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Please Help Make Bass Fun Again For Me
- Thread starter Matthew_84
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Personally I get burnt out playing music if I don't try and keep it fresh every once in awhile. By this I mean trying new things both musically and otherwise.
I tend to always play music stoned so often times this means taking a break. Usually music is less fun at first but eventually I get used to it. Then when I finally toke up and play some music again it is magical! Instruments have never felt like such an extension of myself as when I am nice and baked, really helps to groove.
Clearly smoking is not for everyone but there is an ancient connection between altered states of consciousness and music
Kratom is another powerful medicinal herb that can really help me relax and get in the groove. Most interesting to me is it's mild/ unique opioid esque effects. Opiates have had a long history with many musicians and as we all know it rarely ends well... Kratom has similiar effects but is much more medicinal and safe. It is actually a tree in the same family of plants as Coffee and many use it as a less jittery alternative myself included. It can help immensely with pain/ anxiety too, truly is a miracle plant.
Anyways if you have a wife and possibly more family maybe experimenting like that isn't what you need but maybe some plants could help inspire you
I tend to always play music stoned so often times this means taking a break. Usually music is less fun at first but eventually I get used to it. Then when I finally toke up and play some music again it is magical! Instruments have never felt like such an extension of myself as when I am nice and baked, really helps to groove.
Clearly smoking is not for everyone but there is an ancient connection between altered states of consciousness and music
Kratom is another powerful medicinal herb that can really help me relax and get in the groove. Most interesting to me is it's mild/ unique opioid esque effects. Opiates have had a long history with many musicians and as we all know it rarely ends well... Kratom has similiar effects but is much more medicinal and safe. It is actually a tree in the same family of plants as Coffee and many use it as a less jittery alternative myself included. It can help immensely with pain/ anxiety too, truly is a miracle plant.
Anyways if you have a wife and possibly more family maybe experimenting like that isn't what you need but maybe some plants could help inspire you
I have most definitely been there. Sometimes I feel like I'm still constantly fighting "there." Having dealt with clinical depression and dismal self-esteem not so long ago, I know exactly how it feels to just want to say "forget it, I give up." To me, OP, you could approach this situation one of two ways: a) wait it out until something inspires you to play again, or b) actively search to find something that'll inspire you to play again.
I'll follow this up with my own story, told briefly: This sort of thing had happened to me several times, but most recently it was so bad that I decided I was going to sell every instrument I owned. One day I walked into the local music store to get an appraisal, and then I heard a song playing that made me pause. There was something very different about it, something that made me want to keep the instruments around just a little longer...So I walked out. When I got back home I felt the urge to follow that song up by looking up what basically added up to that band's entire career...About 80 YouTube videos later, I was back on the bass, not looking back!
YMMV, but finding something new to spark your imagination might help you a lot. It certainly helped me.
I'll follow this up with my own story, told briefly: This sort of thing had happened to me several times, but most recently it was so bad that I decided I was going to sell every instrument I owned. One day I walked into the local music store to get an appraisal, and then I heard a song playing that made me pause. There was something very different about it, something that made me want to keep the instruments around just a little longer...So I walked out. When I got back home I felt the urge to follow that song up by looking up what basically added up to that band's entire career...About 80 YouTube videos later, I was back on the bass, not looking back!
YMMV, but finding something new to spark your imagination might help you a lot. It certainly helped me.
I make it a point to stop doing musical things occasionally. I just drop it and not worry about it. For me it's not a "use it or lose it" proposition (well, the only thing I "lose" is stamina; takes week or two to go back to being able to play 4 hours again without getting a tired hand). Most of the time I notice I play better in the recordings I do after a good break (the other times it seems like it's just where I left off).
No harm in doing something else for a while. I either go racing cars and/or shoot pistol and 3-gun matches; anything far from being music related. A guitarist I know literally goes into the woodshed and makes/repairs furniture. You're still a musician even you're not currently playing.
Just don't sell your gear, if you like what you have now.
No harm in doing something else for a while. I either go racing cars and/or shoot pistol and 3-gun matches; anything far from being music related. A guitarist I know literally goes into the woodshed and makes/repairs furniture. You're still a musician even you're not currently playing.
Just don't sell your gear, if you like what you have now.
This. Although in a band I got burnt on practicing on my own. Then I decided to tackle Working Man by Rush, try to play it note for note, wow what a fresh challenge. I now look forward to getting home from work and cranking up my amp and stereo before dinner. I can be loud, feel expressed and accomplished, and even though I'm not practicing our original material outside of rehearsal it totally improved my chops. I have expanded, I'll play working man, Dazed And Confused, The Trooper, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, State Violence State Control, Cenotaph, Dead But Dreaming, and Blunt Force Trauma. Other songs on the "to learn" list are Born Under A Bad Sign, Sultans Of Swing, and Moondance. Luckily I have a second downtuned bass for the Dying Fetus and Bolt Thrower stuff. Playing catchy stuff, for me, is fun and stress relieving.
Buy a pedal! You'll get hours of fun finding some new sounds, and it'll give you some inspiration for further playing.
