I Still Don’t Feel Fulfilled

[Jalen Fuller]

Even after saying I was going to stick with playing bass in my music program in college I still am not feeling fulfilled. I just don’t have the urge to really practice it besides a couple Basslines on my mind. It’s horrible I gave up on guitar and now I’m heading down that path with bass. I don’t even know how I’ll keep up in my music program if I am not motivated to practice the instruments that I supposedly play. I’ve played some keys but I’m still a beginner and I thought of practicing that as I have to take it as a class in the winter but is that even really worth trying to hold on to my place in the music program anymore? It’s like I’m my own enemy trying to listen to the optimistic comments here knowing they’ll only give me satisfaction for what? Two days. I feel if I just listen to what the universe is telling me I’ll be free. I need help!!! I’ve lost my touch with music.

 

[StyleOverShow]

Ohh...tough. Yeah, better to act on it now than ‘hope’ your enthusiasm will return. There are many hours alone ahead, with you, sheet music and a stand. Part of the ritual that makes you a player is practice. Good luck. No penalty for changing instruments now.

 

[noeinstein]

This may be part of a self defeating life pattern. Check out Tiny Habits and enlist the help of a cognitive behavioral therapist before throwing in the towel. Then, if you decide to major in accounting, at least you’ll have the satisfaction of having given music the old college try first.

 

[lowphatbass]

Music is a hard business, particularly if you want to make a living.
If you’re only in it for fun and personal enrichment then ask yourself if you’re being enriched. If you’re trying to make a go at it professionally you’re less likely to succeed if you’re not highly motivated. Maybe this isn’t what you wanted to hear but it’s what I believe to be truth. The way this was voiced to me was, “If you feel like you have other career options available to you strongly consider them. You’re not likely to succeed making a living as a musician unless you feel like it’s your only option.”

 

[pacojas]

Even after saying I was going to stick with playing bass in my music program in college I still am not feeling fulfilled. I just don’t have the urge to really practice it besides a couple Basslines on my mind. It’s horrible I gave up on guitar and now I’m heading down that path with bass. I don’t even know how I’ll keep up in my music program if I am not motivated to practice the instruments that I supposedly play. I’ve played some keys but I’m still a beginner and I thought of practicing that as I have to take it as a class in the winter but is that even really worth trying to hold on to my place in the music program anymore? It’s like I’m my own enemy trying to listen to the optimistic comments here knowing they’ll only give me satisfaction for what? Two days. I feel if I just listen to what the universe is telling me I’ll be free. I need help!!! I’ve lost my touch with music.

what you need is fresh inspiration and this little tune just might do the trick! learn this bassline and open a whole new paradigm!

 

[Wasnex]

Even after saying I was going to stick with playing bass in my music program in college I still am not feeling fulfilled. I just don’t have the urge to really practice it besides a couple Basslines on my mind. It’s horrible I gave up on guitar and now I’m heading down that path with bass. I don’t even know how I’ll keep up in my music program if I am not motivated to practice the instruments that I supposedly play. I’ve played some keys but I’m still a beginner and I thought of practicing that as I have to take it as a class in the winter but is that even really worth trying to hold on to my place in the music program anymore? It’s like I’m my own enemy trying to listen to the optimistic comments here knowing they’ll only give me satisfaction for what? Two days. I feel if I just listen to what the universe is telling me I’ll be free. I need help!!! I’ve lost my touch with music.

In my experience musicians feel most satisfied when they are challenged, learning, and growing in a genre the enjoy. I know that when I reached a point where my skills exceeded the requirements of my job, and the quality of musicianship in my organization seemed to be dropping that my satisfaction with music and motivation to continue greatly diminished. I cross trained to become an audio tech shortly thereafter and enjoyed that immensely. For context I was a military musician who play string and electric bass.

Another observation is many professional musicians ultimately find the job very dissatisfying and frustrating. IMHO it's better to learn this when you are young and before you have spent a fortune on an expensive degree. I know many very talented musicians who have put their instrument down and will never pick it up again.

I also know quite a few people who became very frustrated with the job who had masters degrees who were not actually very good musicians. It's surprising how many of them are tempted to pursue a doctorate in music.

Read about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. To me the pursuit of musical excellence is consistent with the idea of "self actualization." Relate that concept to the earlier comments I made in the post. And also consider that per Maslow, you can't persue higher level needs until lower level needs are satisfied. This could indicate that something else is going on in your life that is preventing you from focusing on music.

If your path is not to be a professional musician I suggest you don't fight it. You can still do it for fun, and IMHO that's actually better anyway. If you study motivation theory, you will find that getting paid to do something tends to destroy your intrinsic motivation. In other words getting paid to do something you like will kill the joy. This is why many musicians actually hate their jobs IMHO. Better to stay in touch with the joy of playing and never earn a dime IMHO.

