Fun moment in practice last night. Have a song where after a slow bridge, I come back in with a slide to landing hard on the root.
Guitarist commented that was super fun for him, because he’s playing a hollow body bass, and I push such a sudden gust of air that it blasts through the body and pushes his strumming arm through the other cutout.
That was fun.
This was a good bass week cause it was a bad bass week.
The good thing is that I’m confident enough now to put away my headphones when playing in the park and play through speakers instead, though not very loud. People passing can hear me, some are having a little chat, which is nice.
It’s my way to overcome my shyness, and it works.
Playing was very ok, also. People could recognize the songs 
BUT: every day I’m being visited by a group of punks. They bring their guitar, and a lot of chaos and noise. But they are great kids … also one of the (very good looking) girls is a gifted bass player, the other (also very good looking) girl is a rapper, doing some really hardcore stuff with explicit lyrics I cannot replicate here. I had to google some words … dude???
They really want to play with me, but I can mostly play from tabs.
It’s not like I can respond to “give me an [insert note here]”, and I can do that without slowly counting strings and frets.
I can also not improvise. Which is a total bummer and disappointing for both the punks and myself.
FRUSTRATING!
Sometimes, other musicians join, and two or more songs are being played in parallel. I feel like grandpa on the porch, surrounded by hyperactive kids.
It makes me dizzy.
A few days ago, a guy with a Ukulele joined. He’s a guitar player, but uses the Ukulele “on the road”. Also he could play my bass instantly.
He came over cause, he heared me playing and was under the impression that we could jam. Which we couldn’t.
I felt paralyzed.
F#ck!
Yesterday, a really good bass player was playing on the other side of the bushes. I mean like @Gio good. I was so embarresed that I put away my speaker and played through the headphones.
But his playing was so magnetic that I went and peaked carefully through the bushes, not to be seen, and he was sitting on a camping chair with a little speaker.
Just like me!
But he was lightyears away from anything I will be able to play in my remaining life time (which is way too short).
It felt humbling, and I was happy that he didn’t see/hear me and come over, being utterly disappointed with me not being able to jam with him.
So, what’s good:
For me that’s a big step, as playing to tabs 90% of the time was deeply satisfying for me … and now it feels like kid’s stuff. Only that kids can play better!
EDIT
A little bonus: I motivated one guy my age to pick up the bass, as “YOU GOTTA LEARN AN INSTRUMENT BEFORE YOU DIE!” and helped another ex-guitar player who had a few fingers paralyzed due to a stroke to select a bass guitar, as this will be easier for him to play with his handicap.
That park is magic!
So, these are punks - I assume they want to play punk music!? They’d probably be embarrassed if you played everything correctly 
But, really, it’s three chords at the most and they are more than happy for you to stick to the root notes. That should be a perfect start to playing with others.
Just let it happen. Noone will blame you for mistakes. Heck, noone will notice your mistakes (and if they do, they don’t remember them after a second). Just go with it - make some noise and then some music.
And that dude on the other side: he was where you are a few years back, but he didn’t let himself be stopped by someone better. As Homer Simpson once said (and I am paraphrasing here): “Son, no matter how good you are, there are always a few hundred or more people better than you!”
That was me!
I can’t believe you didn’t come over to say hi.
There’s a great video for notes on the fretboard:
Well, they “finance” their life by doing street music. So I had to listen to country, charts and some anarchist hymns as well
The guitar player is really good … looks like Che Guevara and can play South American stuff like he was born there…
That might save me … about half of their money goes into weed, so they really have not such good memory
Hmmmm … “my” guitar player started when he was seven. He’s 22 now.
The guy “on the other side” of the bushes was really really really good. I mean like: outstanding! He could rock BassTheWorld - I was really impressed.
Looked like a hobo though, but hey, Jaco did too
I don’t have that kind talent (must be honest to myself) and even if i did … I guess this was somebody who plays at least 10-15 years.
Looking at my age, it is likely that I won’t make it to that point. And even if I would: my motor skills will not get better with age.
Just trying to be real. That does not mean that I do not enjoy playing and learning. The opposite is true: it’s great!
It does mean that I would like to kick my younger self’s @ss to not have started earlier.
