Has anyone stop playing bass?

[Pilgrim]

I took a 23-year layoff without even realizing it. Finished college, moved out of the area, was busy trying to make a living. My stuff sat in the storage bedroom at the parents' house.

When the parents moved from the big country house to a smaller house in town, it was get it or lose it time - I picked up my gear and started playing again. That was 21 years ago.

 

[mapleglo]

I stopped playing in my 30's due to family and career demands. Picked it back up in my 50's.

 

[mongo2]

Over 36 years ago I took a few years off music to return to school for a BSEE and a "real" career. I started playing again shortly before graduating and haven't stopped since. I retired from the engineering career 8 years ago next week.

Lately I've been considering taking another break due to the effects of a minor stroke I had a little over a year ago. I was back playing two days after release from the hospital and can still play but not yet up to my usual standards. The stroke effected my right side which makes it more difficult to play without pain or early fatigue. I had to give up a lot of my build project work due to an unsteady right hand/arm.

I'll keep playing though at least until the end of the season here which is usually about the end of October then I'll have a few months with fewer gigs anyway. The docs say things might get better. There's always hope.

 

[nzscott]

I stopped playing all instruments, Bass guitar electric guitar ,acoustic guitar and keys in April 2019 …..my reasons for stopping is that I am a alcoholic and addict ,I put alcohol and drugs before my passion for playing and making music …. the good news is that I have since detoxed and done a rehab programme and am now starting to get back to my passion for music and most importantly Bass guitar.... Rock on....Scottie

 

[hbarcat]

I picked up the bass at age 18 and dedicated myself to playing at least 10 hours per week in gigging bands, practicing at home, and even recording original music with experimental bands.

Kept it up with no pauses until I was 45 and had a sudden serious health issue that kept me from doing pretty much anything at all for 4 months. It took me almost a year of rehab to get enough strength and dexterity back to make useful sounds come out of my bass.

Fortunately, I've since regained all the music playing skills I feared I'd lost forever. I play at least 12 hours per week now in my 50s and am playing with a rock cover band again.

 

[Chad Michael]

Had to quit gigging when I became a single parent (son was 5). Was very bitter about it and quit playing altogether.

Just getting back into it now.

 

[Mike N]

I stopped to raise a family and got back into it when my daughter was in middle school. Turns out her new friend's dad was in the same boat as me, we met and decided to pull our gear back out and go for it.

Nearly 10 years later he and I are still jamming together.

 

[Ostie]

I never stopped on bass but I did add mandolin, Mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello, bouzouki and percussion so it kind of cuts down on my bass practice time.

 

[ajkula66]

I was out of the game for 15 years or so and would've likely never gone back to playing had it not been for my son deciding to pick up bass in addition to trombone that he was already playing. He gave me the push that was required at the time when it was sorely needed, and both of us are reaping benefits from that turn of events.

Mind you, the kid sounds *nothing* like me when I was his age or now. He's got ways to go, but my son has pretty much carved his approach to the instrument already.

 

[mariopepper]

I stopped playing for while and changed it to drums. But not for a long time

 

[Nedmundo]

After playing only sporadically from high school through law school, I completely stopped at age 26 due to career, marriage, and eventually kids. I didn't touch a bass for about nine years. In fact, I stored my bass and amp in my parents' attic up in Connecticut, so I didn't even have my gear around. I played guitar once in awhile, but that was it.

I missed it terribly, and finally picked it back up at age 35, when a former work colleague and his son started a band playing the son's (quite fantastic) original material. That got the ball rolling, and I've played in six bands and two musical theater productions over the past 17 years.

I'm not in a band now, but jam out occasionally with my last band's lead guitarist and some other dudes. Next weekend, we're jamming at a private party/gig/whatever, and it will be interesting to see what happens. I'll even pack up a guitar just in case!

 

[bobba66]

My left hand is all jacked up. If they can't fix it I'll hang my beautiful Precision on the wall and dump everything else. Life goes on...……...