What do you do when you realize you suck..

spencer · #1 09-21-2007, 06:52 PM

Or at least I'm told so.. When playing with the band at my church, I basically get told that I suck. These guys all know so much music theory and all I know is keys.

I thought was good because I learned lots of RHCP which is usually very easy for me, hard bass lines got people [less musical oriented people] to tell me how good I was, they think I'm like a God. But when I show up to church and am asked to play a simple bass line to a song I don't know, and I can't get it, in nicer words they tell me I suck.

For a while I just thought you know music was supposed to be fun not the way these guys took it. Its easy to remember hard basslines because its just muscle memory but as soon as Im asked to play 4 note choruses and then change up for a verse it just gets hard for me.

I like fast moving basslines, or if I KNOW the song I can play the simple basslines, not as great as fast ones but good enough...

Thing is for 2 years I never got to play with a band and now I'm just begining, I feel like giving up. And it really sucks that I have all this gear..

**Mark Wilson** · #2 09-21-2007, 07:14 PM

I've been playing 7 years, and I'm at school getting a degree playing bass, and I suck!
Don't take it as an insult from these guys. They've probably been told they suck too.
You've only been playing 2 years. Learn how to groove by playing one note.

Getting a groove down with one note is harder than any RHCP song you'll ever play. And if you can groove, it'll pay off.

Don't give up. Practice your scales and learn to make THEM groove. Play along to some James Jamerson tracks. Learn "Heard it Through the Grapevine" - Marvin Gaye

or some Stevie Wonder. I wish I could play in a church gig. The best musicians come out of the Church!

Stumpy · #3 09-21-2007, 07:17 PM

Thick skin brother, thick skin.

You are going to hear that you need to improve all of your life. You should be focused on what needs to be done to improve your knowledge and your sound.

JMHO

waffle puzzle · #4 09-21-2007, 07:19 PM

"suckiness" is purely relative.

Find some people to jam with that are on your skill level, and, not only do you not suck anymore, but you will all learn together, and become better together.

Want an example ? the band U2----the sum is greater than the parts.

OR, if you really want to learn theory to fit in with these guys.....BUCKLE DOWN (you should get the RHCP reference on that one)

cosmicevan · #5 09-21-2007, 07:20 PM

work hard, don't give up, take some lessons...or just study the basics. you'll be glad you did in the long run. try to find other musicians who like the same music you do and jam with them. learn songs, not basslines. just some thoughts.

nothing in life comes for free. work hard! then work harder!

punkrocko · #6 09-21-2007, 07:23 PM

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Two years is not very long in terms of musical development. I would however, recommend finding a good teacher to help guide you to the next level of playing. Maybe one of the other players can help you, or recommend someone. Honest personal assessment is the best springboard into becoming a better musician.

Smallmouth_Bass · #7 09-21-2007, 07:24 PM

Practice.

phat daddy · #8 09-21-2007, 07:27 PM

Play with as many musicians of varying skill level as you can-- ones that tell you you suck, ones that tell you you're Flea, and ones that tell you otherwise-- it'll all contribute to your overall experience. I played all my life and studied music in college, but I didn't really learn anything until I began to gel with real-world musicians. Experience is key. And these guys that say you suck obviously have no humility so you totally have that on them so just laugh under your breath and keep playing.

SpectorBass308 · #9 09-21-2007, 07:30 PM

Eh, we all suck. Except for me, though.

DanGouge · #10 09-21-2007, 07:34 PM

You need to get away from just learning to play someone else's songs. If you can really play like Flea, that's awesome, but you have to get way from that mindset of just emulating one guy.

fullcircle · #11 09-21-2007, 07:34 PM

Take lessons. A good teacher will show you the right way to improve. Makes me think of The Karate Kid,where he was getting bullied by tougher martial arts kids and wound up beating them. So you need to find your bass sensei.
Also (as others have said) play with lots of musicians. And play with lots of records. And learn how to read music! That will probably kick their butts.

ras1983 · #12 09-21-2007, 07:41 PM

1. Go and get a good teacher.
2. Start practicing.
3. Don't take criticism so personally. Begin to learn from criticism.
4. Continue practicing.
5. Don't stop practicing.

