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Throw it all away, burn it down. I hate music.
- Thread starter Papazita
- Start date
When everything shut down and I lost all my gigs to the coronavirus I couldn’t bring myself to touch a bass for two or three weeks. Then I decided to take my upright in for some work, strings and setup. When I got it back it played and sounded good. I started fooling around a bit, then things became more serious and I set some goals. I have been working on string bass songs with a renewed interest and passion since. I have not been working with bass guitar lately but it always seems to come back. Everyone needs a break once in a while.
Only you can decide if it is time to quit.
I "retired" from music some years ago. The music "business" had left such a burn scar on my psyche, that although I kept my bass, I placed it in its case for a couple years, and I sold off all of my touring equipment. I just was burned out and bitter. Plus, I left NYC after 9/11 and I had some PTSD to deal with.
A few years down the line, my wife pointed out that I was mentally ill
and isolated, and suggested it was because I was a musician and lover of music who wan't playing music or associating with fellow musicians. She was right (again!). So I tentatively dipped my toe back in the water.
At some point I also realized I hated all of my gear and the sound it was producing. That's when I joined Talk Bass. Sold everything. I was also relying too much on pedals in a never-ending battle to get the sound I heard in my head. I decided that I needed to strip down to just me, a bass, and an amp. Through much trial and error, I discovered my love of Warwick basses, which had the sound I heard in my head baked in. Again, a little experimentation until I found an amp I loved.
Fast forward, I have added a few necessary pedals, and a few more basses for range and versatility (and hey, c'mon, I love basses) . I play in two great and very different original bands, writing, recording, playing live, I have the camaraderie that I was missing, and I like my gear and sound. A solid and amazing musician who I look up to in my area has also asked me to start a project with him.
Do I feel great all of the time? No, of course not; some days are hard, life happens, relationships change, I am getting old, etc. etc. But I don't want to walk away from music. One day I will have no choice but to stop, so I am aware and grateful of still having physical ability and a desire to play and for others to want to play with me. In Quarantine, I have had a very hard time focusing or being creative, and I have to let that be the way it is right now. Sometimes I force myself to play another instrument, even though I am not very good at it, it helps inspire new ideas for me.
I hope you find your way, as others have suggested, it's OK to take a break, or change things up, do something else, or quit if that's what you decide. You can always come back if you want. I think when it is ready to change or let something go in life, it is often very obvious.
All the best.
I "retired" from music some years ago. The music "business" had left such a burn scar on my psyche, that although I kept my bass, I placed it in its case for a couple years, and I sold off all of my touring equipment. I just was burned out and bitter. Plus, I left NYC after 9/11 and I had some PTSD to deal with.
A few years down the line, my wife pointed out that I was mentally ill
and isolated, and suggested it was because I was a musician and lover of music who wan't playing music or associating with fellow musicians. She was right (again!). So I tentatively dipped my toe back in the water.At some point I also realized I hated all of my gear and the sound it was producing. That's when I joined Talk Bass. Sold everything. I was also relying too much on pedals in a never-ending battle to get the sound I heard in my head. I decided that I needed to strip down to just me, a bass, and an amp. Through much trial and error, I discovered my love of Warwick basses, which had the sound I heard in my head baked in. Again, a little experimentation until I found an amp I loved.
Fast forward, I have added a few necessary pedals, and a few more basses for range and versatility (and hey, c'mon, I love basses) . I play in two great and very different original bands, writing, recording, playing live, I have the camaraderie that I was missing, and I like my gear and sound. A solid and amazing musician who I look up to in my area has also asked me to start a project with him.
Do I feel great all of the time? No, of course not; some days are hard, life happens, relationships change, I am getting old, etc. etc. But I don't want to walk away from music. One day I will have no choice but to stop, so I am aware and grateful of still having physical ability and a desire to play and for others to want to play with me. In Quarantine, I have had a very hard time focusing or being creative, and I have to let that be the way it is right now. Sometimes I force myself to play another instrument, even though I am not very good at it, it helps inspire new ideas for me.
I hope you find your way, as others have suggested, it's OK to take a break, or change things up, do something else, or quit if that's what you decide. You can always come back if you want. I think when it is ready to change or let something go in life, it is often very obvious.
All the best.
you just described the way i feel a lot recently. this pandemic and isolation are really taking their toll. Music is one way I'm coping with it. I'm using this time to work more on writing my own songs and practicing more challenging covers, i wouldn't have time for if i were gigging now.
Every day offers a new challenge.
i suggest lots of breaks and pick up your bass when you can enjoy it and feel like you're accomplishing something.
It's hard to make any positive suggestions when you are so negative and vague about the issues. If you're in a rut, get out, do something different, join a new band, play different genres (even if it's currently with iTunes), change your EQ settings (flat is a good start). Or just slash your wrists
I feel the same way with golf sometimes.
Seriously. Buy an electric drum kit. That way you can put on the headphones and burn off some frustration and still be doing musical things. As far as a drummer can be called a musician! I went through a stage where I didn't even go to my music room let alone pick up a bass. So I got out my electric drums and bashed away. Now I'm inspired back into bass and guitar as well. Also I can knock out a half decent drum track.
Seriously. Buy an electric drum kit. That way you can put on the headphones and burn off some frustration and still be doing musical things. As far as a drummer can be called a musician! I went through a stage where I didn't even go to my music room let alone pick up a bass. So I got out my electric drums and bashed away. Now I'm inspired back into bass and guitar as well. Also I can knock out a half decent drum track.
pick a song with a nice bass melodie and try and learn it. James Jamerson, Bob Babbit, or Tommy Cogbill's genius son of a preacher man's basslines. I cannot play this, but if I had the time I would knuckle down and try d pull it off bar by bar and get stuck in..
This sends my mind off on a tangeant, the motivation killer might just be...a matter of taste. Perhaps when feeling unmotivated it's because we are trying to learn something we simply don't like the sound of. Of course there are times you have to just do it. Like if your BL insists the song you hate is in the set or you get given an excercise which feels like nails on a blackboard but is worth learning because it's great for your technique. But maybe if we are doing too much joyless learning it can effect our overall motivation to learn.
I just can't get motivated to rehearse and play music I can't stand, or to crowds I can't relate to. If I have to play 'Sweet Home Alabama', 'Brown-Eyed Girl', or any country song one more time at a casino or VFW, it may result in spontaneous human combustion!
Now I just need to figure a responsible and helpful way to quit the band, as they're got post-COVID gigs lined up.
Now I just need to figure a responsible and helpful way to quit the band, as they're got post-COVID gigs lined up.
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"SELL THE HOUSE. SELL THE CAR. SELL THE KIDS. FIND SOMEONE ELSE. FORGET IT. I'M NEVER COMING BACK. FORGET IT."
you need to get some books and literature outlining what to practice, get some with DVDs and play along with the songs. There is alot out there. Nothing worth while comes easy
