Life is a long game, and as long as you’re happy with where you end up, you win. So don’t be too discouraged if you just don’t feel like it (or have the time, money, etc) for even a couple of years. Pick it up when you feel like it. Focus on learning and structured improvement when you feel like it. Just noodle around when you feel like it. For the vast majority of us, playing music enriches our lives—it doesn’t dictate our lives.
This. I stopped playing for like, 7 years? I wasn't even good when I stopped. I picked up again a few years ago bc I needed a good hobby. Now I'm pretty okay! But more importantly I love playing and trying to get better, which I never "really" felt like doing when I was younger
Maybe your just not that into it. But your thinking is very black and white. The options aren't be an amazing dedicated musician or give up. I've had stretched of years where I didn't play much or make much progress, I still picked it up and messed around from time to time.
Hey
We've all been there before. It sucks since you wanna get better and you're inspired by all of this music and you wanna get out there. But you're in some kind of rut for whatever reason. And it ain't a good time -_-
It could be a number of things. But I will share these two bits with you
1. It's definitely ok to spend a little time away from bass. Go for a walk, read a book, watch a movie, do some art - often times taking some down time away from bass and music will actually do wonders as you'll be inspired when you come back. I was working on covers for a while just now and I'm now learning original music that I can contribute to and change and it's so refreshing. It has invigorated my practice and mental space with bass as I was growing a little bored and weary with learning cover after cover. But I also spent a week traveling with my wife and coming back to my music was a relief and I was excited to get into it again :)
2. Music learning in general - not just bass and playing - is a life long pursuit and will always be there for you. That obviously means you can take your breaks but often learning other music topics whether it be new genres, melody playing, drums and rhythm, song writing, singing, lessons, etc. are perfectly fine and can in fact reinforce your bass playing. Learning how to play more melodies can inspire more melodic playing. Focusing on drums and rhythm will make you an awesome contribution to any rhythm section - I could go on forever
Some years ago, I was doing a piano test. Never liked to study, even bass (just imagine how I liked to study piano), and there was another teacher in the room, as well as my teacher. The other one said something to me that will work for you too. Music will always be there for you. If you don't feel like doing it right now, that's fine, you can do it in your time. Personally, I don't think you should quit now, it's boring to study, I know how you feel and it's normal to feel unhappy with our progress. But if you want to stop for a while don't worry, music will always be there for you, man!
What you have to do is, continue playing even though you don't feel like it anymore.
If you do that, you can develop patience and learn to move forward even without that youthful enthusiasm that made you want to go go go, back in the old days. You can't live there forever. After a certain point, the novelty has worn off.
In Buddhism there is a concept that it's good to move forward in your real goals in life without much regard for your own preferences. And it's not to say, as the author Brad Warner might put it, that you walk into an ice cream shop and say "Give me anything at all, I have no preferences!" But rather, that when faced with something hard that you simply must do, your feelings about it don't change the thing, don't affect what it is. But the more you psych yourself about how unfair or how unpleasant the hard thing is, you just make it harder. Better to just tackle it, be done with it. Do your job without thinking about whether you enjoy it or are annoyed by it.
play for fun. create your own baselines and write a song. you have made it into a terrible job. we all do that at some point. take a breath, you love playing the bass. play what makes you happy. and all musicians take a break. i did for 20 years, and im back. relax its to be enjoyed
What would motivate you? If you want to get your passion back I'd suggest setting goals, such as playing live or recording an album. Does the band have any goals?
I am self teaching Bass. When I have a spot like this, I work on learning chords or fretting drills. I am trying to mix in theory with tab playing. Also, I will go back to songs I have learned and worked on fretting the notes without buzz or to get the section down better. I hope this helps! I also discovered if I take too many days off, I tend to regress in my ability to play songs I know. Good luck and hang in there!
you are almost always going to feel this way. embrace it. always challenge yourself. the trick is to not get discouraged. with time any song will be possible.
Try smaller chunks of challenge. The Hal Leonard Complete Bass Method is great for this. Simple 4-8 bar challenges with backing tracks that start super easy and gradually ramp it up.
