Mid-40s bassist, B2B alumni – struggling with consistency and focus

Lounge
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Hi everyone,

I thought I’d share where I’m currently at with bass, as I’m at a bit of a transition point.

I’m in my mid-40s and recently got back into playing bass after many years mostly focused on work. Over the past months, I’ve been working through the Beginner to Badass course, which has been a really solid foundation.

At the same time, I’ve been juggling this with ongoing university studies (law), which has honestly made consistency quite difficult. I’m nearing the end of that academic journey, which should free up more time and mental space soon.

In parallel, I’ve started playing in a “Classes du Rock” project (a structured group course), and we have a live performance coming up at the end of June. The set includes:
– “Glory Box” (Portishead)
– “The Man Who Sold the World” (David Bowie version)
– “Refugee” (Tom Petty)

What I’ve noticed recently is that focusing on the concert naturally pushes me to work more on the songs themselves, and less on the underlying technique they rely on.

Part of me feels that this is normal, but another part wonders if I’m slowly drifting away from the fundamentals I’ve been building through B2B.

I also saw that @JoshFossgreen recently shared an updated 10-minute warm-up routine, and I’m considering using something like that to keep a technical baseline while focusing on the songs.

Looking ahead, from September onwards, I’d really like to find (or build) a band — something serious enough to progress, but still grounded and enjoyable.

Right now, the biggest challenge isn’t technique — it’s consistency.

How did you manage that balance between:
– working on songs
– and maintaining technique
when time and energy are limited?

Any advice or shared experiences would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

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I feel your pain. I usually add 2-5 songs a month into our setlist plus 2-5 revision of the older songs for refreshment purpose. That means, I’m working on 5-10 songs a month with a day job and 3 kids.

It’s best to treat it like it’s due tomorrow, and just start plugging ‘em notes. Once you get started things got a lot easier. Some songs just don’t click the first day, it feels so off from start to finish, but the strangest thing happens sometime, the next day you sit down and things just click, almost like you are playing them at 10 BPM slower. That’s why I usually work on 2-3 songs at a time.

The “Off the bass” time if I need to move things forward, I’d put those songs on a small playlist and just listen to them. Knowing the notes and feeling them off the bass is just as important to me.

Don’t feel too bad or stress for lack of time, you can always just play the root notes and no one can tell. :joy:

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Just to add more context after my initial post:

As the live performance approaches, I clearly find myself focusing more on the songs themselves — learning what comes next, locking in with others, making sure I don’t get lost — and less on the underlying technique.

At the same time, I tend to rush. I can feel that I’m not always as clean as I should be, especially when it comes to muting and playing at a controlled tempo. Slowing things down is probably what I need, but it’s not always what I end up doing.

There’s also another layer to this: for this project, I’ll mostly be playing with people I’ll only really get to know about 4 weeks before the concert. So it’s a short timeframe to build a real musical connection, shared expectations, or even a common groove.

On top of that, differences in motivation and expectations between people can make things a bit harder to fully engage with. Not as a criticism at all — just something I’m noticing for myself.

And then there’s a different kind of pull: sometimes I just feel like picking up a ukulele or an acoustic guitar and strumming through simple songs (even something like Taylor Swift). Not instead of bass, but as a more immediate and effortless way to enjoy music.

So I guess I feel a bit split between:
– wanting to become a more solid and disciplined bass player
– wanting to just enjoy playing music in a simple way
– and navigating a context that doesn’t always help with consistency

I love the instrument, I love groove, I love listening to other bass players and trying to reproduce that feel — so it’s a bit frustrating to feel that motivation slipping at times.

Maybe this is just part of the process, but I’d really be interested to hear if others went through something similar, and how you handled it.

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I think you’re right — I probably tend to be too perfectionist sometimes.

Playing just the root notes can be enough in theory, but it doesn’t fully satisfy me. That said, I also realize I have about two months for three songs, so I clearly have the time to do things properly.

I also know I need to work more on my left-hand positioning, which I don’t really enjoy. Some fingers just don’t seem to want to sit properly on the string, except for the one actually playing the note.

So yes… I probably need to bring a bit more patience and self-compassion into the process.

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Dude. You’ve got a lot going on.

It sounds like you’re trying to do about 3 or 4 big things at the same time, and expecting that you should be able to progress in all of them as though they were the ONLY big thing you were doing.

  1. Take a step back and breathe
  2. Look at everything you’re doing
  3. Identify what is truly most important, and what is bonus to fill in as you’re able.
  4. Focus on that.
  5. Give yourself credit for the Wins you’re actually putting up on the board.

Getting better at bass and starting a band are NOT on a fixed timeline. Your school and the live performance are.

First focus on family/personal life, school, work(?), and the live performance. Then fill in the gaps.

