How many of you put bass before everything else?

[SMILEYSIXX]

How many of you put bass and music before everything? Abandoned college to pursue music, chose music over a secure job, left the safety of an average life to play?

I'm sure there's quite a few out there but I'm curious as to whether you believe you made the right choice and how it worked.

[Mark Wilson]

Well, I'm at school for bass performance, and I'm making my way onto making a name for myself.

I've definitely put music before other things. I left a good job to tour Canada all summer, and made much less money than I would have. do I regret it? not for a SECOND.

Also, i'm not good at anything else! So as far as I'm concerned, I HAVE to make a living playing music!

[SMILEYSIXX]

Sounds a lot like the direction I see myself going soon. Haha

[Mark Wilson]

Then just keep it up!
You'll play some horrible gigs, but as my friend Scott Cook says in his tune; "It's about the music. not the 50 dollars"

[SactoBass]

Well, I will reluctantly admit that I do go to the bathroom first. But then, after that, it's 100% bass all the way.

[SMILEYSIXX]

I once started playing a set instead of going to the bathroom... longest thirty minute set of my life. Haha

[JimmyM]

it's all well and good to do that when you're younger, but it's got consequences in your older age.

[Jim Dep]

Originally Posted by SMILEYSIXX

How many of you put bass and music before everything? Abandoned college to pursue music, chose music over a secure job, left the safety of an average life to play?

I'm sure there's quite a few out there but I'm curious as to whether you believe you made the right choice and how it worked.

Ya I did all those sacrifices when I was younger. I had tunnel vision music goals that I had to achieve by age 21, then gets pushed back to 30, then........

Anyway, I stayed in the music biz long enough to ensure that I'll be broke forever.

[SMILEYSIXX]

A friend of a friend who was in the music business for years put it like this: "If you go into music 'til you're thirty and get screwed over, all you lost was time. But if you go to college 'til your thirty and get screwed out of a job, you lost time and money. And that piece of paper on your wall ain't paying bills. But the four stringed meal ticket you strap across your shoulder every night is always working for you."

I'm still not sure what to make of it...

[powmetalbassist]

I wouldn't say I gave up anything to play bass, more or less using other outlets to promote bass. I play in a Band called "Wotan's Apotheosis" we do power/prog/thrash metal (if you google us we're the only thing that comes up). We are from London, Ontario, Canada and I attend the University of Western Ontario.

I am in my second year of a history bachelors and plan to go to get my Masters/PhD in either Montreal, or Australia. I see these plans as an expansion of our music. Most the band has agreed that in 3-4 years if I decide to continue schooling they would follow me to expand our musical area of influence. Montreal is known as one of the Metal headquarters of Canada (right in there with Toronto, and Vancouver). Also Australia opens the band into an international market, where given the right circumstances I could see the occasional western pacific rim tour (Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan, etc.).

Also through the university I've met and connected with many metal heads, from around north America, more contacts means more exposure. So I have not given up anything for music, but instead used my other focuses in life to promote my musical career.

[palmann]

Some even put it before music...

Gruesse, Pablo

[I<34080]

If I find the right band, I'll drop out of the University I'm in right now.

[SMILEYSIXX]

Originally Posted by I<34080

If I find the right band, I'll drop out of the University I'm in right now.

If one of the bands I'm in right now manages to strike gold and get a record deal with a big name company, I wouldn't even consider school right away. Maybe music school later down the road, but actively participating in music seems more important to me than sitting in some class with some guy teaching me theory that I already know.

[jazzgeek79]

When I was younger I played trombone and not bass. I was dedicated to it. Then I went to school for the horn and I began to have doubts. I took a break and in that time picked up bass for fun. Also in that time I picked up a new career in one of my other passions. Cooking. I was fairly successful at it and managed to become a sous chef at one of the best restaurants in Tampa. All this time I continued with bass as my hobby. I reached a point about three years ago where I realized that the success I strived for both in my cooking and in music where only partially in my control. There were famous musicians and famous chef's. Their fame was due, only in part to their talent. I went to NY and ate in some world class restaurants and saw that some of the food was better then what I had done and some of it wasn't. The success of the chef didn't really determine the quality of the food, and in this day and age the same is true with music to a degree. Dedicating yourself to music can mean many things.

