I Think I Lost My Way

[RRWesner]

One quote I always go back to by Ira Glass every time I feel like this

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

 

[Logic_11]

You can’t “fraud” music. It’s impossible to fake music.

You are where you are on your musical journey. As are all of us.

Beware of “all or nothing” thinking. Find a good teacher and work on specific skills with measurable goals.

Check out Mark at Talkingbass.com. Hundreds of excellent free lessons and practice tools.

If you are able, when things open up, find some blues jams in your area and make it a weekly thing. Meet the guys, learn the tunes, take your turn and learn a ton.

What do you mean by "all or nothing" thinking?

 

[Peteyboy]

Jalen, I don't expect anything in return...the joy of playing and getting it right is all I need...

... and that lamp, over there.

Dude, you just quoted a movie from 43 years ago to an 18 year old. The equivalent to that is someone quoting Groucho Marx to 18 year old you.

 

[Jalen Fuller]

Unless you have rich parents or really like gambling then forget pursuing music as any kind of career path. It’s just not realistic at this point. Are there people out there making a career out of music? Yes, but those people have either been doing it a long time or they were very, very lucky.

Take it from G.E.

True, the only people that I know that have a chance of making a career in music when only adopting it in high school are rappers and beat makers as many I know or have been around started later than the average guitarist might have started but have a decent following even if amateur

 

[Spin Doctor]

True, the only people that I know that have a chance of making a career in music when only adopting it in high school are rappers and beat makers as many I know or have been around started later than the average guitarist might have started but have a decent following even if amateur

I'm really not that much into the digital side of beat making and all that. But I do know that almost everybody I know that has any interest in music under the age of 30 is making beats. Yeah some of them have a following but they're not making any money making beats. I mean literally everybody does it. I don't know for sure but it just feel saturated to me. If you going to try that for a living you got to make sure you can eat. I'm not all that sure how you monetize it.

Having said that 18 is not too young to just try stuff. That's what life is, and you don't want to go through it not having tried something you want to do. But once you get down to making a living, whatever that might be, you got to pick some plan and stick with it. No plan B.

So for now just start talking to people who are doing whatever it is you think you want to do. If you want to make beats try to find the cats who are the best at it that you can find and star picking their brains. If you going to make it in music at all in any way, you going to have to network so you may as well get started.

 

[singlemalt]

Thinking “I suck, I’ll never be any good, I should quit....”

Instead of, “ man, I’m dragging here and rushing there... I need to hit the shed with my metronome or drum machine.”

Or “I need to do half an hour of finger style exercises, broken into three ten minute blocks at these three tempos”

Or, I’m not feeling it today, but I’ll give it ten more minutes.

All or nothing is Thinking in overblown emotional reactions instead of reasonable evaluation.

Your mind throws all kinds of torments at you, but they are just thoughts, and often times not true. Just drama and doubt.

Indulging in this kind of thinking is most unproductive.

 

[Jalen Fuller]

That all depends on why you want to play bass. Is your dream just to be a professional studio player or sideman, or a bassist for an original band that hits it big?

What's the dream?

My goal is was to either be a sideman, band and some studio here and there

 

[K2000]

You're really young right now. You said you've only been playing fingerstyle for a few months (?) That's nothing. Keep moving forward, and understand that it's normal to have doubts. Also, if you can play both fingerstyle and pick style, that's an advantage for you. Being able to play both ways is a plus. Your pick experience has not been wasted time.

One thing you might consider... focus on Composition and not Performance. If I'm not mistaken, in composition you don't have to have mastery on any instruments (I know someone who got a degree in composition, and he didn't play any instruments. Programs will vary though).

The answer to most questions on Talk Bass are "practice more". If you're a New Yorker, there are amazing bass players you could take private lessons with, even on a short term basis.

Keep going!

