One step forward, two steps back...happy then frustrated...is this normal?!

[Lobster11]

First, you should be awarded 10 trophy points for using the word "preternatural" in your O.P. and spelling it correctly. Mods?

That said, I'm with @lfmn16 that your ups and downs are preternatural if they really are as extreme as you described, but perfectly normal if you were exaggerating for entertainment value (e.g., as reflected in your use of the term "preternatural").

 

[bdplaid]

Hey all. After decades of being an on and off hobby guitarist, I've been playing bass seriously for a little over 7 years now, and fallen in love with the instrument. I've always loved prog rock/prog metal/jazz fusion styles of music and have been playing fretless bass since the day I started. I'm in three original bands and write songs. No one can fault me for ambition, lol.

The thing is: playing always seems to be such a roller-coaster ride.

One day, I think I'm doing well, my fingers are really doing what I want them to do, my tone is improving and I'm getting places. The next day, I can barely stand to hear myself play and severely question whatever ability, I may have.

One day, I love my pedals and effects and sound, the next day, the sounds coming out of my rig make me cringe and I wonder if there is something wrong with my bass or amp!

Honestly sometimes it seems like it requires a PHD, or some form of unfathomable, arcane preternatural knowledge, to understand how to make pleasing amplified sounds with equipment.

Is this normal?! Do others have these same feelings? Is there any way to overcome them?

I'm like this, at least to some degree. I have concluded it's a mood thing. Playing through it is the name of the game.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Hey all. After decades of being an on and off hobby guitarist, I've been playing bass seriously for a little over 7 years now, and fallen in love with the instrument. I've always loved prog rock/prog metal/jazz fusion styles of music and have been playing fretless bass since the day I started. I'm in three original bands and write songs. No one can fault me for ambition, lol.

The thing is: playing always seems to be such a roller-coaster ride.

One day, I think I'm doing well, my fingers are really doing what I want them to do, my tone is improving and I'm getting places. The next day, I can barely stand to hear myself play and severely question whatever ability, I may have.

One day, I love my pedals and effects and sound, the next day, the sounds coming out of my rig make me cringe and I wonder if there is something wrong with my bass or amp!

Honestly sometimes it seems like it requires a PHD, or some form of unfathomable, arcane preternatural knowledge, to understand how to make pleasing amplified sounds with equipment.

Is this normal?! Do others have these same feelings? Is there any way to overcome them?

I can sympathize [been playing 40+ years] It's all in your Head! At least that's what I tell myself on the crappy days

PS: Could be Biorhythm's; as what your describing happens to Performers, Athletes and most of us in our everyday life and work.

 

[ObsessiveArcher]

 

[Rib 13]

Its normal to hear things differently each time and it's also normal for playing fluidity to vary on a daily basis.....almost anything from weather and humidity to what you ate for breakfast can impact what you do and how you perceive it from one day to the next....

 

[Basslice]

Good days / bad days. Yes. I always seem to have a quantum leap in skills and techniques after taking a long break from playing (like when I am in between bands/projects. I come back thinking that I am going to be rusty then discover that I have a whole new bag of tricks.

When I started playing I made the mistake of using effects and upgrading my gear. For a long time, the only effect I have used has been a chorus occasionally. After 30 years I am only now thinking of adding some effects in since I now know what I am capable of and can separate that from any gear changes.

 

[lermgalieu]

Guys, I have been playing bass for 30 years, and I am currently hiding out in my office while my 14 year old son is having band practice, trying to play along with them. Enjoy the ride.

 

[Hummergeist]

One way I deal with this is by practising twice a day. So far I’ve never had a day where both sessions sucked

 

[fishdreams]

Yes.
There is no such thing as 'reaching a certain level and stay there'. You either get better or you get worse, day after day. For me it has been helpful to 1) realize every day there is a new day 2) start my daily practice with the realization that I know nothing. The mindset is therefore to pick up the instrument as if I pick it up for the first time in my life. It is an old Gary Peacock trick and it helped me a lot in order to mentally process those 'bad days.

 

[fr33sp1r1t]

I've been playing 40+ years, after 20 years on the road i walked away from it all, didn't touch the bass for several years as hated everything i did, the way i played, sounded everything. I picked up the bass after a couple of years and have now accepted that there will be good days, there will be bad days - the trick is to carry on regardless. Now i'm much happier and still bring it, still learning.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I have always found that less-than-satisfactory playing is usually the result of approaching the instrument that day with an anxiety, stress, or fear that ultimately manifests in my playing.

Come to the instrument relaxed, happy, and joyful, and your playing may be effortless, smooth, and inspiring. Come to the instrument angry, fearful, and anxious, and your playing may be truncated, unbalanced, and uninspiring.

In this way, I see the instrument as an absorber of that psychic dissonance. Better that it grounds itself through your instrument than in your dreams or close relationships. Try to learn to recognize your purpose for playing that day. Just like any rehearsal, what we focus on may change depending on the day, but when we practice by ourselves, we must be the guide and force shaping creation.

So maybe the next time you have a bad playing day, see if you can identify the thing that may be affecting the full execution of your musical intelligence.

 

[brianrost]

It's normal and I've been feeling that way for four decades

 

[Fender_Bender]

That was very normal for me my first few years until I built up a base level of “chops”. If you’re not already doing it, I recommend at least a ten minute warmup period at the start of every session. If you want you can just go up and down on every string. You can do 1,2,3,4 or 1,3,2,4 etc. All you’re doing is ensuring your hands are thoroughly warmed up. After this you can get on with the proper practice. I’d be surprised if your consistency didn’t improve. You may as well use a metronome while you’re at it.

 

[TjMetalhead]

I've been playing consistently for 12 years and I'm going through that right now. Being trying to record demos for the last 2 months by myself and It's been a frustrating/exhausting experience.

 

[Kukulkan61]

Your over thinking it, just relax play and make it fun...

 

[drumvsbass]

You can climb what seem like little hills each day only to find even more hills tomorrow, and even more after that,
and after years of this you might be under the false sense that you are incapable of climbing mountains.
As ones musicianship increases, their sense of musical taste increases, therefore making one more critical of ones own progress, as one progresses. Be kind to yourself. Those days where you feel you sound less than yesterday, thank your expanding critical ear to hear where you need to spend your time.

 

[Benjamin Earl]

Sounds like you're an artist. Your bad days will make you work hard for your good days.

 

[PWRL]

Good times, bad times. It's normal.

 

[JW56789]

My hands stay fairly consistent in what I can or can't play, how well I'm doing it, depending on how much I play, how fluent I can stay at doing it.

My frustration is what you mentioned about amps, the sound of it all: I've played since the 70's, and if I lived to be 200 years old, I will never, ever understand how today it sounds like a million bucks, and when I come back tomorrow and start again, it sounds completely different and I HAVEN'T TURNED A SINGLE KNOB OR CHANGED ANYTHING. It made me completely crazy for years, and in no small part contributed to me not playing out in bands ever again.

So, you're not alone at this.

 

[Merlo79]

I've been playing for 25 years and this has always been the norm for me.

Depending on what foot I get up in the morning I can sound amazing, have near flawless technique and be inspired to make creative basslines or I can sound and play messy and churn out the most clumsy and unmusical notes you've ever heard.

And from the reactions of others I can tell it's not all in my head. Sometimes people think I'm a semi-pro and other times that I can pass as a bass player but am probably below average haha