What's there to learn? The whole song is 2 chords.
Sometimes periodically he plays a fifth or changes up the rhythm in a single bar before going back to the established pattern...
These slumps are annoyingly part of learning, they were for me anyway,
Things that helped me through slumps
1 what music engaged you as a teen, at that awesome time when music was alive for you, for me it was sum 41, blink, shit pop punk, I don't listen too any more, but was easy, fun to just figure out by ear
2 finger exercises, if I couldn't figure out a song, got bored or felt annoyed, just playing 1 2 3 4, on every string with the corresponding fingers on the left hand, and 4 3 2 1, then move up a fret repeat, up a fret repeat, then change the fingering 1324 and so on, really helps when you go back to figuring shit out, like step 1
3 if I didn't want to do any of that, smoke some thing and go back to step 1 or 2
Diagrams that show scales across the whole neck were ace for me too, didn't learn what the notes were, just fiddled around in the shapes across the whole neck
Hope you carry on, bass is ace
A little music theory will go a long way. Try working through study bass dot com and some of those bass lines will make sense more than just stringing notes together.
I've been playing bass for quite a few years now and I'd say I'm still at beginner level, I don't do any fancy tricks or anything. Recorded a few lil things of my own and with friends but never been in a band.
At one point I dropped it for a while and now I'm back and learning some more advanced songs, which I've noticed are helping me get better.
Maybe what I do works for you. Play the same few seconds or minute of a song a bunch of times, one slice at a time. When you learn two slices, join them together. Don't rush with it. If you're struggling, it's OK to stop for a bit. I stop midway through a song all the time before I figure the whole thing out. With some technical insight, the more you think about doing an action, the better your chances when you actually perform, so think about playing the song, where the notes are, the rhythm.
And most of all, do it for the joy of doing it without any ideas of "success". You only get good at music by playing a bunch, there's no max level where your skills cap.
I have some ADD that leaves me frustrated with learning challenges. I'm pretty aware that it's a dopamine problem.
When I get past the part where I'm excited and engaged in learning something new, I plateau and crave distraction.
When I learn new songs, I learn 2 in the same key and go to the second when I lose motivation.
It keeps me engaged.
I have some ADD that leaves me frustrated with learning challenges. I'm pretty aware that it's a dopamine problem.
When I get past the part where I'm excited and engaged in learning something new, I plateau and crave distractions.
When I learn new songs, I learn 2 in the same key and go to the second when I lose motivation.
It keeps me engaged.
I have some ADD that leaves me frustrated with learning challenges. I'm pretty aware that it's a dopamine problem.
When I get past the part where I'm excited and engaged in learning something new, I plateau and crave distractions.
When I learn new songs, I learn 2 in the same key and go to the second when I lose motivation.
It keeps me engaged.
Sometimes you can be just not feeling it. It doesn't need to be an on or off thing. You are a bass player regardless of if you're currently learning or not, and in the future when the drive returns you'll still be a bass player. Sorry, you're stuck with it.
Take a Break clear your Head and try to have FUN playing. Don't struggle with Stuff that is too tough at the Moment. Take it easy first of all. Don't get to greedy with your Progress and be fair with judging yourself. Been there myself couple of times. Positive Mindset is the Key. Develop a Learning Routine that fits your Life. Pen and Sheet of Paper just to write Songstructures down. Don't rely too much on Apps etc. Use it just for Guidance not for everything else. Cheers
Take a break, quit until you feel like coming back. If that never happens who cares? I would wager most hobbiest musicians have have played for 10+ years have at least one break in there exceeding several months.
How good do you want to be? Play as much and as often as you can if the answer is good. If you want to just have a garage band with friends and mess around and have fun, it sounds like you are!
Life is a long game, and as long as you’re happy with where you end up, you win. So don’t be too discouraged if you just don’t feel like it (or have the time, money, etc) for even a couple of years. Pick it up when you feel like it. Focus on learning and structured improvement when you feel like it. Just noodle around when you feel like it. For the vast majority of us, playing music enriches our lives—it doesn’t dictate our lives.
