I have lost the will to play.. =(

[makanudo]

So for some reason i stopped playing for some time, mostly because my amp was at our rehearsal place. But now that i got it back and i want to play, i just can't i feel like i can't play for crap, i feel slow and sloppy, i know it's because i stopped but i also lost that spark that kept me going at it, i dont feel motivated at all.

And that's not the only thing that stops me from enjoying, i can't find a tone im happy with, which is frustrating and demoralizes me even more..

Please talkbass i really wanna play again what should i doooo =(

[MalcolmAmos]

Find a jam circle or another band. Playing with people will get you going again.

[pasta4lnch]

go and see a slamming band live . . .

[Tricia]

or you could get into laying bass lines down for online collab songs.

[makanudo]

Originally Posted by Tricia

or you could get into laying bass lines down for online collab songs.

I really wanna do that

[iridiumrocks]

Originally Posted by pasta4lnch

go and see a slamming band live . . .

+1 Seeing a great bass player always makes me go home and practice my butt off. I went to a Les Claypool show this week and am ready to play..

[JMac4strngr]

Yea, finding some new folks to jam with will get you going...... I had a ten year break where I would pick up my bass from time to time, but really didn't "play" per say. Then about a year and a half ago I hooked up with the band I am with now. Now I play every day. So don't get lazy, and quit. Practice your ass off work on your chops, and find you a gig. Don't take the ten year break like I did, You'll regret it.

[kdel]

if you aren't up for jams yet, make a playlist of some of your favorite stuff and play along at home. pick stuff that you really dig listening to and that isn't virtuoso chop territory and lay it down. for the tone, it could be your fingers being out of touch with the instrument (probably at least a part of it), could be your bass (set up, strings) or your amp. But all those things can be dealt with; I would worry about getting the passion back. good luck!

[dave-chaulk]

Just Funk it up, man!

[blockinlay]

Gas keeps me active. I'm always buying and selling. I like cleaning up old guitars, then setting them up and selling for something else to fool around with. I just switched from a jazz to a precision, and I'm loving the tone change.

[Greevus]

Dig out the music that made you play in the first place. Listen to it. Take a break and don't touch a bass. It happens man. I've been playing for over two decades and I go through the ups and downs. I played the same basses for years and only recently I began "collecting" and now am up to 21 I think. I have 4 separate rigs with enough power to kill dinosaurs. Am going through the biggest tone geekout ever. But know what? It's FUN. I think about moving on, selling everything, etc. I go through peaks of my playing and get really depressed. But when I hear great music that touches my soul I realize I MUST do this. It's life basically--ups and downs and just keepin' on. Change is not only GOOD, it's INEVITABLE. If it is in your blood, you'll get the motivation back. There's a part of me that wanted to attack you and then you made me realize how similar we all are. There's enough insulting and attacking going on all over the world, so encouragement is good. I just really wanted to tell you that you are very NORMAL and definitely not alone in what you are feeling. When I had a life crisis I asked an old friend what to do. He said "Start over like today is the beginning. Imagine that you have to move forward and put the past behind you". I "start over" all the time. If not I would go NUTS!

[marcss]

Can I have your stuff? Eh... sorry, wrong forum.

I'm always inspired when I find new music. Try something you wouldn't normally listen to. Within the new genre, find out some of the musicians who people respect and try to figure out why.

Or when I find new gear. Especially when I find some cheap gear that I can clean or fix up.

Granted, I'm barely a hobbyist, so maybe that's not enough to keep a gigging musician going.

Good luck.

[SoonerMatt]

This happens to everyone once in a while. See live shows, play with new people, try out new equipment, and remind yourself "bass gives me magic fingers and the ladies love magic fingers."

[gottawalk]

Originally Posted by makanudo

So for some reason i stopped playing for some time, mostly because my amp was at our rehearsal place. But now that i got it back and i want to play, i just can't i feel like i can't play for crap, i feel slow and sloppy, i know it's because i stopped but i also lost that spark that kept me going at it, i dont feel motivated at all.

And that's not the only thing that stops me from enjoying, i can't find a tone im happy with, which is frustrating and demoralizes me even more..

Please talkbass i really wanna play again what should i doooo =(

You're right about the "slow and sloppy" probably being from not playing for a while. That is easily conquered by putting more time on the axe. (I know; easily said...).

But the thing I find most revealing is that at the same time you "lost that spark" and didn't "feel motivated at all" is also the same time you "can't find a tone im happy with".

Tone, ease of playability, "love" of the feel of your axe, is everything! I think you need a new setup, and work with your strings and bass to get the feel and tone that gives you that shudder of adrenalin when you play it! You do that, and you'll get your motivation back! Playing a bass that has the ultimate tone and a feel that "plays like butter", as it's been referred to on TB, on occasion, is like no feeling in the world!

Get that bass sounding like you need it to and you'll be just fine! You'll be playing your *** off! Trust me! ;-)

[makanudo]

Thank you guys, its good to know im not the only one that feels this way.

gottawalk, my bass is an Ibanez SR505 and it felt good the day i purchased it, however i lowered the strings as low as it could go before having any problems with frets or excessive clanking. Can the strings beeing too close to the PUPs affect the tone of a bass in a bad way?

[Tommygunn]

Get a new bass. No joke. Even if it's a cheapie, I find when I've gotten a bass my practicing time goes up over 75% for 6 months or so. And stays high for a while after that.

[pacojas]

(i think i'm about to vomit) human nature,... meh,... seriously, its cool to take a hiatus, as long as no one gets injured. gl

[gottawalk]

Originally Posted by makanudo

Thank you guys, its good to know im not the only one that feels this way.

gottawalk, my bass is an Ibanez SR505 and it felt good the day i purchased it, however i lowered the strings as low as it could go before having any problems with frets or excessive clanking. Can the strings beeing too close to the PUPs affect the tone of a bass in a bad way?

Oh, yeah. I've been told that there's a "sweet spot" of distance between string and pickups. Take the bucks to have a tech really set it up right for you and then try it. sometimes it's worth the money! A good tech will get the best feel that you ask for with minimal rattle and better tone.
Could mean adjusting the truss rod, too, which I'm not at all good at. A flat neck is everything!

Good luck!

P.S. All due respect to "Tommygun", but don't go out and buy a new bass just to increase your practice time. Use the one you love, that you have, once it's been properly cared for and set up! "If you love something; set it free" is a load of crap!
If you love it, hold on TIGHT, and take it with you to the top!

[makanudo]

Well i guess ill start looking around for a tech, even if that's not the problem it wont hurt to have a nice setu up bass.

And i love my ibanez, the neck makes you wanna play all day, which is irnonic in my case haha

[mouthmw]

Originally Posted by marcss

Can I have your stuff? Eh... sorry, wrong forum.

Another EVE colleague?