I’ve met so many people that don’t seem to enjoy anything. Count your blessings. And play on.
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Making Peace with My Mediocrity
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
Your awareness that your pursuit is for personal enrichment should allow you to fully enjoy that enrichment! Enjoy it. You're sixty and have nothing to prove. Embrace it!I have been playing bass longer than many who post here have been alive. For years, I was mainly self taught, and was mostly a bedroom bassist. I have played in bands, and I have gigged a little. Mostly, I have played with choirs since the 1990’s. About five years ago, I started taking lessons, and I have really been consistent for the last three years. I can see the improvement, but it has become obvious to me that I have some ingrained habits that are very hard to stop at sixty. To be blunt, I do not think I will ever come close to what I might have been if I had started serious study at least thirty years ago. Ideally, I should have stuck to string bass in college. That would have given me a very strong foundation. I do not plan to quit lessons or serious practice. I just know that it is more for personal enrichment at this point in life.
The world's worst bass player is better than everyone who never even tried.
Those "Bad habits" as you call them are what make you an original and unique player, I am not sure how you are defining mediocre, but if you are defining being "not mediocre" as sounding like everyone else and learning all the lessons about what is right and what is wrong you may be missing the point.
My guess is that you are pretty darn good after all these years and I am thinking that once you embrace the originality of what your musical voice is, you will believe that you are pretty darn good too.
My guess is that you are pretty darn good after all these years and I am thinking that once you embrace the originality of what your musical voice is, you will believe that you are pretty darn good too.
@Dr. Cheese my Brother in Bass, we are both of an age and the Creator has blessed us all with a determination and a modicum of talent to make a joyful noise! As artists and artisans we will always struggle and strive to be better, faster, stronger, reach farther and have more knowledge. But always remember as bass players our role is to lay a grooving foundation of harmony and togetherness. Be well and always, Extra Cheese, Please!I have been playing bass longer than many who post here have been alive. For years, I was mainly self taught, and was mostly a bedroom bassist. I have played in bands, and I have gigged a little. Mostly, I have played with choirs since the 1990’s. About five years ago, I started taking lessons, and I have really been consistent for the last three years. I can see the improvement, but it has become obvious to me that I have some ingrained habits that are very hard to stop at sixty. To be blunt, I do not think I will ever come close to what I might have been if I had started serious study at least thirty years ago. Ideally, I should have stuck to string bass in college. That would have given me a very strong foundation. I do not plan to quit lessons or serious practice. I just know that it is more for personal enrichment at this point in life.
I love this list! Great set of reminders. In order:
Yes. Even when I'm working on something that I'm struggling with and it's hard and a little bit frustrating, even then it's still fun to play.
Yes, but that's been true forever, regardless of playing or not.
Probably a little too much fun there—definitely all the fun my wallet can handle, and then some.
For sure. TB is awesome!
I'm older than you so I know something about something, just can't remember what it is exactly.
Kinda like a HPF on your memory?
drumvsbass
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Funny thing Doc, no matter how good someone is, or how soon they started, everyone feels like they could be much better if only they had applied themselves more. The more you know, the more you know that you don't know, ya know? Music is endless, mastery impossible. So the pursuit of technique should only be to facilitate the story you want to be able to tell. But then there is this fine balance for the thing called life. If you haven't lived one, all the chops in the world will leave you with nothing to say. I'm sure that you have plenty to say, and I doubt that much of that requires blazing slapped 32nd note half diminished arpeggios at 250bpm. So just play with the obvious love and joy you have for the instrument, and be funky.
Yep!Kinda like a HPF on your memory?
Way too much memory HPFing going on these days.
What did you say?...I'm looking for my socks...
@Dr. Cheese
Same here. I accepted I will never be a Jaco or Marcus but I still love playing and strive to always get better
Same here. I accepted I will never be a Jaco or Marcus but I still love playing and strive to always get better
I became better as soon as I stopped watching all the better YouTube players.
If you try to play exactly like someone else, you've already gone backwards in your own improvement.
Same with tone. Whatever tone is in your fingers, work with that. Don't try to sound like anyone else. It won't happen.
You are Dr. Cheese! Be Dr. Cheese! Nobody else can be.
If you try to play exactly like someone else, you've already gone backwards in your own improvement.
Same with tone. Whatever tone is in your fingers, work with that. Don't try to sound like anyone else. It won't happen.
You are Dr. Cheese! Be Dr. Cheese! Nobody else can be.
And we all have our gifts to give:
If I think about it, I'm some old, probably out of touch guy that hasn't made a dime playing in 10 years. But I do think I've learned a lot, spent a lot of nights on bandstands and stages, and made my mistakes, and just maybe I can pass it on and save somebody some time, money, and aggravation. Hopefully the things nobody told me.
