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Stuck in a rut lately.

#2
I think that's the nature of playing music, unfortunately. I found myself hitting plateaus that were lasting longer and longer. It's hard for me to say what you should do, because I don't know what you're into or where you are with music, but for me, learning more theory, as well as learning more about different kinds of music, have helped me to grow as a musician.

When I was younger, I mostly was into hard rock music. Then I started getting into more diverse stuff like 20th century classical, all kinds of weird experimental music, and old soul records. There's a wealth of amazing music out there, and listening to more of it will almost undoubtedly give you more ideas about composition. A lot of people get into jazz when they are stuck in a rut, but I would advise against that. ;)

Another thing to consider is this: a lot of bass players mostly just pay attention to the bass player in music they like. I don't know if this is true for you, it's just something that I've noticed (and it's not exclusive to bass players, many musicians focus on their instrument). Even before I started composing music for instruments other than bass, I found that I could learn a lot from guitarists, drummers, cellists, and keyboard players that directly helped my bass playing. In fact, I woud say that at this point, my writing and bass playing are influenced more by drummers and guitarists than bass players.

Could you tell us more about what kind of music you play, how long you've been playing, describe your style of playing bass? It would help people know what they should recommend to you.
 
#3
I have been playing about eleven months but I have worked extremely hard to be where I am now. I mainly practice with recording of The Who, James Brown, Rush Black Sabbath, Metallica, Weather Report and Jaco Pastorius. As for playing style, when I make a bass line I tend to play a lot of notes like Geddy Lee. When I solo I tend to use a lot of Billy Sheehan and Cliff Burton techniques like two handed tapping and three finger technique.

Terribly sorry about the lack of information, I wrote the topic post quite early in the morning.
 
#7
No, I am serious beyond all seriousness. There is nobody near me that plays any kind of instrument and actually puts effort into it. I hang around a local music store much of the time and haven't seen anyone.

But I'll try to take your advice. What does "look harder" entail?
 
#10
If you were a few years older (read: legal drinking age), I would suggest going to a local bar/tavern that hosts an open jam session, but that's not an option for you right now. Is there any kind of bulletin board at that music store you hang out at? Maybe you could post an ad to try to find some people to jam with and/or exchange ideas, etc.

Cheers,
Kevin
 
#12
Cool. Keep us posted. The other thing is, if you are self-taught, it might be a good idea to take some lessons. A good teacher can really work wonders to help you progress. I've been playing since 1973, and I'm considering going back for some lessons myself.
 

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