example, use any of these feels when practicing your scales: Legato - all notes run together; Marcato - sharp and quick; Staccato - quicker and more aggressive; On the beat; After the beat; Before the beat; Triplets. By varying the feel, you can keep scales fresh and interesting, as well as learn to better play each of these feels.

Studies have shown that the human brain is most creative right after waking up and right before going to sleep, so I always try to play for a few minutes at these times. Some of my most interesting musical ideas have come as I was getting out of bed. But make sure to record anything you come up with, as these times are also those during which the human brain is most prone to forgetting things!

Here's an easy way to keep your plucking hand in shape if you aren't getting enough time on your bass. While driving, pluck in time to the music you're listening to. My steering wheel has enough give (and enough resistance) that I can pluck on it as I drive. Other surfaces might include the arm of your chair at work, or the side seam of your jeans. Anything that will give you some resistance without being too stiff will suffice.

Regardless of the exercise you are practicing, you should strive for perfection. Begin at a slow speed, one at which you can play the exercise perfectly - ten times in a row. Only then should you increase your tempo. Be patient; allow yourself the time to get things right. In the long run, you'll enjoy far greater accuracy. This also works well when learning new songs.

Open your ears to all styles of music that will give you a challenge. Many of the greats do this. For example, Jeff Berlin copied horn lines to move his playing ability forward. Getting together with other good musicians will also expand your musical mind.

Yes, you're busy. Yes, your life is hectic. Even so, you can still find at least fifteen minutes to practice. Get up a few minutes early. Practice on your lunch break. Turn off the idiot box. Do whatever is necessary to pick up your bass every day so that your skills don't degrade over time. Your band, and your audience, will thank you.

Here's a practice idea to challenge Edenites who plug-and-play with the EQ flat. Mix things up with a session of scales, modes, or favorite riffs using altered EQ settings. With the Eden EQ settings, a little goes a long way, and these exercises will let you explore more extreme settings. The key is to discover how your right hand and left hand technique will adapt to these out-of-the-box conditions. Practicing out-of-the-box will help you master different styles of music and deal with challenging rooms.

Try these altered settings and apply fingerstyle, thumb, slapping, or plam muting as needed. Suggestions are based on the WT-550 controls:

Phase I - Step1 Enhance = 9 o'clock; Step2 Enhance = 12 o'clock; Step3 Enhance = 3 o'clock.
Phase II - Step1 Bass cut only; Step2 Mid cut only; Step3 Treble cut only.
Phase III - Step1 Bass boost only; Step2 Mid boost only; Step3 Treble boost only.
Phase IV - Start from flat EQ and combine minor adjustments to find your sound.
Phase V - Find a practice space with weird acoustics and repeat All steps above.

When I've learned a song , I practice it with my eyes shut. This helps me get the feel of the neck and song, which allows me to play it without having to look down at the neck.

Here's a tip from John Paul Jones. In an interview, he once said "play to the radio." Playing along to songs can quickly develop your skills. My personal approach has been to cover a wide range of music to make this exercise even more challenging.

Always practice at least once a week unamplified. Get used to the natural sound of your bass. This will help you develop a sense of where your instrument and playing style are both at their strongest and weakest.

Top ^

Sloppy finger and fret noise is often the reason bassists get buried in the mix by soundmen. I know myself that I've hit an occasional clack only to see the soundman dive for my channel to "fix" the bass sound. That fix usually involves taking out the hi-mids that let the audience actually hear the notes you're playing, not just feel the pulse of the bottom end (if you're lucky). In order to avoid the wrath of the overzealous soundman, I try to practice at a reasonably loud volume or with headphones so that I can hear any added noise I may be adding to my sound. I have plenty of headroom to go for a big note and the clackety clacks have virtually disappeared. I don't think I've seen a soundman touch my channel after sound check since!

Get the most out of your practice time by warming up with scales and other exercises that stretch your fingers to get you ready for whatever you're going to work on. A proper warm up will ensure that you will have a great time practicing without any strain on your hands.

In my opinion, a practice session involves psychology as much as the mechanics of learning. You must be in the best state of mind. So, I suggest that you start every practice session by playing something you know well and have fun first. By re-enforcing your ego in regards to your abilities, you break down the defensive mechanism towards doing some "work". Resist the temptation to play fast and, instead, opt for a musical groove. If at all possible, play along with a recorded piece, a drum loop or metronome.

Practice in front of a mirror. This way, you're looking forward (not down) at your bass when you're playing. You'll be able to see your fretboard in the mirror and will be able to find the position you want to play in. After a while, you'll develop a natural feel of where you are on the neck.

I think a great live performance is the most important thing a musician can offer. Nothing is more boring than to watch a band play while the guitarist and bass player stare down at their hands through the whole show. A great band is one that interacts with their audience and you can't do that when you're not looking at them. Practicing in front of a mirror will help you give a great live performance.

Too often, musicians will sit down to practice only to end up noodling around sloppily on things they already know. Not only is this not practicing, it can turn you into a sloppy player. Don’t let this happen to you. Focus on what you’re doing. Even if you’re practicing a scale, play it with conviction and demand perfection from yourself. The self-discipline you instill will reward you a thousand times over by making you a more focused and accurate player.