Ugh. I just checked out my gig calendar and realized I haven’t played a gig since June 12 and won’t play another until August 14. That’s more than two months without playing.  This ‘Gigging Bass Player’ is NOT gigging right now. Not cool.

Lucky for me, I don’t depend on gigs to make a living. The extra cash is nice, but isn’t enough to make a huge impact on my lifestyle.

Having said that, not gigging for this long certainly has other impacts. My callouses go soft. My chops get a little dull. And I start to lose my mind . . . just a little bit.

Playing live is such a release. It does wonders for my mental health. For bass players like me, who live an otherwise normal lifestyle (e.g. day job, family, etc.), performing is like therapy. No matter what life throws at you, you can forget about everything at the gig and just lose yourself in musical and bass nirvana.

So what is a bass-playin’ dude to do when going through this kind of dry spell? How do I keep my hands loose, chops sharp and sanity intact?

I’ve been giving this some thought over the last day or so and come up with the following list of things to do while waiting for the next gig to roll around.

How NOT to Lose Your Mind Because You Haven’t Played a Gig in Two Months:

Noodle: Yes, noodle, in verb form. Or doodle if you prefer. Noodling refers to what you do when you casually pick up your bass and mess around while doing something else, like watching TV or surfing the web. When I’m gigging regularly, I get my fill of playing and don’t really have any desire to noodle around just for the hell of it. My bass tends to spend most of its time inside the case, only seeing the light of day at gig time. But noodling, while not a very rigorous form of practice, is still helpful in keeping your chops up.

Study: Sometimes I forget how much my playing style was developed based on what I picked up by studying my favourite bass players back in my wood-shed days. It never hurts to go back to the well of inspiration and have a listen to some of the material that provided me with my earliest bass influences. My recent playlist includes old masterpieces such as: Appetite for Destruction (Guns ‘n Roses), Moving Pictures (Rush), Master of Puppets (Metallica) and Operation: Mindcrime (Queensryche).

Practice: Yes, sometimes an intentional practice session is just what the doctor ordered in terms of keeping those four-string skills polished and honed to a fine point. While I’ve never been very disciplined when it comes to structured practice (I’m more of a noodler — see above), I do find there is some advantage to sitting down and working through some area of my playing that’s not entirely up-to-snuff. For example, I alternate between playing with a pick and playing with my fingers. While fairly proficient with both, my finger-playing stamina is not quite what it should be, especially when speed is involved. So my structured practice sessions will focus on various exercises to improve that aspect of my playing.

Forget: Forget what? How about forgetting that you’re a bass player, that you’re in a band and that you’re a performing musician. Sound ridiculous? Maybe. But sometimes just forgetting about it for awhile is what you need to feel fresh and committed once you’re back into a regular playing schedule. As much as I love playing, sometimes it becomes a bit of a grind. When gigs become a little tedious, it’s easy to forget how important music and the bass is to you. A little break can do wonders. And sometimes it doesn’t hurt to remember that there are other things in your life worth spending time on . . .

Hey you! Bass player! Yeah, you in the cover band. Do you realize you’re playing everything wrong? Do you even care? You’re getting paid, right? Would playing the songs correctly be too much to ask?

It’s not that hard, really. Just spend some time listening to the bass part. Then copy it on your bass. Now do that 5 or 6 times in a row until you’ve memorized the song.

Never bothered to properly develop your ear? Then find the tabs. It won’t take long to get them. They’re all over the internet. Sometimes they’re wrong, but they’re probably more right than you are.

Maybe you took up the bass because you figured it would be easy. So you ignored the basic musical principles of practice and dedication right from the beginning. After all, there were more important things to worry about, like chicks and beer, right?

And don’t dismiss your lack of commitment to your craft with some shitty excuse like, “It’s only a bass part, no one cares”, or, “I like to play things my own way.” That’s just code for, “I don’t care enough to learn the songs properly and I’m pretty sure most people won’t notice.”

Your lazy attitude pisses me off.

I love the bass. I’ve been faithful to it for almost 25 years. It’s my outlet. My joy. I live for it.