 

[Jalen Fuller]

You're really young right now. You said you've only been playing fingerstyle for a few months (?) That's nothing. Keep moving forward, and understand that it's normal to have doubts. Also, if you can play both fingerstyle and pick style, that's an advantage for you. Being able to play both ways is a plus. Your pick experience has not been wasted time.

One thing you might consider... focus on Composition and not Performance. If I'm not mistaken, in composition you don't have to have mastery on any instruments (I know someone who got a degree in composition, and he didn't play any instruments. Programs will vary though).

The answer to most questions on Talk Bass are "practice more". If you're a New Yorker, there are amazing bass players you could take private lessons with, even on a short term basis.

Keep going!

I have practiced and it seems like I’ve been on such a roller coaster of it’s decent one day and then sucks the other in terms of finger style. Also I never been that strong with my fingers for as far back as I can remember so I have so far had better endurance with my pick than anything

 

[Spin Doctor]

My goal is was to either be a sideman, band and some studio here and there

You don't necessarily need to go to college for that. But what you will necessarily have to do is practice your ass off. I'm talking like 8 or 10 hours a day, no joke. And you need a good teacher. Hell I'm old and I still practice for 5 hours a day because I just love practicing. I love the journey, and figuring out the puzzle of music.

But for me it's not something I want to try to make a living at. To do that you have to be great at a lot of different aspects of music. You got to be able to lay down tracks, you need to be able to take pretty much any high-level gig that comes around, you need to be able to produce and a ton of things I probably haven't thought about. You absolutely cannot make it just playing in a band unless it's pretty much a super star band

 

[Jalen Fuller]

You don't necessarily need to go to college for that. But what you will necessarily have to do is practice your ass off. I'm talking like 8 or 10 hours a day, no joke. Hell I'm old and I still practice for 5 hours a day because I just love practicing. I love the journey, and figuring out the puzzle of music. But for me it's not something I want to try to make a living at.

Like mentioned earlier I’m really at a crossroad and with the pandemic lockdown I’ve had a chance to reflect like never before. Pre-existing problems become more prominent and problems unnoticed and now in the forefront. One of these is seeing that there are many days where I only play for 3 or 4 minutes and others where I’ll play for maybe an hour or two but will listen to music for far longer or heck be watching videos on totally different things in related like this weekend I’ve mostly been watching videos on human history and migration of different human groups with barely touching my bass(mainly cuz I was turned off this weekend which led to this thread)

 

[Spin Doctor]

Like mentioned earlier I’m really at a crossroad and with the pandemic lockdown I’ve had a chance to reflect like never before. Pre-existing problems become more prominent and problems unnoticed and now in the forefront. One of these is seeing that there are many days where I only play for 3 or 4 minutes and others where I’ll play for maybe an hour or two but will listen to music for far longer or heck be watching videos on totally different things in related like this weekend I’ve mostly been watching videos on human history and migration of different human groups with barely touching my bass(mainly cuz I was turned off this weekend which led to this thread)

Something will come to you. Just marinate on it for a while longer, I think this is a very important time in your life so you want to give it the attention it deserves

 

[K2000]

"Also I never been that strong with my fingers for as far back as I can remember so I have so far had better endurance with my pick than anything"

That's typical. Pick has certain advantages. One of them is that it's faster track to get a strength and endurance in your picking hand. It takes time to build strength and endurance when playing fingerstyle.

If I could do college all over again, I would immerse myself 100% in my studies. Go above and beyond the course curriculum. For you, that might mean extra practice time (you have to build up to that, though). Think about committing yourself more fully, and what that might mean.

Also, try to think longer term if possible. Your practice sessions will pay off later, years down the road.

If you need to work on your time, then practicing with a metronome is a must. Do some searches on metronome practice, it's been written about here (playing on the beat, ahead of the beat, behind the beat. Putting the click on every other beat, and when you have improved, a click on every fourth beat).

It's not always the most talented people who succeed. A lot of times, it's the people who work the hardest, who succeed. If you aren't the most talented player, you can still get pretty far on hard work and determination.

