Overplaying?

[Grantrudd]

So i just got off of a pretty long string of gigs. we played 8 gigs in 2 weeks, most of them being 3 hours a night plus a few rehersals in there and jazz band rehersal at school for an hour a day. i just took 2 days off of playing to go camping, and then i come back and my hands just wont work like they did before i left for my trip. has anyone else had an experience like this?

 

[jenich CZ]

How long and how much do you play the bass?

 

[Grantrudd]

i have been playing for 4 years now, and i practice about 3 hours a day. in the past 2 weeks, i have started playing about 7 or 8 hours a day. its not like i have completely lost everything, i can still hold down grooves and solo fairly well, but its when i try to play on faster (like 140-180 bpm) stuff, i cant pull out the 16th notes as cleanly as i could. they just get very muddy.

 

[ganga]

Do you have a teacher? You might have some trouble with your technique. Take a break for now.

 

[jenich CZ]

its just normal...The problem with practising your hands is that the progress is not constant. You simply got in the shape by playing a lot in past 2 weeks so after 2 days without holding the bass in your hands you can see the difference that is simply caused by warming-up. Dont worry, in a day the skill should be back.

 

[Grantrudd]

thanks. it just freaked me out a little bit. i haven't played that much today, and i am going to take it easy for a while, as we are scheduled for the studio next week.

ganga i am studying with a bass player named Bijoux Barbossa right now. he is amazing. my technique is fairly good, but it is not perfect. i practice about half an hour a day on technique alone, so i dont think that would be too much of a problem.