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Quitting or taking a break from playing

#41
Taking a break can be a great way to re-invigorate and get creative juices flowing again for yourself...

...but based on your post, I'm not sure a break will scratch your itch. I think you need to decide why it is you play bass. If you have aspirations to be in a band or play gigs, then get out there and do it. It doesn't take much to answer an add from someone looking to jam or to find a bassist...and if you are shy you can do it virtually w an online streaming jamming thing like jamkazam.

If you find that when you pick up the bass you are just playing the same 10 things and you are bored, then flip the script on yourself. It isn't hard to force yourself in a new direction...just set a goal. Tired of playing rock n roll...learn some bach...learn some hip hop grooves (short recognizable basslines that will almost always get the party started). Or even watch some youtube lessons.

I play bass to relax and to get the music in my head out...plus it is an AMAZING way to express yourself. Would I like to be a famous musician? Probably...but that's not why I play bass. Rockstar dreams fueled the purchase of my first bass...27 years ago. Now I play for much different reasons. I also recently took a multi-year break from playing when I had kids. My time was carved out differently and I found other hobbies to fill my extremely limited free time...and now that my kids are actually kid ages and don't require a parent in their space every second I have rediscovered the joys of playing and writing and recording and have gotten involved in a project that gets together just about weekly to make noise.
 
#42
fingerguy said:
I get playing with others and I had fun doing that but a few things changed.
1. First was a jam session that was set on a semi regular basis with my teacher but he is so flighty and inconsistent it started to get annoying that it would be weeks before we get together. On top of that ever song was at most 2 notes per measure and he knows I wanted to be more challenged but just didn't do it so I stopped going to him.
2. I joined a group of guys to form a band and the guitar player and drummer are huge Dead Heads so myself and the other guitar player just learned the songs and jammed. I was fine with what we were playing even though I am not a fan of their music but I was having fun. Then comes to our 3rd practice session and the guitar player texts us with this attitude daying he is out because we don't have set days and etc. My last text to them all was this is supposed to be fun and never texted after that. I don't need egos or attitudes for something that is supposed to be fun. I can only imagine what he would be like if we were famous which is not ever going to happen.

So anyway I tried Craigslist and I get all kinds from a person with a huge set list expecting me to know all the songs to another guy insisting to play at my house even though I told him I have 4 dogs and they are never quiet to strangers. Just got to the point it wasn't worth it.

Anyway here I am and I am taking a break. As far as getting rid of the instruments that is a big part of my OCD and bi-polarness; first time I admit to it. I am going to try to break the cycle and not quickly sell everything and see what the future brings.

Right now I am bing-watching shows on Amazon Prime and doing my Sudoku puzzles plus studying for certification tests that would make me more marketable in my career.
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Reading this post is like listening to that single friend ready to give up on dating. Much like you tell that single friend...prince charming *may* show up on your first date and sweep you off your feet, but expecting that to happen is naive, so set your expectations accordingly when going out to meet w people to jam. It can be hard to find people you click with, especially if you have very specific requirements (ie. only play songs the way they were written and only know or want to play a handful of songs)...and it can be very defeating going on "dates" that suck one after the other...but like a good relationship, when you find the right one...it can be love and last for years and years.

Also, one thing...and this comes into play w OCD type stuff...is that why do you have to put a label on it? Why do you have to "be on a break"? Why can't you just put away your instruments for now since you aren't feeling it and when you start feeling it, just take them out? Who knows, maybe on saturday you'll feel like running through a song and then putting it back away for 2 weeks? Does that mean you are on a break or not? Does it matter? If you aren't feeling it, stow away your gear...if you want the funds sell it. If you can afford to keep your gear stowed away for a year or 2, that might be a better idea than selling it now in case you decide you want to play again in a few weeks.
 
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#43
I started on drums in 1978 an took up Bass in 1995...... all the local bands had drummers, no one had a Bass player so it seemed like a logical move.

Gigged steadily from '95 until '03.... mostly covers, some original material thrown in for good measure. We would gig 4x a month or more.... played here, there and everywhere in our hometown..... decent places, dives and everywhere in between.... the more gigs, the better.

2003 decided to take a break..... wife, kids etc... I needed to set my priorities and raise a family.

2011 my daughter is in middle school (junior high to us old folks) and she becomes friends with another girl who's Dad was in the same boat as me. We strike up a friendship and we both decided to dust off our gear and get back to music. Since then we've gigged a handful of times in various cover bands and also written/recorded a bunch of original material and released four or five videos from the originals project.

Right now we've got a band going with some really talented players and it's full steam ahead...... I think I'm having more fun now than I did in the past.
 