Don't think I am trying to discourage you. I had a great career and would do it again. I also had a pretty unusual career path and really had to fight for it. I dropped at of music school after third semester and joined the military as an electronics tech. I continued studying and practicing on my own and eventually won and audition even though I really wasn't qualified. But over the years I continued studying and developed into a decent bass player.

Follow your hear and be your best self.

 

[Malcolm35]

Time to talk with your instructor or mentor at your university. I'm sure they have heard this story before and can help.

Seek help now. You not only need to break out of your slump, you also need to find something that will feed you for the rest of your life.

Decision time.

Along those lines. We have a friend that got a music degree and then a Master's in music theory. Plus a bunch of certificates in teaching other things beside music. Because of those certificates he became an assistant football coach and today is the Athletic Director for a school system near Houston. He never played football, but had a certificate saying he could teach it.

My point. You need to finish your degree. It does not need to be in music.

 

[Snaxster]

Even after saying I was going to stick with playing bass in my music program in college I still am not feeling fulfilled. I just don’t have the urge to really practice it besides a couple Basslines on my mind. It’s horrible I gave up on guitar and now I’m heading down that path with bass. I don’t even know how I’ll keep up in my music program if I am not motivated to practice the instruments that I supposedly play. I’ve played some keys but I’m still a beginner and I thought of practicing that as I have to take it as a class in the winter but is that even really worth trying to hold on to my place in the music program anymore? It’s like I’m my own enemy trying to listen to the optimistic comments here knowing they’ll only give me satisfaction for what? Two days. I feel if I just listen to what the universe is telling me I’ll be free. I need help!!! I’ve lost my touch with music.

Hello Jalen. What is your own objective? What is the charter of the music program? If your interest includes it, and the program allows it, maybe you will find your place in other aspects of music making than being an instrumentalist: arranger, producer, recordist, etc. Good Luck!

 

[BassChuck]

At this point in my life, after playing a number of instruments professionally, a couple degrees in music, and 36 years teaching music in public schools, I know these things:
1.) If you don't love practicing your instrument, it's very difficult to maintain a career. You have to get up in the morning, planning your day around practicing. You have to love the feel and sound of your instrument.
2.) If you are looking for someone or something to make your life meaningful, you'll come out of it empty handed. Joy comes from within, it's not the obligation of anyone else.
3.) If you are involved in a situation that is unhappy, change that situation. If everything is unhappy, time to do some real searching. Go with joy (but make sure you have a tolerable way to make money).

 

[two fingers]

Find friendly people to play with who will challenge you and rip you from your comfort zone.


For the most part, bass was not meant to be played alone. It's a collaborative instrument. Scales and chords are things you need to know. Sure. But I have learned more playing with others than I ever did in a class or through hours and hours of technique drills.

Be musically sociable. Problem solved.

 

[rickster4003]

Perhaps you are not being true your heart, as they say, and not doing what you would really like to do. If it is something you love it will never feel like work. A professor once told me that when going to grad school it better be for something you like, otherwise it will be 6 plus years of nightmare.

 

[smeet]

Not everyone is cut out to be a professional musician. I LOVE practicing and playing my instrument, and yet, one of the most valuable things I learned by attending Berklee was that I should not depend on playing for my living. A few decades later, I still practice and improve every day, I can afford to buy the equipment I want, and I play because I love it, not because my paycheck depends on it.

this is a very personal decision of course, but there is no shame in deciding that music is not the right career for you. Even if you love music. Even if you are super talented. Don’t put yourself in a box of your own making. I love making music. I also love my day job. Find your own way.

 

[rpguitar]

I've read some of your prior posts. Music may be something you imagine yourself doing, something that you romantically associate with a vibe you want to assume. But maybe you are actually mismatched with that vision, at least to the degree required to actually make a serious go of it. Tough call, I know, but better to make it now.

If you are not motivated to play now, as a young person immersed in a music program, and this is something you've already struggled with before... then maybe it's time to throw in the towel. Make music a hobby, to be pursued however you like, with as much or as little time and energy as your whim dictates.

Why bother forcing something that has no guaranteed paycheck anywhere in sight, when there are plenty of other fields of study that will reliably pay you for your struggles?

 

[And I]

is it that you don't enjoy playing the instrument(s), or you don't enjoy playing the music you have to play for your school? maybe this isn't the right school? or maybe formal music education is not for you... could be if you drop the rigidity of formal music education your love for music will fill that space.

 

[Jalen Fuller]

I've read some of your prior posts. Music may be something you imagine yourself doing, something that you romantically associate with a vibe you want to assume. But maybe you are actually mismatched with that vision, at least to the degree required to actually make a serious go of it. Tough call, I know, but better to make it now.

If you are not motivated to play now, as a young person immersed in a music program, and this is something you've already struggled with before... then maybe it's time to throw in the towel. Make music a hobby, to be pursued however you like, with as much or as little time and energy as your whim dictates.

Why bother forcing something that has no guaranteed paycheck anywhere in sight, when there are plenty of other fields of study that will reliably pay you for your struggles?

