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long breaks from playing

#21
I had a Gibson Grabber purchased new in 1975 or 76. Sold it in 78 for a drum set, the instrument I was born to play.

I broke both ankles and right leg in 2003 and 29 surgeries later in 2008, I jumped back into bass. Now it's all I think about.

32 years. This thread that makes me feel really old.
 
#26
I took seven years off when the long-time band I was in dispersed and I thought I would never play again until I got re-lit and started playing in church.


Jjango said:
Is it just me, or do some of you actually seem to play better after putting the instrument down for a week or two?

I mentioned this to a guitarist friend of mine and he said it's happened to him, too. I suppose it's probably just an illusion (?).
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Before I went pro I would occasionally take about 6 month breaks and it seemed like when I started playing again it was with a new vision. It could have been an illusion or just a new motivation to play.
 
#27
I didn't play seriously for around two years after the last band split up, I noodled around a bit but not with any great conviction.
I joined a new band around 3 months ago and seem to be playing better than ever. As others have said it could all be in my head but I really seem to be able to nail things a lot quicker and have just improved all round. Maybe the last band just grew a bit stale and a new direction has induced new vigour, either way I'm back playing bass seriously and I'm loving it again. I had my first gig with the new band three weeks ago playing to 1000 people at a beer festival and still can't stop smiling :D.
 
#28
JMac4strngr said:
I took an eight year break from 2001 to 2009, as I got all wrapped up in being "Career oriented", and doing what My elders said "I was supposed to do". I kept My 98 Stingray under My bed, and would take it out, restring it and thump on it from time to time. Taking that break was one of the dumbest things, that I think I've ever done. However, looking back in retrospect I feel like a better musician now, than I ever was back then.
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Change this to 1995-2001, and this is exactly what I would've said.
 
#30
alfred88 said:
Wow, good for you. Is your playing back to where you left it?

I am 57 , never stopped for more than a week but I get to do about 6 or 7 gigs a year and always get the chicks to dance.
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I gotta say, good for you, too! Keep the bass love light shining!

No, my chops are nowhere near where I left off. When I walked away I'd been playing 4 to 6 nights a week for a good 18 months or so. That kind of activity takes you to a point that's difficult to duplicate alone. I'm not going to tell you I was awesome, but I sat at the bottom a jazz/lounge trio as well as a couple of 8 and 9 piece jazz rock groups. Nobody ever complained about the groove I laid down. I was much more of a reactive/live player than one who was good in the practice room, so finding my way back is a challenge.

I'm just working to get myself to the point where I can reasonably play with others and hope that when I find them they are of the nature which allows me to get lost in the moment and feed from the experience rather than be a note for note this is how we practiced it kind of player. It's not to say that I ignore licks and play whatever the hell I want at any given time, but I was always good at being keenly aware of what the others were doing and making that moment work. Dynamics, phrasing, accents, having fun playing off of and across the group. Live music is best and being in the moment in that performance is what I seek. Yes, I need chops to get there, I understand that, but I'm more about being musical together than being a solo star.

My explanations may not make sense to some, but I know where I want to go and I'm on a path that will take me there and teach me new things. In the end, isn't that what it's all about?

iJazz - Things have changed so much in the intervening years it's hard to express to those who weren't around in the old days.
 
#31
Just ending 8 years of not playing. There are a lot of muscles that have atrophied that are only developed in playing bass. And I lost some coordination between the hands. It'll take a while to get close to where I was, but only constant gigging can bring me back 100%.
 
#32
4-5yrs,...

stopped in 2000, started back up in '05 and really excelled to new heights in record time. it was like riding a better, faster bike! my brain and body just blasted through every plateau and playing is sooo much more enjoyable now!

i now believe breaks can be more of a benefit than playing every day, YMMV.
 
#33
Jjango said:
Is it just me, or do some of you actually seem to play better after putting the instrument down for a week or two?
I suppose it's probably just an illusion (?).
Click to expand...

I`m sure it`s different for everybody, but I know I hit spells every so often that I lose interest or just don`t have time. When I come back to it, I more often than not play better. My breaks typically run 1-3 weeks. I once took a 18 month break, and when I came back it was NOT pretty - took a good while to get back up to speed. But for me, short breaks every so often seem beneficial.
 
#34
Jjango said:
Is it just me, or do some of you actually seem to play better after putting the instrument down for a week or two?

I mentioned this to a guitarist friend of mine and he said it's happened to him, too. I suppose it's probably just an illusion (?).
Click to expand...

It works for me. I used to take a couple of weeks off from playing a couple of times a year and I'd come back just burning. It's more the mental side of playing that, IMO, benefits from a very occasional break.
 
#36
Started in '66, played and practiced regularly until I graduated hi school in 1973, then only sporadically by myself or just jams with some REALLY BAD players until 1987. For the last 8 years (79-87) I nearly never took the bass out of the case. I didn't own an amp at that point. Went to a friends house and noticed a set of old Ludwig drums packed in a corner, mentioned I used to play bass, he said he used to play drums....and knew a guy that used to play guitar. Then it was ON.
 
#38
bjabass said:
Started in '66, played and practiced regularly until I graduated hi school in 1973, then only sporadically by myself or just jams with some REALLY BAD players until 1987. For the last 8 years (79-87) I nearly never took the bass out of the case. I didn't own an amp at that point. Went to a friends house and noticed a set of old Ludwig drums packed in a corner, mentioned I used to play bass, he said he used to play drums....and knew a guy that used to play guitar. Then it was ON.
Click to expand...

So, do you call the band "The Used To's"?

iJazz
 

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