• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

How many TBers do not gig?

Status
Not open for further replies.
#21
Last regular band thing I was in ended in 2014. I’ve played out a few times on various one-offs since then. But nothing like regular gigging.

These days I compose, record, do my own or participate in friend’s music projects (some of which culminate in a house concert), and jam with my SO and our small circle of musical acquaintances.

I’m happy with where I am. Can’t say I miss gigging very much. It’s a different world, and live music - at least where I am - is in the doldrums. So there’s not all that much to miss anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tanner5382, Riff Ranger and Passinwind
#22
I gig just about every weekend, but have posted here recently about giving it up. It's not as much fun as it used to be and I'm recently dealing with some physical issues that might mean surgery and taking off a month, at least, which is going to mean I need to be replaced if the bands I work with want to continue playing. That might just be my cue to say sayonara for the time being, until or unless I can find or develop projects that are truly fulfilling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 40Hz and Riff Ranger
#23
Been a few years for me....seems like it's been longer than that lol

I was trying to get more exposure and got some spots in a cover band here and there along with a steady gig as a backing bassist for a solo artist. Got tired and wanted to spend my time playing music that I liked (and wrote with bandmates) performing. Eventually juggling that and the full-time job started getting tough and I moved onto other creative endeavors 3 or so years ago. I plunk around here and there, but most of my free time goes into game development when I'm not at work or doing "house stuff". Given all the radical changes as of late, I'd say I'm a little relieved that I eased myself off of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Riff Ranger
#24
I am almost seventy. I have gigged professionally for over forty years. Everything from bar gigs in S. Jersey, society/wedding gigs in DC. dive bars in Florida and all the "animal clubs". I currently play two or three times a month subbing with a pretty good band around central Florida. I could give it up tomorrow and never miss it.

That said, I can't imagine still playing and NOT gigging at all. I am way over "jamming" and playing by myself in the practice room. Gigging can be a pain but if I give it up for good, I'd just as soon sell everything and never look back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jjk2007, AlexanderB, dbsfgyd1 and 5 others
#26
JMarkD said:
I am almost seventy. I have gigged professionally for over forty years. Everything from bar gigs in S. Jersey, society/wedding gigs in DC. dive bars in Florida and all the "animal clubs". I currently play two or three times a month subbing with a pretty good band around central Florida. I could give it up tomorrow and never miss it.

That said, I can't imagine still playing and NOT gigging at all. I am way over "jamming" and playing by myself in the practice room. Gigging can be a pain but if I give it up for good, I'd just as soon sell everything and never look back.
Click to expand...
I think I would be much the same. I don't enjoy practice for the sake of practice; I need goals. I will likely still do music but limit myself to writing and producing music and only playing as much as I need to in order to complete works.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NEBADON2000
#29
tb-player said:
I used to gig a lot more than I do now. I’ve toured, recorded, and done the local scene. These days, my life is more about family and running my business. I still take the opportunity to play out a few times a year with a singer/songwriter friend. I also might be good for once-a-year fill-in with a local jam band. I’ll also volunteer at a local church if they need me.

So right now, most of my bass playing is for me. I spend much of my bass time playing along with tracks or just working things out in the shed. And I really enjoy it. It fits my lifestyle.

Curious, how many TBers play their bass regularly, but never (or rarely) gig?
Click to expand...

That is a great question. I think of TB as the last stage for Bass players. Where reminiscing replaces gigging. Tinkering replaces practicing. And Alzheimers causes the same oft asked questions (and answers).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Karrlander, bertthebassist, TwototheValley and 14 others
#32
Me.

In 15 years I’ve probably played as many as 10 gigs; I’ve been playing for 43 years.


The last band I was in (for 8 years) we gigged 4 times, but then we never looked for gigs. We practiced, wrote and recorded in our studio without really caring to play out.

I still don’t care to do gigs bc by far most popular type of gigs that were available - bars.

People at bars are there to drink, dance and get lucky to as many rhythmic decibels as possible. Period. they will not care what they drink (as long as it’s alcoholic) and will not care what they dance to (as long as it’s as loud af), and, let’s face it - they may not care come last call who they get lucky with, either.

That’s not for me.

I play bass for myself and if anyone listens, cool, if not, they are not missed bc anyone else’s enjoyment of what i happen to do is purely incidental to me and if less than zero importance.

I don’t care or complain about gigs (bar gigs esp), or dance gigs (the music i play is the least dance-friendly stuff available) and i love being able to play what i want without worrying if it’s gonna get butts out of the seats and sell beer.

I love to practice, improve and play increasingly technically challenging music, which no one at a “gig” wants to hear anyway. As an example, i am learning by ear Liquid Tension Experiment’s “When the Water Breaks,” a 17 minute long epic that would be hysterical if played before a Friday night bar crowd (it might be worth it to try that sometime.) At the few gigs my last band did it was funny enough watching ppl try to dance to Dream Theater’s Metropolis into Dance Of Eternity.

Im not going to spend 2 months learning a song (or more, as a band Dance of Eternity took 2 years of steady weekly practice for us to get it perfect) so i can hopefully motivate drunks to get drunker.

if my personal goals were different who knows, i might have thrown down Mustang Sally with the last callers on weekends, but i have my own goals and it’s my call.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bflat and TJH3113
#33
I’ve played in public around 3-12 times per year each and about as much in “studios” since I turned 25 and decided to get a realistic-for-post-1990 job.

Most of my gigs are on piano, electric piano, and/or organ.

The rest are a pretty even mix of bass, bass guitar, guitar, cello, and trumpet.

talktrumpet.com is a pretty boring forum, believe it or not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AlexanderB
#38
As of now I'm just a hobbyist bassist and bassist making video covers. I would like to gig but I suck too much and need to get better at my theory and figure out how to make connection, also a little busy with school.
 
#39
tb-player said:
I used to gig a lot more than I do now. I’ve toured, recorded, and done the local scene. These days, my life is more about family and running my business. I still take the opportunity to play out a few times a year with a singer/songwriter friend. I also might be good for once-a-year fill-in with a local jam band. I’ll also volunteer at a local church if they need me.

So right now, most of my bass playing is for me. I spend much of my bass time playing along with tracks or just working things out in the shed. And I really enjoy it. It fits my lifestyle.

Curious, how many TBers play their bass regularly, but never (or rarely) gig?
Click to expand...
Uh... I think you'd have to set this up as a poll, and then hope that a representative sample replies.
 
#40
BazzaBass said:
That is a great question. I think of TB as the last stage for Bass players. Where reminiscing replaces gigging. Tinkering replaces practicing. And Alzheimers causes the same oft asked questions (and answers).
Click to expand...

And some of these "performers" still do everything note perfect. The chair warriors play the same songs so often that when I see their avatar in a thread, I already know what they are going to say.
 
  • Like
Reactions: vvvmmm, TJH3113, OptimalOptimus and 2 others
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back