For all you old farts out there that are still workin' it.
What's the deal? Some people (not pointing out anyone in particular, Blue
) hint that age effects the ability to write and/or perform music. Do any of you experienced, matured TB'ers find this to be true? If so, what was the first thing to tarnish and how old were you when you realized it?
Don't know about the writing part - can't be objective about that, but as far as playing goes, my chops are better right now than at any time in my life. I'm 47 right now - have dates lined up in the U.K., Germany, and probably Ireland this year; heading for a big gig in LA shortly. My hands and mind are still as quick as they always were (as far as I can tell), but after a big show, there's a longer recover time, and I do need more sleep than the road dog days of my youth - so, for me, it's the wear and tear on the body associated with running around and playing and sweating and singing for two hours. It sure takes longer to recover the next day! I recommend a lot of hydration, Gatorade, V8, and only very high quality high gravity beer...
I think there are some tricks that a lot of us older guys start adopting that we don't even think about, though - new economies of motion, better use of open strings, different muting techniques that are a combination of long hours playing and necessity. I took a class with Adam Nitti a while back, and Victor Wooten was a guest instructor, and one of the topics he touched on was how he's dealing with aging; he's specifically developed a lot of rakes and right hand tricks that specifically cover the portions of his style where he feels he's slowing down, and they're very well though out.
My humble belief, and the one that keeps me going, is that once you reach a certain level of proficiency, it's all just style after that, and as you age, you slowly turn flash and ferocious execution into a more seasoned approach, better use of space, better note choice, and a lot of the intangibles improve as well - who you know, how well you interact with people, comfort level on larger stages, what's expected of you as you work with larger acts and organizations over the years (if you're doing this bass guitar thing right, you'll play with bigger and bigger acts over time - at least as a sideman, if that's your thing).
Very interesting question - I definitely spent some time thinking about my playing and my future, and I think it'll pay off to be more conscious of the ramifications you raise - I wasn't thinking much about them before, and obviously it's time. Thanks!
--S
