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Throw it all away, burn it down. I hate music.

#81
You can take a negative or positive approach to anything in life.
Managing ones expectations are a big deal, especially right now.
Is there an expectation that music is supposed to bring joy to your life and since it's not or not immediate enough and it feels like work more than fun, then just give up?
A simple phrase - Winners never quit and quitters never win
Sure, you have the option to quit or simply take a break at any time.
Take a breath.....the whole world needs to take a breath right now! :)
 
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#82
I stopped playing about 12 years ago when my teenage children said they missed my wife and I on weekends (we had been gigging heavily for about 4 years). We quit the band the next day. Our band mates were pissed, but kids come first. After they went to college we resumed playing.

I, occasionally, get bummed about the lack of gig, money, travel and especially now that there are NO gigs. To ease that I just play other instruments or learn music selections on bass that I always wanted to play. It keeps playing interesting and challenging....at least for me. Take a break if you need it, but the music will always be there when you're ready!
 
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#83
retslock said:
Take a break. Do something or go somewhere different that you’ve never done before. All things must pass.
Click to expand...

That's what I've had to do. My band quit gigging (pre-virus), and playing bass at home alone just isn't cutting it. I've got great equipment, but I'm at a point where everything sounds terrible, I'm playing terrible and I don't enjoy it. What I've done differently is I started learning songs on acoustic guitar and listening to classical music. It's the only thing musically that's interesting right now.
 
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#85
I've been going through this for quite some time. Right now, I'm in a place of wanting to be done with music forever, but I'll hold on to my gear for awhile just in case. Everything is stored in the closet, even my basses.
 
#87
“It’s dark because you are trying too hard.
Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly.
Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply.
Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.

I was so preposterously serious in those days, such a humorless little prig.
Lightly, lightly – it’s the best advice ever given me.
When it comes to dying even. Nothing ponderous, or portentous, or emphatic.
No rhetoric, no tremolos,
no self conscious persona putting on its celebrated imitation of Christ or Little Nell.
And of course, no theology, no metaphysics.
Just the fact of dying and the fact of the clear light.

So throw away your baggage and go forward.
There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet,
trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair.
That’s why you must walk so lightly.
Lightly my darling.”

Aldous Huxley - Island.

Becoming overwhelmed is a form of paralysis.
 
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#88
6 months ago. I sold all of my gear and stopped playing. Seemed terrible at the time. Was good for my head though. Now I am back and playing with two bands and doing side gigs. Take a break, don't force it.
 
#89
it is up to you, sometimes people decide this hobby ain't for them. that's fine.

i have a feeling that may not be you, you're just in a rut. if it's possible, trying a new teacher ( or get one if you don't have one), even if you've got a teacher you like, taking 1-2 lessons with someone else just to see what they are all about can be great.

i've had amazing teachers. I really can't say enough how much they made me a better person, gave me tools to make a living as a working musician, and continue to be a helpful resource in countless ways. But, some of the best lessons I ever took were with people that I just went to two times just to see what they could offer me.

give it a try! We are all doing video-lessons at this time anyway, so you are not limited by location right now.
 
#90
I play guitar too, maybe half as well as the bass. When the bass starts to bore my I pick up the guitar. These "strays" last anywhere from a couple of day to a few weeks.

Good thing about that is it keeps me playing music and at least my left hand (I use a pick on guitar but pluck a bass) gets some exercise.
 
#91
As long as something outside of music isn't the real issue, you're good. Try another instrument for some variety. Pick up a fiddle for awhile and I promise you'll re-embrace those bass lines! Fiddle was my first instrument and bass my last; playing fiddle makes me realize why I love being a bassist!
 
