Barking Spiders Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 A few years ago I lost interest in playing bass, guitar and the drums. This coincided my growing dislike of rock music and temporary loss of interest in funk. Instead I became far more interested in electronica. It was only listening to Squarepusher that reinvigorated my love of the bass. I generally still can't abide rock music but have discovered loads of other interesting electronica /dance where the bass is used such as Groove Armada.. So, maybe you also might have become bored with the music you're playing and listening to but just need to find something new to revive your interest in the bass . I'm with the others here saying buying a new bass isn't the answer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 When you get a new instrument there is normally a Breville Sandwich Toaster effect, but if it’s a good fit for you then there can be an increase in use long term. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 8 minutes ago, Nail Soup said: When you get a new instrument there is normally a Breville Sandwich Toaster effect, but if it’s a good fit for you then there can be an increase in use long term. Over the years for me i would agree with you that a new bass did give me a bit of a lift and in some cases a change of direction ie WAL fretless i moved into Jazz Rock. At the time i was still playing tho. Think the OP is in a different place at the moment. Seems to have a complete loss of interest in music, bands and playing. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 3 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said: Over the years for me i would agree with you that a new bass did give me a bit of a lift and in some cases a change of direction ie WAL fretless i moved into Jazz Rock. At the time i was still playing tho. Think the OP is in a different place at the moment. Seems to have a complete loss of interest in music, bands and playing. Dave I've re-read the OP, and yes I maybe missed the point a bit. sounds like OP is kind of objective-oriented in there playing at home e.g .will play to learn to new song or whatever, but not for intrinsic reasons. So perhaps new objectives, not a new bass. So as others have said, new genre, different instrument (e.g DB, guitar), or maybe writing basslines for online collaborations. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 31 minutes ago, Nail Soup said: sounds like OP is kind of objective-oriented in there playing at home e.g .will play to learn to new song or whatever, but not for intrinsic reasons. Yes think you are right altho he only learns new songs at last minute before rehearsal or gig by sounds of it. Maybe a bit more to it than we realise. I'm no Dr Frazier Crane so its difficult to say exactly where the issue lies without really knowing the personality involved, however for a small fee i am prepared to listen to him over a few on line sessions. Shall we say £500 a session. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Nail Soup said: When you get a new instrument there is normally a Breville Sandwich Toaster effect, but if it’s a good fit for you then there can be an increase in use long term. Damn you! I want a toasted cheese sandwich now. 🤤😂 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Just now, ezbass said: Damn you! I want a toasted cheese sandwich now. 🤤😂 brilliant and i think maybe that's the solution. We all sit down with a nice toasty and a wee cuppa. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 Thank you all for taking the time to reply, I would love to reply to every single response because you took the time, but I will be here for hours if I do. I have found the whole thing very uplifting but more on that in a minute. I should have said that I have two young kids, a 3 year old and an 8 month old, and a year ago I started a much more taxing job than I had done previously. As a by-product of these things I started to scale back my playing because with my wife working unpredictable shifts with the NHS, I was not reliable enough to commit to regular rehearsals or gigs and didnt want to be ‘that guy’ that lets people down. In all honesty I already had feelings of not wanting to play with the band I had been with, so all these things gave me a good excuse. My Bass is great, plays amazing and I do love stingrays (this is my third) but I bought it as it was a good price and all I had to spend rather than being blown away by the finish etc and ‘having to have it’ if you get what I mean? I think everyone is right, a new bass may help in the short term but there are other issues. I should mention I only own this and an old squier 5 string jazz but rarely play that, and I haven’t bought a new bass in nearly 4 years which is why I pondered a change. I do have acoustic guitars as well, but like bass they have barely been touched despite being given a nice Martin by a family member. I am going to take all the suggestions on board about trying new genres, setting some goals and personal challenges. I have played the same material is so many bands for so long, but whilst I was out walking today I started to compile a mental list of songs I would just like to be able to play and I will work on from there. My mental state is not that sound at the moment like so many others. I have been on furlough since April and have struggled with just being at home with the kids 24/7. Thankfully listening to music still has the power to lift me out of darker periods and days so I take some comfort in that. I do struggle to find pleasure/enjoyment out of situations at the moment and even just re-reading my post and your comments has made me realise that, and I will need to start addressing some of that. Playing Bass was my identity for so long and it was all about playing live and the ‘buzz’ rather than anything else. I never quite got the satisfaction from playing at home but I do like a challenge, so I am going to compile my list and try and get a buzz in a different way. So just a thanks to everyone, combined with the replies here and a lovely walk in the sun, I feel happier and inspired enough to pull the bass out for a clean at least and see how we get on. Your a good bunch! