This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide.
A while back, I put out a call in my newsletter asking readers and students to let me write about their daily practice routines on the blog. I was happy to get lots of people willing to share.
Most of my readers and students are working adults or students, so I thought it would be valuable to show how real, everyday people fit bass practice into their lives.
Today is number four in the series — meet Momo, a female double bassist!
Contents
Momo’s Profile
Nickname:
Momo
Favorite genres and artists:
Classical, Jazz, Chopin, Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro
(Bill Evans is just the best. And I really enjoyed the documentary film about him too!)
How long she’s been playing bass:
1 year
Bass she plays:
Double bass (Oriente)
(A female double bassist — how cool is that!!)
What got her started:
Wanted to play sessions with her piano friends.
What she loves about bass:
The sound that resonates through your whole body.
Current activity:
Solo practice, and occasional sessions with friends.
What she’s practicing:
Scales across different positions on the neck.
A word from Momo:
“The road ahead feels very long…”
Yes — it is long. I’m still out there on that same road myself! (laughs)
Momo has come along to a few of our monthly practice sessions. Always great to see you there!
Momo’s Two-Week Practice Log
Day 3 (Wed)
21:00–22:00 — Bowing technique, finger-strengthening exercises, scale practice.
Day 4 (Thu)
21:00–22:00 — Bowing technique, finger-strengthening exercises, scale practice.
Day 5 (Fri)
Got home late — no practice.
Day 6 (Sat)
Out for the day — no practice.
Day 7 (Sun)
10:00–12:00 — Bowing technique, finger-strengthening exercises, scale practice, and the lesson assignment piece.
Day 8 (Mon)
21:00–22:00 — Bowing technique, finger-strengthening exercises, scale practice.
Keeping up consistently with evening sessions — that’s excellent!
Day 9 (Tue)
Got home late — no practice.
Day 10 (Wed)
21:00–22:00 — Bowing technique, finger-strengthening exercises, scale practice.
Day 11 (Thu)
Not feeling well — no practice.
Day 12 (Fri)
Got home late — no practice.
Day 13 (Sat)
Out for the day — no practice.
Day 14 (Sun)
Out for the day — no practice.
Day 15 (Mon)
21:00–22:00 — Bowing technique, finger-strengthening exercises, scale practice.
Day 16 (Tue)
Got home late — no practice.
Day 17 (Wed)
21:00–22:00 — Bowing technique, finger-strengthening exercises, scale practice.
Reflection after keeping the log:
“I often feel like I’m not practicing enough — but when I actually wrote it all down, I realized there were days when I actually was getting it done (laughs). It’s a surprisingly good way to see things more positively.”
Yes — putting your time on paper tends to reveal things you hadn’t noticed! I hope this two-week log helps Momo’s musical life going forward.
And I sincerely hope that female double bassists become as trendy as bubble tea!
Thank you so much for taking part, Momo! Hope to see you at the next session!
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.