Tip #1
BUY A METRONOME. This is your new best friend. How else can you measure your progress? This is any serious musicians most important tool. Much of the time your playing progress will be in little steps. A metronome helps you keep track of where you've been, where you are and is the best way to get to your goals.
Tip #2
USE THE METRONOME!
Hey!! You bought one! Great!! NOW USE THE THING!!! EVERY DAY!!
Tip #3
BUY A TUNER! For guitar and bass players, a tuner is essential. You DO NOT want to practice with an instrument that sounds bad or out of tune. It will be discouraging. You also don't need to WASTE time trying to tune by ear. An electronic tuner is a QUICK and EASY way to get your instrument in tune and will make practicing more enjoyable. Plus these are inexpensive now days. The Korg GA-1 is a great one to start with.
Tip #4
Use a practice journal. Write down each day what you worked on, and at what tempo(METRONOME) you were able to play it cleanly and accurately. This will come in handy as the weeks go by so you can actually see your progress in black and white. Again, sometimes progress is incremental and happens in small measurement each day. This also helps keep you motivated and tracks your practice habits.
TIP #5
Consistency is better than Quantity. Daily practice even in small amounts is better than 4 hrs one day a week. 30 minutes in 6 consecutive days is MASSIVELY more productive than 3 hours once a week. If you have the time for an extended practice session, by all means take
advantage of it, but you MUST devote daily time to practice to see REAL improvement.
