rockinredneck69 Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Some seem interested in where I've been and how its all going so here is an update. If I bore ya or piss you off, just right click on your mouse...I've been in a serious funk lately. I don't know what the deal is, its been a struggle just pick up and play and it seemed to start the day I brought home the combo I bought from my teacher. I know its a matter of realizing that I need to work harder and not always having the time with the priorities of longer hours at work and family/summertime stacking up, but all still kicks me in the ass when I think about it. I'm working on getting into a routine of practicing scales and walking basslines since that is where I'm lacking skill. I'm really itching to get out there and play, but with working swingshift that is a hard goal to pursue, but I figure that is just as well, hopefully once I feel confident in my skill it will be something that I'll go after wholeheartedly. At any rate, I've been lurking a bit, just spending more of my time playing. Donnie Peterson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Recognize that there are times in your life where other priorities step in. You're not doing this for a living. As to the funk, that's inside you. Others here have suggested that deadlines/commitments can help drive you out of it. I'd suggest that you find someone to play with. Church, folk guitarist also on the 2nd shift, guy down the block, whatever. You don't need a gig - just a time to play. It'll put some fun into it! Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassplayer5217 Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 If you're having good weather, play outside! That always gets me psyched if I am ever down. .~. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Find some music to get excited about and try to learn it on your bass...that should get your intrerest back up. Or just take some time to listen to music and explore bass without an instrument in your hands...sometimes your mind will have an easier time breaking through technical problems you may have while you're just walking down the street and thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Originally posted by BenLoy: Find some music to get excited about and try to learn it on your bass...that should get your intrerest back up. Or just take some time to listen to music and explore bass without an instrument in your hands...sometimes your mind will have an easier time breaking through technical problems you may have while you're just walking down the street and thinking about it.This is very sage advice, from a very good player. Take heed of both these pearls of wisdom, sez I... I was actually in a playing slump for quite a while, many months. The new material I am learning for a new band has made me bust ass again, and I am diggin' it. Try focussing less on the technical, "scales and stuff" theory. Grab your bass and play anything. Play with the TV, along with the radio. Sit outside with your bass and play to the rythyms around you, to the music from passing cars, whatever. Don't worry so much about the stuff you can't play yet the way you want. Just enjoy the playing you do, and the rest should follow. We've all been there. I hope you have a shorter slump than I did, but I'm sure you'll recover. You're a bass player. Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinredneck69 Posted August 24, 2004 Author Share Posted August 24, 2004 Thanks guys! Each of you gave advice that is much needed. It seems in retrospect that I've been being to hard on myself since I got the new equipment as my flaws are so much more "amplified", but then so too are the things I do well. Should have posted my quandry a month earlier really, as it seems it was the first step in digging down to get out of my "funk". You guys rule. Donnie Peterson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred TBP Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 We're all here for you, rr69! Been there, been under, over and through it, and what's the point of a forum if you can't reach out to your brothers for a little support? I concur with TC's view on priorities. Sometimes you have to pay the bills, suck it in when the boss uses you as a whipping post or the rest of the world has to interrupt your time because their problems just can't wait. The skills you learn in dealing with life are even more important than learning your instrument. You'll need them when you'll inevitably deal with the loud drunk in the audience or the club owner that stiffs you at 3am after the last set. By the way, your health and well-being are priorities as well. If you're not together, how can you be there for others? If you can't find the time, isolate the non-essential "priorities" or learn to combine them, such as playing bass while watching TV. It's all a test of your inner self. Being honest with yourself is the first step. If you really, REALLY want to play bass, make it happen in your heart and mind first. The rest will fall in place. Just watch what happens later. wraub, ben, TC: y'all make me proud to be a damn Yankee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 redneckoftherockingtype, Just keep on rocking. Everyone gets into a funk; some are good funks and some are bad. Play through it. Maury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshappi Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Hey RR69! Slumps happen man, don't let it get you down. You've been given some great advice here try some of it and see what works for you. Sometimes you may find that you just need to take a complete break from music stuff for awhile, don't sweat it, it happens to all of us. As for the swing shift, I understand your frustration. I work swings so I know how it can really cramp your style.I am working with two bands and can only get together on the weekends. The problem is that I have family and other commitments that require my attention on the weekends as well. It can be a real juggling act that's for sure! The key is to be open with your family so that they understand your passion for music and that it is important to you but not moreso than them. Get into the habit of closely manageing your time to avoid conflicts and keep your priorities straight, like TomC said, you're not doing this for a living. I actually keep all this stuff in a planner and review it with my wife each week so that I don't forget important events. This is important for me because in addition to all the work related things, I play in two bands, take bass lessons, am in college for my Business degree, train in medieval martial arts and have family obligations as well! Believe me, if people didn't call me by name all day long I'd forget what it was! Hang in there man, you'll be A-okay! Cheers! Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Originally posted by BenLoy: Find some music to get excited about and try to learn it on your bass...that should get your intrerest back up. Or just take some time to listen to music and explore bass without an instrument in your hands...sometimes your mind will have an easier time breaking through technical problems you may have while you're just walking down the street and thinking about it.The dynamic Benloy my friends. He speaks the Truth. I personally find this exact thing to be the inspiration I need to play/practice sometimes. The other thing I find very highly inspiring is to go out and see a band that I like. Hearing musicians play that make me go "wow" is incredibly inspiring and it just makes me want to run home and practice nonstop. Do it. Do it. Tab and Jack. Do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinredneck69 Posted August 25, 2004 Author Share Posted August 25, 2004 Originally posted by getz76: redneckoftherockingtype Man, that made me giggle...I really oughtta change my name to that! Thanks again you all for the support. The sad thing is that it seems that I've read it before in other threads so, thanks for repeating yourselves for me! The last couple of days have been for listening only. When I'm done here I'm gonna blindly grab a disc off the shelf and plug in with headphones and simply listen. Tomorrow morning I think would be a good time to talk to the wife about this and then duck when she goes to slap the back of me thick head...then crank out some fun basslines to whatever I feel led to crank out. Every single one of you have given me some solid advice that I will use! I really liked the thought of sitting out on me porch and playing just for the relaxation idea of it. The getting-back-to-what-makes-ya-enjoy-music reminder that Ben pointed out is a real kick in the ass, as it is too easy to get into the frame of mind that music is almost more about perfection than enjoyment and, ohhhh yeah...I don't make a living doing this so quit being so damn serious about it! I was stumped just a bit with the "tab and jack" referance though...I'm thinkin' maybe I just need to mix a drink and chill out?!? I went with that frame of mind and it did wonders! But not with that particular recipe...but thats neither here nor there. Donnie Peterson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FClef Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Time to play the blues RR. Nothing can get me out of a funk like playing the blues! Start out with some down home lost my darling so I am going to crawl into the bottle and my life sucks blues. Then move quickly to something with a more rocking tempo. The nice thing about the blues is that they always make you feel better. Best of luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a boy named sue Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 As to the funk, that's inside you. Others here have suggested that deadlines/commitments can help drive you out of it. I'd suggest that you find someone to play with. Church, folk guitarist also on the 2nd shift, guy down the block, whatever. You don't need a gig - just a time to play. It'll put some fun into it! Listen to some Johny Cash. I've been "a bit low" for quite a while (like 8 months) -- kinda par for the course for us PhD students...anyway I bought "man in black" yesterday and now feel fine*, happy even I sang along for 2-3 hours. When my wife finally got me to stop, I went and played keys for 2-3 hours. This mightn't seem that odd, except that I can't really play keys...just funked it up on a minor pentatonic with the metronome on a clav. tone...sweet. This could also have something to do with an interview for a job next tuesday... the bassist formerly known as tom rivet * results may vary between listeners! A man is not usually called upon to have an opinion of his own talents at all; he can very well go on improving them to the best of his ability without deciding on his own precise niche in the temple of Fame. -- C.S.Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Sometimes we, the musicians of the world, get too caught up in the mechanics of music and stop appreciating what music is. Music isn't notes, melodies, tempos, groove, riffs, tone knobs, bass boost, speaker cabinets, surge protectors, chord changes, scales, arpeggios, gigs, promo kits, groupies, syncopation, phrasing, distortion, overdubbing, preamps, pickups, roundwounds, flatwounds, hardshell cases, lessons, plug-ins, DAW's, or any of the thousand and one other technical things that occupy our minds. Look at people enjoying the hell out of themselves at a concert or just listening to their walkman or their MP3 player. That don't have a clue what a graphite neck is, they just know that the music kicks ass, that it communicates to them in a unique way that makes them feel really good inside. Remind yourself to experience music the way that a novice does - purely, honestly, free from any ideas about gear or technique or performance anxiety. And realize that YOU are one of the minority of people who can actually CREATE this awesome, spiritual feeling. But don't think too much about it. Thinking is fine when we're learning new concepts, but it shouldn't become the dictator of our waking lives. Music is emotion, a codification of the human experience. Live the human experience and let the music be what that experience allows it to be. That's all. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinredneck69 Posted August 27, 2004 Author Share Posted August 27, 2004 I think you nailed it there Dan! Donnie Peterson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44 hurts Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 Dan: Thank you for your post. As a newbie that has not hooked up with a band or even regular sessions with others, what you said is just what I needed to hear. I have gotten so wound up in the mechanics of what I have been learning and in trying to keep up with the pace set by my teacher, that I had forgotten that I started the lessons because I love music, making music, and the beautiful sound of the bass line. Thank you very much. Don't look back. You never know what might be gaining on you. - Terry Pratchett: Going Postal A good bass player knows the notes not to play. - Nick St. Nicholas John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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