Now that I'm 31 I can say that at age 40 I don't want to be cooking and I don't want to be playing a cover gig till 3 am unless I choose too, and not because I have too. I am back in school and investigating other ways to make a living in music. Mostly through production and live sound. I am dedicated to certain ideals I have as a musician, but not to "making it" in the music business. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with persuing a performance based career. I am saying there is more to life than any one thing including playing music. I wouldn't want any one thing to define me because I think it would be limiting. What if one day I have a stroke and all I've ever done is play? Then what do I do. I work at being the bassist I want to be, but also the person I want to be. That person happens to put certain things before playing.

When I come home from being at work and school all day there is always something I want to be working on on my bass. Especially since I started playing upright about two years ago. But my girl wants time with me. And sometimes there are people who want to see me and be a part of my life. I worry about my commitment to myself as a musician but ultimetly there are things that matter to me besides achieving musical progress. Its hard to admit that because in the modern society of musical cometition that feels like an admission of giving up, but I think the reality is not so black and white.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by SMILEYSIXX

If one of the bands I'm in right now manages to strike gold and get a record deal with a big name company, I wouldn't even consider school right away.

good luck with that

anyway, in this economy, i guess playing music for a living isn't any less safe a living as anything else out there except the medical field.

[John Wentzien]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

good luck with that

anyway, in this economy, i guess playing music for a living isn't any less safe a living as anything else out there except the medical field.

[Unrepresented]

I put bass right up there before everything with a few minor exceptions:

a) sleeping, eating, respiration (really, all of the basic homeostasis ingredients)
b) personal safety
c) Toiletries and basic levels of hygiene
d) regularly enforced state and federal laws
e) financial stability (and the day job in general)
f) compromising my zombie defense plans
g) personal relationships of particular value (most notably, the one that shares a bed with me)
h) posting on TalkBass
i) BASS
j) personal relationships of lesser value
k) volleyball
l) appointment television
m) non-appointment television
n) maintaining my loyal support for the law of gravity
o) couch time
p) guitar
q) arguing with strangers on the street
r) singing in the shower
s) NPR
t) listening to music
u) trying to find cool jeans
v) feeding the cat
w) binge drinking
x) comic book conventions
y) video games
z) trying to convince the mods on TB to reverse whatever current ban I've earned

[SMILEYSIXX]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

anyway, in this economy, i guess playing music for a living isn't any less safe a living as anything else out there except the medical field.

That was one thing brought up to me innumerable times. There are people with master's and doctorate's out there unemployed. They spent a hell of a lot more time and money on their future (which has sadly been destroyed) than I did on my gear, and we end up having about the same stability. I honestly think the economy is a major factor in this situation. If you could go to college for a guaranteed career and a 6 digit income forever, then the choice would be more difficult, however that's not the way things are.

[SMILEYSIXX]

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

I put bass right up there before everything with a few minor exceptions:

a) sleeping, eating, respiration (really, all of the basic homeostasis ingredients)
b) personal safety
c) Toiletries and basic levels of hygiene
d) regularly enforced state and federal laws
e) financial stability (and the day job in general)
f) compromising my zombie defense plans
g) personal relationships of particular value (most notably, the one that shares a bed with me)
h) posting on TalkBass
i) BASS
j) personal relationships of lesser value
k) volleyball
l) appointment television
m) non-appointment television
n) maintaining my loyal support for the law of gravity
o) couch time
p) guitar
q) arguing with strangers on the street
r) singing in the shower
s) NPR
t) listening to music
u) trying to find cool jeans
v) feeding the cat
w) binge drinking
x) comic book conventions
y) video games
z) trying to convince the mods on TB to reverse whatever current ban I've earned

You are a personal hero of mine for compiling this list.

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by SMILEYSIXX

You are a personal hero of mine for compiling this list.

I do what I can to keep myself entertained on a Sunday morning.