Inadequacy...good!

[alexit]

Just some general advice to whoever that I've been thinking of...

Something that I struggle with as a bassist is feeling insecure and inadequate in my playing abilities around other people. I want to be good at what I do, and for a while it was really keeping me from getting out there and playing. I'm not a perfectionist by any means, but when you play with people (especially those you don't know) you want to have a certain amount of 'headroom' so you can work with them and learn new stuff.

I thought about it and decided the source of those feelings was not being able to play the really challenging stuff. Then I realized that this is a good thing, it means I'm challenging myself to further my abilities.

My coping mechanism: go out and watch some really bad bar bands and realize that there are plenty of people out there with less ability and imagination than me.

[Charling]

I am a teacher and if I had more students with this philosophy I would be a happier man. dont think of it as inadequacy, think of it as 'i know i have along way to go....good'

because you see the more you learn about music, the more you realise just how little you know in the scheme of things, you have to just play like you play and get on with it, and enjoy it!

the people who think they are great run out of steam after a few years when things dont happen for them. being able to say 'hey, im not gonna change the face of music but i love it and im gonna do it anyway' is the sort of mentality that paves the way for actually doing something special!

[Depth_Charge]

Good advice mate thanks for sharing it.

This thread helped me remember about that cancer patient who got a visit by Metallica, and they jammed The Four Horsemen together. I bet he felt intimidated, sure sounded OK on the video though!

A cover band I was in with some friends had the opportunity to jam with Billy Joels' guitarist when he came through on tour last year, apparantly a friend of the singer knows the guy.

Well when the friend told my band, they all freaked out and bailed on the idea...I was the only one willing to jam with this guy and missed out as a consequence

Still don't understand why either, I'd do anything to jam with people of that calibre at least until I got to know them maybe

[cowsgomoo]

I think it's not good to feel too inadequate... it's important to reach various points where you can say to yourself, "damn, I played good there"...

not all the time, obviously, but it's important to try to impress yourself, and it's important to take pleasure in the fact you're making audible progress... and you can do it without turning into an egomaniac... think of it as the carrot to the original poster's stick

what would be the fun of spending your whole life unhappy with your playing because it isn't as good as you'd like? my feeling is that you have to cut loose from all that and just play... if you accept that your instrument is your voice, then there is no good or bad, just your voice speaking your thoughts with your vocabulary...

i'd rather not play than spend my time feeling inadequate about my bass playing... it is what it is... yes, I did spend my first few years using 'feeling inadequate' as motivation fuel but I think you need to grow away from that

[bassbully]

This thread really hits home for me. I started playing guitar at about 10 and for what most said was pretty good by my latter teen years and wrote a few songs. Lack of money ,gear and serious bandmates i thought were the reason i never pushed my music ...it wasnt it was my own feeling of being inadequate. I never felt i knew enough could solo well enough play fancy enough. Punk music only allowed us to be messy players the rest was highy processed albums and the likes of Clapton , Zep, EVH and all the metal gods made me think i was never good enough to just lay down chords and enjoy being in a band.

I liked bass but never really tried it so i never got any farther than a few parties with a 5 song setlist and sold my gear.

Now 5 years ago i picked up the bass and said yes this is my voice and i love it...funny the I word ... INADEQUATE started seeping back into my brain...not this time i said. I lost out on too much fun i always wanted to be on a stage and in a band i dreamed of it and now in my 40's i did it just a year ago and now gig in a band my second.

I still at times wonder if i am good enough and i start to feel Inadequate, i cant read music have no time for lessons and theory is a theory to me...another curse i wont go into that i feared you had to know to play rock and roll..oh what a fool i was. You know what i get told alot i am a fine bass player..solid and in the pocket..i cant slap and im not flashy but im a thumper and i hold the band together... isnt that my role?

INADEQUATE..sure...but to who? I'm ok with it. I just wish 25 years ago i would of know i could do it...wish i had those years back