Hey you can always pick it back up right? So you never quite for good. Focus on what you need to now. I put the bass aside when school got demanding and got back on the horse later. You're not a quitter if you start up again! Best of luck. Be well.
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Goodbye?
- Thread starter bassestkkm
- Start date
I don't know. Sounds to me that the issue isn't music, the issue is other stuff you're dealing with. If you have to slow down or take a break, do it of course. But I think the main thing is to deal with the other stuff. Clear your mind on those matters and I suspect you'll be able to enjoy making music again.
As far as feeling mediocre goes - it isn't a competition. Most of us are mediocre. The way I see it is that music is a good thing, whether it's simple or complex, and if someone is making more of it in the world, that's more goodness in the world, no matter how big or small their contribution.
As far as feeling mediocre goes - it isn't a competition. Most of us are mediocre. The way I see it is that music is a good thing, whether it's simple or complex, and if someone is making more of it in the world, that's more goodness in the world, no matter how big or small their contribution.
I had a friend who used to say that there isn't such a thing as an ex-smoker, that it's just been a while since their last one. I think this argument has some merit. You may give up your pursuit and equipment, but it may just be a long spell between "puffs."
Unless you need the $ I suggest that you not sell your gear, I have read time after time on this place, of people quitting the bass and selling all of their gear, rolling back on here after some time and kicking themselves for not hanging on to their stuff. Most of us myself included have stepped away from it to make room for life changes, I did for 9 years, but I never stopped playing and I only sold 1 of my two SVTs. As for most of us, the itch came back and I have been a weekend warrior since 2001 
playing music and enjoying my life. So do what you need to do, but don't let your decision come back to bite you. RTS
playing music and enjoying my life. So do what you need to do, but don't let your decision come back to bite you. RTS
Over the course of my 64 years I've felt like I was finished with music.Several times! Little did I know that music wasn't done with me.
I learned that what what I tired of is the music business.
So if music is truly in your soul you will return.
Best wishes
Duke
I learned that what what I tired of is the music business.
So if music is truly in your soul you will return.
Best wishes
Duke
I was going through some stuff in 2011 and decided to sell the one bass I owned at the time.
Eight months later I had the hankering again, and shelled out for an Ibanez ATK200. That bass is gone now, but I have since acquired four others, with plans to get a few more.
Not trying to suggest that piling up more basses is going to address whatever issue(s) you are having; I guess the moral of my story is that, based on my one experience of stepping away from bass, it turned out to not be a permanent thing for me, and I think it would be futile for me to try and completely walk away from bass again.
Sometimes I go days without touching any of my basses, and when I do get around to picking one up, it might only be for ten or fifteen minutes, but it does my brain and spirit good when I do.
Unless you really need the money that it might bring in, you should consider just hanging on to your gear until such time as you've gotten things in your life sorted out. Also, as some others have touched on, maybe playing nine instruments is a bit much?
Eight months later I had the hankering again, and shelled out for an Ibanez ATK200. That bass is gone now, but I have since acquired four others, with plans to get a few more.
Not trying to suggest that piling up more basses is going to address whatever issue(s) you are having; I guess the moral of my story is that, based on my one experience of stepping away from bass, it turned out to not be a permanent thing for me, and I think it would be futile for me to try and completely walk away from bass again.
Sometimes I go days without touching any of my basses, and when I do get around to picking one up, it might only be for ten or fifteen minutes, but it does my brain and spirit good when I do.
Unless you really need the money that it might bring in, you should consider just hanging on to your gear until such time as you've gotten things in your life sorted out. Also, as some others have touched on, maybe playing nine instruments is a bit much?
I'm mediocre as heck, doubly so on the upright, but that's what I have to play for the folks I play with to be happy (so anti-electric...) and it still seems to keep people happy that I'm there, playing. Mental-health-wise, it's a good thing for me to play, particularly with other people.
I think you may come to regret selling off all your basses, if that's where you are headed - if you have multiples, sure, thin the herd. If you can get money for amps, do it, the new ones are shrinking and when you come back those are likely to be better. A good instrument will be a good "vintage" instrument when you come back to it, and it will be there if you decide to plug into headphones or your stereo/computer and play a bit sometime.
