1) Take the piece of music study it; try to understand the principals behind it,
the key signature the time signature, the tempo and the style, you may also want
to find the scales that the piece uses. Go over the whole piece before even
picking up your bass. This will give you an overview of what is to come ahead
in the piece and will give you a head start when it comes to learning it.

2) Learn each phrase slowly using a metronome to perfection then gradually speed
up the tempo until you reach that of the piece. This way you will have mastered
each part of the song slowly, it is then only a matter of time until you can
speed it up (that’s where good technique comes in handy!)

3) If you can’t play a certain part of the piece isolate it, make up sections
similar to it, practice them, and try different techniques to articulate it.
Eventually there will come a time when you can play it. That means you have
improved as a player!

4) Perseverance – when and how! You must persevere to succeed in something you
cannot do, but you must overly stress your mind whilst doing this. If you cant
play something at all, after 15 minutes move on to a different section and come
back to it later.

These steps will give you a different insight into learning your instrument.