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: “Would you let me write about your daily practice routine on the blog?” I was delighted to get quite a few responses from 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 busy lives.
Today we start with the very first person in the series — please meet Papuchin!
Contents
Papuchin’s Profile
Nickname:
Papuchin
Prefecture:
Kumamoto
Favorite genres and artists:
Anything, but especially Jazz — and Christian McBride.
How long he’s been playing bass:
32 years since he first started; 6 years since returning after a long break.
Bass he plays:
Monteriburo (double bass)
What got him started:
He loved the warm woody sound of an upright bass. He wanted to play either tenor saxophone or bass — and the bass chair happened to be open.
What he loves about bass:
That propulsive, driving swing feel.
Current activity:
Daily solo practice. Bi-monthly lessons. Occasional sessions.
What he’s practicing:
Right-hand alternate technique (3-string crossing), left-hand third and fifth intervals, copying the composition “Visitation,” getting comfortable with jazz standards.
A word from Papuchin:
“I don’t always feel like I’m improving fast, but I keep reminding myself: just keep going. My goal is to be the bassist that people count on at a jam session.”
Papuchin has been taking Skype online lessons with me for about four years. He’s also been a regular participant in our online “Visitation” practice sessions — thank you, always!
Papuchin’s Two-Week Practice Log
July 1
13:30–13:45 — Alternate 3-string crossing; BPM=50, A-D-G strings and E-A-D strings.
July 2
21:15–21:30 — Open-string bowing.
21:30–21:50 — Bowing basics: Position 6/7-half.
21:50–22:10 — Shifting downward (bowed).
22:10–22:30 — Using iReal Pro to work on third intervals in “Alone Together.”
July 3
13:05–13:20 — Alternate 3-string crossing; BPM=55, A-D-G and E-A-D strings. “Visitation” copy work.
19:00–19:15 — Open-string bowing.
19:15–19:35 — Double thirds (bowed). Bowing basics: Position 6.
July 4
20:20–20:35 — Alternate 3-string crossing; BPM=70, A-D-G and E-A-D strings.
20:35–20:55 — “Visitation” copy work.
July 5
No time — day off from practice.
July 6
13:30–15:30 — Attended a live performance.
17:30–17:45 — Open-string bowing.
17:45–18:05 — Bowing basics: Position 6/7-half.
16:10–16:35 — “Visitation” copy work.
21:30–22:00 — “Alone Together” bass line practice.
July 7
16:10–17:50 — “Visitation” copy work.
16:00–16:30 — “Alone Together” bass line practice.
July 8
13:10–13:30 — Bowing practice (open strings, Position 6, shifting down).
13:30–13:45 — “Alone Together” third interval mapping.
July 9
21:10–21:30 — “Visitation” copy work.
21:30–21:45 — “Alone Together” third mapping.
21:45–22:00 — “Alone Together” bass line practice.
July 10
16:20–17:10 — Playing around casually (Spain theme, etc.).
17:30–18:00 — “Alone Together” bass line practice.
July 11
21:30–21:45 — Alternate 3-string crossing; BPM=65, A-D-G and E-A-D strings.
21:45–22:00 — “Visitation” copy work.
July 13
14:00–14:15 — Open-string bowing.
14:15–14:35 — Bowing basics: Position 6/7-half.
14:35–14:55 — “Visitation” copy work.
21:05–21:20 — Alternate 3-string crossing; BPM=70, A-D-G and E-A-D strings.
21:20–21:55 — “Alone Together” third interval mapping.
July 14
No time — day off from practice.
July 15
20:05–20:20 — Alternate 3-string crossing; BPM=65, A-D-G and E-A-D strings.
20:20–21:00, 21:10–21:30 — “Visitation” copy work.
Each individual session is fairly short — but what stands out is how consistently he’s showing up every single day. That’s excellent!
Thank you so much for sharing all of this.
I keep a practice journal just like this myself — every time. It helps organize your thinking, and it’s something I’d genuinely recommend to any musician.
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.