What are you doing while in isolation?

[pappabass]

At work !! I do IT work at a hospital. Working split shifts with coworkers. I work from home 3 days a week, at hospital 2 days. When I am at home I used to not turn the TV on. Wife's office closed, so she is home. She can't understand 'work from home' means I can't go shopping or help her with projects all day. Plus she has the TV on all day

 

[Wisebass]

Count to 5000

 

[Funky Ghost]

Introverts have had a name for this for a long time.

Life

 

[SBassman]

I tried to create this under the thread title: It's Quarantini Time Somewhere, but it was merged into this thread.

_________________________________________


Hey, I don't see any quarantini threads.

Is that because it would violate a forum ground rule, or one just hasn't been started?

Admins - if it violates, of course, delete away, with my sincere apologies.

If it is ok, let's open a thread for posting when folks are quarantini'ing.

To be serious for a moment, this thing is getting dark, as well as very surreal for me.

It went from watching it like a flu wave, to, getting very alarming, to, very dark and surreal for me. My company that I thought was strong and cash rich furloughed Most employees very quickly. The remainder are cruising on circa 1995 salaries.

On top of me losing a very large chunk of my salary, we are dealing with kids who have been exposed, and our oldest who needs to move back home, defaulting on her rent in Brooklyn because she is unemployed. We have 2 others also unemployed.

Haven't been outside in a while, and we're starting to live on chips, wine, and vodka, I'm afraid.

I will have to venture out this weekend for some key supplies, and we have a home delivery coming on Saturday that May bring some stuff. At high risk, of course.

How are you guys navigating these waters? And, are you partaking in quarantini'ing?

 

[Wisebass]

Hi SBassman

chips, wine, and vodka

You already have the vodka.

I will have to venture out this weekend for some key supplies

Get a bottle of gin and...

quarantini

get a bottle of Lillet!

Vesper (cocktail) - Wikipedia

James Bond will love your quarantini!

take care

Wise(b)ass

 

[Jeff Scott]

T,WII (today, while in isolation) I went to Home Depot, Office Max, and the post office. Made for a nice walk.

 

[StyleOverShow]

Online a bit more. Not practicing as much as I thought. I get a little pissed at the circumstances. This was to be my last touring season capping a performance history spanning garages to large venues over 50 years. I sold off basses and cabs preparing for the end of 'show time.'

My commercial band 'Idle Poets' just released an album and we signed with good management to handle air play and a promotional tour. Been with them four years, spanning my time in Portland.

I quit my musical muse band Sounds Like Love last fall after the BL installed a replacement drummer, from another one of his bands, over my objections. Another four year commitment gone.

My third band, Cool Horns of Soul, had the BL quit last fall taking the practice locale, PA and contracted dates with him. We rallied the troops and scrambled to rehearse, retool and have played half a dozen gigs since. With a 13 piece band it was always a struggle.

I'm working on the upright. It's tough in a couple of ways: the left and right hand techniques are demanding physically, pitch is relative (good and bad), and if you don't do it right you can hurt yourself; and artistically, as the timbre of the instrument lends itself to expressive playing on a whole order of magnitude above and beyond the fretted electric bass. It's hard and I find myself going from a journeyman status on electric to an noob on upright. Of course the music changes to jazz with soloing, extended walking, etc presenting issues.

Yeah, so I'm a little jammed up here.

 

[Indiana Mike]

I go to work everyday. I am taking fri sat sun off.

 

[HG1180]

I ask this question for myself and to hopefully stave off some boredom for others, I just want to know if there's anything unique or fun that you guys do other than bass that could keep a bored shmuck like me (and countless others) happy during these times of quarantine.

Thanks!

 

[MJ5150]

I ask this question for myself and to hopefully stave off some boredom for others, I just want to know if there's anything unique or fun that you guys do other than bass that could keep a bored shmuck like me (and countless others) happy during these times of quarantine.

Thanks!

This thread is a couple years old, but it'll give you some ideas: Other stuff you like to do besides playing Bass.

-Mike

 

[fhm555]

Today i broke out a bass i used a couple years ago to work 3~4 days a week for a continuous winter, spring, summer, fall and another winter. I wiped it down after work back then but other than a few sets of strings and a touch up on the setup, It got played and put away. I got it out today and it had a lot of random mung all over it and really needed strings so i did a light breakdown cleanup and setup. All i had to go back with was Johnsons floor wax which i used on everything body, pickups, control plate, bridge, neck, etc. anything that needed a shine. It had a lot more scratches and fret wear than i remember but nothing to be worried about. I got the action super low so it's back to almost playing itself. It's ready to go again. All i need now is someone in need of a bass player.

Here it is before during and after.


About to get started.

