Please Help Make Bass Fun Again For Me

[navijaz]

I frankly do not understand why anyone would avoid playing with others, even if you don't have an audience. Music is for sharing, not hoarding.

True. It still depends on what you're after, I guess. But I agree. It could be said for any instrument, though.

In the case of the OP he made it clear that he has too much on his plate at the moment to deal with the drama that often accompanies playing with others. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. It doesn't mean he is not cut out to be a bass player. (I know that's not what you said..)

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

I actually quit video games cold turkey earlier this year to pick up bass guitar! Best decision I ever made!

 

[btmpancake]

You are just in a funky slump. sooner or later you'll come out of it- or it will come out of you providing you don't get rid of your gear.

 

[triode6L6a]

I remember the first time I put down my bass for a while. It kind of freaked me out too, but after a while I realized that, at least for me, it was the beginning of an interesting cyclic thing that would just happen every once in a while. My other main passion is photography, and the same thing happens occasionally with that too. With both of those, I'll get really involved with projects and people and go full tilt for a while, and then at some point things will begin to wind down and I'll find myself going into a period of "recharging".

I've found that recharging to be a wonderful thing, so now I don't worry about those off periods anymore. I simply focus on other things for awhile and let my mind change directions and patterns and go on with what I need to do, and then at some point, sometimes after a few months, sometimes after a few years, I'll pick up my bass (or camera) and go at it with a renewed sense of purpose.

No need to sell your gear. It's nice to have it there when the urge returns.

I don't know if this is what you're going through, but I just wanted you to know that you're not alone with having those feelings, and that it's perfectly ok to put your bass down for awhile. It'll be there waiting when you're ready.

And since I didn't see any mention of this...... I love hanging out on JamKazam.com. I can go on there 24 hours a day and jam live with folks all over the world. At first, you can go on there and just listen to what other folks are playing, and if you like, you can often join their session. It's a great way to get exposed to lots of different players and styles of music.

In any case, hang in there : )

 

[andruca]

Lately I've been doing less and less band gigs so there's little motivation for me on that aspect (not only bass related but generally musical). The band thing could be a big motor, but the good thing is it doesn't have to be a whole "band" in itself, maybe you and a mate doing some demos at home is all it takes. I mostly do this nowadays, the band I call MY band consists mostly of me and my guitarist pal, we compose all the material, most of the music comes out of his head, we demo songs home and I always have this queue of demos to put vocals on and further develop bass lines so that's what keeps me going and interested in music (we also do studio production work together for other bands that hire us, then again, as it comes up, not a constant flow at all). Then each couple years there comes an "active" band moment, we join our other guitarist and our drummer (who in turn have their own lives, work and in cases other more active bands to worry about), rehearse the new material, we might record some CD in a studio with all those songs and get the band gigging for some time. Also I do sub gigs with 2 other bands, but it's nothing demanding at all, I could do some gigs in spring and summer then not know of them for the rest of the year. I couldn't afford constant band compromises with the kind of life I have at 42 with a job to pay the bills (which I also am fortunate enough to like a lot) and a family (I witness many friends being absent husbands/fathers, definitely don't want that for me). The moral for me is you can keep your interest in music without it taking a "static" part of your time, with you setting the pace so that it doesn't become permanently demanding.

 

[interp]

To OP: I used to be really interested in medieval French literature. If you could help me "rejuvenate my enthusiasm" for it, perhaps I could help you regain interest in playing bass.

Please pardon the sarcasm, but my point is that no one can make you have fun if you don't want to. It's up to you.

 

[Bassdokes]

Anhedonia.

Sounds like depression. Could be temporary or situational.

We are here for you. Thanks for sharing.

 

[GwenOnBass]

My experience, YMMV.

1) Do what brings you joy.
2) Don't should yourself.

 

[gully_jones]

If I was told I'd never get to play bass with other musicians, ever again, I'd sell all my gear in a heartbeat.[/QUOTE]

Funny, if I was told I had to play play in a band, I'd sell my gear or more likely burn it all in protest immediately.

 

[lbbc]

I found that when I wasn't in a band, I hardly ever picked up my bass.... occasionally I played an acoustic guitar or piano to learn and sing songs. But when it came to jamming again, I could sing and play bass a little better. FWIW, I find just dabbling with another instrument helps me appreciate playing bass AND it becomes fun again.

 

[Jrussblues]

Hey TB,

A few months ago, I lost all motivation to play bass. I realized I wasn't going to join a band (have no desire to), and lost the desire to become a good bassist, and at the same time playing bass just stopped being fun.

I have since hung up the bass, logged off TB for a few months, and used my spare time playing video games.

While out for a walk today and talking to my wife, I realized I missed it - or rather, I missed using my spare time to do something productive (playing video games is very fun, but I don't accomplish anything).

However, when I got home, I looked at my bass, thought about playing it, but then I didn't know what to do that wouldn't bore me, and I went and played the video game again.

