DEALING with LACK OF MOTIVATION. Music stuff. Help plz

Firedwarf

Firedwarf

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Oct 14, 2002
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I'll just get right to it.

The past three or four weeks I've been REALLY uninspired when it comes to bass stuff.

Like, I have trouble picking up the instrument. And when I do I sigh and look at it and think "what the hell are you doing.."

It doesn't feel like I'm going anywhere with it. Almost all I've been doing for the past two years is theory and theory and theory. A LOT moreso lately, like the past six months.

I don't know. I feel really lame because my teacher gave me three weeks (weekly lessons, but we haven't seen each other in three weeks because of Thanksgiving and I was moving and blah blah) to get some really simpleish stuff down and I haven't done it.

I really.. don't know. It doesn't feel like I'm going anywhere and it's frustrating. I'm going to tell him all this today and see what he says.

Also I'm not playing with any other musicians around here because I don't really get along.. uh.. creatively with them. So basically all I do is sit around and do theory junk. I haven't tried writing anything on my own.

And I'm asking here because some of are (IMO) accomplished musicians so HELP! thanks! whew. I have to go to lessons now!
 
i think it is really just the nature of being a musician and wanting to explore your instrument while at the same time an outside force is trying to regement your musicianship(i don't mean that in a bad way towards your teacher by the way).

i know theory always did that to me as well. i remember my sophomore year i went home for christmas break and didn't touch my guitar for the entire month. i didn't even feel motivated to look at it.

frankly, this disturbed me because you couldn't seperate me from it while i was in high school but i think that every musician eventually goes through these little "slumps" and the best thing is to not get worried about it but just make an attempt whenever you get a chance to play and if you aren't feeling inspired than there really isn't much else you can do to manipulate yourself to feel inspired.

i dunno if that helped at all.
 
I actually find that taking a break can help too. or maybe just forcing yourself to play with other people. you don't have to get along or even like the music, but it can help you find your center.
 
Maybe you don't want to pick up your bass because you're developing into a composer instead of a performer, where your skill on the instrument won't matter as much? I personally don't think you should make yourself play or write if you aren't wanting to... there's so much other cool stuff you can do in the meantime that you actually may find that you're happy you're in a musical break. For me, often when there's something else I want to do but I'm working on some music, I get annoyed that I can't shift my focus. Nowadays I'm happy when i have a month or so when I'm not interested in playing because it frees me up to do other things.

I think that if music is in your heart, you're not going to lose that. It's not like taking a break starts you on a path of no recourse - unless music isn't really in your heart. In my opinion you have nothing to fear, and as for what to do about it? I'd say either put it out of your mind and do other things, or a different approach - some things that usually gets me going musically are

- listen to music you haven't ever listened to before
- see a really awesome concert
- see a really awful concert
 
I have a progressive-atmospheric-metal-but-not-too-metal project, a big 40 minute orchestrated project with almost 30 programmed instruments, a full band doing really heavy stuff from many genres, and more solo projects underway. I also regularly write little classical pieces and other stuff which is not really for any project.

It's this range of music that lets me keep going fairly constantly. I couldn't possibly be in the mood to play/write any of those 100% of the time, so i drift between them all. And when i'm not in the mood for any of those i may simply improvise for ages, or play other people's songs (which i rarely do). And then there are times when i work on technique, learning to sweep pick or something of the sort. At other times i may not even want to pick up a guitar but i may be enthused by doing some mixing/mastering of a recent project, reading up about new ideas and practicing using new plugins and techniques. Furthermore sometimes i just grab a pen and paper and write down ideas for current projects, for future reference to keep me on the right track. Etc etc...

There is so much to be done in music, if you're just doing theory and only playing by yourself and such then no wonder you're losing motivation. You can rest and it'll eventually come back, or you can move onto something else for the moment. Try working with other musicians (it doesnt have to be your perfect style, see it as simply one thing to do, not something which has to be perfect or else its worthless), other styles, try writing instead of playing, a different instrument (i suck at piano, but there at times when it feels really good to make horrible noises come from one), a different environment (like, near a river or something beautiful), etc etc

Other than that the other suggestions so far are good, watch other bands, listen to new music, listen to old music you havent listened to in a while.
 
What's this theory you speak of? I know jack sprat for theory. I've been meaning to sit down and dig into some more of it but I can only do that so long before I get sick and start writing again. That's probably why I don't know squanto for theory.
 
i know hardly any theory either, actually i resist pretty strongly against it. But such a decision has to be made for the right reasons, not because it's hard work or anything like that. I just found it limited me and greatly reduced my enjoyment of music. So i forced myself to become ignorant about many things theory related, i read over it and gain ideas and general concepts from it but i never go into specifics.

I especially hate labels. I get really annoyed if my friends tell me the name of the chord i'm playing. Of course i also think a lot of people need theory, you need the right attitude and mind to be able to live without it and still produce good music.

Anyway i think it's far better to learn these things for yourself, to push the boundaries yourself and figure out what works and what doesnt, never with limitations or ideas about what music should or shouldnt be.
 
@Baliset: I'm afraid I might have demonized my teacher. He's a really great guy and we have a pretty close relationship. I think he's right, too. I need to hammer down the theory stuff he's showing me if I don't want my writing to suffer later on. And yeah, that was helpful!

@FuSoYa: The thing you said about being so focused with music that you couldn't concentrate on anything else.. that happened to me with this band I used to play in. It wasn't anything amazing but it was pretty neat for what it was. Unfortunately the band had to break up because our lead guitarist has sort of a drug problem and no one really liked the vocalist and the drummer wasn't really that dedicated. I think you're right. I should stop worrying like "omg omg I haven't practiced in two weeks wtf am I going to do."

My teacher did suggest that I start keeping a check/goal list and try to get through those things in order to get rid of that "I'm going NOWHERE!" feeling.

Also I think I'll start playing with this friend of mine who keeps bugging me. Our tastes don't match up exactly but I think I should anyway.

summation: So I think that learning theory (to at least an intermediate level) is important. (agree/disagree?) Also I should start playing with other people in a few weeks when my motivation comes back. In the meantime I'm going to try to find cool new music or something.

THANKS! I know that last paragraph was sort of disjointed.
 
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