Do you ever feel....

[sweet dissonance]

....Like you suck at bass/music in general?

If so, how do you get rid of this feeling? More practice?

[saxofunk]

More practice, jam with people (because playing with people is more fun than playing with yourself) or put it down for a bit but set a date to come back to it.

[jeremy c]

Take more meds.

 

Go play music with people worse than you are.

 

Get asked back to play with people who are better than you are.

[Joe Bloe]

Sit with your bass in your lap, unplugged and play what's in head. Every night. Learn to feel where the notes are on neck. Learn to get what's in your head out of the instrument.

 

By playing unplugged you will concentrate on the notes, your attack, and your ear-hand coordination. If you are a true musician, there are always tunes/riffs playing in your head. Sitting with your axe unplugged will help you to learn how to bring them out and express them.

 

Yeah, you also need to be able to keep a solid beat, play dynamics, sync in with your drummer, etc. But until you can play what's in your head, your playing will be flat and lifeless.

[Bottomgottem]

Keep playing; it will pass.

 

If it doesn't, seek professional help. Take a lesson.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

I got more chops from frequenting the local "open mic" and "open jam" nights then I ever got sitting at home playing the same 10 songs over and over and over and over and over (ad nauseum).

 

Smaller bars and clubs usually allow individuals to pick up other players. Start off easy - 12 bar blues jams, classic 3 chord rock covers. You would be shocked to see how quickly your ear and your playing evolve.

 

Per SOF - find someone(s) else to jam with. You don't need to form a serious gigging band all the time. My "Red Mountain Road Jam Band" will never be a serious project, but the individuals in it are so diverse musically that every get-together is a hoot.

 

Per JC - Some meds are good. More is not necessarily better. Getting asked back to play with people better than you can be a beech. I would tell them I'm the bassist they need in a month, not the one they need right now. A month later all these bands are still looking for a bassist and I'm gigging. Well, all but one. But their drummer ain't so hot.

[Rocky McDougall]

I'm going to tell you something totally different from what you have already read. I have been playing bass for 40+ years and I am more dissatisfied with my playing now than ever before. I think the better you get, the more critical you become of your own playing. You always want to go to a higher level. So.. don't sweat it. It is a very natural feeling and it may not improve. Just enjoy your playing. Play with others as much as you can. Oh Yea, don't forget to practice 8 - 12 hours a day, that may help.

Rocky

[Brocko777]

Why do you feel this way?

Are others telling you this?

Take some lessons with an established teacher in your area.

Tell them your concerns and see what happens.

Remember there is a difference between noodling and practicing.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

....Like you suck at bass/music in general?

If so, how do you get rid of this feeling? More practice?

 

Yeah, I feel like that a fair bit. And then the voice of reason pipes up and tells me I'm just going through a bad patch.

 

Actually, one thing that DOES happen to me is that I pick up the bass and remember playing really well last time. The thing I *don't* usually remember is the half hour or so I spent doing nothing but finger exercises and scales and runs until I was properly warmed up.

 

So I pick up the bass completely cold and wonder why I'm playing like crap. I persevere and then after the warm-up I play as well as ever.

[Ross Brown]

yep. It will pass. Keep playing even if just 10 minutes a day until you get it.

[jcadmus]

Yes.

 

I just walk it off.

[groover]

Yep, I feel that way all the time but I refuse to let it stop me or discourage me in any way. I love playing bass too much to quit.

 

Its funny that I can receive many compliments from fellow band members and have a fairly busy playing schedule but still look at my short comings and all my mistakes and say "I suck!" Then I'll listen to the likes of Jonas Reingold or Tal Wilkenfeld and many others of their caliber and realize even more how much I suck. Still doesn't stop me from playing and loving it.

[b5pilot]

Often. Usually its due to a lack of sleep-alertness and/or preparation for a show. Just practice, get some sleep, and know your limitations. I mean know your strengths and improve them. Not everybody can play everything and every style. It doesn't mean you can't try, but don't discourage yourself if it doesn't come. Also, you may not be as bad as you think you are. I am my own worse critic at times which may be your case. Don't over-analize. Just play and have fun.

[BenLoy]

Practice and gig. But try to live a (if you can) life that would be good with or without music in it. It helps keep things in perspective.

[moot]

Sell your equipment and take up needlepoint.

 

Dude, everybody gets discouraged now and then. It passes.

I agree with the open mic and finding people to jam with - even if they are "worse" than you are. I think once you start doing that you will feel much better about things.

[lug]

Reviews of my playing from other bassists:

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lug

[...]

Rub some dirt on it. Walk it off.

[The Bear Jew]

You're dirt.

[yourlord]

Reviews of my playing from other bassists:

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lug

 

 

That was a laugh riot! Made people around me at work look at me..

[Big Red 67]

Reviews of my playing from other bassists:

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lug

 

 

That was a laugh riot! Made people around me at work look at me..

 

I love that one too. Just keep playing and enjoy yourself.

[EddiePlaysBass]

All the time ... I can hold my own during the band's rehearsals and I'll even change my bass lines around occasionally (although I feel a strong groove is more important in our genre) but lately I hardly make the time to practise.

 

Do note my choice of verb here: make the time to practise. Yes, I realise it's a choice. I changed jobs last week and I have a load of new information and terminology to absorb and process and frankly I was never a good student to begin with. Add to that my strong desire to prove myself in this department, and you'll appreciate that I am really studying myself to hell here. So currently when I come home, all I think about is doing bupkis. Which is detrimental to my chops and my overal ability AND my view of myself as a bass player, but it's a phase and it will pass.