I can't know whether music school is right for you. Maybe it's not? But it's normal to question your path, at any age, and especially at a young age. Don't be discouraged.

 

[K2000]

The pandemic is really messing with everyone's minds. It's a very tumultuous time right now. Try to hang in there. As far as not playing your bass and just listening to music, this is a completely valid way to spend your time. And this will sound weird, but even during times when I haven't practiced, my ideas about music continued to evolve. My understanding of music has grown with age, even when I wasn't playing. It would be better if you were playing, of course. But if you have down time in your practice schedule, don't despair.

 

[xnewyorka]

One thing that struck me in your post was "... move to a less physically demanding instrument".
Certainly upright bass can be somewhat physically demanding.
But are you saying your electric bass is physically demanding? If so I wonder if maybe it is not set up properly.
Most any bass regardless of quality/cost should be able to be set up well enough to be played without being physically demanding.
If you feel like venturing out to NJ on NJ Transit (or by car) at some point, I'd be happy to set your bass up for you and see if that doesn't make it a lot more comfortable and pleasurable to play.

 

[Discount Bassy]

If it was easy, everyone would be great at it. Embrace the challenge. Do it because it is something that you love, even when it is difficult (for whatever reason). If you don't love it, walk a away for a while and see if you miss it.

 

[JimmyM]

People who make music as a lifetime thing do it not for money. They do it because they have no choice. It's a genetic imperative. We all have bad days and feel like giving up, but those of us who want to play it bad enough come back to it after a brief cooling down period.

But when you're in college for it, it can seem like work and it can seem like you're not progressing, especially if you compare yourself to others. Maybe you're wrong about not progressing. I'd make an appointment with your favorite teacher and discuss your concerns with him or her. If you both agree that you don't feel deep in your heart that it's what you want to do, bail on it. The likelihood of making a living at music is low unless you get into teaching in school, the likelihood of making it rich is even lower, and if you want to use music to make money, get out of music and change over to a money-making major. And since the only thing in the world that's less merit-based than music is professional wrestling, you really have to do it because you love getting thrown into tabl...er...playing music.

 

[K2000]

Probably 99.9% of the bass players are just hobbyists who play for fun. Very few are studio musicians or making a living by playing music. Maybe music is better as a hobby, and use your time in college to get on a more "practical" job path? If you like history, you could teach, do research/write, etc. Or use your time as an undergrad to get ready for an advanced degree (MBA, etc). One thing college is good for (IMO) is trying different things, learning about yourself, and getting a "well rounded" education. Maybe your path in the music business is is through the "business" side, entertainment law, management, marketing, etc. You could also teach music. The suggestion to talk to a faculty member was good. If your school has a job placement office or guidance counselor, see if you can get an appointment with them.

 

[Samatza]

When I was young music was my means of earning a living, I did formal study on piano and audio engineering.
As time went on it got tougher to make a living but luckily I completed studies in electronics engineering and ended up getting a well paying day job and still gigged at night.
I knew we were never going to crack the big time in music so it was good to have a steady job, I did still gig and still do to this day, 45 years on I’m close to retirement from the day job but music is still fun for me and I still study on a daily basis.
You need to work out what your passion is and go with the flow, while music may represent an extra income it may not suit your lifestyle or intended outcome. You need to do some soul searching, you will succeed in whatever you choose to do.

 

[stringthrough]

Music is a tough way to make a living. If indeed you are not naturally gifted in music it's even harder. I know several musicians who are super talented, some better than those who "made it", and they're still living with mom and pop, playing low paying local gigs and giving lessons. Some freely admit they wish they would have chosen a better career.

Do yourself a big favor, major in a field that has good income potential and job openings (medical, accounting, computers, engineering, etc.) or just go to trade school (you can't off-shore plumbers, electricians, car mechanics, welders, etc.)

Music is a great hobby, but for most who have it as their profession it's a frustrating, low paying career.