Is there a bass therapist here???

If I get bored by 'simple' parts
I take it as it is a sign that I'm not listening carefully enough
which also means I'm not responding to the music in an authentic way
there is really no excuse for boredom if you are fully engaged in the moment

but many do not realize that that kind of mindset
- to be fully engaged in the moment -
is also something worthy of practice and improvement

You may also benefit from the perspective of Anthony Wellingtons "Four Rooms" allegory
 
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My personal therapy for this is rather simple :

I just grab my ugliest bass, make sure the strings can still burb enough and go to my blues bar.

A precision bass/beaten dog kind of bass is perfect for this. Next time, I will bring the one as per my avatar picture on the left. People better don’t complain about my technique…………
 
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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.
I'm in a band and we write originals. It's all jam-band stuff of various styles. We're on a huge latin(bossa) kick right now. But there's other genres sprinkled in. Blues, jazz, folk, etc....
I also play bass at our church.
I've had some success at local blues and jazz jams. The last Blues jam was an absolute train wreck for me.
My end goal is to gain admiration of the local pros. It's very much an ego thing.
I think being a better player would improve my mood after a performance.
 
If I get bored by 'simple' parts
I take it as it is a sign that I'm not listening carefully enough
which also means I'm not responding to the music in an authentic way
there is really no excuse for boredom if you are fully engaged in the moment

but many do not realize that that kind of mindset
- to be fully engaged in the moment -
is also something worthy of practice and improvement

You may also benefit from the perspective of Anthony Wellingtons "Four Rooms" allegory
I think you're right. I'm not engaged in the moment with many songs. Especially if I have no interest in the song on our list. This weekend, I'm performing songs I really don't like much at all. Makes it tough....
 
Hi DBG, lots of wisdom in this thread.

In my 40+ years of musical dabblings a few things have become clearer and helped me. Music is something everyone can do, and we all want to improve. But keeping it simple: music is sound, performance is communication, and it should be joyful. So while I'm always trying to build chops (poorly much of the time) sometimes i do better just by opening my ears to new sounds and styles even if that's not my goal. Forgetting rather than trying to remember. It's an international language with many dialects!!! Then i can take enjoyment from doing things within my grasp and living in the moment a bit more.

I think athletes talk about focus and flow: a time for training and a time for doing. Over-training has its perils, which you might be suffering from. Rest assured it's just a phase. The music bug will keep biting, and the energy will come back :)
 
Is it too early for "the rapist" jokes ?
Nah!
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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).

wanted to say: great comment and thank you for the movie recommendation!
 
You’re trying too hard, simple as that. Example: we walk up a flight of steps with no problem but if we concentrate very carefully on the placement of each foot we get two thirds the way up and start stumbling. My advice is get Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner, read it carefully and do exactly what he says. It will take some humility, trust and perseverance but it’s the way out of the woods you’re lost in. You can do this.
 
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Quitting is not an option. I'm too obsessed.

My end goal is to gain admiration of the local pros. It's very much an ego thing.

I get the impression that you realize that your attitude to playing bass isn’t healthy (for lack of a better word), but at the same time, you don’t seem willing to change it, or maybe you don’t believe you can change it. I may be over-interpreting here, but If that’s the case, maybe try and work on that? Seeking help from a therapist might not be a bad idea at all if you can afford it - especially if you encounter similar issues in other areas of your life.

My advice (and this is the kind of thing my therapist would say) is: Instead of practicing bass, try practicing letting go. Challenge yourself to not practice, no matter how much you feel you should. Practice playing for your own enjoyment instead of for the respect of others. Don’t play music that you don’t enjoy playing. Maybe blues and modern worship music just aren’t for you, nothing wrong with that.

As for playing boring parts, that is skill in itself, and it is one you can practice too. For me the key is to focus my attention on the music as whole instead of on my own part. This keeps my mind from wandering off or from being too self-aware. Both things still happen, bur being aware of the problem and knowing what to do about it helps. It’s more fun to play with that mindset anyway, and it probably sounds better when I do that too.
 
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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
Two steps forward one step backwards, is better than one step forward two steps backwards.

Every dead body at the top of Mount Everest was once as motivated as you.... just relax, take time to smell the roses and enjoy life... brain fatigue is a real thing.
 
Stop “studying” and go play with actual musicians. Not necessarily gigs, but at least some jams or find a start up with quality players. Ask your instructors for any leads for a gig maybe.

Personally, and I’m sure others feel different, but I think “practicing” is the worst thing a musician can do if they want to play music with other people. Playing music with other people who wanna play music with other people is the best thing for a musician who wants to play music with other people who want to play music with other people can do.

I didn’t mean to repeat myself so much but, hopefully it sinks in.

You hit the nail on the head, brother. Iron sharpens iron. Playing with excellent musicians is the way to go and grow. You discover how good you can be and how good music should feel. :cool:
 
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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....

How old are You?