And it does mean too that those f#cking punks will not stop terrorizing me until I jam with them. So: I need to find a way to attach notes to the fretboard (it’s different from playing tabs). And more importantly: improvise as I go…
EDIT I must be more precise: I must learn how to match the tone I hear in my mind and needs to be played to a position on the fretboard, if that explains it better.
Hahaha - you are much better looking, believe you me
I will watch at that video … and restart B2B. Maybe with a pick this time, as those punks want me to use a pick…
No, he didn’t - he looked like a French art teacher 
Well, maybe later, he didn’t dress as well anymore…
Yeah, so what? No use beating yourself up over it… absolutely no use at all!
Who are those guys to tell you… oh, wait, yes… those beautiful girls 
Hmmm … you got me
I’m a big fan of the adage “Best time to start was 20 years ago, the second-best time to start is right now”, especially as you can’t go out and “shoulda” something.
Unless these quantum physics articles about retrocausality hold any water. Errr.. “will have held” perhaps?
Also it’s important to appreciate that for some of us (me definitely) that you aren’t in the right place to commit to learning an instrument.
It takes patience, commitment and a work ethic that sometimes comes with maturity.
I’m happy I started and the past is a foreign country. I’m looking forward to our next gig.
Precisely. I had to get to a place where I figured out that the routine is what helps me, which tbf isn’t recent but for a lot of my adult years wasn’t the case.
Good bass day? Yep! I reached a musical milestone this evening, rehearsing as the dep. bassist for a colleague’s band!
Tonight, I played an open mic, with 2 bands, mine and a colleague’s. I was up on stage for 40 mins and it was a BLAST! At one point I was being intently watched by a man who had been on stage before us, who was an excellent bass player. At the time he was watching me, we’d come out of Molly’s Chambers and I was providing the groove to Venus, before going into Seven Nation Army. I’ll be honest, I felt slightly intimidated by his attention…
After we’d finished, I sort him out in the crowd to ask him what he thought. He told me I was solid. I told him that he was too. We then talked vintage Fenders, a charity festival both our bands are playing in a month’s time and parted as bass buddies.
Dude, that’s so cool! 
Ok, yesterday was a good bass day. Again in the park
Not a @sunDOG-level event, but a big step for me.
A few weeks ago I started playing via a speaker, not over headphones. Not too loud, but bypassers can hear me.
My way to overcome my shyness.
Yesterday I was playing Erase/Rewind" by The Cardigans, and from the corner of my eyes I saw some movement, but ignored it.
At the end of the song, I looked up, and yes. some bypassers were actually dancing to the music. Dancing! And enjoying themselves. And they were neither drunk nor on drugs (I asked).
WTF?
”Go on!”, one girl said, but of course shyness kicked in. I had to wait until they were gone to continue.
But it was a great feeling that people did not b@rf, but danced. Admittedly, the song was easy to play, but hey: baby steps!
Come on, @Whying_Dutchman, just form, or join a band!! Playing your bass through an amp, in the park, suggests you do want the attention, you do want the applause!
The first time I played an instrument with others, the imposter syndrome was high…it gets better. The first time I stood on a stage, the imposter syndrome was off the scale…I got through it.
As I’ve said before, come on, jump in, the water is lovely!
Hahaha … no, it’s a desensitization technique .
I’m not looking for applause - I’m looking for a way to play in front of non-girlfriends, in a way that does not bring me shame and gives others pleasure….
Dancers are looking for a beat to dance to. Get the beat (rhythm) right, and they won’t notice a single wrong note. Not one dancing girl ever came up to me after a song finished and complained that I’d played a couple of wrong notes. 
Some socially unconscious nerd leaning against the back wall, talking to no one and playing air guitar in a way that tells you he’s never touched a real guitar in his life might, but who gives an f’ about that.
I understand the shyness. I wouldn’t even be able to play in a park. But it sounds like they were really enjoying the music, and whatever you played, you couldn’t go wrong. That was a good opportunity to play more. But, as a shy introvert myself, I understand completely.
There could be a little of impostor syndrome there, as sunDOG said. It’s quite normal. I’m not sure what’s the best way to overcome it. But practicing more, and being able to do it in front of people, is a very good step.
Keep doing what you’re doing, you are getting there. You don’t need to be as good as some of the other bassists that you met over there. People enjoy hearing you play.
Germans are so nice, friendly people. 
I like how they approach strangers so easily and friendly. Every time we travelled to Germany we had so nice interactions with strangers.
