How does your bass make you feel

[Lozz196]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1476487376' post='3154822']
After 50 years it's always a blast. It's never been a chore and never will be.

How could gigging ever be a chore?

Blue
[/quote]

Pretty much nailed it for there too, Blue, though in my case it`s 35 years.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Lozz196

[Chaos Daveo]

Alive.

It helps being in a band I love being in, nothing better.

[Funky Dunky]

It is my oxygen. It nourishes me and sustains me. It is a magic wand that can temporarily stave off depression, and heal pain like nothing else can. It releases the same kind of rush as love and sex, and feels every bit as magical. Time stops. Wounds heal. There is no rain, no pain, no storms, no sorrow, no outside world after the first five/ten minutes with the bass in my hands. I'm a scientist, in his lab until the wee small hours of the morning, experimenting and searching, lost in the process, knowing the answers I seek are in there somewhere. I'm a traveller whose destination is unknown, content to explore the roads and learn about the world. I am a pretentious cretin, over-poeticising my relationship with a lump of wood.

It can be frustrating at times - but then, everything wonderful is the same. I love the bass. It has definitely changed my life for the better.

[Nathan1709]

I really enjoy playing and quite often find myself getting lost in the music when I'm jamming or trying to come up with a line. Sometimes I sit there for hours playing without realising!

[thebrig]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I absolutely love playing my bass, but taken from AdamWoodBass's post:[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]It calms me, inspires me, frustrates me, excites me and drives me crazy all at the same time. [/font][/color]

[JonesTheCat]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1476462904' post='3154606']
In our old gits five-some, I play rhythm guitar, alto sax and tenor sax.
[/quote]


All at once?

[timmo]

It makes me feel inadequate. I feel sorry for it, because it deserves someone who can play it better than me. I am at a stage where I prefer theory than playing.

[Cato]

[quote name='JonesTheCat' timestamp='1476648294' post='3156004']



All at once?
[/quote]

Many years ago I saw Fun Loving Criminals live and on a couple of songs the bass player was hammering on notes with his left hand whilst simultaneously playing the trumpet.

Could be something for Andyjr1515 to aspire to?

Edited October 16, 2016 by Cato

[seashell]

Makes me feel powerful, passionate, exhillerated. Can't put it into words, but if you listen to the Beatles ' She's so Heavy' ... that's how it makes me feel.

[josie]

Playing with other people - whether it's a gig or a private practice or jam - when it's right, that feeling of being the backbone of a living creature is the best in the world. Ever.

Practising alone - I constantly say to myself what I say to the young people I support with mental health problems, "You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable". Meaning that you have to be able to push yourself and grow. If I spend an hour noodling through scales and riffs that I already know, it's kind of fun, but kind of boring, and I end up cross with myself for shirking any real learning. If I spend half an hour working on just one transition in a song I'm trying to learn (or write), it can be grotty and frustrating, but there's a huge satisfaction from knowing that I'm making progress even if it's slow.

Another way of interpreting "how does your bass make you feel?" is - every time I even pick up my first and favourite, there is still a visceral surge of gratitude that she feels so much part of me, and that I can actually do this, after 45 years of believing that I couldn't.

[Kiwi]

I feel like I'm piloting a sound tsunami.

[RockfordStone]

when i'm at the mic with my bass i feel godlike...... other times i feel like i'm just going trough the motions to achieve aforementioned godliness

[chriswareham]

"How does your bass make you feel?"

Moist.

[Japhet]

It's one of the only things I've ever done in life where people clap and cheer and whistle and ask for more. I hope to carry on doing it for a while longer.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Japhet

[Marc S]

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1476553309' post='3155192']
It is my oxygen. It nourishes me and sustains me. It is a magic wand that can temporarily stave off depression, and heal pain like nothing else can. It releases the same kind of rush as love and sex, and feels every bit as magical. Time stops. Wounds heal. There is no rain, no pain, no storms, no sorrow, no outside world after the first five/ten minutes with the bass in my hands. I'm a scientist, in his lab until the wee small hours of the morning, experimenting and searching, lost in the process, knowing the answers I seek are in there somewhere. I'm a traveller whose destination is unknown, content to explore the roads and learn about the world. I am a pretentious cretin, over-poeticising my relationship with a lump of wood.

It can be frustrating at times - but then, everything wonderful is the same. I love the bass. It has definitely changed my life for the better.
[/quote]

Great answer
I too love playing bass. This is my second spell, and after a very long break - I'm so glad I came back to playing bass...
The flip side is, as Conan points out, the downside can be playing in bands with other musicians. Mostly it's OK, I've found several bands & duos who are great, and I like to think I've weeded out the time-wasters... but there are always some people you get involved with where you wish you hadn't

I just wish playing bass didn't make us rely on other musicians quite so much, sometimes

[bassjim]

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1476553309' post='3155192']
It is my oxygen. It nourishes me and sustains me. It is a magic wand that can temporarily stave off depression, and heal pain like nothing else can. It releases the same kind of rush as love and sex, and feels every bit as magical. Time stops. Wounds heal. There is no rain, no pain, no storms, no sorrow, no outside world after the first five/ten minutes with the bass in my hands. I'm a scientist, in his lab until the wee small hours of the morning, experimenting and searching, lost in the process, knowing the answers I seek are in there somewhere. I'm a traveller whose destination is unknown, content to explore the roads and learn about the world. I am a pretentious cretin, over-poeticising my relationship with a lump of wood.

It can be frustrating at times - but then, everything wonderful is the same. I love the bass. It has definitely changed my life for the better.
[/quote]
like this

[xgsjx]

It makes me feel like a man with big wood.

[Funky Dunky]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1476700687' post='3156337']
It makes me feel like a man with big wood.
[/quote]

Brilliant!

[oldbass]

Recently started playing with a lighter touch....light and day to how i used to play....its very calming and I now know that I cant live without my daily practise.

[johncanda]

I've been playing bass for about 50years on and off.Everything from swing to hard rock. I've got to the stage where if it's in my head it goes straight to the fingerboard. It's a powerful easy going feeling and I get totally immersed in whatever I play. I currently play with a ukulele group,its not quite rock and roll but I love it. The best thrill is to jam with musicians who know what their doing, you just feed off each others ideas.Brilliant!

[Geek99]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1476677450' post='3156165']
I feel like I'm piloting a sound tsunami.
[/quote]
That is exactly how to describe that first sound check note from my P, through a loud PA that was set up for weedy acoustics, at a church OM night; everyone, absolutely fricking everyone, turned around and looked

Edited April 27, 2017 by Geek99

[Geek99]

One thing I'm looking forward to is trying a more bass driven genre** ; I know I'll think "wow, that's actually me doing that"

** Motown, real blues etc

[Yank]

I've been a musician since I was a wee lad, singer, drummer, guitarist, harmonica and bass. I love playing and practicing. I get lost in the moment like when I did a lot of rock and ice climbing. There is no past or future, only the NOW. Very zen.