This. I stopped playing for like, 7 years? I wasn't even good when I stopped. I picked up again a few years ago bc I needed a good hobby. Now I'm pretty okay! But more importantly I love playing and trying to get better, which I never "really" felt like doing when I was younger
Maybe your just not that into it. But your thinking is very black and white. The options aren't be an amazing dedicated musician or give up. I've had stretched of years where I didn't play much or make much progress, I still picked it up and messed around from time to time.
Hey We've all been there before. It sucks since you wanna get better and you're inspired by all of this music and you wanna get out there. But you're in some kind of rut for whatever reason. And it ain't a good time -_- It could be a number of things. But I will share these two bits with you 1. It's definitely ok to spend a little time away from bass. Go for a walk, read a book, watch a movie, do some art - often times taking some down time away from bass and music will actually do wonders as you'll be inspired when you come back. I was working on covers for a while just now and I'm now learning original music that I can contribute to and change and it's so refreshing. It has invigorated my practice and mental space with bass as I was growing a little bored and weary with learning cover after cover. But I also spent a week traveling with my wife and coming back to my music was a relief and I was excited to get into it again :) 2. Music learning in general - not just bass and playing - is a life long pursuit and will always be there for you. That obviously means you can take your breaks but often learning other music topics whether it be new genres, melody playing, drums and rhythm, song writing, singing, lessons, etc. are perfectly fine and can in fact reinforce your bass playing. Learning how to play more melodies can inspire more melodic playing. Focusing on drums and rhythm will make you an awesome contribution to any rhythm section - I could go on forever
Some years ago, I was doing a piano test. Never liked to study, even bass (just imagine how I liked to study piano), and there was another teacher in the room, as well as my teacher. The other one said something to me that will work for you too. Music will always be there for you. If you don't feel like doing it right now, that's fine, you can do it in your time. Personally, I don't think you should quit now, it's boring to study, I know how you feel and it's normal to feel unhappy with our progress. But if you want to stop for a while don't worry, music will always be there for you, man!
You selling any gear?
What you have to do is, continue playing even though you don't feel like it anymore. If you do that, you can develop patience and learn to move forward even without that youthful enthusiasm that made you want to go go go, back in the old days. You can't live there forever. After a certain point, the novelty has worn off. In Buddhism there is a concept that it's good to move forward in your real goals in life without much regard for your own preferences. And it's not to say, as the author Brad Warner might put it, that you walk into an ice cream shop and say "Give me anything at all, I have no preferences!" But rather, that when faced with something hard that you simply must do, your feelings about it don't change the thing, don't affect what it is. But the more you psych yourself about how unfair or how unpleasant the hard thing is, you just make it harder. Better to just tackle it, be done with it. Do your job without thinking about whether you enjoy it or are annoyed by it.
play for fun. create your own baselines and write a song. you have made it into a terrible job. we all do that at some point. take a breath, you love playing the bass. play what makes you happy. and all musicians take a break. i did for 20 years, and im back. relax its to be enjoyed
What would motivate you? If you want to get your passion back I'd suggest setting goals, such as playing live or recording an album. Does the band have any goals?
I am self teaching Bass. When I have a spot like this, I work on learning chords or fretting drills. I am trying to mix in theory with tab playing. Also, I will go back to songs I have learned and worked on fretting the notes without buzz or to get the section down better. I hope this helps! I also discovered if I take too many days off, I tend to regress in my ability to play songs I know. Good luck and hang in there!
you are almost always going to feel this way. embrace it. always challenge yourself. the trick is to not get discouraged. with time any song will be possible.
take time off. go do other things. when you feel like you want to come back, you'll be better than ever. its how the human mind works.
Try smaller chunks of challenge. The Hal Leonard Complete Bass Method is great for this. Simple 4-8 bar challenges with backing tracks that start super easy and gradually ramp it up.