Also, leave the video games. Being sedentary kills brain production, and decreases creativity. Take 45 minutes per day for some physical activity. It doesn't have to be demanding, be it taking a walk to the park, pumping steel, cleaning your house (apartment or whatever), throwing the football, biking, skating and other things alike. DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE WHERE YOU HAVE TO GET UP.
Also, go to the music store, try out some different basses, amps or even guitars. But mostly, buy a pedal.
Also, leave the video games. Being sedentary kills brain production, and decreases creativity. Take 45 minutes per day for some physical activity. It doesn't have to be demanding, be it taking a walk to the park, pumping steel, cleaning your house (apartment or whatever), throwing the football, biking, skating and other things alike. DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE WHERE YOU HAVE TO GET UP.
Also, go to the music store, try out some different basses, amps or even guitars. But mostly, buy a pedal.
A few years ago I was in a "heavy" cover band that had become a reasonably going concern... we had a full set list (3hrs+ music), and were starting to play better venues, when our singer got a dream job and moved to San Fran. We finally got a replacement, but it was never the same, and eventually I got tired of the music list and the drama and running everything and other folks in the band being unwilling to play stuff people wanted to hear. So I quit, and didn't pursue anything for another couple of years.
I joined a funk/soul band that was great, but then folks moved on due to job stuff and it kind of fell apart. Then we bought a house. Then we spent a year prepping and paying for my daughter's wedding, and the day after the wedding my wife got sick. The next week I started a dream job that was a lot busier than I thought, and it took two years for my wife to get over her illness. This was last June, and I've been slowly prepping to find a band and start playing again. I had zero interest in playing when my wife was sick and maybe picked up my bass once in 3 years.
Now, I've reached a place financially where I've rebuilt my rig and been able to fill out my stable of basses, and I started looking for a band. All of this to echo the post about spending more time with your wife and getting a job that doesn't suck. Sometimes you need to be in a season where the fit hits the shan and you have to just put your head down and motor through it. However, try to take some time to figure out your exit strategy for your job so you can land a better gig and THEN make your decision about playing, when you have some breathing room.
I'd also echo the part about playing out being a motivator... everyone is different but to me playing out is the best, when everything goes right and you're playing with good folks and you're in the pocket and the crowd is into it... it can give you goosebumps (it does me) and there's nothing like it. THAT is why I keep playing, even though my hands are starting to go and I'm old(ish - 48) and out of shape and feeling like crap. Best of luck to you!
EDIT: And yeah, be careful about the video games, they are a tremendous time suck.
I joined a funk/soul band that was great, but then folks moved on due to job stuff and it kind of fell apart. Then we bought a house. Then we spent a year prepping and paying for my daughter's wedding, and the day after the wedding my wife got sick. The next week I started a dream job that was a lot busier than I thought, and it took two years for my wife to get over her illness. This was last June, and I've been slowly prepping to find a band and start playing again. I had zero interest in playing when my wife was sick and maybe picked up my bass once in 3 years.
Now, I've reached a place financially where I've rebuilt my rig and been able to fill out my stable of basses, and I started looking for a band. All of this to echo the post about spending more time with your wife and getting a job that doesn't suck. Sometimes you need to be in a season where the fit hits the shan and you have to just put your head down and motor through it. However, try to take some time to figure out your exit strategy for your job so you can land a better gig and THEN make your decision about playing, when you have some breathing room.
I'd also echo the part about playing out being a motivator... everyone is different but to me playing out is the best, when everything goes right and you're playing with good folks and you're in the pocket and the crowd is into it... it can give you goosebumps (it does me) and there's nothing like it. THAT is why I keep playing, even though my hands are starting to go and I'm old(ish - 48) and out of shape and feeling like crap. Best of luck to you!
EDIT: And yeah, be careful about the video games, they are a tremendous time suck.
1) As a long time video game enthusiast, admitting that you can play too many games and it can be unhealthy, if you do decide to step away for a bit (say for example someone special in your life decides you're playing too much so you humor them...): Don't sell your console. Never sell a console. You'll want to revisit those games someday and if you don't have the console you won't have anything to play them on. Then you'll be on ebay buying somebody else's worn out beater console. I'm setting up the Gamecube this week to revisit the OG resident evil 4 release, but my memory card is dead, so I'm waiting for a new aftermarket clone card from China.
2) Rocksmith. Play the guitar version. The bass version is boring--is this what people think playing bass is like? Dig out the old strat copy from that box in the closet. It's fun, and no band to stress you out. (Warning: trying to get a zero-latency monitoring setup with your living room stereo *will* stress you out.) Worst case scenario, you develop serious guitar chops.
3) It's OK to not play. If you don't want to, don't do it! Or get involved with a band but with a strict zero-tolerance zero-drama policy. That's the only way I'll do it these days.
4) Last but most important: have you been doing your cardio every day? At least every *other* day? No matter what people say, happiness is largely a chemical state, and can only be faked via drugs and alcohol for so long. When they say "happiness comes from within", they mean from glands.
My 2c.
2) Rocksmith. Play the guitar version. The bass version is boring--is this what people think playing bass is like? Dig out the old strat copy from that box in the closet. It's fun, and no band to stress you out. (Warning: trying to get a zero-latency monitoring setup with your living room stereo *will* stress you out.) Worst case scenario, you develop serious guitar chops.
