Is there a bass therapist here???

[lethargytartare]

"I know progress isn't linear, but how have I stumbled so far backwards."

Because progress isn't always linear. IME this is a really common experience. Either muscle through it, or take a break of some form -- change styles, change music, change instruments, or even a literal break.

 

[gumtown]

Is it too early for "the rapist" jokes ?

 

[Swerve]

Have you tried picking up another instrument, or perhaps buying a left handed bass?

 

[jthisdell]

Do you play with others or mostly by yourself? Bass is primarily an accompanying instrument and works best when playing live with other players. More fun too.

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

This is not a music or bass issue.
This is something inside of you to resolve.

 

[Wasnex]

Conventional wisdom would say to put bass on pause, take a break, or even quit. Quitting is not an option. I'm too obsessed. I have too much high end gear that are once in a lifetime finds/relationships.

IMHO these seem like nonsense excuses you are using to justify your behavior. Possibly the best solution is to simply dial it back to a reasonable level. Nothing wrong with continuing to study bass. But unless you are doing it for a living, IMHO follow your passion rather than being a slave to what you think you need to do. If you truly have OCD find a real therapist.

My advice: Music can be a lifelong endeavor. Enjoy the journey rather than trying to jump to the end. There are many paths you can follow, but that doesn't mean you can or should follow all of them. Your interest and skill will tend to ebb and flow....and that is just fine.

For the record, I was a full-time pro in a military band program. I had what I consider to be a fairly long and successful run. I really enjoyed it for something like 10-15 years. But eventually playing bass started to feel more and more like work. My solution was to cross to audio. Had a blast for a couple of more years, and then moved on to something else.

I have always been a bit of a gear head, so after I stopped playing bass full-time I started collecting amps. Currently the collection is up around 60 amps, and the only one I have gigged is the GK 700RB I started with. I also got into mountain biking, and doing rides is currently what I most look forward to. These pursuits suit my personal passion...you should find your own. There is more to life than playing bass.

 

[Tnavis]

"Perfect is the enemy of good."

I've been in your situation many times, particularly during and after getting my music degree. I lost track of why I enjoyed playing bass in the process of trying to get better at playing bass. I've repeated this cycle numerous times over the last 25 years, and I usually break out of it reminding myself of why I started playing bass to begin with; I enjoy music. Sometimes this means switching genres; the biggest breakthrough into having fun with music again for me was when I abruptly switched from being in jazz group to joining a punk band. Was the music technically "easier?" Of course. It was also much more physically demanding, and I got introduced to dozens of other bands that I would never have heard of previously. Sometimes I break out of the doldrums by practicing piano, or drums, or recording covers. Sometimes I get very deep into transcribing entire albums.

Bass is similar to a career; you have vacation time for a reason. Take a break, step away from the instrument, and remember that this is supposed to be fun. Come back in a week, two weeks, even a month. Go see some local shows, meet other bassists. Listen to a completely different genre.

Your gear will still be there when you get back!

 

[FirewalZ]

I'm sure there are several threads in here here discussing the same woes I'm going through, but here we go. I'm at the point where playing isn't fun anymore. In-fact, the striving for perfectionism is eroding my happiness throughout the day. Conventional wisdom would say to put bass on pause, take a break, or even quit. Quitting is not an option. I'm too obsessed. I have too much high end gear that are once in a lifetime finds/relationships.
I played in high school and ver little throughout my adult life. I was the poster-child for Dunning Kruger Effect. But, at least I was confident, in the pocket, and landed my root notes.
I've been studying bass for the last 2 years now at an academic pace. Now, I struggle to focus, land root notes, and my timing (despite practicing with a metronome) is suffering. I keep hearing that this is just me getting better (or my ear is getting better), but these are not excuses for missing notes or lagging. What is going on here? Why am I getting worse? I'm not ruling out fear of failure, choking, or fear of judgement from pro players.
I already have a career that I've mastered, and it's boring to me now. Bass is a way to escape the boredom of life and gives me something to try and "master."

I know progress isn't linear, but how have I stumbled so far backwards.? I am legitimately, at newbie level, after being able to just casually rip through songs like Dean Town. Again....what's going on?

Edit: I've been studying with College profs and bass instructors. Maybe I'm overloaded with too much information and it's overwhelming....

Read “The Music Lesson” by Victor Wooten….really helped change my perspective, music is more than just notes

 

[WestyBassBob]

Your problem is clearly stated in your post. You are practicing and not playing.

Enough!

Grab your notebook and start writing songs. Or find a band mate and start crafting instrumental tunes.

You have to ask yourself what are you practicing for?

