Double Bass at Home vs. at the Gig

pmancuso

Senior Member
Has anyone encountered being able to play the bouble bass better at home than at a gig and sometimes the pedals feeling differently than they do at home. I could be wrong but I think the temperature and humidity (or not) affect the head and the springs (coefficient of expansion) and can screw things up.
 
Stage lights do it to me. The entire set seems different when I have played out, rather than at home. You get used to things at close tolerances and just a 1/4" off on a pedal and it feels like a foot. Nothing on the set ever seems the same when I have moved it and set up somewhere else, even though everything is measured out, marked on the rug, memory locks at every joint. Now that I think of it the size of the room effects the feel. The temperature of the room effects things.
 
Its definitely more nerves than the physical properties of the pedal and heads..
I don't play double bass, but this happens to me sometimes with other stuff.
 
I'd have said it's more likely to be due to extra tension in your body than any material change in the equipment. Having said that, if you're borrowing someone else's bass drum then that can make a huge difference due to size and tension of the head...sometimes in surprising ways.
 
Yep, I'm definitely the same way. If I take my bass drum out of the room it's in, and bring it anywhere, it feels off. Even if it's just at a friend's for a little jam, it just doesn't quite feel right.
 
There are a few other factors I have found in all playing at home vs at rehearsal vs at a gig. It's not limited not just double bass. :) I'm sure others will agree.

(1) When you perform in front of people at a gig, there is a different Adrenalin rush. (2) When you are at home you are thinking about what you are playing. (3) When you playing at a gig, you are just doing it without thinking.

Just don't let the Adrenalin rush your meter. :)
 
I think it's acoustics and seat position more than anything. How you hear your bass drum totally affects the way you play it, especially when you're trying to keep track of 16ths, 24th or 32nd notes. And if you're sitting at a different height or distance from your pedals and bass drum things can feel totally different. And then there's gig anxiety.

I have played on a stage where I could hardly hear the bass drum, that was a bit of a nightmare.

I've also played on a tiny stage where I had to sit alot closer to the bass drum.

I just make sure I know I can play my drum parts live as I write/practice them. Would be a bit embarrassing to go out and stuff up your own music.
 
I have played on a stage where I could hardly hear the bass drum, that was a bit of a nightmare.

.

I've never understood it when drummers say they don't want to hear any of themselves in a mix. Both live and recording, its easier to play with more feel and energy when you can hear the results of your input!
 
I'm not nervous at all at a gig it's strictly a physical feeling with the pedals. I can do things and play better at home most of the time. Just wondering if anyone else goes through the same thing. THAT'S WHY I'M NOT A PRO.
 
Has anyone encountered being able to play the bouble bass better at home than at a gig and sometimes the pedals feeling differently than they do at home. I could be wrong but I think the temperature and humidity (or not) affect the head and the springs (coefficient of expansion) and can screw things up.

I'm not nervous at all at a gig it's strictly a physical feeling with the pedals. I can do things and play better at home most of the time. Just wondering if anyone else goes through the same thing. THAT'S WHY I'M NOT A PRO.

You know, it's almost certainly nerves. That doesn't mean you're nervous, it means the adrenaline is pumping and you are feeling different because you're not at home, you're playing live without a net. It's almost certainly not humidity messing with springs or any such thing. It's 100% your equipment between the ears.

The trick is to play live more. Get used to the feeling and learn how to make it work for you.
 
Has anyone encountered being able to play the bouble bass better at home than at a gig and sometimes the pedals feeling differently than they do at home. I could be wrong but I think the temperature and humidity (or not) affect the head and the springs (coefficient of expansion) and can screw things up.

this is a mental issue .... or at least I believe it is

to quote John Madden ... "90% of the game is half mental " :)

check out Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner

this book helped me with mental issues toward playing that I didn't even know I had

100% of the book is not for everyone .... but there are portions of the book that can help anyone
 
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