#92
Killed_by_Death said:
I'm not even having that, it's all bad all the time for me lately, for months & months. I get disgusted just playing one song, so I put the bass back on the wall & won't touch it for a few days.
When I felt like this years ago I did sell up, everything.
That was at the end of December & in the first week of April I had a u-bass, & a week later I had an electric bass & amp.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do, maybe stash my basses under the bed until I feel better about trying to play them.
Learning how tone-deaf I am has put the biggest wrench in things, & really really makes me want to quit!
Click to expand...

When i first started, every time i picked up a bass to practice i would start with the E string and pluck every note on it, saying the note aloud as i did so, then repeat that for each string. Over time i began to associate sounds with fret board position and today i can pretty much play by ear right off the cuff with a single listen of a song.
There is also professional instruction to help develop your ear, but IMPE it was mostly a matter of time and saying every note aloud as i played them that eventually got me there.
don’t give up just yet, even those with a really good ear were made not born. Granted, a few are born with perfect pitch, but they are the rare exception to the rule that a good ear is a learned skill.
 
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#93
Hey, I just wanted to add my two cents in, though I haven't read this whole thread. I love music and have played some instrument (bass, guitar, ukulele, dulcimer, etc) for years now. I've felt the same way at times, and when I get that way I have done one of two things: picked up a new instrument (that's why ukulele and dulcimer are both in there) or I've taken lessons. Lessons are awesome for times like that, because a good teacher will both encourage your playing and stretch you which helps beat those times of funk.

Good luck to you. Never give up, never surrender lol.
 
#97
mongo2 said:
While my right hand could move those two fingers in a bass playing like fashion my brain couldn't coordinate them with my left hand nearly as well as they used to so it took a lot of work and changing of parts to make the gig but I made it and it was deemed acceptable.
Click to expand...

Your stroke experience is very similar to my own. Having the use of your fingers isn’t the same thing as having the dexterity and digital coordination of those fingers at the level of a professional musician.

Like you I plugged (and continue to plug away) at it. And while it’s gotten better and still keeps slowly improving, it bears scant resemblance to what it was prior to my own incident. And I too now have some neurological weirdnesses to deal with.

In my case it’s slight but noticeable time lags between the command to move a finger and it actually moving. There’s also the occasional annoyance of a finger randomly going completely “offline” for a second or two. The first problem requires me to mentally play a fraction of a second ahead of the beat most times so the notes come out on the beat correctly. The second necessitates quick finger substitutions and makes for some odd looking fingering patterns at times. And there is also that heaviness, numbness, fatigue, tingling, and pain you mentioned earlier to keep the above problems company.

But we can both still play. And that’s enough. :):thumbsup:
 
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#99
Papazita said:
Does anyone else ever feel like just giving up? I'm not in it for success or money, I just play for the fun of it and my own enjoyment. Lately though, I've been stuck in one of those ruts where nothing is right, nothing sounds good, I'm continually frustrated and I hate everything. There's no fun, there's no enjoyment, so why bother? And then the next day I'll feel just the opposite. 10 minutes later I'm back to hating everything. I'm at the point now where I don't know whether I want to pack everything away and take a break, quit entirely (which would save money), or get rid of every instrument and piece of gear I own and start over from scratch.
Click to expand...
:wideyed:

sounds aggravating --- as if you're aggravated. surely it can't be music (because you can practice to reduce 'aggravations'). your age may have something to do with your experience and/or the way you're handling things. here's hoping that you find some satisfaction with some aspect of your experience...so that things are less frustrating to the point that you "hate everything." good luck! :thumbsup:
 
#100
I threw it all away twice in my teens and early 20s (late 80s). Right after high school, I gave it up and sold all my guitar gear. A few years later, I acquired an acoustic guitar and got back into it a bit. Then fell into a funk and boycotted all popular culture (very early 90s) - music, books, TV, movies. Felt like my experience was inauthentic compared to what I was sensing at the time and thought I was a bit of an imposter. Quit music and sold all my gear for the second time.

By mid to late 90s, I got back into it full force and been that way ever since. Got over myself and my early 20s angst!
 

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