Did your playing improve AFTER you left a band?

[DaytonaRik]

Here's a question for you all - have you noticed how after changing bands you feel all refreshed, ready to take on new challenges, learning new material that sparks the will to learn new techniques etc?   Maybe it's the new material that changed your mood?  Maybe it was the change of personnel?  Maybe other factors?

I left my band last year for a variety of factors and took the opportunity to set up a project that I feel much happier with, working alongside different people, bringing in a vocalist to take that additional burden from my shoulders, being more "in control" and less of a passenger so to speak.  The time I'm spending playing/practicing has noticeably increased accordingly.

Interested to hear other similar tales

Edited June 19, 2018 by DaytonaRik

[bassbiscuits]

I was in a covers band for 12 years up until last year. A lot of it was stuff was just bog standard pub indie, and also there was some ongoing friction not far below the surface.

At the same time I got asked to join an original band to replace their old bassist.

It was a breath of fresh air, and opened the way for me be really experimental on bass. We immediately starting writing new stuff and I came up with some of my most creative bass lines so far, with a real sense of meaningful input, instead of struggling to make my opinions heard in the previous band.

Sadly the original band was put on hold a couple of months later due to some personal crises among the other members, but I've taken that sense of experimentation and freedom to my current original material.

[Cat Burrito]

I would imagine that this is the case for most of us, simply because we strive to improve all the time.

[Hobbayne]

Definitely. I was in a band for years with a poor drummer. Once the band dissolved I began to play with other musicians.

It was like a breath of fresh air as a began to play with a tight drummer and made me a better bassist.

[Monkey Steve]

I wouldn't say my playing has ever improved just because I've left a band.  But I can definitely say that:

1. My mood has vastly improved.  Partly my fault for always clinging on in bands that were obviously going wrong for some time, in the hope that somehow the annoying (usually) guitarist would one day wake up and be a much better human being.  By the time I quit it's been such a relief to be out of there;
2. My playing has sometimes improved in the subsequent band that I've joined.  In one particular case simply because the musicians in a new band were of a much higher standard and I had to keep up

[josie]

I had the opposite experience in a way. My ex-band played indie-pop originals which gave me a lot of scope for experimenting with interesting, slightly crazy original basslines drawing on everything from prog to pop, at a cost in personal frictions. I'm now in a blues band, with much less freedom, but great pleasure in playing together. Experiments are mostly limited to making sure I play a different walking line for every song in the set. I am getting better at walking lines as a result, so that's some improvement, but the breath of fresh air is playing with people who communicate well and like each other.

Mind you at tonight's practice we somehow turned one of my favourite contemporary blues songs into dub reggae, so it's not entirely predictable! 🙂

[scalpy]

I only learnt the bass to play in an originals band with my brother. When that faded I didn’t really maintain playing, then a drum teacher asked me to play the bass part in a grade 8 kit duet. No problem I thought and duly got my butt kicked. Since having to play other people’s material I’ve had to really scrub up, so my sloppy earlier career might have had a bigger part in my originals band’s demise than I would’ve admitted when I was younger!

[oo.viper.oo]

I think it's poor wording of the title. But then I'm not native speaker, so forgive me. What you're saying is that your playing has improved not because you left a band, but because you started doing something new. So it should say "Did your playing improve once you started doing something new?" and then I can guess the answer would be "sure, yes" for most guys. If the band naturally evolves, then you should have opportunity to try something new within existing band, so leaving band is not necessary to improve.

When my band was dissolved, I had period when I didn't feel like playing, so obviously my playing did not improve. But then I joined new band and I was motivated, invigorated and I have indeed improved my playing.

[DaytonaRik]

But we usually only start something new because we've left a band...keep doing what you've always done and you'll only ever be able to do what you know how to do already?

[tb4sbp]

I think it does stand to reason that after leaving a band or if members of a band change (for the better talent/playing wise) you would improve. I play at a better level with other good players. I had a friend whose drummer I thought was not good. Timing was off and always seemed be lost halfway into a song. Then I jammed with them and he was pretty good. He was following what the previous bass player was doing and was lost due to them. I showed him some tricks and techniques to hold timing on his own and he is playing at a higher level now. 

 

So I can definitely see playing with new (maybe better) musicians can help improve your own playing.  

Good topic, thanks

[LITTLEWING]

I've definitely moved up a step since I started a side band with our keys player. A new (bloody incredible) drummer, guitarist and female vocals have brought to the table a whole new plethora of songs and somehow I've found myself playing tighter grooves and relaxing more but at the same time actually amazing myself when it all sounds like some house bands on the telly box. 

[TorturedSaints]

Yes and No.

My bass music sight-reading has improved since the last band decayed and fell apart.  That's because I have been practicing sight reading.  As far as other stuff goes, I would say that my innate timing and ability to play with a drummer has got worse, just because I'm not doing it regularly.  Any skill requires regular use otherwise it withers away.

Ralph

[12stringbassist]

I was in a band a couple of years back with a static set list that had very little drive or feel to it and the other two players were not up to much.

I was doing jam nights with my current band members and after some time off for a serious op and recovery decided to make that my full-time band instead. Much better. I started to enjoy playing again and played a lot better. I took on lead vocals, so it was a slightly nervy time, but i got there (I hope).