 

Like Rocky though, I seem to feel as if I deteriorate by the years In my mind I was way better years ago. Time to go and retrieve that old rehearsal video of when I was only playing bass for 7 months ...

[5 string Mike]

....Like you suck at bass/music in general?

If so, how do you get rid of this feeling? More practice?

 

Here is what I would do;

 

1) Come to a place like this where you can get some support and encouragement that we have all been there.

 

2) Don't dwell on the feling. It will pass. Take a deep breath and keep your chin up.

 

3) Do your best. It may not sound exactly like Marcus Miller or Jaco or Tal, but it sounds like you. It's not a contest, it's an art form and every artist goes through peaks and valleys in their creative development. Soon, when you are pulling off tight rhythms and funky fills, you will have forgotton about days like this.

 

Good luck,

Mike

[Phil W]

All the time!

 

It's normal. It's about having aspirations about how good you want to get. If 20 years ago I thought I was all that, I'd still be that bad.

 

Still, as you play it, live or in the studio, it's all about confidence so you have to have it or fake it. In the moment, the music always feels great.

 

The other trick is not to compare yourself to others: we are all on our individual roads/paths of bass/music progress.

 

BTW, I love Lug's playing! Really!

[Phil W]

This is good.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=28699228&blogID=362356540

[moot]

BTW, I love Lug's playing! Really!

Ewww! I threw up a little!

[Juancarlin]

Well, in fact it will pass. I even went through a loathsome period on my life in which I was almost totally out from Music (which now I think is an abhorrence, being away that is). However... if it is indeed inside you, you will be able to ind inspiration, either on other layer´s work, or even better, by the musical ideas going in your head. Find time to breathe, most importantly, feed your self esteem so your self image would not depend on your playing or on whatever others may or may not think about you (that´s one of the things I severely questioned myself for... very unfortunately some people choose music for the recognition they would get, or for being the centre of attention, instead of choosing it because they really have the music inside themselves), and once you´ve got it clear that you´re worth no matter how you play, then it´s time to start finding our own musical path. There are lots of styles and sounds, and there is not a "super-bassman" who would reign úber-all as the king, no matter style or sound, there is space for a ton of styles and flavors, and each one has its own step in the ladder. Therefore... if you feel like being in one of the lower steps, don´t worry about not being at the top, but about doing your job, as little as it may seem, the very best you can. A ton of the most effective bass lines in history have been the simplest ones, and that´s a lesson sometimes musicians forget.

 

An aging Maestro here in my country is famous for saying "Play simple, play silly, even play ugly, but PLEASE, play in tune".

[picker]

There was a time when I gave up the guitar to play bass, because I figured I'd never be as good as this local guy I saw. I bought a bass and started playing it.

 

6 weeks later, I saw my guitar leaning against the wall over in the corner, and realized I didn't care if I was as good as that guy, I enjoyed playing the guitar, and I wanted to keep doing it. SO I picked it up and started playing it again.

 

Six weeks later, I saw my bass leaning against the wall in the corner, and realized I loved playing it too, but for different reasons. SO I started dividing my time between them.

 

Both of these realizations were watershed moments in my life. I have never again worried about whether I should keep playing or not, even when I see or hear a musician that leaves me coughing in his smoke. To me, playing my instruments was destiny, something I really believe was set in motion by God from the beginning of time. It was meant to be. I keep playing because I have to. If that wasn't true, I would have left it behind long years ago, the same as I left behind so many other things I used to do and people I used to know. If I never get as good as my heroes, that's beside the point. I play well enough for people to say they enjoy what I do. More importantly, I play well enough to enjoy it myself.

 

I ran across that guy who I thought was so smokin' hot, maybe 20 years later. He had quit playing a few years after I heard him, and he didn't even miss it. Go figure...

 

Only time will tell what your reasons for playing are, and if they are strong enough to keep you playing. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. Enjoy it while you have it, and if you stop enjoying it, go on to whatever you do enjoy. It's cool.

[Nicklab]

....Like you suck at bass/music in general?

If so, how do you get rid of this feeling? More practice?

 

You can ACT LIKE A MAN!!!!

 

http://www.javno.com/slike/slike_3/r1/g2007/m04/x82138246418959171_9.jpg

 

 

Seriously, if you're not having doubts about where you are as a musician, you probably don't care about your progress. The fact that you're questioning your ability means that you've got the capability to be critical of yourself. This is actually a good thing.

 

One thing you might want to consider is a series of short term goals. I'm going to learn how to play THIS song. I'm going to practice for X hours per week. And make them realistic. I know that I want to play like certain rock bassists, and develop my own style as well. I know that I can't play anything like what Victor Wooten is doing, and while that can be discouraging on it's own, I think I'm headed well towards my own personal goals.

 

So try to set some realistic goals for yourself. Or get a teacher who can help you set those goals. That way you can keep yourself motivated to getting better as a player.

[jlrush]

Don't sweat it man, we're all our own worst critic. The funny thing is, that your friend that you may think is so much better than you, will find things about your playing that will inspire him, just like he inspires you.

Another thing that most of us have to be concerned with is everyday life. Most of us can't play for our bread and butter, so it can be hard to find the time for practice. If motivation is an issue then get some lessons. That will give you a goal to shoot for.

[lug]

 

 

BTW, I love Lug's playing! Really!

 

Drugs is a turrible thing.