Yes, some times I feel that maybe I only wanted to go into music to make up for being the kid left out in school and being about to shine above the others that deemed me as an outcast.

 

[B-Lo]

Nothing like being in the hot seat to motivate you to want to improve. I know playing in most bands isn't very feasible right now, but do you attend a church? If so, joining the worship team and striving to reach some of those sick lines that Sharay Reed, Snoop Evans, Fred Hammond, David Curran, Norm Stockton, etc. does/did may be the ticket to get you back in the groove of things.

That said, sometimes taking a break and stepping away for a little while is just what the doctor ordered. I barely touched a bass since mid-March because I simply lost motivation. Now I'm getting that itch to get back in the shed and I look forward to resuming regular practice sessions again.

 

[Pings Bass]

Welp, if you don't feel it, you don't feel it. Nothing anybody can say can change that.

If you've got a song in your heart that's gotta come out, there are a lot of ways to channel it. Some people write, some sing, some play an instrument, compose, etc. Nobody can tell anybody else how to channel their creative force.

Maybe you've got the drive, but you're not connecting it with the bass? Often you have to overcome significant technical barriers on an instrument before it can be a useful tool for channeling creative energy. If you get that technical training started young, it's easier, but if you're driven, there's nothing that can stop you. But most people do best with a series of good teachers who help them make that connection by honing the technical skills to remove roadblocks to expression.

My advice would be to take a beak and do some soul searching. If you've got music in you that needs to come out, you can re-commit to dismantling the technical barriers on bass, guitar, piano or whatever, or you can write/arrange/compose. If you don't have music inside ya, you're not going to have much motivation to hone your chops on any instrument.

 

[brocket]

I was a music major and was going to be a high school band director. It was the most conviction about anything I've ever felt in my life. I really enjoyed my first year music classes and was doing really well. Except for the piano proficiency part. I had zero interest in playing piano, but it was required for music majors (I had seen my various band directors play the piano exactly zero times, so why did I need to do it?). I had been mulling over what to do about piano for awhile, and watched The Fellowship of the Ring, which is one of my all time favorite movies, with some friends one weekend. There is a big emotional point towards the end where Merry and Pippin pick up rocks and yell at some orcs, where the score is swelling, where the whole movie is getting to an emotional climax. And in that incredible moment, i blurted out, "That's an augmented fifth!" about the interval the hobbits were yelling.

In that moment I knew that, despite my conviction, studying music was not for me. I talked with my advisor and a few different professors to help give me confidence in my decision. I stayed in choir and band, but switched to an English major and had a much more enjoyable, motivating, and rewarding academic experience. Whatever you do, make sure you give yourself every opportunity to not regret whatever decision you make. Hang in there, and good luck!

 

[lowendrachel]

This may be part of a self defeating life pattern. Check out Tiny Habits and enlist the help of a cognitive behavioral therapist before throwing in the towel. Then, if you decide to major in accounting, at least you’ll have the satisfaction of having given music the old college try first.

Cool! Imma check that book out. How do you like it?

 

[Rabidhamster]

Even after saying I was going to stick with playing bass in my music program in college I still am not feeling fulfilled. I just don’t have the urge to really practice it besides a couple Basslines on my mind. It’s horrible I gave up on guitar and now I’m heading down that path with bass. I don’t even know how I’ll keep up in my music program if I am not motivated to practice the instruments that I supposedly play. I’ve played some keys but I’m still a beginner and I thought of practicing that as I have to take it as a class in the winter but is that even really worth trying to hold on to my place in the music program anymore? It’s like I’m my own enemy trying to listen to the optimistic comments here knowing they’ll only give me satisfaction for what? Two days. I feel if I just listen to what the universe is telling me I’ll be free. I need help!!! I’ve lost my touch with music.

Comments on an Internet forum or really anywhere else will never provide you lasting satisfaction. That takes hard work and looking within yourself for what you want. Why would saying you will do something make you feel fulfilled? It shouldn’t if you really want it, you aren’t done yet. In fact you have a long bumpy road ahead.

Above all research your favorite artists. How did they die? Penniless crazy and alone, or fabulously rich and happy? What was their family life like?

Its like anything - it’s hard work and a lot of “I don’t want to do this”. Unfortunately I haven’t found anything that doesn’t contain any “I don’t want to do this”.

I don’t mean to be a Debbie downer, but quite often people decide they enjoy music so well they’d rather save it for a hobby, church on the weekends, originals band after work.

If there is a “real job” degree plan with a better retirement plan than musician, that’s something to look into. Look at what an Average level computer programmer takes home versus an average level professional musician. Musical training is awesome but college is Very expensive.

Of course having a degree in literally anything seems to open doors for you at some companies.

At a certain point, everything begins to feel like work. I don’t care if you’re building a sandcastle on the beach, skateboarding, sitting at the bar, gettin’ after it, flying, racing a car... Anything you can think of to do in this world, if you have to do it often enough, eventually at some points it’s going to feel like work.