I'm sick of playing the same old songs I know, I don't feel like learning new songs (my memory has become very bad lately - too many things happening at work which seem to be clogging my mind and I can't seen to remember how to play the song again the next day), and if I'm not going to join a band or write my own songs, then I don't see the point in working on improving my improvisation, chord tone/scale knowledge, ear training, or improving my chops.

Based on what I typed above, this post seems completely useless, but if any of you have any ideas on things that I can do that could rejuvenate my enthusiasm, I would love to hear it, honestly.

I know the #1 answer will be to join a band, but I'm just not interested. I don't have the time, I don't have any spare money to pitch towards rehearsal spaces, gear rentals, and/or marketing, and I also hate band drama. I'm dealing with enough drama in my life right now, I don't need anymore of it.

Thanks guys.

1. A new bass can be wonderfully motivating
2. A new type of music or music skill can be really fun without have to learn a bunch of new skills.
3. Jazz...it's like trying to beat the hardest video game ever made, but rewarding too

 

[RichardW]

If you don't want to play, don't play. It's not an obligation and I presume your livelihood does not depend on playing the bass. If you want to feel a sense of accomplishment or productivity in your spare time, maybe you should volunteer in some way that serves others--maybe at a local food kitchen or homeless shelter. When your spirit is revived and you want to return to the bass, it will be there.

 

[BigDrew]

If I was told I'd never get to play bass with other musicians, ever again, I'd sell all my gear in a heartbeat.

Funny, if I was told I had to play play in a band, I'd sell my gear or more likely burn it all in protest immediately.[/QUOTE]
Man, I'm with you. I take lessons and jump on Songsterr all of the time I play for ME, I don't play for anyone else. But according to the rules, I guess I have to sell everything now as I am not allowed to enjoy it by myself. Damn.

 

[BigDrew]

To the OP, if you can afford to pickup something like one of the cheap Zoom multi EFX pedals, maybe give that a whirl. It's fun to just cycle through the sounds.

Other than that, don't feel guilty about something like playing bass. You started because it was fun. If you can keep it, do it. If not, sell it to fund your next hobby. It's a cycle man! I find something, go all in, then learn the next thing. If you need help from us, let us know.

 

[jasonmatthews]

Bottom line: Do whatever you want, don't worry about what people think, have fun. Everbody's story is different.

I've played music my whole life. I'll always play music. I stopped playing on the road about 5 years ago to get a "real job," but I still play almost every day. I'll always play, band or not.

When I don't really feel like playing... I'll go and play some of the stuff I grew up playing. Green Day, Rancid, Goldfinger, No Doubt, etc. I can play that stuff for hours and never get bored. And amazingly I still remember every single tune.

When I want to play things that require more attention I'll run through all the old Adam Nitti tunes I learned when I was a kid, or all the current Adam Nitti tunes I learned in the past few years (playing with his new playalong tracks is the most fun I've had in years). When I want to learn new things, I either start learning the bass part to whatever tune, or I take a piece of classical sheet music and arrange it for bass.

Point is, you have to have fun. If you're not having fun it's not worth it. Play bass. Have fun.

Get some J. S. Bach music transcribed for bass and set about learning that stuff. It's fun, it's fresh to most rock bassists, and it's a serious challenge.

This. But you don't need music transcribed for bass... just go download some Bach piece and play it on bass. Bach is public domain; you can get all of it from the IMSPL. Category:Bach, Johann Sebastian - IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music

1) Do what brings you joy.
2) Don't should yourself.

EXACTLY

When I'm not looking forward to playing with a band, I find myself stashing my bass and gravitating towards fingerstyle acoustic guitar. I find it a very satisfying way to play a complete piece of music without getting involved with other humans.

Or alternatively... arrange a fingerstyle guitar piece for bass. It is, in my opinion, twice as difficult (but sounds half as nice). Last one I did was Eric Johnson's "The First Nowell" for last Christmas.

 

[Lowness]

Whatever do, stop playing video games as a minimum.

 

[meteor]

I had a similar ordeal. What worked for me was changing things up.

After almost two years of hardly touching an instrument, I started making, oddly enough, making video game music covers at home. It really broke the rut of learning cover band songs, and allows plenty of creativity since much of the time I have to tweak the arrangement to make it work. I'm actually getting ready to continue work on a MegamanX3 tune right now.

Quitting gaming may be the answer for most, but for me, embracing it actually did the trick.

Also, it's really cool to see this community want to help this guy out. Reading this feels like group therapy!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Don't get rid of the gear just yet, but if bass isn't making you happy, try something else you are interested in. I like bass, but you might find wood working satisfying. I'd rather you find something that gives you enjoyment than try to make bass give you enjoyment.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Clear the mechanism

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Bass is a difficult instrument to enjoy playing alone if you're just playing bass lines. If I'm messing around on bass at home I play the same kind of thing I would on cello, i.e. melodic improvisation or solo pieces, see what I can do with weird chords, go up and down the neck with different arpeggios to improve technique, basically anything that isn't sitting there on my own doing root and fifth two to the bar which after all is pretty dull.

Try jamming with some Jaco