I’ve been thinking a lot about habits lately, particularly the way so much of my life seems to be dictated by them. Biographically, the last few years are marked by intense change in my life. What I’ve come to appreciate in this season of self-analysis is that I am a sort of prisoner of habit, good and bad. Habit permeates me, and like water for a thirsty plant, it can nourish or destroy. I believe becoming a better bass player can be distilled down to two primary activities: effective practicing, and playing with other people. One thing that I believe is vastly overrated as a prerequisite for musical achievement is “talent,” by which I mean some native aptitude woven into a player’s genetic code. Of course, there are those that seem to benefit from especially fleet fingers, voluminous musical memory, or unusually acute hearing, but if you could somehow gather up all the great musicians of the world and test for these qualities, I don’t think you’d find them to be especi