What is your most difficult challenge in playing bass.

[baileyboy]

Just wondering what everyone struggles with the most in bass world. Speed, theory, fills, gear? How about y'all?

Speed. My index finger can become lethargic and irritated during gigs... playing songs with straight 8th notes has become difficult the last few years.

 

[Allan Allan]

Finding the time to actually play the bass.

I guarantee you have the time somewhere, even 30 minutes is better than nothing.

Step 1: Put phone down
Step 2: Pick up bass

 

[Koog]

Singing lead and playing.

Improv solos.

 

[edencab]

1) I play 95% finger style, so trying to learn better pick style...a few of our songs mostly I just play on the E with a pick and and can move up and down the neck ok, but for me, I have a hard time moving well across the strings, as I miss or hit the wrong one at the wrong time and haven't figured the coordination to mute, so notes ring out when they aren't supposed to...

2) half my rolodex "cue cards are written as CDFGx2 CFGFx4 etc and the other as 0353 0350 tab style depending on my learning curve and how/when I learned the songs (all originals)

3) I understand the basics of theory/scales but don't really "know" them well enough to play on the fly...If our BL said lets play this in a diff key, I'd need to write it out 1st, no way I could do it on my own at tempo


...sigh

 

[LBS-bass]

Speed and technical accuracy. I can hear, I know where my fingers are supposed to go, but if it's fast I have a challenge getting there and making it sound good.

 

[Chad Michael]

My difficult challenge = Motivation to practice, when I have no gig pending.

Gig in the future? Kick the tires and light the fires. I'm on it.

No gig pending? Crickets chirp while the riggin collects dust.

 

[Stewie]

Trying to remember where we put all the punches and pauses

 

[thabassmon]

After moving to a new town, my biggest challenge is finding other players good enough to play with.

While this comes across as egotistical, I swear it's not. I know way too many players from where I use to live that I think are incredible and inspirational players.

I met all this towns local legends and while the guitar player is really nice, the others are really overconfident and in reality average.

I even went so far as to audition to be the lead guitarist for the local "legend" bass player (his band). I got the gig, but I could only tolerate a few rehearsals before I quit, they were that bad. He even told me "wow, you play way better than the "local legend guitarist". I thanked him for the compliment but thought to myself even my dad plays better than the "local legend guitarist".

There are some good but unfocused singers, and that about it.

So for gigs I travel out of town to the capital city (where I use to live) just so I can hear and play with good players.

By far my biggest challenge, jamming with the locals feel like having an in depth discussion about philosophy with toddlers.

 

[Biggbass]

Not smiling enough

 

[punchdrunk]

Not overplaying

 

[LBS-bass]

After moving to a new town, my biggest challenge is finding other players good enough to play with.

While this comes across as egotistical, I swear it's not. I know way too many players from where I use to live that I think are incredible and inspirational players.

I met all this towns local legends and while the guitar player is really nice, the others are really overconfident and in reality average.

I even went so far as to audition to be the lead guitarist for the local "legend" bass player. I got the gig, but I could only tolerate a few rehearsals before I quit, they were that bad. He even told me "wow, you play way better than the "local legend guitarist". I thanked him for the compliment but thought to myself even my dad plays better the "local legend guitarist".

This is the problem with moving to a small town. The local talent pool is pretty thin. I came up in music on the east coast, was based in the DC area for most of that time and we'd travel all up and down the coast from the Outer Banks to NYC. Never any problem finding talent in an area like that, but man, out here where I am now it's a whole different ball game. And I'm really just a hack at what I do; I can't imagine how hard it is for people who are much better than me.

 

[trevcda]

After moving to a new town, my biggest challenge is finding other players good enough to play with.

While this comes across as egotistical, I swear it's not. I know way too many players from where I use to live that I think are incredible and inspirational players.

I met all this towns local legends and while the guitar player is really nice, the others are really overconfident and in reality average.

I even went so far as to audition to be the lead guitarist for the local "legend" bass player. I got the gig, but I could only tolerate a few rehearsals before I quit, they were that bad. He even told me "wow, you play way better than the "local legend guitarist". I thanked him for the compliment but thought to myself even my dad plays better the "local legend guitarist".

There are some good but unfocu

Same here. Finding players that not only want to be challenged by the material, but are up to that challenge. Even players that want to schlock their way through material that's been done to death, can't be bothered learn it correctly. It's frustrating.

 

[9c1ny]

to be content with the bass and equipment I have and to devote some of the time I spend window shopping online to practicing more

 

[jdthebassman]

playing with others that don't have natural time and don't have groove or pocket

 

[thabassmon]

This is the problem with moving to a small town. The local talent pool is pretty thin. I came up in music on the east coast, was based in the DC area for most of that time and we'd travel all up and down the coast from the Outer Banks to NYC. Never any problem finding talent in an area like that, but man, out here where I am now it's a whole different ball game. And I'm really just a hack at what I do; I can't imagine how hard it is for people who are much better than me.

Same here. Finding players that not only want to be challenged by the material, but are up to that challenge. Even players that want to schlock their way through material that's been done to death, can't be bothered learn it correctly. It's frustrating.

That is exactly it. I can happily play in styles that aren't my preference but when the time is all over the show, constant mistakes on material that isn't really that isn't more than "my first guitar" kind of tunes. You start questioning their reputations.

Positive part, I often get sent other peoples tunes to arrange and record additional parts now more than ever.

 

[InhumanResource]

Finding the time to actually play the bass.

This is every problem I have right now. By the time I am done work, feeding and bathing kids, bedtime, etc we are both FRIED. I used to be able to stay up later than my wife to do my own stuff at night, practice bass, read or catch up on movies etc but I just can't do it anymore.

 

[dkelley]

My family

 

[PlatoFunFactory]

If I am not 100% focused, I too easily lose my place in a song. The easier the song, the more easily it happens.

Also, I've spent most of my bass-playing life playing geometric patterns on the fretboard, but I'm finally learning more about musical theory and thinking in terms of notes and chord structure. Right now I feel like I have one foot in one way of playing and another in the other. It's not as comfortable as when I was just basically playing a shape.

 

[dkelley]

Ok yea, besides my family (lots of levels of complexity there).... singing lead and playing moderately complex bass parts at the same time - it's my damned Kryptonite.

And I'm the lead singer and bassist of my band. So.... I REALLY need to continue to improve this LoL.

 

[Runnerman]

Currently....probably muting and string noise on the technique side. Been focusing a ton on that.