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jampapi t1_j46f3ml wrote

Reply to comment by futureshocked2050 in Anxious individuals are less likely to experience “states of flow” while playing music; while those who experienced more flow scored higher on emotional intelligence by lolfuys

I went through the same thing in high school jazz band- I was the bass player (I still play) and was constantly improvising over the chords to back up all the other soloists. When it was my turn to solo, I struggled hard with jumping out of my “walking bassline box” and into the “solo box” to improvise different kinds of lines.

Once I started playing in bands and hosting a community jam, playing with all kinds of new players every week forced me to be more reactive, and listen to all the parts (including my bass part) as a whole. That jam was the first time I got out of my head and could listen to everything without thinking about playing.

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banjo_assassin t1_j47iu7w wrote

Yeah but as a bass player, do you notice the entire ensemble drop out, turn and stare at you, along with the audience, contributing zero to the groove, yet creating an atmosphere of tension that you try to resolve with virtuosity, instead of grooving with your buds like a horn, guitar, piano gets to do?

Not to mention an upper extension sounds like a modulation without the context that the bass normally provides?

But yeah, cool article. I’ve played with uptight people that need to stop the jam and start over, and others that can tell you the tempo, groove, feel, and more just by playing an intro. Definitely seems like experience and playing outside your personal bag (like your jams) helps get to the big picture.

The emotional intelligence part seems the most intriguing though. Some of the “spectrum” folks in regular society did so well with the flow, while super charming charismatic types were crushed by musical anxiety. Again, experience mattered most!

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