I think you may come to regret selling off all your basses, if that's where you are headed - if you have multiples, sure, thin the herd. If you can get money for amps, do it, the new ones are shrinking and when you come back those are likely to be better. A good instrument will be a good "vintage" instrument when you come back to it, and it will be there if you decide to plug into headphones or your stereo/computer and play a bit sometime.
I look at it like this. There are people that are mediocre at having sex but do they stop having sex? No!
See my point?
See my point?
I quit for a year,sold off most of my gear and bought a fishing boat. I got the itch to get back to it and am now gigging again. I'm mediocre at best but love playing. The current music scene and band drama will have me quitting music before my skill level does. At least I still have the boat.
Nine instruments is a bit much for a single person.
I cut back from guitar & bass to only bass. After a while of that, I realized focusing on one instrument wasn't helping me much, so I scrapped the whole idea of continuing.
My wall hangers are now for hanging jackets & I have been considering selling our humidifier, which I only used to preserve the instruments.
Do what's right for you. If you think you'll come back to it, one bass & an amp won't take up much room.
I cut back from guitar & bass to only bass. After a while of that, I realized focusing on one instrument wasn't helping me much, so I scrapped the whole idea of continuing.
My wall hangers are now for hanging jackets & I have been considering selling our humidifier, which I only used to preserve the instruments.
Do what's right for you. If you think you'll come back to it, one bass & an amp won't take up much room.
What does being single have to do with it?
Take it from this middle-aged man: you are too young to just walk away from music. You still have a lot of life to live, and this is just a short season of discontent. There are days coming when you are discontented with your school work, job, spouse, kids, finances, etc., and you will find that that old bass, or trumpet, or harmonica will be just the thing to pull out and give your poor tired mind a rest.
I've sold some "old friends" thinking I would never play that certain instrument again, only to find 20-30 years later that I want to take it up again! Keep your instruments!
I've sold some "old friends" thinking I would never play that certain instrument again, only to find 20-30 years later that I want to take it up again! Keep your instruments!
When I was a kid (about ten years old) a neighbor showed me the basics on drums and bass. I dabbled with both for several years. When I was sixteen my older brother's band was stuck for a drummer for one gig, I filled in. A couple of months later I joined the band as their drummer and didn't touch a bass again for many years.
At the age of forty-eight I picked up a bass on a lark, figuring that it would be fun to fool around with. A couple of weeks later I suffered a major stroke, playing bass went on the back burner.
It took me a while to recover from my stroke, longer to become comfortable again on the drums. Eventually I also took up hand percussion and finally got around to again getting serious about the bass guitar. I started playing bass daily in 2010, joined TB in January of 2011.
These days I feel comfortable calling myself a drummer/percussionist/bassist. Some times life gets in the way, but if you really want to, some day you might return to playing bass. (You just never know.) Good luck either way.
At the age of forty-eight I picked up a bass on a lark, figuring that it would be fun to fool around with. A couple of weeks later I suffered a major stroke, playing bass went on the back burner.
It took me a while to recover from my stroke, longer to become comfortable again on the drums. Eventually I also took up hand percussion and finally got around to again getting serious about the bass guitar. I started playing bass daily in 2010, joined TB in January of 2011.
These days I feel comfortable calling myself a drummer/percussionist/bassist. Some times life gets in the way, but if you really want to, some day you might return to playing bass. (You just never know.) Good luck either way.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'm just missing playing and feel guilty since it is so important to me. I decided not to sell anything. I don't need the money and have a place to keep them for whatever happens next. So I can come back to it whenever I'd like if I do walk away for a while. There's a lot of life I want to live and I think I'll be needing music sooner or later.
+1. My suggestion as well.
I play 4 instruments, but I didn't pick up guitar & keys until I had been playing bass for 15 years, and I didn't take up drums until I been playing bass for 25 years.
IMHO, focusing on just one or two hobbies helps ensure you get the most out of them.
I've been a mediocre player for 40 years. Mediocrity rules. Celebrate it and keep on truckin'.
Agreed - for me, I don't really care whether others enjoy my music so much, I'm doing it for me (what a greedy old bastage hah).
It does me worlds of good to get better at it, whether or not anyone else notices or cares. I've made more progress as a player and musician in general in the last few years than I had in most of the previous 45+ years I've been playing. Not bragging, I'm still a mediocre amateur hack at best. It makes me happy, and that's not an easy trick.