 

[rorofosho]

Just treated myself to a Fender Adam Clayton Sig..... Now I don't feel like I "deserve" it. That's a lotta $$$$ for playing like crap.

good news is that's a mental block - you just gotta get out of your head space. Feeling guilty when you pick up your nice bass sounds like the problem, not the skills you've accumulated thus far in your playing. Instead of a feeling of guilt and dread, you want to feel gratitude for the opportunity. Easier said than done of course, not belittling mental struggles since we all have our own, but recognizing and accepting that imposter syndrome feeling is the first step in overcoming it.

 

[HardNHeavy]

join a band?, get those chops out to the public, playing at home allday cause burnout...take a break.

 

[WorbyBass]

Not to oversimply this, but let it all go for a bit and get back to the groove.

Knowledge is VERY valuable, but it has to take a back seat to the basics of groove and feel.

Load the content into your head, then get it into your heart and play from there.

I was playing a very basic line on a recording once and kept missing. The engineer was getting a bit annoyed, so I focused even harder on the count, the theory and all that head stuff. ...and it got worse. So then, I took a 2 minute breather and decided to REALLY get into the song. It was not my forte, but that didn't matter. I FELT the rhythm, felt the groove, got in sync with the feel of the song. Suddenly I was hitting the notes WAY better. I let the song get in ME rather then just in my head. It worked and I still do that today. Now I can focus on a technical part without losing the feel and the groove.

A loose quote from one of my favorite movies, Shine: Learn the notes first... then forget them.

It's found in this short clip (in English).

 

[Deleted member 394181]

Just treated myself to a Fender Adam Clayton Sig..... Now I don't feel like I "deserve" it. That's a lotta $$$$ for playing like crap.

My first "Good" Bass was an Ibanez Musician. Awesome instrument, but I certainly was a beginner. I could barely tune it. When i learned "Wipeout" i was so happy. I didn't Even have a tuner, I was pretty ignorant for awhile. I enjoyed it, and just looking at it made me want to play it. You can't have a Bass that's too good, or whatever. First time I saw Victor Wooten i almost quit playing. I was so far away from that skill level. Still am btw. I just decided to be as good as i could be, thats all i could do.
Your Bass is obviously great looking as well, and beneficial too because its a quality Bass to get better on, easier to play. I used to watch TV with that Ibanez in my lap. Made me happy. It was fun to try to play along with the TV. (My first wife however, was not a fan of my learning) It helped develop my ear. As far as $$$ goes. You'll grow into that Bass and it will pay for itself in fun, future bands, whatever. Enjoy that thing, make it yours..

 

[krfoss]

Not a "bass therapist" but I am a real licensed mental health therapist. Sometimes we get lulls in our progress and interest, sometimes we need a break to grow more interest again, and sometimes we get frustrated with the process of progress. I find that when I get annoyed or stale with bass, I switch to guitar, or synth, or upright, or banjo for a bit. Then after some time I come back to electric bass and I'm usually BETTER at playing electric bass after the musical Rumspringa. Could be worth thinking about. Good luck in the process!

 

[sergeykuimov]

I'm 15 and I see so much interesting things ahead of me

 

[punkwithflats]

Take one week. Don't play bass, don't listen to music. Don't think about basses or music. After one week sit down with your bass, put away any notes or tabs and forget about any song you've ever learned. Find a groove in your head and throw down. Keep doing this till it works.

 

[DanAdams]

I only skimmed the responses, but I didn’t see you mention a goal of any kind.
What are you working towards?
Would being a better player help you make you happy?

I’ll admit that jazz school made me miserable. It didn’t seem like music at all, just relentless math that felt like putting Tetris shapes together.

 

[JonathanPDX]

There are two questions you can ask yourself which will likely lead you to some answers:

1. Am I having fun? If not, what changed from the times when I was having fun?

2. What are my goals? What am I actually working toward or trying to accomplish when I sit down to practice or take a lesson?


You don't have to defend or justify those answers to anyone.

 

[GSNOLA]

Again - not a bass therapist! - but someone who has played a long ass time and has also benefitted from therapy. Here, FWIW, is my advice. Learn a new song from an entirely different genre. Leave something behind and learn something new. Also, I love to pick up an acoustic guitar and play and fiddle around for bit when I have such blocks. You will hopefully find that you haven't forgotten anything; instead, you just need some new horizon. You know when you can't find a crossword answer and then, magically, next day, you get it?! That is what distance gives us. Don't be too hard on yourself. I am sure you will figure this all out.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Playing very simple parts is demanding in a very different way. Try playing the synth bass parts to MJ's "Billie Jean" or "Shake Your Body". The latter, in particular, does not vary from start to finish. Doing it without succumbing to the desire to embellish it is challenging, indeed. Once you can really dig a groove, then you can think about whether you should be decorating it!

BBB