Evil Undead Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 is a bit of a problem lately I think I've just decided that I suck at bass and will never really be any good, but that's never bothered me before I've always known that! So how do you guys deal with crisis in confidence, lack of motivation, generic laziness etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) It happens to us all at some point. I've always found that the best thing to do is to find some new music to enthuse you again. Have a look through some of the "songs" threads or "players" threads and see if you find something you like... or maybe the spotify playlist thread Hopefully, you'll find some new practice songs and maybe a player who you've never seen who really makes you want to practice hard again. Edited March 20, 2011 by skej21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 A big valve amp and a pretty bass inspires me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='Evil Undead' post='1169868' date='Mar 20 2011, 07:38 PM']is a bit of a problem lately I think I've just decided that I suck at bass and will never really be any good, but that's never bothered me before I've always known that! So how do you guys deal with crisis in confidence, lack of motivation, generic laziness etc?[/quote] I know just how you feel. It does pass though! I think that when we learn things or develop skills our ability doesn't go up in a nice straight line, but rather in steps. Sometimes we're all on the flat bit of the step..... Assuming that you play in some kind of band, why not make a comittment to playing live? Maybe somewhere you haven't been before or with new material? I find that works for me. If it wasn't for the pressure of a looming gig I'm sure I'd find it hard to practise. Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Most of us don't we are all on here all night! Who needs to be good when you can just tell everyone on the net that you are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) As Len above said, nothing like the pressure of upcoming gigs or rehearsals to keep you on your toes ... Lately I've always had pressure to learn new songs as I seem to be doing a lot of gigs right now with various outfits, so its playing through songs practice Always keeping some favorites songs on the burner to learn, regardless of if they are for a real situation or not If your bored, and not motivated by theory or technique practice, then find a band that suits your level and throw yourself into it If you already have a band, then introduce some stuff that will get you going Edited March 20, 2011 by lojo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='Evil Undead' post='1169868' date='Mar 20 2011, 07:38 PM']is a bit of a problem lately I think I've just decided that I suck at bass and will never really be any good, but that's never bothered me before I've always known that! So how do you guys deal with crisis in confidence, lack of motivation, generic laziness etc?[/quote] Perhaps this is where your sore hand is coming from? You're stuck in a bit of a loop, you lack motivation to practice therefore you are losing confidence and lack the motivation to practice... Fixing either one of those problems will fix the other one! Lack of motivation can be awkward because it may be rooted in a number of other things going on in your life that you can't do anything about. If you're confident enough to share your perceived ack of confidence with a group of people you've never met, then perhaps that's the ohe you need to attack first. Have a look around your local area for a 'plug and play' night. Go along and see what they're like - there'll be a whole bunch of people with less musical ability than yourself and some who are far better. The 'better' one's are generally enthusiastic and supportive and rarely condescending or arrogant. Watch them all play and work out where you are in that mix of people. Once you've been a couple of times... turn up armed with your bass and show them what you can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Just sitting down to practice now. What has really helped over the last few years is using software like Cubase and a USB audio interface. This means i can get a midi file | import it into the software | remove the bass and fill in the bass parts myself! Ok some of the midis are naff but i strip them down to just drums and piano and then play over that. Of course it helps that i am learning some jazz tunes at the moment so theres a shed load of music around (Real Books) to help and piano and drums is all you need a lot of the time. I think its natural to hit brick walls - the fun starts when/if you manage to overcome them. Another thing that might re-inspire you is to get a teacher. Careful though as anyone can call themselves a teacher. Maybe post on the teaching thread to see if there is someone in your area who might be able to help. Set yourself some goals. I wasted about 10 years practicing without a plan and wish i had been more disciplined. Never too late though. One thing to bear in mind is that there are a lot of people i meet who say "it must be great being in a band. i used to play bass and gave up. wish i hadn't". Do you want to be saying that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1169903' date='Mar 20 2011, 07:55 PM']Who needs to be good when you can just tell everyone on the net that you are? [/quote] I'm [s]brilliant[/s] [s]superb[/s] [s]fantastic[/s] [s]reasonable[/s] [s]ok[/s] ok on tuesdays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Are you in a band? If not join one. If you are, and you have no motivation then it's probably the wrong one for you. Join one that makes you want to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='BottomE' post='1169963' date='Mar 20 2011, 08:21 PM']Just sitting down to practice now. What has really helped over the last few years is using software like Cubase and a USB audio interface. This means i can get a midi file | import it into the software | remove the bass and fill in the bass parts myself! Ok some of the midis are naff but i strip them down to just drums and piano and then play over that. Of course it helps that i am learning some jazz tunes at the moment so theres a shed load of music around (Real Books) to help and piano and drums is all you need a lot of the time. I think its natural to hit brick walls - the fun starts when/if you manage to overcome them. Another thing that might re-inspire you is to get a teacher. Careful though as anyone can call themselves a teacher. Maybe post on the teaching thread to see if there is someone in your area who might be able to help. Set yourself some goals. I wasted about 10 years practicing without a plan and wish i had been more disciplined. Never too late though. One thing to bear in mind is that there are a lot of people i meet who say "it must be great being in a band. i used to play bass and gave up. wish i hadn't". Do you want to be saying that?[/quote] What is this cubase & midi file you speak of? I have a USB audio interface (Pod GX with Pod Farm) but definitely would be cool to be able to remove bass tracks from my favourite songs and add my own line in! I already feel like I started this too late... didn't start playing bass until I was 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='BigRedX' post='1169972' date='Mar 20 2011, 08:30 PM']Are you in a band? If not join one. If you are, and you have no motivation then it's probably the wrong one for you. Join one that makes you want to play.