Ugh... stuck in a rut

So, I haven’t been posting much around here the last couple of weeks. I’ve been stuck in a rut, just feeling down. Haven’t felt like I have much of value to say. Haven’t been studying, just watching my money go down the tubes for instructional stuff I’ve bought. Haven’t been practicing much at all, either, just… playing the same 5 or 6 songs that I know over and over again.

I completely failed at my “no new basses for 2023” commitment. First with the Dimension and more recently with an impulse buy I couldn’t bear to pass up (more details on that when it arrives tomorrow) which may cause me to have to sell the Dimension. Or the Charvel, one of the two, but I need to pay off the impulse buy.

My guitar-player brother came over last weekend, we started going over basic blues jam stuff. That was fun. We’re gonna do that more. So, there is that, but again, I haven’t practiced anything since then.

Blargh.

Sorry to be such a downer, but this is the only “online community” I’m a part of any longer, and all y’all are pretty darned cool and understanding.

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I feel comfortable in saying that everyone has been there in one way or another in some capacity. You’ve recognized you’re in a rut so thats part of the battle. There are a slew of reputable articles for helping to refocus the mind. Never neglect your own mental health, and never be afraid to look for help if you need it.

Hoping your rut ends soon!

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There’s some bands that have a positive message and make me happy. Nemophila, Lovebites and Babymetal. In Karate Babymetal sings when you’re knocked down, and too sad to get up, fight on.

But when I was really down during 2020 and feeling isolated, I watched a lot of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu concerts. Music has the power to lift your soul

Just focus on the good stuff and fake it till you make it

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Debbie Downer Meme GIFs | Tenor

Hey, a great way to get out of a downer rut is to buy a new bass… oh wait, scratch that.

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Do more of that. There’s nothing more rewarding and motivating than playing even a simple tune with someone, and hearing that it really works.
After 5 months of B2B and self-practice I recently started playing with a few of my buddies, and while I’ve learned that while playing with other people is a completely new skillset, that moment when you really nail it even simply strumming some roots feels amazing.

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God dammit.

LOL.

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The best thing about being in a rut is that there’s only one way to go: up.

There’s no point in beating yourself up if you’re playing “the same 5 or 6 songs” you know, because you’re overlooking the point of that: You know 5 or 6 songs.

And, since you do, that means there are 500 or 600 other songs out there you can likely already, or with a minimal effort, play.

Besides that, playing blues, especially with a guitarist, is a gift from God. It allows you to hone your bass line improv skills and generally have a great time doing it.

As for the bass buying/selling, just do what you do and play. Life’s too short for angst-ing about things that are fun.

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Obviously, buying, selling, re-buying, impulse-buying etc of hardware is NOT the solution - you tried that already :wink:

I am with @jakub.r.salata - start playing more with others; indeed, start a band with your brother!!

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It’s ok man everyone has ebbs and flows. If you’re not inspired don’t force yourself to play. Take time and do other things and then recharge your soul for the next time. When you do pick up your basses play as long as you want or as short. I know that I take time away and it always brings me back a bit fresher. I remember last time I got my live gear and jammed with guitar and drums they both thought that I sounded very sharp when honestly I took about 3 weeks or more off. If you are playing and you feel stale then you can always jam some new stuff you haven’t heard before. Even if I don’t know the bass parts I jam it and honestly I have some of the most fun doing that. Sometimes even songs I know quite well I’ll just go off and improv especially when I get tired of certain things. The point is to make it fun and engage your mind in different ways so it’s not feeling stale. And that also applies to life.

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I hope the new one is a Stingray Special, at that time the prophesy will be fulfilled :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Sorry, it’s not… prophecy be damned. :smiley:

Here’s a sneak preview:
Screenshot 2023-03-02 124810

More to come (in a different thread) once it arrives tomorrow.

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:100:

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Like some already said, get that blues thing going. Lots of fun to be had improvising together :sunglasses:

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This!
It’s very easy for electric bass players to fall into ruts when we don’t have a real world application for our playing.
As an accompaniment instrument, there’s a limit to what we can do by ourselves in our rooms. We need a group / a song / a melody / a band!
The more chances you have to play with other humans, the more your bass journey will extend into the shimmering and infinite joys of musicianship.
I hope more of these opportunities become available!

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So, thanks for all the replies. There’s a reason this is the best bass community around. :slight_smile:

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Turns out, that’s a pretty accurate statement. :smiley:

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What did you buy?

This: Show Us Your Basses (Part 2) - #216 by timsgeekery

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Ahh! I saw that but missed the “it just arrived” thing. I had thought it was an existing manifestation of your Carvin love :slight_smile:

Very pretty bass.

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Here, I’ll make you feel better………I live in southeastern Michigan. We had an ice storm a week and a half ago. I was out of power for 6 days. Luckily, my son lives near by and his house is large enough so my wife, me, and my border collie to stay until the power was restored. On that miraculous day when the power came back on, the cast iron drain pipe under our shower broke and further down the line there was a two foot crack!! Needles to say, sewage ended up under my house in the crawl space. It took 2 days for our plumber (local company to me and extremely professional) to completely replace all the cast iron with pvc. Not a fun job considering the crew had to spend all that time in a two foot crawl space for two days. Once they got to the outside main drain line to the sewer, they had to dig out a juniper bush to get to the pipe and make the final connection. Because it took two days, my wife and I stayed at a local hotel because we couldn’t go to my son’s house because……………his hot water heater burst!!..…What the heck!!! The hotel was pet friendly, and my dog did ok….although he wasn’t eating as he usually does because of all the changes of scenery for him.
Now that the plumbing is whooshing along as it should, we are dealing with our insurance company to get reimbursed for our expenses……at least 3 EBMM 35th Anniversary Sting Ray 5s!!
Plus, we are including the cost of a restoration company to test, clean-up, and disinfect our crawl space………one more Sting Ray???
Also, last night we were hit with a snow storm with “snow thunder” and the power flickered, but didn’t go out. Today, it took me five hours to shovel around my house and drive way. It usually takes me an hour and a half, but the snow weighed a ton and I’m 65 and need a lot of water/rest breaks. Then the st@&id county plow driver threw a crap load of snow into my driveway AND knocked my mailbox off its post!!
So, after all of this, I’m going to do nothing on Sunday, but play my bass………probably A LOT of my church music because I want to say “Thank you” to the Big Guy upstairs for getting us through the horrendous past week and a half with our sanity intact and for the means to be able to handle it financially!
Now I need to make a run to Toledo to buy my son a case of Yuengling Black & Tan and a liter of Jack for all of his hospitality when we stayed at his house……….
So, I hope you get out of your “blah” mood and get back to expressing your joy through your music. Remember, as bad as one may feel about things, someone somewhere out in our great world is suffering through some stuff, and we can only hope they will reach that point where their “plumbing is whooshing along” as it should!

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