Are you in a rut with your bass playing? It’s ok. Sometimes you get in a rut. Maybe you’re not motivated. Maybe you don’t know what to practice or don’t feel creative. It could be many things. At these times I suggest shaking things up a little. Force yourself into doing and experiencing new things.
Here are some ways you could get out of your bass playing rut:
- Listen to a radio station you never listen to.
- Go see some live bands you’ve never seen.
- Investigate an unfamiliar style of music.
- Listen to famous bassists you’ve never heard.
- Tune your bass in an unfamiliar way.
- Take a lesson from a different teacher – it doesn’t have to be a bass teacher or even a music teacher!
- Travel somewhere.
- Don’t listen to any music or play any bass at all for a week. Completely avoid music. Then pick up your bass and see what happens. Just make sure you don’t quit playing bass altogether!
- Play music written for other instruments or voice on your bass.
- Play something on another instrument and then try to play it on your bass.
- Play your favorite basslines backwards.
- Write out some music – chords or notes – that you can’t imagine what they might sound like and play or compose around them.
- Play in the dark.
- Play in an unusual place.
- Stare at a painting while you play.
- Play notes on your bass using strange objects instead of your fingers or a pick.
- Find some new musicians to play with.
