Tips on Practicing without you instrument when at your job, school, or what-ever: 1.) You may think of a bass line or melody in your head when bored or thinking about bass. Then with that melody or bass line take it and think about how it would be played on the bass. Then when you get home see how close you were. 2.) On the way to a gig or practice think about songs you have to work on when you get there. Think about how the easiest way play them is. This will save time when at gig or practice for which you may have already have easy configurations down in your head. So then it will be easier to play/figure out. 3.) Visualization can be a big help in this factor. Close your eyes and see your self playing. No matter if it were a scale or exercise you will be more aware of the notes and postions on the bass. 4.) Assighning fingures to frets when you make up a melody in you head helps. When you figure out some of the fingure postions then you will have a better perspective on the bass and on what to do when you reach you bass. 5.) When driving try translating the music to your bass in your head. Try figuring out the songs. Then when you get to your bass try them out and see how close you are to the song. 6.) fingure the music on your arm or on a desk as if it were the bass. Prtend there is a bass there and pretend to hear the notes, block-out all other outside sounds. 7.) Study general music: learn how to read better and practicen it. Read about the instrument and get down its history to help you understand how it works. Isf you do do this you will be more confident in your playing ability also. 8.) Make beats with something and just home out any melody or notes to your beat. Yu may come up with some riffs or songs without being by your bass. So when you go home to your bass you are all set on what your goal would be to do....to make that song. As you can see there are many different aspects to aproaching practicing without practicing. Just try a few and see what happens. Make up your own. No matter what you do, tell me what you think about these and your own techniques. For I can report them into this lesson on which ones have worked for other people.