If you don’t have time to learn many other songs to focus on fundamental skills, don’t. Figure out what fundamental skills you can put your attention on WHILE practicing the songs you’re focused on.

Be aware of how you play in self-practice versus group practice. Chances are, you’re playing a LOT cleaner in the group, because your playing is more on auto-pilot because you’re paying attention to what everyone else is doing. So feel good that your practice time is paying off, even if it feel like a struggle in the moment.

You could add a couple easier songs to just play around or warm up with that would help you focus on these techniques. Ones where the lines are simpler, but the technique is tougher. Slow grooves with a lot of note separation or legato.

Songs I’ve worked on that I think would help you:

  • “Papa was a Rolling Stone”
  • “Stir it Up” by Bob Marley (any Marley)
  • “Wicked Game” Chris Isaak
  • “Sweet Jane” per Cowboy Junkies
  • “Tell Me More and More…” by Nina Simone (same descending pattern as “Glory Box”)

Seriously, Victor Wooten has said that one of the best things to do to dial in your groove is to just sit and play “Papa was a Rolling Stone” for 15 minutes straight. If you add ONE extra thing, I’d say learn that (it’s literally 3 notes), and focus on playing the rests.

Don’t worry too much. If you want a great song to practice this: “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock. See how little you can move your fingers while playing that line.

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Thanks alot @BeerBaron

I think I understand what you mean.

Life is unpredictable, and right now my priority is finishing my Master in Law — hopefully by June, or August at the latest.

Bass courses are more of a reward, but if they start to frustrate me, they could quickly turn into something negative.

So, one step at a time. And like @Al1885 said, “you can always just play the root notes, and no one will notice.”

As for the band, I was very clear with myself: not before September :wink:

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@Laurent_LG

Playing exactly like the original recording is awesome — and nailing the live performance version is even better. That said, it’s like the difference between a solid B and an A+: you’re working 200% harder for maybe a 10% improvement on the studio version, and closer to 300% effort for the full live energy.

When performing live, what really matters is staying in the pocket and creating tension and release throughout the song. You don’t need a ton of fancy modes or scales. It’s great to have a few in your toolbox, though — I occasionally pull out some Locrian and Dorian fills (things I picked up from studying Pino Palladino), but 90% of the time I stick to chromatic lines and major/minor pentatonics.

Chromatic runs are perfect for moving sections along and creating smooth transitions — whether ascending or descending. Pentatonics need no introduction; they’re the foundation of nearly every solo and bass line you hear. As a bassist, just pick the flavor that fits the song and your personal style.

The real art is choosing the best moments to insert your fills so they feel dramatic, stand out in the mix, and add something special — without clashing with the drums. Naturally, avoid hitting them at the exact same time as the drummer’s fills.

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You’re doing good. Focus on the important things and keep the fun stuff fun.

As the saying goes: It ain’t what’cha do, it’s the way that’cha do it!

There are a LOT of things you can do and still just be playing root notes. Rhythm matters. Note control - how you attack and how you release - matters. Seriously, go listen to “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”. That bass line is 3-notes. He mutes more than he makes sound. It drives the whole song.

Doing the simple things in an interesting way will always beat doing complex things with mediocre execution.

And that’s great stuff to practice when your head is full of other stuff, because you can just zone out and zen to it. Put on something simple and just… explore the ways you can add subtle variation to it. Let’s say you’re playing two ascending notes: what happens if you play them by: fret and pluck, hammer on, slide, don’t press the string to fret until the moment you pluck?

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Funny thing: I posted a “for September” band search in a local Facebook group yesterday…
and got 4 replies within 24 hours :sweat_smile:

– a singer who might know a drummer
– another singer who sent me her playlist
– a guitarist not really aligned with her current band anymore
– and someone asking me to DM him.

I guess I’ll have to slow things down a bit now.

But your point really resonates with me: I’m not looking to do complex things anymore, just to make simple things sound good, with the right people, in the right mindset.

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I teach social dancing - swing, blues, tango, and fusion of the above. One time I taught a West Coast Swing series for beginners. Last day of class, we opened up to whatever questions and one of the students asked us, “What’s your favorite move?”

After a moment of consideration, my partner and I both responded, “Sugar Pushes”.

The class was shocked, because - after walking on rhythm and connecting with a partner - that was literally the first move we taught. The most basic one: you move in a straight line towards each other, compress, and then push back to the starting position.

But the thing was, it is such a simple move that there are endless number of ways of HOW you execute it. It gives room to play.

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That really means a lot — your example genuinely helps me see things differently.

There’s something very reassuring in the idea that simplicity isn’t a limitation, but actually a space to explore and grow.

Your analogy with dance makes it very clear: it’s not about the move itself, but how you bring it to life.

I think I needed to hear that. Thanks a lot for sharing it.

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