[/quote] Yep, in a gigging band and I absolutely love it. Classic rock covers, great band members. Maybe I don't feel terribly challenged by the material, but I on the other hand am too easily frustrated when I attempt to challenge myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='Evil Undead' post='1169973' date='Mar 20 2011, 08:32 PM']What is this cubase & midi file you speak of? I have a USB audio interface (Pod GX with Pod Farm) but definitely would be cool to be able to remove bass tracks from my favourite songs and add my own line in! I already feel like I started this too late... didn't start playing bass until I was 27 [/quote] Never ever too late. Thats tosh. [url="http://www.cubase.com/home/"]Cubase website[/url] Its a bit daunting at first but worth every penny IMHO. That said there are probably easier and cheaper (possibly free) alternatives around. I just got used to Cubase and it does everything i need. Midi files are tiny little files that you can get a lot of the time for nothing. They contain instructions that tell your hardware/software what and how to play certain tracks in a song. You don't need to be an expert at Midi to use them. I just import them - they show up in Cubase as a seperate track for each instrument - drums, bass, guitars, keys etc. I then delete all the stuff i don't want (takes a minute) and then use the remaining tracks to jam along to. Sorry it sounds complicated but it isn't really. If i can do it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 I think that's a myth that you need to be constantly challenging yourself musically. There's nothing wrong with coasting for a while if the music you're playing is emotionally satisfying. Do you compose? I find my greatest leaps forward in skill occur when I come up with an idea for a song that I can't immediately play. Motivation to improve and creativity all in one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumbo Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Having a jam with some musicians I've not played with before, or haven't played with in quite some time always makes a difference for me. Maybe that's worth a try? Playing with different people can often shed a different light on the way you're playing, and in turn this can give you more energy to work on some aspects of your playing in your own time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='icastle' post='1169962' date='Mar 20 2011, 08:21 PM']Perhaps this is where your sore hand is coming from?[/quote] Hmm, I wonder if this is the case? Lack of playing leading to loss of hand strength... sore hand leading to not wanting to play as much... vicious circle perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Another thing i wanted to add about recording yourself is that at first you realise that your timing, rhythm, technique, quantity of notes and note choice aren't perhaps as good on playback as they sounded when you were playing live. I can't stress enough what a good thing this is though as it will really tidy up your playing and you will be able to construct lines that suit a piece of music. IMHO recording yourself is one of the best tools to use when you practice. And of course having a good band in which to play your new lines is even better. Right, back to Cubase... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 If you're lacking motivation then it may be that the rest of your band feel the same so it may be worth asking them if they want to add some new material to give you something to focus on. Just an idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 [quote name='Evil Undead' post='1170066' date='Mar 20 2011, 09:28 PM']Hmm, I wonder if this is the case? Lack of playing leading to loss of hand strength... sore hand leading to not wanting to play as much... vicious circle perhaps?[/quote] Yep. Obviously it's a bit of a guess - I've never met you and know nothing about you as a person, but that was my first thought when I saw this post after your other one about having a sore hand. Have a ponder and see if it was an accurate guess. If so, knowing where the problem has come from is a great first step towards putting it right because at least you'll know which direction to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 If you are finding it a struggle, get something to work on and make a point of picking up the bass and practising it every day. Some time this needs discipline like everything else so set aside some time. The idea is to see and feel the stride you have made over a short period of time. You do need some inspiration material though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 What about going for lessons? It'll give you new material to work on (not learning songs-this should be done seperately)and can probably help to sort out your hand pain by working on your technique. Also,changing your listening habits might give you some inspiration to practice. I don't know what you normally listen to,but you say that you play classic rock. Listen to something totally different-jazz,country,pop,whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) Some great suggestions here, which mostly focus on [i]doing something[/i]. Perhaps you could try doing [i]nothing[/i]. Take the pressure off for a while. I regularly put the bass down for a couple of weeks and do other things - not necessarily musically related. When I come back, I quite often play some stuff and think "Blimey, I didn't know I could do that." It's like the brain's being mulling things over in the background. The other advantage to doing nothing is it involves absolutely no investment of time, effort or money. Edited March 21, 2011 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Learn to read music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Lack of motivation is a difficult one to address at times. I've been suffering from an almost total lack of motivation since I stopped gigging/left my last band. Even going to Bass Day 2011 didn't fire me up (quite the opposite if anything). I don't want to join another band/start gigging again, I don't write, I've very little interest in learning new techniques etc, however, I love the bass and have done for 30 years so am determined not to give up completely. My latest idea therefore is to put myself in for some bass exams i.e. RGT and see if this will revive my interest, plug a few gaps in my knowledge etc. Not for everyone I realise, just a diferent angle on playing/learning bass I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='1170537' date='Mar 21 2011, 12:26 PM']Some great suggestions here, which mostly focus on [i]doing something[/i]. Perhaps you could try doing [i]nothing[/i]. Take the pressure off for a while. I regularly put the bass down for a couple of weeks and do other things - not necessarily musically related. When I come back, I quite often play some stuff and think "Blimey, I didn't know I could do that." It's like the brain's being mulling things over in the background. The other advantage to doing nothing is it involves absolutely no investment of time, effort or money. [/quote] I found exactly this a few weeks. I'd been practising maybe up to 5 evenings out of 7 but then put the bass down for just over a week (not that long I know) and when I came back to it I felt really rather refreshed. Played a few riffs that I'd been struggling with and really nailed them. Another incentive is the Mrs says she's watching crumby soaps tonight, so I'll be practising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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