Musical Depression

bbass75 · #1 02-23-2009, 02:33 PM

Janek,

Recently I've just gone into this musical depression where I'm just not motivated at all to shed or do anything musical. I'm currently a student at Berklee and I don't know what it is but in this completely musical environment I just don't feel like immersing myself. I have a lot of great gear but just no drive to do anything with it. Have you ever gotten into this kind of slump? If so, how did you get out of it? Any other suggestions are much appreciated too. Thanks a lot, Janek.

James

NickMarinelli · #2 02-23-2009, 04:18 PM

bbass75:

Sounds like you could be starting to get burn out. When this happens to me, I have found the best thing to do is to get away from the whole scene for a short period of time. Hang out with friends, go to see relatives, anything which does not involve playing music. It will clear your head and recharge your batteries. Physical activities, such as baseball, football, skiing or other outdoor sports are even better, as the activity seems to help your forget your problems.

needmoney · #3 02-23-2009, 07:06 PM

Go to the library and get out 'Effortless Mastery' by Kenny Werner. It'll help you on your journey.

ZENBASSGUY · #4 02-24-2009, 09:00 PM

it happens to us all. we all go through ruts with our playing. i had a teacher tell me that " there are going to be days when the whole world seems to care that you are a musician. and then there will be days that no one cares but you. it's those days that you really have to struggle through and when you do you will be that much stronger as a musician."

when i get in a rut i'll try to find some new music that's not like anything i have heard before and usually get some inspiration.

I have heard some horror stories from berklee but Boston's such a great town for everything just go out and do something. talk a walk through the commons see a show a skullers or just ride the t for a day and observe as much as possible good and bad and then just contemplate on it later you'll get out of it in now time.

peace and groove
Dan

bass12 · #5 02-24-2009, 09:21 PM

I know your question was specifically addressed to Janek, but I'm responding because I think it might be helpful for you to know that what you are going through is entirely normal. Pretty much anything that requires concentration and effort can become tiresome and/or laborious. I'm writing a thesis right now and some days I'm just sick of my chosen subject. Music can be an especially difficult area of study with regard to burnout because music is always with us. Even after you leave class or the rehearsal space, chances are you'll have music going through your head. Don't sweat it. Accept that sometimes you're going to need a break. On occasion, the required break may only be a day - at others a week and maybe even longer. It doesn't matter (unless you have a deadline approaching!). I've often found that I am at my most inspired after having taken a break. I come back to my instrument and, even if I haven't practiced for two weeks, I play better than if I'd been hacking away uninspired for hours a day. Music isn't a technique - it's what comes out of you. That means you have to fill your life, not just with practice, but with things that enrich you in all kinds of ways - be it through sports, literature, relationships, traveling or any number of other things. Hang in there - you'll be fine!

PocketGroove82 · #6 02-26-2009, 01:29 PM

Hey James,
I will say that, having attended Berklee and UNT, you are sharing in an experience that many great (and not great) players go through at school. Berklee was an easy place to get burnt out because it's a huge bass department, with a handful of amazing players that can make you feel bad about where you are musically. You may not have outside friends, and the last thing you need after a full day of music is some guitards coming over, smoking up, and talking about the Diminished Wholetone scale. Yeah, also there are a hell of a lot of distractions in Boston, chemical or not.

There are a ton of things that can make you feel this way, but the fact of the matter is that you are paying a whole hell of a lot of money to be there, and you will likely be paying it off for the rest of your natural life. Either you will push through your depression, practice your ass off and succeed, or you will fail. At UNT, there is a term called "the darkness" and a lot of awesome players, guys in the 1 and 2 o'clock lab bands suffer from it. But I don't know any of them that can get by without practicing and playing their butts off. They play through it because they came here to play and grow musically, and they don't want to be just another drop out statistic. I hate to sound like a hard ass, but I think you should really consider the fact that you're in a musical utopia, yet you don't want to play. Examine that and figure out the cause. It's sad man, and you need to fix your state of mind so you can take full advantage of current situation. Becoming a pro takes time, and slacking off at berklee won't help you any. It shouldn't be a struggle to keep the love alive.

Ultimately, my advice is do not waste the time you have there, because after music school is over either you are capable of getting the gigs and call backs or you'll be working at starbucks.

Matt

p.s. if you want a real kick in the ass to get you going, go talk to Jim Stinnett and tell him your woes.

johncg · #7 02-26-2009, 05:24 PM

I'm reminded of something Janek posted here a while back. If you're not inspired to play the bass, don't. It will sit idle in its case and collect dust. The world will continue to spin.

I'm paraphrasing, but I think the point is that if you're playing music because you "should" rather than because you are really moved to do it, maybe you should just do something else.

If you really have what it takes, before too long you'll get the itch and start shedding like a beast again. And if not, no big deal. Life is vast, brother.

