You should not need me to tell you that the only way you can seriously improve on your playing skills is through sheer practice. No one picks up a bass guitar and suddenly strums out a record-selling tune – not without knowing a thing or two about the basics. However, sometimes it can be difficult finding the time or the motivation to practice and this can put an end to any ambitious bassist long before they have even had a chance to get started.
For me, all it takes is a quiet place. A room, a basement, an attic – as long as I can flip on my ADT Portland system and disappear from the regular world and practice, I’m good. When you have a quiet place to practice, it helps you focus on your playing without any outside distractions. That alone can make a difference, but having this kind of seclusion also helps you focus on the problems and mistakes you are making as well, and that can make all the difference in the world when it comes to improving on your bass-playing skills. And remember that no one is born as a stunning, incomparable bass player – you have to work up to it.