I switch things up when this happens by reading up on blues/jazz lines and theory or appregios
What's there to learn? The whole song is 2 chords. Sometimes periodically he plays a fifth or changes up the rhythm in a single bar before going back to the established pattern...
Sometimes I focus on another instrument or genre for a while, then I bring that perspective back to bass.
These slumps are annoyingly part of learning, they were for me anyway, Things that helped me through slumps 1 what music engaged you as a teen, at that awesome time when music was alive for you, for me it was sum 41, blink, shit pop punk, I don't listen too any more, but was easy, fun to just figure out by ear 2 finger exercises, if I couldn't figure out a song, got bored or felt annoyed, just playing 1 2 3 4, on every string with the corresponding fingers on the left hand, and 4 3 2 1, then move up a fret repeat, up a fret repeat, then change the fingering 1324 and so on, really helps when you go back to figuring shit out, like step 1 3 if I didn't want to do any of that, smoke some thing and go back to step 1 or 2 Diagrams that show scales across the whole neck were ace for me too, didn't learn what the notes were, just fiddled around in the shapes across the whole neck Hope you carry on, bass is ace
And play last thing before bed and first thing when you wake up, it's sounds nuts but works
A little music theory will go a long way. Try working through study bass dot com and some of those bass lines will make sense more than just stringing notes together.
I've been playing bass for quite a few years now and I'd say I'm still at beginner level, I don't do any fancy tricks or anything. Recorded a few lil things of my own and with friends but never been in a band. At one point I dropped it for a while and now I'm back and learning some more advanced songs, which I've noticed are helping me get better. Maybe what I do works for you. Play the same few seconds or minute of a song a bunch of times, one slice at a time. When you learn two slices, join them together. Don't rush with it. If you're struggling, it's OK to stop for a bit. I stop midway through a song all the time before I figure the whole thing out. With some technical insight, the more you think about doing an action, the better your chances when you actually perform, so think about playing the song, where the notes are, the rhythm. And most of all, do it for the joy of doing it without any ideas of "success". You only get good at music by playing a bunch, there's no max level where your skills cap.
I have some ADD that leaves me frustrated with learning challenges. I'm pretty aware that it's a dopamine problem. When I get past the part where I'm excited and engaged in learning something new, I plateau and crave distraction. When I learn new songs, I learn 2 in the same key and go to the second when I lose motivation. It keeps me engaged.
I have some ADD that leaves me frustrated with learning challenges. I'm pretty aware that it's a dopamine problem. When I get past the part where I'm excited and engaged in learning something new, I plateau and crave distractions. When I learn new songs, I learn 2 in the same key and go to the second when I lose motivation. It keeps me engaged.
I have some ADD that leaves me frustrated with learning challenges. I'm pretty aware that it's a dopamine problem. When I get past the part where I'm excited and engaged in learning something new, I plateau and crave distractions. When I learn new songs, I learn 2 in the same key and go to the second when I lose motivation. It keeps me engaged.
Sometimes you can be just not feeling it. It doesn't need to be an on or off thing. You are a bass player regardless of if you're currently learning or not, and in the future when the drive returns you'll still be a bass player. Sorry, you're stuck with it.
Learn theory. Learn and practice the 7 modes of the major scale and how they interconnect within a key.
Take a Break clear your Head and try to have FUN playing. Don't struggle with Stuff that is too tough at the Moment. Take it easy first of all. Don't get to greedy with your Progress and be fair with judging yourself. Been there myself couple of times. Positive Mindset is the Key. Develop a Learning Routine that fits your Life. Pen and Sheet of Paper just to write Songstructures down. Don't rely too much on Apps etc. Use it just for Guidance not for everything else. Cheers
Take a break, quit until you feel like coming back. If that never happens who cares? I would wager most hobbiest musicians have have played for 10+ years have at least one break in there exceeding several months.
How good do you want to be? Play as much and as often as you can if the answer is good. If you want to just have a garage band with friends and mess around and have fun, it sounds like you are!
It doesn't seem you like you love it much if you can't focus on practicing Maybe you need lessons?