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Take a break and enjoy the time with your young family. It won't be long till they are both at school and then suddenly grown up. Family always comes first. Many BC'ers will relate to what you are going thru. You can always get back into playing again in a couple of yrs when the youngsters are a bit more grown up and things settle down for you. Add that to a new job and you have a lot on your plate at the moment so take it easy and enjoy the time for what it is. Unless you are a pro bass player relying on the gig money then its a no brainer. Take a break for a couple of yrs. You'll be more relaxed about things and it will all come back to you with a GAS vengeance like you've never had before. Wish you al the best mate and at the end of the day we are always here for a blether. Dave 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Hey thanks for sharing that 'open and honest' post; in my books that's both brave and admirable. Please feel free to share your new set list - I think a bunch of us would love to see what you come up with and will no doubt then be unable to resist adding a few of our own! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said: Yes think you are right altho he only learns new songs at last minute before rehearsal or gig by sounds of it. Maybe a bit more to it than we realise. I'm no Dr Frazier Crane so its difficult to say exactly where the issue lies without really knowing the personality involved, however for a small fee i am prepared to listen to him over a few on line sessions. Shall we say £500 a session. Dave I'm prepared to pretend to listen for £400 a session . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 28 minutes ago, Nail Soup said: I'm prepared to pretend to listen for £400 a session . Not sure i can afford to do it for less. Oh well its your gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 30 minutes ago, Nail Soup said: I'm prepared to pretend to listen for £400 a session . I reckon i could do it for £300 if you do the session for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 @NJE up here in Scotland we have a service called Breathing Space but I’m not sure what the equivalent service is in England but I’m sure there is one. You can still access things like Headspace app and there’s loads of apps/YouTube videos if that’s ever possible with two little ones! A wee bit of time daily spent on yourself is just as important as being there for the missus and the kids. If you can wrangle that into your day along with a bit of playing you’ll be grand. Stay well! 🙂👍🏽 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 9 hours ago, Burns-bass said: I use an electric double bass that folds away to nothing and can be stored under the stairs, so it’s not always the problem that it may first appear to be. The problem with buying a new bass is that you’ll use it the same way as the old ones. You’re doing nothing to tackle the fundamentals cause of your malaise. For me it was bass didn’t really hold much of a challenge anymore, but DB (or more accurately EUB) did. That’s why I suggested it. Well you did say double bass, and coming from a jazz background and being the age I am that means a very specific thing to me. 😉 Actually I tend to play differently on different basses because the feel and sonics push me in different directions, so changing instruments certainly works for me. I like to play to the instrument. To be honest, I always found it weird that other people don’t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 In my experience, a new project/band is far more likely to inspire than a new instrument. A bit difficult to achieve at present, but hopefully, things are easing in that regard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) Some very sincere posts from the OP. I hung up my bass playing boots ten years ago. Then some former bandmates got in touch... out of the blue. I must say that has really invogarated me... even though our gigging ambitions are somewhat curtailed at the moment. Never say die... go with the flow... Edited July 6, 2020 by Trueno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I honestly think this IS your mental attitude. I have a spare bedroom which I use for storing all the musical instrumentation. we used to rehearse in there too. It has become the music room. Because of my job we can't rehearse or gig anymore (I get called away at short notice) The room became a store room and more and more things have found their way into it. It became a mess. Mrs Ubit's son moved back in with us as he took a year out from uni. and all his rubbish has also found its way into this room. Gradually my interest lessened and I stopped playing altogether. When he first went to uni. I cleared the room and made it back into a music room. Immediately my