Very Strange!!!

[theplumber]

So I left my last band at start of November. I think my last gig was 2nd Nov. Not picked up or played the bass since then. Took it out the case today and played it for at least 2 minutes! It felt very,very strange! I think I better get back in the saddle!!!

[OliverBlackman]

I went a month without playing electric guitar and absolutely sucked at it! Slowly getting back a bit but only play it once or twice a week so not putting too much pressure on it.

[Beedster]

I took almost two years off electric bass to focus on upright until a few months back, when an injury forced me to play electric again. I’m really struggling to get anything close to the speed and fluency I once had, feels like I’ve been playing 4-months and not 40-years 😆

[bigthumb]

I had to take about 5 months off playing bass about 12 years ago because I pretty much had to sell everything I owned. Eventually I managed to buy a cheep Yamaha and play without an amp and slowly got back into it. But it took a while to get back to where I was before that. 

[SteveXFR]

I didn't play any musical instrument for 9 months last year. I picked up a bass again for the first time at Christmas. 5 minutes playing and my fingers hurt. 

I'm struggling to write music now, it used to cone to me much more naturally. 

[Judo Chop]

I rarely get to play since my son was born and when I do get the chance to do some recordings for friends I feel like I've lost so much knowledge and ability.

 

I can remember the fundamentals but my technique feels sloppy and my fingers are tripping over themselves, and I really struggle to "hear" what I want to play when it used to come easily to me.

 

Use it or lose it I suppose

[mcnach]

On 15/01/2025 at 20:20, theplumber said:

So I left my last band at start of November. I think my last gig was 2nd Nov. Not picked up or played the bass since then. Took it out the case today and played it for at least 2 minutes! It felt very,very strange! I think I better get back in the saddle!!!

 

You didn't open the accordion case by mistake, did you?

[bassbiscuits]

I remember after lockdown taking a good while to get back to match fitness when gigging restarted. 
 

Same with singing. If I don’t sing regularly I lose some of whatever internal muscle tone / breathing etc is involved. 
 

Though back in 2002-2005 I stopped playing bass completely after a bad split with my band at the time.

 

I concentrated on acoustic guitar instead, which in hindsight benefited my bass playing when I did eventually restart, by giving me another viewpoint and different understanding. 
 

Swings and roundabouts innit. 

[Owen]

On 16/01/2025 at 18:00, Judo Chop said:

 

Use it or lose it I suppose

Not wrong. I have not played DB at all for about 8 months. I played last Monday night for an hour. The lack of hand strength was shocking. I could not draw out the tone I am used to at all.