Its one thing to learn other people's riffs, its a completely different thing to learn how to play from a chord chart/lead sheet. IMO this is what real bass playing is about.

I've walked into many music stores and heard guys slapping and going crazy like flea or les claypool, and it is quite intimidating because i can't do that as well as them. But then i go to a jam or to church and i know a lot of theory, and i have spent many hours practicing scales and technical exercises, and i have spent many hours learning how to solo - many of those hours with a killer teacher. Then i get complements from other musicians about how good my groove is, how good my phrasing is and what a cool person i am to jam with.

Thats when i realise that there is more to bassplaying than being able to copy the fastest and slickest riffs and licks.

Hawaii Islander · #13 09-21-2007, 07:41 PM

There isn't a musician "alive or dead" that wasn't told that he or she sucked. Some may not have been told to their face or in such a direct way, but in the end it's applied to all of us by someone. Not a reason to get down on yourself, or to quit.

Practice and jam with others as often as you can. Always take time to play what you like in between learning to play for/with others. It helps to keep it fun.

steve66 · #14 09-21-2007, 07:57 PM

take the criticism, take a step back, listen with an open mind, analyze, and move forward. Playing bass is not how many notes you play. Its about playing the right note (s) at the right time. Feeling the music. I think we have been all there at one time or another. Basic theory can be learned. Play some of The Police tunes, see how Sting plays something so simple and really meaningful to the song. He usually just outlines the chords and adds space. With your Church group, see how you can simplify the songs.

Mad Tango · #15 09-21-2007, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve66

take the criticism, take a step back, listen with an open mind, analyze, and move forward. Playing bass is not how many notes you play. Its about playing the right note (s) at the right time. Feeling the music. I think we have been all there at one time or another. Basic theory can be learned. Play some of The Police tunes, see how Sting plays something so simple and really meaningful to the song. He usually just outlines the chords and adds space. With your Church group, see how you can simplify the songs.

Playing the right notes is a life long persuit. I also, was told many years ago that my timing sucked and it hurt at first, but it helped me focus on my weak points. Now I am very thankful for the honesty.

AmpegSVT · #16 09-21-2007, 08:29 PM

You basically have two choices.

1>Give Up
2>Practice, practice, practice.

Bythe way. If you choose choice number one. Don't run out and sell all your gear. You'll only end up buying most of it back for a lot more than you sold it for

Yankeesfan1115 · #17 09-21-2007, 08:34 PM

what i do which helps me with all of the songs i practice is i listen to them at least 3 times a day, so you can get the subtle nuances of the groove.
keep it up dude, i have been playing for 2 years too
dedication is the word

John Wentzien · #18 09-21-2007, 08:56 PM

I've been playing 35years......I still have to practice!

Basshappi · #19 09-21-2007, 09:15 PM

Time to open yourself up to a wider view of music. Listen to everything and learn to listen critically. Listen to the song as a whole and then listen to every instrument. Figure out how and why it works (or dosen't) in context of that particular piece or style. Play it on your instrument.

Remember, there is only two kinds of music, Good and Bad and you can learn valuable lessons from both.

A good bass teacher will always help, find one and study diligently. I've been playing for 30 years and yet I studied with a teacher all of last year. He was able to help me tremendously and opened my eyes (and ears) to things that I had been missing.

Most important, be of good cheer! Even in your situation, be glad that experienced musicians pointed out your need to improve,and from what you said, in a relatively diplomatic way.

Stay motivated and establish a regular practice routine.

Good luck!

jmal · #20 09-21-2007, 09:16 PM

Don't quit if you like playing. Others have touched on this in a sense when they mention playing the right note at the right time, but it sounds like the guys at church were simply saying that you aren't very good at playing in a suppoting role with others. It's easy to cover a lack of MUSCIANSHIP with flash. Swinging a blues line or grooving to Motown is much harder. The Marvin Gaye and Sting suggestions are great also.