After waxing. This shows how the satin finish buffed up where my arms rubbed on it. Up close the buffed part looks really good. I thought about buffing the whole thing but I'm too afraid of burn throughs with the thin skin nitro finish.

Fret wear. The wax worked great on the rosewood.

greased and ready to kick azz.

 

[Brad Maestas]

I'm working on processing and posting a huge backlog of photos both film and digital, and I've been spending a lot of time outdoors taking photos with a new DSLR system. I've been mostly a rangefinder and mirrorless shooter since about 2004. I'm getting the hang of taking photos of birds with long lenses and have been shooting insects and plants again with macro lenses.

I've started running again for the first time in many years. I've mainly been a cyclist since high school. My wife and I have started training for half marathons later in the year.

I've also been dedicating a lot of time to practicing with the bow, with my new Roscoe 6 string, and on clarinet, accordion, and 7-string classical guitar, as well as my usual studies and maintenance on 4 and 5 strings.

And I've been working on other languages, keeping my Spanish and Portuguese sharp, expanding my existing French, Italian, and Japanese, and starting Mandarin for the first time.

 

[Yonni]

There's already a thread about what folk are doing during they're additional stay at home time. This is a slightly different angle:

what are you positives or benefits to you during the lockdown?

For me I'm practising GAS the old fashioned way. Before the lockdown I couldn't go past a music store without going in and playing every P bass in there. Several times I nearly came out with basses I shouldn't be buying on 0% finance. Now I'm looking online, reading up and researching a lot more. I have the type, budget, colour etc. nailed and once this us over I'll wait until I find that combination before spending only as much as I have. Just like the old days: if you want it, save up for it.
So my benefit is adjusting my wants to needs ratio. A new and healthier perspective.
What reflections, contemplations, musings and wisdom has the extra thinking time given you?

 

[catcauphonic]

No alarm clock.







Wait... I didn't use one this decade before either

Seriously, I really do enjoy being at home. There's always something to do around our house, as I live with great people and it's where all my somewhat minimal stuff is. My bass station is set up in the living room right next to another mates gong and other hand drums, an 88key weighted keyboard that our landlord just gave me, and several acoustic stringed instruments. The best friend neighbors we share a back porch with have electric guitars and more than one accordian. Our rental house is on a corner lot with a firepit in the front yard, and we love our neighborhood. Did I mention that some of my housemates are mega babes? Plus we have several cats (but they're a little suspicious about all this)

 

[fhm555]

...Now I'm looking online, reading up and researching a lot more. I have the type, budget, colour etc. nailed and once this us over I'll wait until I find that combination before spending only as much as I have. Just like the old days: if you want it, save up for it...

Back when i had to save up to buy gear i thought about it in terms of how long i'd have to eat ramen to get a new bass, amp, etc.

 

[crlujan]

On my own, I've been writing and recording like a man possessed. I've always said that I wish music was my job job and not just what I could fit in when I had time. So, I'm taking every opportunity I can to roll tape.

As for my band, our guitar player moved away last June. But, we still had an album coming out and a few shows on the horizon. We hadn't played together since he left. Our first upcoming gig is in May at SFJAZZ (if it doesn't get postponed). Welp, we got bored and started putting together these little jams where we each build off of the person before us. A lot of people have been asking how we did these thinking that we were doing online rehearsals. But, that's not the case. Too much latency. These were all recorded separately and then edited together. No one knew what the next person was going to add. Enjoy.

 

[notJaco]

On my own, I've been writing and recording like a man possessed. I've always said that I wish music was my job job and not just what I could fit in when I had time. So, I'm taking every opportunity I can to roll tape.

As for my band, our guitar player moved away last June. But, we still had an album coming out and a few shows on the horizon. We hadn't played together since he left. Our first upcoming gig is in May at SFJAZZ (if it doesn't get postponed). Welp, we got bored and started putting together these little jams where we each build off of the person before us. A lot of people have been asking how we did these thinking that we were doing online rehearsals. But, that's not the case. Too much latency. These were all recorded separately and then edited together. No one knew what the next person was going to add. Enjoy.

Man, I shudder to think what this COVID ordeal would be like without the internet. Good for you!

 

[crlujan]

Man, I shudder to think what this COVID ordeal would be like without the internet. Good for you!

I guess I'd just be doing the writing and recording part. Haha... I've been playing my own drums and guitars on stuff lately. So, I'm getting pretty good at faking the whole band thing. But, yes. The internet has connected many a people.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Thinking my Toilet paper stash is increasing in value, while by Bass guitars aren't.

 

[superdick2112]

I work for a water & wastewater district and we are considered essential personnel, so I'm still working full 8-hour days. My wife is a manicurist & is currently out of work per Colorado regulations.
After work I build models, play bass & drums, take neighborhood walks with my wife, and evenings & weekends we are doing movie & TV series marathons - Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, GoT, etc.