stuck in a rut

[cord]

hey man,

recently ive been stuck and feel like im not progressing and i havent learned anything new for months.

its depressing, and as a result i dont play any more.....

i was just wondering if something like this has ever happened to you or someone you know??

if so how did you/ they overcome it?

any advice would be much appreciated

safe

[janekbass]

well first of all, big up the blackburn massive.....

my main thing for this situation is two different approaches....

1) you take a nice long break from playing, and if you're meant to get back to the music you will. You'll feel something lacking in your life and you'll naturally get back to the music in ways you never knew existed.

2) you encourage yourself to learn new things through transcription. One of the most important aspects of music no matter what you play is inspiration. You need to be inspired to create and have fun creating. Sometimes the inspiration is not always the happiest thing, but whatever the cause, you'll find yourself in the music for a good reason.

Find things that you've always wanted to know more about and dig deeper into that subject than you ever did before. I find myself in your situation on a daily basis. It doesn't tend to last for long as I'm always searching for something new. I run through my record collection (which is rather large, but even when it wasn't I would still find new things in records I'd listened to for years) and find something that catches my ear and inspires me to take it and twist into a thousand different things.

Fluidity of basic harmonic knolwedge will help your ability to be able to take ideas and develope them. Incorporating basic harmonic excercises into your practice routine will give you some tools to take ideas and move them around your instrument to find something new.

Getting in a rut happens to everyone. Don't feel alone in this. Just search for something that really inspires you, and try not to force anything. If something isn't meant to be, it's just not meant to be. And accepting that is quite often the hardest aspect of music.

easy,

Janek

[cord]

thanks man

[buddyro57]

Hey- what you are describing is a feeling that we all have had. It is damn-near impossible to guage one's own progress. There is no way that we can be objective about how we are progressing; It is a lot more evident to those around you than it is to yourself. My recommendation is to stop worrying about that aspect of it, I think its a drain on one's energies. Instead, try to get some fun out of it, try to remember what first propelled you toward studying the bass. Make sure that you are engaged in as many musical enterprises as you can. In other words, play your bass in as many settings as possible. Its difficult to feel stagnant if you are constantly receiving stimulation from other musicians.
Lastly, take time to listen, find something new to listen to- a different style pf muisc, or a different artist. Sometimes that can be the kind of inspiration you need. Above all, don't despair over it- these sorts of artistic struggles sort of go with the territory. Best of luck- JS

[DaveBeny]

I hope Mick Goodrick won't mind me quoting him here:

"Patience is so important... Things unfold at their own pace; they take time... Do what you see needs to be done. Work on what you see needs work. Make it as interesting as you can for yourself. Who cares how long it takes? Don't look for results. (If you work on what needs work, results will take care of themselves)