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Motivation: Why do we do it?

#62
For me, playing music makes me feel good. Especially playing on stage. Not because I think people will think I'm cool and want to date me, but because music itself is therapeutic and I get to share that with people. I may not be able to solve any of the world's problems, but I can help people forget their cares on the dance floor for a while.
 
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#64
To go off on a tangent for a bit...

I remember circa 2011 when my punk band had just gotten off the stage after a killer show. And this kid came up to me all excited saying, "Yo man, your band rocks! You rock! I always wanted to learn to play guitar and start a band, but after seeing you I wanna play bass!"

You could've knocked me over with a feather. I couldn't believe little old me actually made a kid want to play bass! I was a nobody in a dippy punk band. So of course I bro-hugged the kid and said, "Dude, that's [expletive deleted] awesome! Lemme tell you, if you pursue bass you'll always get a gig. Everyone and their dog plays guitar, but there's fewer of us running around. Bass may not be as flashy, cool, or popular as guitar but, like I said, a good bassist will ALWAYS have a gig."

That was one of those moments when I thought to myself, "That is why I do this."
 
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#66
I'm in the same boat. My only gig is my church gig. And it's the best gig I ever had. It's not paid, all the money goes the other way in fact. Don't care, it's the most rewarding thing I've done with a bass. I can't not play music, it's just a gift I have. Better to play for a higher purpose than to stay out until 3am schlepping gear for a measly couple hundred bucks.
 
#67
I have a regular day job. In my spare time I record music to amuse people. Even it's only one, it's worth the effort (and the money I spend getting it online, and on gear). I also go crazy if don't record the stuff I hear in my head. The other day I heard a friend of a friend laughed herself out of bed listening to my filthy ballad. I would still make music without responses like these but it motivates me to continue for sure.
 
#69
Short answer: because I need to do it.

Longer answer: It's 1976 and I'm 15 years old, playing banjo in a bluegrass band that had never had a real gig -- we would bring our instruments over to each other's houses and figure out songs together instead of studying. So our high school has a talent show, and we sign up. It's dress rehearsal, 4pm the Saturday of the show. The auditorium is full of other performers and the bored parents who are carpooling kids home for dinner afterwards and then back again later. I discover that our school has brought in a pro sound company, and one of their guys helps us get mic-ed up (none of us had ever used a PA before). We're doing three tunes, and the first is 'Rocky Top'. I kick it off, and in that moment of first hearing us all together in the monitors I get goosebumps. By the second chorus folks are up and clapping along and it sounds to me like I'm in the middle of a live recording, and I'm hooked. From there I'll change bands and instruments and hairstyles and real life will intervene and I'll (regrettably) sideline music for a while, but I found something necessary that afternoon.
 
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#70
WI Short Scaler said:
I don't know your situation at all. But the first thing I thought of is there are a lot of worse ways to make that extra income.

But if you dread it that much, maybe consider some other options. I just have a hard time imagining that gigs are that despicable to you, just my feelings on it. Is it just the process, or the particular musicians, or the genre of music? Just curious.
Click to expand...

It's definitely all those things, but the genre of music might be at the top of the list. I've been doing the cliche 70s/80s/90s bar band set list for the last 15 years in various bands, and I just can't summon the enthusiasm to play Jessie's Girl/Livin' On A Prayer/My Sharona/American Girl/etc. anymore. Unfortunately, every band I come in contact with seems to play the exact same set list. I understand that these songs are what people want to hear in festive environments, but I can't do it anymore.

Don't get me wrong - gigging isn't torture. Far from it. But I'm glad to hear a lot of you are still loving it!
 
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#73
Element Zero said:
After 25 years of playing bass and 31 years of playing musical instruments, I'm at peace with that.
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No, I meant that you probably won't make any real money with Keith Urban. It's a well-known fact that solo artists become solo artists so they can make all the money and keep it. It's actually possible to make a decent living at music. But there's a lot of right place right time involved.
 
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#74
Hasn't this been asked here before? There have been musicians before there was any idea of professionalism. As early as the middle ages singing and playing took the place of yet to be invented TV, radio and the internet.
 
#75
I play bass strictly for the love of playing music. I get a natural "high" from playing music, and I don't get that type of "high" from anything else. :thumbsup:

I absolutely DO NOT CARE if I get paid for it (and I know that taking such a position on Talkbass can really ruffle some feathers). But it's simply true in my particular case, and I've been playing bass since 1972. Music has always been just a really fun hobby for me. I worked for 35 years as a civil engineer, so that gave me a nice healthy income. And now that I am retired as of December 2018, I have a nice fat pension to carry me to my dying day. I totally respect those who won't play unless they get paid. I "get" that. We are all different (thank goodness) and we are all in different situations. I will continue to play bass for free for the rest of my life, because that's what I choose to do, and now that I am retired, I can play music more often. If we happen to have a paying gig, I just tell the other band members to take my share and split it among themselves. Some of them did not make "stellar" career choices for themselves all those years ago, so getting a few more band bucks in their pockets helps them out. :thumbsup:
 
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