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#46
Clyde_Simpleton said:
I quit playing out about two years ago after my old band ran its course. I sold my 8x10 and rarely practice bass anymore. My girlfriend of 5 years and I just recently broke up so I'm thinking about getting back into the music scene. I might actually sound better now that I'm not a raging alcoholic anymore.
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I play with a number of good to great musicians who don't/can't drink anymore - that'll be half the band on Saturday night at the best venue in the area :) . You'll run into people that remember the old you :( but there are plenty of folks like me that prefer "dry"/420-free rehearsals :) .
 
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#47
What an interesting topic. I had no idea so many people took breaks, or simply didn't play if there wasn't some kind of end goal. My heart goes out to those of you who get bogged down and can't find the time, energy or motivation to play anymore. I can't imagine my life without my daily bass playing ritual, it's the one constant and only refuge I have from the daily struggle.
 
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#50
RoadRanger said:
I play with a number of good to great musicians who don't/can't drink anymore - that'll be half the band on Saturday night at the best venue in the area :) . You'll run into people that remember the old you :( but there are plenty of folks like me that prefer "dry"/420-free rehearsals :) .
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Yeah I'm glad I quit drinking, doing drugs and smoking cigarettes. I feel a thousand times better, never wake up with a raging hangover and actually remember what I did the night before. I'm looking forward to getting back into it. Just need to get an amp that doesn't weigh a ton and can still keep up with a full band. I've got a drummer that's in a well established band that wants me to start playing with them.
 
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#54
garp said:
Good for you. Just don't stop listening to music.
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I won't but ever since I took this break I been binge watching Amazon Prime shows well shows available on Amazon Prime (currently on Season 4 of Bones). I am also solving many Sudoku puzzles a day. Also planning to start studying for IT certifications to make myself more marketable; one would think my 20 years experience would be enough.

MrLenny1 said:
Play the Blues. If you can't play the Blues
you can't play poopie.
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Ummm...okay.
 
#58
Earlier this month I was thinking exactly the same: "it's been almost a year since I was in a band, I placed ads in CL -actually too many- and had no response. That's probably a sign I should sell all my gear, and if I ever want to listen to a live band I'll just go to a local bar. And forget all the progress:)rolleyes:) I made since I returned to playing bass".
Guess what!! :woot:
Next morning, just before breakfast, I got a call from an unknown local number asking for my name, at first I thought it was a spam caller but then I heard some loud guitar power chords, "Hey cut it out I'm on the phone!" caller said. Turns out they got my phone number from God knows who and they wanted me to play bass in their band, their bass guy had personal problems and left. Just like that. I'm auditioning with them next Saturday morning. Wish me luck.
Wait, there's more!
Two hours later from that call, a guy I spoke with like a year ago, gave me a call to ask if I wanted to play bass with them. They play blues and Classic rock, and some of those tunes to be honest, I never heard in my life. They will start rehearsing again in mid December. So that's another chance there.

Aaaand another call later that same day!
An out of town drummer looking to form a band read my old CL ad, which was buried below tons of local mariachi ads. We all met next day and played a few songs. Good chemistry, I should say. Another project there.
I'll probably be leaving one or two projects, if they take off the ground but the point is, you never know when luck strikes. You just need to be patient, which is tedious most of the time. :( I bet that in a few weeks you'll meet the right people to jam with. Hang in there.
In my case I got so excited that I even got myself a imho very good keyboard: a new Roland DS61, I can play the very basic stuff, some chords, etc. I'll be sharing this story in another post, NKD (new keyboard day) :hyper: with pictures and videos, ,of course.
Sorry for the long story and my poor English. :)
 
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#59
danesdad said:
I stopped playing for 30 years and just picked it back up recently. Taking off three decades doesn't help your chops, I can tell you that.
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That's more or less my story. It wasn't 30 years, but it may as well have been. It's been about ten years since I got back into it, and during that ten years I started playing the upright seriously for the first time and have been learning to play drums as well. For about four or five years, it seemed like I was doing something like 20 gigs per year, which was too much. It will be less than ten this year, and most of them pretty low key. It's a hobby, among other hobbies I have, and if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it.
 
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#60
fingerguy said:
Also planning to start studying for IT certifications to make myself more marketable; one would think my 20 years experience would be enough.
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I know what you mean. I have 28 years and my last certification was for Windows NT 3.5
Used to be, experience was good thing. Now all they want is a CS degree (Didn't exist when I was in college) and certifications. The resume sorting services could care less if you actually know how to do the job or not as long as they can check the boxes on the form.
 

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