The more I practise, the more critical I become and I'm starting to lose confidence

[Mrbigstuff]

If you’re practicing to improve it’s not always going to be fun. If it’s a tricky passage then playing it slowly and repeating while speeding up can be tedious. Learning theory and practicing scales up and down the neck isn’t always musical. Sight reading practice can be fun if you get a good tune but to be effective it should be something you wouldn’t listen to or from an exercise book. 
The point being, practice inherently won’t always be fun if you’re doing it right, but when you get it all together and your performances improve, it is worthwhile. 

[Franticsmurf]

I find that no matter how much time I spend on nailing a bassline, run fill etc at home, it takes two or three (or sometimes more) run throughs with the band before I can play it as well as I could in personal practice.   

[kwmlondon]

On 17/10/2025 at 19:05, Terry M. said:

This is so key to the entire experience. What could be making you feel this way? Boredom perhaps? Did you get rid of your 4 string Ray in the end as a side question and if so are you missing it?

Nop. It's sitting in the case on the shelf waiting for me to put it on to sell it. I've not picked it up once since I got my Dingwall back. I have occassionally messed around with my fretless and it makes me giggle - it's like driving a car blindfolded! I sound SO bad but it's fun!

[kwmlondon]

10 hours ago, Mrbigstuff said:

If you’re practicing to improve it’s not always going to be fun. If it’s a tricky passage then playing it slowly and repeating while speeding up can be tedious. Learning theory and practicing scales up and down the neck isn’t always musical. Sight reading practice can be fun if you get a good tune but to be effective it should be something you wouldn’t listen to or from an exercise book. 
The point being, practice inherently won’t always be fun if you’re doing it right, but when you get it all together and your performances improve, it is worthwhile. 

I am just not playing enough with other musicians who push me, musically. Bless the guys in my bands, they're lovely people but the're not looking for the same thing as me. 

[Burns-bass]

Might be worth sitting down and writing out what you actually want.

 

I personally find this goal setting works (because it’s how I work). Might not work for you, but worth a try!

[3below]

2 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

I find that no matter how much time I spend on nailing a bassline, run fill etc at home, it takes two or three (or sometimes more) run throughs with the band before I can play it as well as I could in personal practice.   

There are other variables in the band situation that you have no control over, not least you are listening to the band who will not be consistent. Stating the obvious, you will respond to their playing. As an example, in my 3 piece we play a be-bop 12 bar number. Bpm is surprisingly critical and quite narrow in range.  Outside this range I have to change what I woukd ideally play. After 54+ years of bass playing I accept that I am not perfect, I make mistakes, I get things right, I improve, sometimes I am way off, sometimes I am really good, and I find some stuff hard.  Most importantly I play to have fun and enjoy the shared experience. My 2p, focus on the enjoyment of music, let the rest come from that. 

[nekomatic]

30 minutes ago, kwmlondon said:

I have occassionally messed around with my fretless and it makes me giggle - it's like driving a car blindfolded! I sound SO bad but it's fun!

Sounds like you should do this a bit more often. 

[TimR]

What are people using as a reference to practice to?

 

The original, a click, your band?

 

The band will sound different and what you have practiced may just not fit with the drummer/guitarist/singer's feel. The arrangment will be different, even if you all think you're all playing it exactly as per the record, you're not.

[kwmlondon]

2 hours ago, nekomatic said:

Sounds like you should do this a bit more often. 

I should but I make more progress on the fretted and for a very long time that's been incredibly rewarding. When I'm doing my drills I usually feel the same way people do when they mediate. I tend to pick up the fretless after I've had a good couple of hours and I want to mess around, you know?