Thinking about giving up music

burk48237 · #1 12-05-2009, 07:57 PM

As the opportunities for me to play seem to be less and less. I'm also not sure that it will get any better as I get older. I love playing, But I'm not sure it loves me. In the meanwhile my wallet is getting tighter and tighter and I've got close to 4000 worth of gear that really isn't being used the way it should be.

coreyfyfe · #2 12-05-2009, 08:31 PM

At most I'd say cut it back to the essentials. Scale down, don't bow out, even if you're just playing at home every once in a while. You'll miss it. My dad tried that for a while, sold all his drums, stopped playing for like 6 years. Got back behind a kit at a big birthday bash we threw for him and has been playing for the last 10 years or so.

Honk'n_down-low · #3 12-05-2009, 08:35 PM

I made the mistake of quitting completely for too long - scale back - take a break and better times are ahead. Good Luck!

emblymouse · #4 12-05-2009, 08:53 PM

You may find that music won't let you go. Take the pressure off and see what floats up to the surface. A change doesn't have to mean an end.

rob4001va · #5 12-05-2009, 09:06 PM

In 91, when I moved from Cali to NoVA, left my established band, focused on new (demanding) job and raising little kids. Quit playing for ~15 years except for occasional jamming. Worst mistake I ever made.

Lost my outlet for stress relief, lost lots of time to have fun, get better, etc. Happily I didn't sell my gear (which all turned vintage in the meantime, though!). Got back into it a few years ago, and am now having fun playing again (plus the usual frustrations), and my finances are such I can afford better toys, even! With my kids off to college, I have the time, too.

Scale back, sell most (but keep some) if you must, but at least keep your chops up and have some fun on occasion.

You can thank me later....

bigblondeafro87 · #6 12-05-2009, 10:26 PM

Don't stop playing! Please keep making music, remember the times when you wouldn't even consider stopping. If necessary you can sell of unnecessary gear but don't lose your musical facet. I've had many, many older folks say that they wish they had never stopped playing music, please don't become one of them!

Good luck my friend

MJ5150 · #7 12-05-2009, 11:36 PM

I was in the same boat. All this expensive gear sitting in my den collecting dust. I ditched everything, but I still call myself a bass player. Could I sit in and play a solid three hour gig? Nope, but I can surely jam with my buddies now and then when they ask me too.

I hang around here still because it makes me feel like a musician, and I like the people.

-Mike

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #8 12-06-2009, 08:26 AM

Don't mix up love of playing with ability to gig/get a working band- they aren't related. If the gigging situation is tough, just start writing your own music and work on that from home. I haven't even been able to jam with other musicians in the past couple years due to my situation, and while I dislike that, I've been more musically active and creative in this period than I ever have in about 14 years of playing.

And just sell all of your fishing gear if you need some dough- fish tastes nasty

spade2you · #9 12-06-2009, 08:35 AM

Scale down a bit, but perhaps try to keep a decent bass around for practice.

Like everything else in life, there are times when it's boom or bust. I'm currently at a point where I doubt I'll be in a band for another couple years.

MakiSupaStar · #10 12-06-2009, 08:43 AM

Sounds like it's time to start working YOUR dreams and musical ideas. No gigs you say, then start recording. I stopped gigging on purpose so I could write new material. Point is Burk, there's always something to do. Besides, you don't want to end up like Mike.

scorpionldr · #11 12-06-2009, 11:25 PM

I'll say it like this, considering I've had an experience where at one point I couldn't give a **** less if I picked up a bass or a plate of food: If your musical direction isn't going where you want it, start up another project. It doesn't have to be bass. Hell, it doesn't even have to be PLAYING music. Tune Pianos, setup instruments, DO SOMETHING. Start a drum machine music project like I did. It may not be popular, but for a while it was THOROUGHLY satisfying getting away from the old "ok, lets hit record (wait five minutes), yup, that sounded like ****" process of making band recordings when I could put out ten tracks in a night tweaking sounds and getting things together.

Papersen · #12 12-07-2009, 03:11 PM

If you still feel you like and enjoy playing music, don`t quit.
Most of us have demanding jobs / careers / duties and music usually takes us to another place, a happier one. If you feel it that way, keep playing.

burk48237 · #13 12-07-2009, 06:07 PM

First, I'll never quit listening. My writing / recording days are over unless I get involved in someone else's project. I am in the middle of starting another business and financially the just barely paying the bills every month is getting REAL old. I still love to play, but I must admit it's been more of a grind of late. I'm not getting the opportunity to play what I like in style or feel. I'm just basically being the play it like it sounds on the MP3 side dude. If I could afford it, I would always have a bass around, but I must admit inspiration in general and more so in music has been tough to come by of late.

MJ5150 · #14 12-07-2009, 06:23 PM

People can lead fulfilling lives and be happy without having to be associated with music in some way. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous to some of you, but it is true.

Tell us about the business burk, if you want to.

-Mike

tycobb73 · #15 12-07-2009, 06:50 PM

I stopped playing. sold all my stuff. When I wanted to start playing again I simply bought more. There's tons of gear out there.

fdeck · #16 12-07-2009, 07:26 PM

My playing has had its ups and downs over the years. My level of gigging is quite variable, as I am mostly a sub, so I am affected by the boom / bust cycle. I've moved from one place to another a few times, and had a couple periods when I wasn't playing out at all.

My advice is twofold. First, if you have some down time from playing out, use it to sharpen your skills, learn a new genre, find ways to enjoy playing just for yourself. Those sorts of things got me through a time period when I was living in a town where I just wasn't very happy overall, and couldn't find my way into the local scene. As a jazz player, I had minimal familiarity with rock, but found myself having great fun trying to learn pop tunes off the radio.

Second, getting a new business started is understandably a time commitment, but once you are ready to get back in, give yourself the broadest possible horizons. There may be musical genres that are more friendly to the bassist than what you describe, even if they don't lead to quite so many gigs.

Jazz Ad · #17 12-07-2009, 07:29 PM

It's not like you needed $4000 of gear to play music.
It's not like you needed gigs to play the bass.
Nothing wrong with keeping only one good bass and one good amp if money is an issue.

burk48237 · #18 12-07-2009, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

It's not like you needed $4000 of gear to play music.
It's not like you needed gigs to play the bass.
Nothing wrong with keeping only one good bass and one good amp if money is an issue.

That's what I have. A Sadowsky NYC M5, Thunderfunk 550, and a LDS 210 UL. One GOOD bass and one GOOD amp.

scorpionldr · #19 12-09-2009, 12:12 PM

hey, at least you've got an investment. Stick with it, maybe open your mind to more musics. I don't see a huge benefit in selling your one good bass and one good amp.

**Blackbird** · #20 12-09-2009, 12:29 PM

Maybe this is a good time to try other aspects of your musicality, such as songwriting, home recording, etc.

There's no rule that says you have to play bass for the rest of your life. As for the money situation, drastic times call for drastic measures...