John Myung interview (excerpt)

Dream Theater bassist John Myung talked about what practice means to him, telling Ernie Ball (transcribed by UG):

Music is defining time with emotions, with notes. What you want to do musically will determine what you practice. I don’t think practice necessarily means studying theory books and all that. Practice is, to me, just time spent with the instrument, whichever way you choose to spend it. It depends on what the agenda is. If you have a set of songs that you have to learn, know where the problem areas are and isolate them so they’re in proper playing form. But just practicing, being in tune with my instrument, having it in my hands is a big part of my daily regimen. Just sort of physically connecting with the instrument because, what’s that saying – if you don’t use it, you lose it. It’s so true. If I don’t put the time to get my hands in the zone, I can’t feel comfortable behind it.