Out of practice

Happy Nihilist · #1 01-27-2010, 11:39 AM

i am new to talkbass and this is my first post.

(ahem)

during the past four months i have had a bout of depression which lasted about 3 months, in which i have not touched my bass.

recently i have started playing again and find that i am out of practice and my fretting and playing hands are significantly weaker and need retraining.

any advice?

dmrogers · #2 01-27-2010, 11:52 AM

Well, I would suggest that you just practice at your own pace. A pace that you can enjoy.

Maybe work on scales, setting realistic goals.

From a physical as well as mental standpoint, I would make practice time enjoyable, productive and not practice to the point that you cause harm or injury to your hands/fingers.

Good luck!

Danny Fox · #3 01-27-2010, 11:52 AM

as a fellow depression sufferer I also have long spells away from the instrument. I find that starting with simple warm up exercises at the beginning of every practice session warms all the fingers and ligaments and such up. Just dont push it too hard and you will soon find your endurance has returned.

majortoby · #4 01-27-2010, 11:54 AM

Glad to see I'm not the only one......I haven't been able to even look at my beloved J for almost 4 whole days :/

Terry Funk · #5 01-27-2010, 01:46 PM

I've dealt with similar issues in the past, but not to the point that it affected my bass playing time (I used bass as a safe haven, but as someone who's dealt with depression, I know that we all have our own ways of dealing with it). I'd echo the other people here and say just do some scales and arpeggios (start slow to help with muscle memory), and more importantly, just try to remember why you loved music and this instrument so much in the first place. Remember how it feels to be in love with the music and your instrument (if you ever were in the first place, I dont want to make assumptions), and once you recapture that feeling, and once you get back into the swing of things, you will recapture that feeling, NEVER let it go. Just my $.02.

daratter · #6 01-27-2010, 03:40 PM

very recently went through the same thing, though not as long. I found that I had to really find things that I enjoyed playing to get me back into it. It helps to find a project or set of songs that you really like and learn those. Maybe find a group or band to start playing with to get you really motivated. Don't expect miracles right off the bat and take it slow until you build back up to where you were.

Happy Nihilist · #7 01-28-2010, 06:01 AM

thanks guys your comments are appreciated.

so far im just doing scales and fret exercises and trying to build up strength again. but apart from that, i play about one or two hours a day to stuff i played before and know by memory. sometimes a good warm up is figuring out waht key(s) certain songs are in.

even though i might "suck" for right now, i havnt lost that feeling of excitement when playing and by god im gonna keep playing right on through this

oldno7 · #8 01-28-2010, 06:16 AM

as you I also suffer from Depression won thing i can say is dont skip your meds! I went 2 years with out playing after 15years of gigs! it took me at least 3 months to get myself back to playing what i call respectable. I leave my acoustic bass on a stand next to the t.v. so i can see it all the time sometimes i play for 5 minutes sometimes for 2 hours...

**mrspiffy** · #9 01-31-2010, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldno7

as you I also suffer from Depression won thing i can say is dont skip your meds!

+1

Good advice. Skipping medication is always a recipe for badness.

Best of luck!

officialjlox · #10 01-31-2010, 01:23 PM

It's interesting reading about other bassists who battle bouts of depression. Oddly enough it was the bass and getting involved with music again that's helped to pull me out of the "funk" I was in for quite a long time. Pretty much for the past 4 years. Given, it has it's ups and downs, but it's been a while since I've felt "like myself" and getting into the bass has helped me regain some of that feeling of the "old" me

Hiromakuta · #11 02-01-2010, 05:53 AM

You know, it's a good thing that we've got something called muscle memory.

You may have not been playing for about 3 months, and when you first pick up the bass you certainly won't be at the same level as you were before. But the muscles haven't forgot what you used to do with the bass, so it's just a matter of recovering of those physical and mental memories. I think the best way for this is to start deconstructing your playing into something and keep progressing until your playing is at the peak that you achieved previously. In my opinion, this process shouldn't take more than a week.

Just remember, the human brain is capable of retaining a LOT of information, and while at the first sight it seems you've lost it, it's just really buried in your mind and you've got to make an effort to bring it to the surface!

I hope this enlightened you.

BrettTheThreat · #12 02-01-2010, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hiromakuta

You know, it's a good thing that we've got something called muscle memory.

You may have not been playing for about 3 months, and when you first pick up the bass you certainly won't be at the same level as you were before. But the muscles haven't forgot what you used to do with the bass, so it's just a matter of recovering of those physical and mental memories. I think the best way for this is to start deconstructing your playing into something and keep progressing until your playing is at the peak that you achieved previously. In my opinion, this process shouldn't take more than a week.

Just remember, the human brain is capable of retaining a LOT of information, and while at the first sight it seems you've lost it, it's just really buried in your mind and you've got to make an effort to bring it to the surface!

I hope this enlightened you.

^ +1

I've only been playing bass a few weeks, but have been playing guitar for years. I would play guitar 1-2 hours a day for the better part of a year until life got in the way and I wouldn't pick it up for a few months. When I chance to pick it back up I was terrible, so I'd really have to focus on my technique and work very slowly. It wasn't long though before the muscle memory came back and I was playing just like I always had, and with a little work I was playing things I'd never been able to nail down before.

Moral of the story... don't get down on your playing because you've been away from it for a while. This is a great opportunity to improve on the very foundation of your playing. And you've always got friends here on TB when you need a little encouragement

Happy Nihilist · #13 02-05-2010, 09:36 AM

thank you all. ive been playing around one or two hours a day and there is defiantly some improvement. i think i might even be getting back into the old groove again. finger playing! yes.

also started taking up rock climbing. its fun and helps the muscles especially the arms.

thanks all for the advice.