3) It's OK to not play. If you don't want to, don't do it! Or get involved with a band but with a strict zero-tolerance zero-drama policy. That's the only way I'll do it these days.
4) Last but most important: have you been doing your cardio every day? At least every *other* day? No matter what people say, happiness is largely a chemical state, and can only be faked via drugs and alcohol for so long. When they say "happiness comes from within", they mean from glands.
My 2c.
I know I'm late to the party, but it's pretty obvious that the real fun killer here is stress. I've been stressed myself lately, and the amount of time I've been sinking into Steam games is huge compared to normal. When you're stressed or depressed, it is much harder to spend time on those pursuits that require actual effort. At that point I'll settle for the micro-endorphin blasts from scoring in Rocket League or head-shotting a zombie.
I don't believe playing in a band is necessary. That sort of thing is more about goals than the journey itself. You want to be able to enjoy the journey. I know that I enjoy practicing the guitar even though I don't aspire to play it professionally, so it's easy to imagine you having the same relationship with a bass.
Incidentally, this is exactly the same thing that happens at a good rehearsal/jam session. Would it be out of line to suggest finding the RIGHT musicians to get together in a room with? I know it ain't easy, but might be worth a try!
What a great combo of story and forum name!
This is a great suggestion. I have an acoustic-electric fretless 5-string Epiphone El Capitan. This was my axe of choice for almost a decade! The ability to just sit on the couch and write ideas without having to worry about getting set up was great, and it's an easy thing to grab an acoustic when you just want to play along with a tune and learn the notes.
Get into pedals. Seriously get a looper and a few pedals and just have fun with it. I've been playing for over 20 years. I practiced religiously every day for the first few years played in a jazz band that required some complicated sight reading and rock band that was all from memory, then went down to mostly two days a week at practice with the rock band and then only once a week a band practice. Every once in a while I'd do something like check out a lesson on YouTube and sit at the computer and play along. But looping has been the most motivational thing for me playing at home. Looping is a lot of fun and adding different pedals allow you to add different layers to loops. And pedals are cheap. You can buy used pedals on eBay or reverb for next to nothing. It's not like buying a bass or an amp.
I haven't read through all the posts, but jamming is a sure fire way to get some juice flowing. Also, effects pedals are fun. I play every night, in leu of playing video games or watching TV. But, then I was born with a gene that somehow makes me want to play music. Some would say it's a disorder.
i'm sure you know what to do. but you have to actually do it.
Love all the replies that are, basically "oh just buy stuff, it'll be all good."
My two cents. I honestly don't quite understand the folks that devote a lot of time and energy to an instrument, if they never plan to gig, don't write, don't record, and don't have an outlet for it.
I'm not saying it's wrong to do that. I'm not saying it's bad.
I'm just saying...yeah...if you don't plan to gig, or write music.....you probably have better ways to spend your time.
My two cents. I honestly don't quite understand the folks that devote a lot of time and energy to an instrument, if they never plan to gig, don't write, don't record, and don't have an outlet for it.
I'm not saying it's wrong to do that. I'm not saying it's bad.
I'm just saying...yeah...if you don't plan to gig, or write music.....you probably have better ways to spend your time.
I'm someone who saddly have to deal with depression on regular basis.
I've been through some times where I didn't play a single notes for a big 3 years. Too much going on, always tired, needed some calm while it was always noise etc.
At one point I started to play again once I bought ProTools with a sound card so I could record music on my computer ... I did that for my parents so they could hear me play. So that year I did a DVD for them and so I took the vid and posted them on Youtube and started to record some stuff that I loved and posted it on Youtube.
After that I got a BOSS RC30 loop station that is just incredible for creativity. Since I'm alone while doing this, I don't feel any pressure to play well, I play everything that cross my mind. It is super fun.
I got a new bass and got some sheet music of something that I just love but it takes time to learn.
Saddly in my case with my day job, I often have tendonitis if I play too much and it kind of bring back some depression thought ... I think I'll have to find another job so I can enjoy music as much as I can.
I also play video games and there is so many great music in games, I love to do some ear training on some Mega Man tunes or on some Final Fantasy.
I've been through some times where I didn't play a single notes for a big 3 years. Too much going on, always tired, needed some calm while it was always noise etc.
At one point I started to play again once I bought ProTools with a sound card so I could record music on my computer ... I did that for my parents so they could hear me play. So that year I did a DVD for them and so I took the vid and posted them on Youtube and started to record some stuff that I loved and posted it on Youtube.
After that I got a BOSS RC30 loop station that is just incredible for creativity. Since I'm alone while doing this, I don't feel any pressure to play well, I play everything that cross my mind. It is super fun.
I got a new bass and got some sheet music of something that I just love but it takes time to learn.
Saddly in my case with my day job, I often have tendonitis if I play too much and it kind of bring back some depression thought ... I think I'll have to find another job so I can enjoy music as much as I can.
I also play video games and there is so many great music in games, I love to do some ear training on some Mega Man tunes or on some Final Fantasy.