The bass makes me happy. The way you neglect it makes me angry. It deserves better than you.

Photo Credit: darpatator (Flickr)

OK, time to get down to business.

If you read the first post of this shiny new web-site, you may be asking yourself a few questions.

Such as:

“Who the hell is the Gigging Bass Player?”

“What’s the point of this site, anyway?”

“Why should I bother coming back?”

“All the bass players I know are inarticulate, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals who are incapable of stringing together a coherent sentence, let alone carrying on a semi-intelligent conversation. What the hell makes this jackass so special??”

Umm, who let the guitar player in here?

Hey, guitar player! Be nice or go home!

Is he gone??  Ok, good.

Now, let me do my best to answer the first three questions:

Who the hell is the Gigging Bass Player?

Hi, I’m Paul. I’ve been playing bass for almost 25 years.

That’s a long time.

I’ve played basements, garages, backyards, nightclubs, chicken-wing joints, biker bars, big stages, little stages, outdoor festivals, indoor festivals and too many other places to mention.

I’ve played in original bands and cover bands.

Done some studio work.

I’ve played with some awesome musicians — and some embarrassingly shitty musicians.

When it comes to the bass, I kinda know what I’m talking about.

But I don’t want to bore you with all my personal details. For now, lets just say I’ve been around the block, played in a bunch of bands and played a shit-load of gigs. I’ve developed some ideas, opinions and thoughts along the way, which I plan to share here.

So, I am the Gigging Bass Player.

But this site isn’t just about me. It’s also about you. You are also the Gigging Bass Player.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a full-time pro or a weekend warrior.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been playing for 3 weeks or 30 years. It doesn’t matter whether you play punk, country, metal or jazz.

You have thoughts, ideas and opinions. And I want to hear them. This site will only be a success if you get involved in the conversation.

If I’m the only one that’s talking, well, that’ll just be sad and pathetic.

You have just as much to give as I do. So don’t be shy — leave a comment and tell me what you think.

What’s the point of this site?

As a performing or aspiring bassist, I want you to come here to be informed, entertained and inspired.

Opinions will be shared. Advice will be dispensed. Stories will be told. Rants will be delivered.

Hell, I may even throw in the odd video post and play a little bass for ‘ya.

Beyond that, who knows?  We’ll see where things go . . .

Why should you bother coming back?

If you show up once and never come back, you’ll hurt my feelings.

Seriously.  You’ll give me a complex.

I’m fragile that way.

Also, I plan to post here at least 2-3 times per week, so you’ll want to check back often. Better yet, grab a feed and have all those nuggets of bass wisdom delivered right to your grubby little hands as soon as they become available.

But enough about me and my plans.

What do you want to see on The Gigging Bass Player? Drop in, say hello, and let me know what you want to talk about.

I’ve been playing bass for a long time — since I was 14. I’ve been playing gigs for almost as long. I haven’t kept count, but there have been a lot of them.

Most of those gigs have been OK. Some have been kind of crappy. And some have been downright shitty and made me question why the hell I ever wanted to be a performing musician in the first place.

But every once in a while, one of those gigs comes along where everything just comes together.

You know what kind of gig I’m talking about: The vibe is just right. The sound is literally shaking the stage. The band is firing on all cylinders.  The room energy makes you dizzy. The audience is putting out nothing but love.

And all at once, you realize, “This is it. This is what I live for.”

It doesn’t matter what else is going on in your world. Your chaotic family life, your boring job, your broken down car – all those things are relegated to the “who gives a shit” part of your brain.

At that moment, you’re serving your purpose, and nothing else matters. Your spirit soars and everything is right within your world.

That’s the power of the gig.

I love playing gigs. Nothing else makes me feel more alive, more vital, more relevant.

I also love the bass — the way it sounds, the way it feels, the way it looks. I love the way it makes the stage rumble. I love the way it makes my pant legs flutter when I’m standing in front of my amp.

Playing bass live is the shit, and that’s that.

Why do you play bass?  What is it about that big, unwieldy 4 or 5-string beast that keeps you coming back for more, weekend after weekend?

Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

Oh, and welcome to the Gigging Bass Player.

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