Best o' luck to ya.

bassnutj · #8 02-26-2009, 07:55 PM

In contrast to the last couple of posts, I just wanted to say that there is no shame in playing bass in a blues band or cover band or whatever; not everyone is destined to be the next Patitucci...
Those things will pay the bills and still have you playing bass.

So, if you don't like Berklee, that doesn't mean you suck and should sell your instrument. Remember, fusion bass wizards that work alot can probably be counted on two hands, but bassists sitting in the pocket in bars and clubs are always wanted everywhere.

But try not to give up. Any music school is going to be a struggle, dealing with the workload, peers egos, teachers egos, self-doubt, etc.

pretaanluxis · #9 02-26-2009, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass12

Music isn't a technique - it's what comes out of you. That means you have to fill your life, not just with practice, but with things that enrich you in all kinds of ways - be it through sports, literature, relationships, traveling or any number of other things. Hang in there - you'll be fine!

Well put, I agree 100% Being technically proficient on the bass doesn't make you a good bassist or a bad bassist ...it just makes you technically proficient. It's like determining how good a fiction writer is by how many words they know or how many grammar rules they can recite, or how good a painter is by how photo-realistic their paintings are. Stuff like getting across attitude, emotion, and personality are what make a player great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmjbassplayer

When you make a living holding a piece of wood with four metal wires strapped to it that you get to pluck—sometimes at a very basic level—how are you not thrilled to get up every morning?

Good-luck

janekbass · #10 03-16-2009, 11:50 AM

every time you're not inspired to play music, or practice the bass.... don't. it's as simple as that. Time away from your instrument is one of the best cures for that ever. Getting your mind into something else will in turn inspire you to come back and play music at some point. It might be a week, a month, or a couple of hours. everyone is different. But taking a break from it all is the way to go.

Easy,

Janek

James Hart · #11 03-16-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janekbass

every time you're not inspired to play music, or practice the bass.... don't. it's as simple as that. Time away from your instrument is one of the best cures for that ever. Getting your mind into something else will in turn inspire you to come back and play music at some point. It might be a week, a month, or a couple of hours. everyone is different. But taking a break from it all is the way to go.

Easy,

Janek

Sound advice Janek! I actually got burned out of playing and even listening to music about 15 years ago and put all of it down for a couple years. I was able to fall back in love with music much deeper than I had ever experienced it before. My chops came back quickly and my new outlook allowed me to advance further that I think I would have if I didn't take a break.

noplayinfool · #12 03-17-2009, 08:42 PM

I have recently started applying Francios Rabbath's suggestion of practicing for three days on and one day off. I believe he recommends such a schedule for the simple reason of muscular rest, since the double bass can be physically demanding. However I have found another benefit is that mentally, it is a liberating process that allows me to be free from the Pesky obligation of having to practice every day. Just that one day of break Makes the other days of the weeks sessions much more productive and enjoyable. I use that day as a listening day and a chance to catch up on music I want to check out. I do not know if that type of schedule would work for you and the demands of the berklee curriculum at this point. But it has taught me that I can want a break from the music routine and not feel like a phony musician. Hope that helps a little. In short, go out, grab a drink, Have a date, after all, those are some of the things that we play about.

Robin Ruscio · #13 03-18-2009, 11:26 PM

Hi James,

You're not alone. Lots of us have been through this.

Taking breaks, doing sports, and a little bilbiotherapy ala Kenny Werner are great ideas, but I'm going to make a more radical suggestion to you, and suggest that if you're experiencing depression, you should seriously consider talking to a professional counselor. Chances are there is more to this then simply something musical. It could be an opportunity to extend your growth from simple the musical kind into the human kind, and we need that more then we need another bassist on the planet. There are probably some wonderful counselor at Berklee who deal with this all time.

Good luck!

James Hart · #14 03-19-2009, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin Ruscio

Hi James,

You're not alone. Lots of us have been through this.

Taking breaks, doing sports, and a little bilbiotherapy ala Kenny Werner are great ideas, but I'm going to make a more radical suggestion to you, and suggest that if you're experiencing depression, you should seriously consider talking to a professional counselor. Chances are there is more to this then simply something musical. It could be an opportunity to extend your growth from simple the musical kind into the human kind, and we need that more then we need another bassist on the planet. There are probably some wonderful counselor at Berklee who deal with this all time.

Good luck!

Agreed, but in my case... I was a 'weekend warrior' and had a lot of 'life' in my way which reduced my tolerance of musician drama. Putting music down also corresponded with 'going back to school' and 'relocating out of state'. It was also closely following a major 'found my soulmate and need to get my **** together'. The 'now wife' wasn't reason for putting it down, as a matter of fact it was her that pushed me back to it when I started to get the bug again. She's my biggest fan.

Anyway, it wasn't really depression for me, it was about focus and priorities... and as soon as the dust settled, I was back at music with my new found focus and desire.