interest piqued and I was finding myself mucking about with the guitars more. I had somewhere to play so it made me want to play. Now he is back the room has started to become cluttered again but I have discovered Garage band and am recording which gives me another interest. So I think it's all down to attitude. If it's a fun situation you will find more of an interest but if you have no where to play or you have to unpack guitars, set up etc. then you will lose interest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 It’s important to understand the difference between affect and attitude when it applies to mental health. A dip in mood and/or motivation is not simply an attitude thing. It sounds like you were describing a drifting away from music due to other commitments while the OP very openly described a change in affect/mood due to a list of situational pressures and a loss of enjoyment from performing/playing. I really don’t mean to engage in armchair psychology and if I’ve picked you up wrong my apologies however identifying changes in how one feels ‘Emotional intelligence‘ is a valuable skill and can often prevent people from becoming more unwell both physically and mentally. You’re correct that having easy access to music gear makes playing much more accessible and therefore more likely to happen and coupled with an outlet to perform or an end goal like band rehearsal helps too but in this instance it feels like it’s a mood thing...which is different from attitude. I’ll stop with the ‘Loose Women’ psychobabble 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Must admit that when i read the OP i took from it that other commitments like young family and new job / work commitments meant he was struggling to find the time to play bass and it made him sad that he wasn't able to do what he used to and from his own description of bass being his identity. Other things were pulling him away from who he thought he was and he was sad for that. Maybe i've misread it ? Sometimes other commitments become more important in life. That's just facts of life. We can go along with it but if it makes us sad maybe we should step back and look at what's more important in our own life. I guess that's what i did after a long break from playing. I'm not sure its anything deeper than that. Sometimes we just need to put our hobbies to one side to be successful in life. By being successful i mean being a good father and husband for his family and being committed to your career. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Yeah, I never took anything from the op's post that said he was depressed or anything. Just couldn't be bothered. I gave my example of how I too got into a state where I just couldn't be bothered playing. The band had taken a long hiatus and the environment where we used to rehearse had turned into a messy store room. It just drained any desire for creativity that I had. The simple act of clearing the room brought it all back. It is purely my experience and if the op is depressed about playing perhaps he needs to look at other places for advice. The depression thread is a good "shoulder to cry on" as it were with some good advice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 7 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said: i mean being a good father and husband for his family and being committed to your career. I know a boy who has two nearly new kids and he is in three bands. How he does it I don't know! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Sadness rather than depression is what i thought. Maybe the OP can tell us what he thinks. I've no real experience of depression so its not something i can genuinely comment on. Sadness on the other hand i think we've all gone thru periods like that. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 3 minutes ago, ubit said: I know a boy who has two nearly new kids and he is in three bands. How he does it I don't know! For some people it just comes naturally and they don't stress about it. Others like me i struggled with 2 bands so dropped it to one but both were start up bands so learning 2 different sets at same time was too much for me and took away the enjoyment. I did go back to 2 bands again after the first full set was sorted with my main band but it fell away when Covid started and don't see it going ahead. Not too fussed tho. I know for a fact if i had a young family i'd be more focused on them and bass playing might fade away for me. Its just a hobby. Kids are for life so enjoy them.............while they still want to hang around you. Once teens you'll be too old for them Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Only the OP will know what will give him the spark, and I'm with @itu in suggesting that there are a list of other things that might be tried. But I say that as somebody who doesn't have any other distractions like a demanding family life. I've actually been using the extra time at home to make an effort on specific things - playing 7 string guitar being top of the list, but writing bass parts has kept me busy too In more usual times when I'm in need of a spark, for me it's changing the strings - new fresh zingy strings and I'm away. I did actually get a new bass this year and I played that every day for the first month, and it's still an inspiration. But the purchase was carefully planned, and in the absence of a new bass, fresh strings, every time 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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