Doc, you can certainly play, and I've got no doubt you test-drive more basses than most magazine editors, and more basses pass through your hands than a lot of stores, so your takes and advice goes well past any hot licks you think you might should already have. It's great, to quote Tony the Tiger. And take it from someone who's done both (believe it or not, I played in a Tent Revival for 6 months, and backed gospel quartets for a time): Playing in church for God and the folks in the pews beats the hell out of playing for that guy in the Hank Jr. shirt under the Budweiser clock, or the Goth chick with her chains. True.
If I think about it, I'm some old, probably out of touch guy that hasn't made a dime playing in 10 years. But I do think I've learned a lot, spent a lot of nights on bandstands and stages, and made my mistakes, and just maybe I can pass it on and save somebody some time, money, and aggravation. Hopefully the things nobody told me.
Doc, you can certainly play, and I've got no doubt you test-drive more basses than most magazine editors, and more basses pass through your hands than a lot of stores, so your takes and advice goes well past any hot licks you think you might should already have. It's great, to quote Tony the Tiger. And take it from someone who's done both (believe it or not, I played in a Tent Revival for 6 months, and backed gospel quartets for a time): Playing in church for God and the folks in the pews beats the hell out of playing for that guy in the Hank Jr. shirt under the Budweiser clock, or the Goth chick with her chains. True.
To share a well known anecdote...
The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90. "Because I think I'm making progress," he replied.
The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90. "Because I think I'm making progress," he replied.
wow.. i been reading these responses myself cause i am a lot like Cheese, just not even as good yet. This response really makes sense to me. <3
To me, many of the most technically impressive things that can be performed on the instrument probably have a very small time and place for when they are appropriate or needed.
One of my favorite musical notes is silence.
One of my favorite musical notes is silence.
LolHey Doc,
As long as you're enjoying the ride and the scenery makes you happy, nothing to regret or worry about.
I'm older than you so I know something about something, just can't remember what it is exactly.
That’s what it’s all about, Doc. If more people did things for personal enrichment, rather than a breathless pursuit of «excellence» - whatever that is - the world would be a better place.I have been playing bass longer than many who post here have been alive. For years, I was mainly self taught, and was mostly a bedroom bassist. I have played in bands, and I have gigged a little. Mostly, I have played with choirs since the 1990’s. About five years ago, I started taking lessons, and I have really been consistent for the last three years. I can see the improvement, but it has become obvious to me that I have some ingrained habits that are very hard to stop at sixty. To be blunt, I do not think I will ever come close to what I might have been if I had started serious study at least thirty years ago. Ideally, I should have stuck to string bass in college. That would have given me a very strong foundation. I do not plan to quit lessons or serious practice. I just know that it is more for personal enrichment at this point in life.
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@Dr. Cheese I think it was in the Richard Bona thread you started (thanks for that) where I had the thought "I'm grateful Music has room for players like me (and you)."
Keep the groove, bass brother.
Keep the groove, bass brother.
I also get frustrated with my mediocrity but the great thing about bass is that as long as your body (hands/shoulders) hold up it's something you can work on and keep your mind busy with for as long as you want. It's just understanding that it's a hobby for enjoyment and not to be mastered.
Golf is the same way and got a lot more enjoyable for me when I realized that I will never be great and I should just have fun. I often think of a quote of Arnold Palmer's to D. Eisenhower (who was a fierce competitor and loved golf but got frustrated with it often). Supposedly he told him "you're not good enough to get pissed off".
Golf is the same way and got a lot more enjoyable for me when I realized that I will never be great and I should just have fun. I often think of a quote of Arnold Palmer's to D. Eisenhower (who was a fierce competitor and loved golf but got frustrated with it often). Supposedly he told him "you're not good enough to get pissed off".
I'm with you, bro.
I took 6 years off and basically lost my edge, which was only possible because I learned and played bass while playing concert flute and piccolo.
Now my rig is perfect, my bass is MY bass, and I have a musical duo that makes horrible, delicious noise, but I will never be what I could have been.
Now I just make music. The best music? No. But sometimes its good, sometimes its mine, but its always satisfying. (Except scales. Scales be damned to hell.)
I took 6 years off and basically lost my edge, which was only possible because I learned and played bass while playing concert flute and piccolo.
Now my rig is perfect, my bass is MY bass, and I have a musical duo that makes horrible, delicious noise, but I will never be what I could have been.
Now I just make music. The best music? No. But sometimes its good, sometimes its mine, but its always satisfying. (Except scales. Scales be damned to hell.)
