sonofabill Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Anyone else have this issue? I can rarely get to practicing my bass until 9:30/10 PM because I have to get my kids to bed then do other family duties at night before I get "my time".... but I pretty much have to go to bed by 11:30 to avoid being a zombie at work the next day.... I've been finding lately, the better the practice I have, the more trouble I have falling asleep... I was lying awake til 1 last night..... anyone have any recommended cool down advice? "We'll learn ALL from EVERYONE"
Richard W Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I'm usually pretty charged up after band rehearsal, which runs until 10pm, but generally just relax with a book or watching tv for about half an hour or so. "Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Leo Tolstoy
Ross Brown Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Honestly..?.... I would find a time earlier. Make it your time. Whatever you have to do. 30 minutes... an hour, whatever but don't do it when everthing else is done. That's not fair. Think of it this way... if you could make $40,000 everytime you spent 30 minutes eariler in the evening each day not doing "family things" would you be able to find "that" time? Just my 2 cents. I have been there... years ago... never going back.... "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown
Richard W Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I would find a time earlier. Make it your time. Whatever you have to do. 30 minutes... an hour, whatever but don't do it when everthing else is done. Agree. My main daily practice time is between 6:00am and 6:30--no other distractions available. I get up at 5:00am. No one else in the house is up until after 6:30am. I know this is early and I'm not a natural early riser--just force myself to do it. "Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Leo Tolstoy
fingertalkin Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I agree with finding an earlier time but not because you need "your" time. I find it difficult to sleep after doing anything that I need to focus on. If I am just playing along with songs and half arsing around that is one thing, but if I am trying to play a difficult passage or concentrate on something, I need to decompress before trying to sleep. If the bass is your means to making a living for your family, then it is your job and you go to "work" when you practice and the family waits. How do you sign a computer screen?
sonofabill Posted March 10, 2011 Author Posted March 10, 2011 No, I have a day job and the second I get home I get the kids from daycare and I literally can't get time til almost 10 PM, its just the way it goes.... anyway, I'm going to get back into reading after.... thx all.... "We'll learn ALL from EVERYONE"
Nicklab Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 It's an adrenaline rush. You're getting physically excited by the act of playing the bass, and you're having a difficult coming down from that. I used to have trouble with getting to sleep after gigs because of this very problem. And this sort of thing has led more than a few musicians to develop substance abuse problems because they're trying to come down after a gig. So basically, you need to find a way to relax and bring yourself down from that rush without doing harm to yourself. Relaxation methods can run the gamut. Yoga can be pretty good. Or some kind of meditation. But maybe you should just try a glass of warm milk. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..."
Ross Brown Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 After a gig I take a while to fall asleep, even though physically tired. Warm milk is a good idea. I do that too. Morning practice is a great idea. "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown
J. Dan Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 I don't have problem after practicing at all. But after gigs is a big problem. After being so wound up all night, then being in a big hurry busting down the equipment, getting out of there, then loading it in the house, I really need some time to wind down. Usually about an hour or so - which sucks when I have to usher at the 8am service on Sunday morning, but at least that's only 4 months out of the year. Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.
Graham56 Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 I find a hot shower last thing at night can relax both body and head. I never have trouble sleeping after that. After a gig is more problematic as the noise of showering at 3am would disturb the family. I normally end up drinking tea for a while at the guitarist's house when we drop the PA and his gear there. Our drummer ends up watching old comedy shows on DVD when he gets home. It's not exactly the full-throttle rock'n'roll lifestyle is it... Cheers Graham www.talkingstrawberries.com - for rocking' blues, raw and fresh!
Chad Thorne Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 It's an adrenaline rush. You're getting physically excited by the act of playing the bass, and you're having a difficult coming down from that.This. Good news, IMO; it means you're loving what you're doing. I second all the suggestions about relaxation strategies. Just don't read books about music. It won't help. :grin:
jeremy c Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 What about falling asleep while practicing? I've seen that happen. Free download of my cd!.
Wally Malone Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 Just started back playing since my shoulder surgery and have played some for the last four nights. I've been doing it at 11 p.m. for a half-hour to forty-five minutes. At midnight I've been watching two half-hour episodes of Whose Line is It Anyway and find having a few laughs before going to bed really helps me to sleep. Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
Ross Brown Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 If your wife is up to it, a little foolin around can help you sleep too.... Nothin sexier than waking her up after coming home from a gig at three in the morning smelling of smoke... give it a try. (good luck.....) "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown
Michele C. Posted March 14, 2011 Posted March 14, 2011 If your wife is up to it, a little foolin around can help you sleep too.... Never managed to make that happen back from gigs, Always dreamt it would happen driving home. -- Michele Costabile (http://proxybar.net)
Stuart Clayton Posted March 17, 2011 Posted March 17, 2011 What about falling asleep while practicing? I've seen that happen. Haha, I fell asleep on a gig once...and continued playing for about four bars before waking up again and realising that something very strange had happened! I do most of my practice late at night, and if it's gone particularly well I find my head is buzzing still when I get into bed. Takes me ages to fall asleep as well. Stu www.basslinepublishing.com
b5pilot Posted March 17, 2011 Posted March 17, 2011 Haha, I fell asleep on a gig once...and continued playing for about four bars before waking up again and realising that something very strange had happened!Stu Yeah, so have I once. I practice whenever I find the time and the motivation. Still, I have very little trouble falling to sleep after gigs or a late practice. I don't get enough sleep as it is so falling asleep is not much of a problem. My favorite time is in the morning on the weekends when I'm the freshest if I've had no gig the preceeding night. Otherwise late morning on the weekend. Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.