One song at a time or a playlist of many talents?

I'm firmly in the latter category; when I'm having a session on the bass I have several core songs that I play along to (because I can) and usually something new that I'm attempting to learn (with various rates of success).

I was wondering whether you Other People do likewise or whether you prefer to select a song to learn and play nothing but until it's been mastered. I can see the advantage of this approach (i.e., you're not leaving behind a trail of half-learned songs), but I don't feel like I can consistently zero in that much one one thing. Which I do sometimes wonder might be a weakness in my learning but... Well, your thoughts. Give me them.

I definitely learn multiple songs at once.

Same. Focusing on one thing and nothing but takes the fun out of it, and if I'm not in this for fun, what am I in this for?

Mind you, I don't keep that mentality 100% when learning techniques. Gotta keep focused when learning techniques. The result's well worth the work.

i obsess over each and every song, but play one i know to warm up, then the new song over and over etc until its right then string it together with the first song, new, then third, new,etc etc etc until my wife is sick of me. The reason for me is we are placing songs next to ones that complement each other. Say one ends in E, the next will start in E (or key of). It adds consistancy to our set list.

Having said that tho, each and every method works it is just what your preferance is. As Pip said it is susposed to be fun or whats the point?

Exactly true, bass playing is not supposed to be a chore!

What sometimes worries me is the idea that I could be 'spreading myself to thin' in my playing. On the other hand, to adapt the well-known advice of the great Admiral Lord Nelson: 'No bassist can do very wrong if he places his hands alongside the strings of the instrument'.

I always find myself learning or writing a song and moving on once I have it and never going back to it. I'm obsessed with the next thing on my list and find it hard to recall parts of songs because I didn't bother to practice.

I don't really learn songs any more. I'm more interesting in techniques that I see other players do that I'd like to adapt to my own playing. I'll rarely learn a song to do this. I split practice time in half, learning new techniques which I take my time to get down and then just jam on what I know. I find if I'm getting frustrated with a technique I'll more than likely leave it for a day then when I come back fresh its easier because of the time I have spent on it.

This thread made me realize I haven't played along to or played a song like I used to in AGES. I just improvise, play one of my band's songs or play some of my own pieces.

Awesome.