Insight
Reforging Your Inspiration
Back in 1994, a young and cocky upright bass player was planning on traveling to Florida with the high school jazz band. Since the jazz director didn’t have the space or the desire to try and fit an upright bass on the bus, said cocky bass player (oh alright, it was me. You happy?!) went with his dad to Marshall Music and for $150, bought an electric bass. The used Applause 4 string PJ bass in gloss black would be my first foray into the world of electric bass. In true high schooler fashion, I appropriately dubbed it “Excalibur,” the sword of kings. And it wasn’t until a year later, on a bus in Germany during a tour with the Blue Lake International Youth Symphony Orchestra, that listening to Michael Manring’s album, Thonk, would open my mind to the possibilities of the instrument.
The years in college saw me making the transition from “upright player that has an electric bass” to “serious doubler on both electric and upright” to “he’s great on upright and scary on electric.” I absorbed as much as I could, played as much as I could, even playing in groups where I was forced to cover multiple musical roles at once (my original funk group had a saxphone-bass-percussion lineup, so there was a LOT of ground to cover). Excalibur was handling the abuse I was giving it, even so far as to go through two complete refinishes (going from that heavy gloss black to red stain with pickguard to electric blue), the addition of a Hipshot DeTuner (Manring had four; surely I could handle one), the addition of Seymour Duncan pickups, namely the Quarter Pound P pickup and Hot Jazz pickup (a Christmas gift from my parents, arguably the coolest parents in the world). Other, better basses would come into the stable and be in the gigbag for all the real work, but Excalibur in all its cobbled-together, road weary glory was still there on the stand, waiting for the 1am return from the gig where you felt inspired that you just had to write something down or play out an idea or two.
And then, about ten years ago, when I was working on another bass and needed some pickups, the soldering iron was put to Excalibur and the pickups were pulled out. I figured at some point I’d get other pickups. Then I needed that HipShot and just didn’t want to fork over the cash for a new one, so once again Excalibur was there. Much like the fabled “Giving Tree” from Shel Silverstein, Excalibur was giving me the tools to be inspired somewhere else, even to the detriment of itself. It got to the point where it was nothing but a badly spray painted body with a bridge, and a neck with no tuners. And there it sat.
Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was the wanton desire to connect with that bright eyed, cocky kid that attacked playing with an abandon and total disregard for rules, but in the beginning of December, I looked at Excalibur (that had taken residence in my workshop in a corner) and decided it was time. I had the pickups that I had sworn I would replace (currently a Lakland P pickup and Seymour Duncan Hot Stack J pickup, but another Quarter Pound P is on its way), but needed tuners and a new bridge. A quick perusal on eBay and a week later, the parts to reforge the great Excalibur were here. In keeping with the tradition of changing it a bit, this time the frets were pulled to make Excalibur a fretless, much like how Jaco pulled them off the fabled Bass of Doom and cementing his role in bass history.
Tools were used. Sanding was required. Swearing was heard as I tried to figure out how I pulled out the electronics so I could put them back in. Excalibur is more battle weary than ever, sporting many spots where someone – that at this point shall remain nameless – was too eager with the orbital sander, in addition to the dents and dings that are part of the history of such a great instrument. But here he sits, together at last, ready to inspire again and take whatever it is that is needed.
While this story is about my first bass, it’s really about the inspiration we all have. Part of rebuilding the bass was a small effort to reconnect with that kid that didn’t know of any musical rules to adhere to, and just played in the way that his inner voice commanded him to do so. But somewhere along the way, things were just taken from that kid in a way that none of us thought of, until there was nothing left but an empty shell that only echoed the might that it once had. In this, the first day of 2014, take the time to look back and reconnect with what inspired you. Find that inner forge and begin to rekindle that fire.
Sure, that kid from years back with Excalibur didn’t have a care in the world, but now that I’m sitting here with a reforged version of Excalibur in my hands and decades of knowledge and experience, that acts like a bellows, shooting air into that fire of inspiration and taking into places that I have no idea where they’re going to lead.
Have a very blessed and prosperous 2014. And if any of you are heading out to NAMM in a couple weeks, please stop by the GHS Strings booth – Hall C, Booth 4684 – and say “hi.”
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By Daniel Barrera, M.Ed., C.A.R.T., LPC A
Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in Texas, helping musicians and creatives thrive.
Relationships can be wonderful. They can also be a complete nightmare. Most of the time when we talk about relationships, we’re talking about other people. Romantic partners. Friends. Family members. Co-workers, Bandmates, etc.
Of course, musicians understand this idea better than most. Anyone who has spent years with an instrument knows that people don’t just play music. Over time, they develop a relationship with it. But over the years, I’ve started to notice something interesting. Human beings form relationships with all sorts of things…not just people.
That realization really hit home for me during a counseling session several years ago. At the time, I had been working with a client who came into counseling with the usual emotional aches and pains that bring people through a therapist’s door. Their intake paperwork mentioned depression, anxiety, grief…the kinds of struggles that many of us wrestle with at different points in life.
Over the course of several sessions, things began to improve. The client became more hopeful and confident. Life didn’t feel quite as heavy as it had when we first started meeting. One afternoon, I was reviewing their initial intake paperwork to make sure we had covered everything they had originally wanted to address.
That’s when I noticed something we hadn’t really talked about yet.
Buried among the other concerns was a short note saying they wanted to quit smoking. Now, anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking knows that it’s rarely as simple as just deciding to stop. People mean it when they say they want to quit. But then stress shows up, old habits creep back in, and suddenly they’re lighting another cigarette while wondering how they ended up right back where they started.
At our next session, I mentioned the note from their intake form. The moment I brought up smoking, the look on the client’s face told me I had just stepped onto sensitive ground. In my work, I’ve seen people in some very vulnerable moments, but this reaction made me pause for a second. For a moment, I wondered if I had just opened a door they weren’t ready to walk through. Thankfully, they didn’t get up and leave.
After taking a moment to gather themselves, the client admitted that smoking had been a serious struggle in their life. So, I did what therapists often do in moments like that. I let the silence sit there for a bit. Sometimes silence gives people just enough room to decide whether they want to keep the door closed…or start opening it.
After a few moments, I simply said, “Tell me more.”
I could see the client’s facial expressions change and the subtle shifts in their voice as certain memories surfaced. Some moments sounded lighter. Others carried more weight. At one point, I found myself saying something almost instinctively, “It’s all related,” and in many ways it was.
As the conversation continued, the client started describing the culture surrounding smoking. They talked about cigarettes, lighters, the rituals that came with it, and the strange mix of feelings they had about quitting. They recounted times they had quit for several months, only to find themselves starting up again, much to their shame. They even spoke about the unique differences between cigarettes and vaping, and why they preferred one over the other, even while knowing both were harmful. I was fascinated, but I also found myself feeling sad as they shared the suffering they had experienced as a smoker. My client was now in their late twenties, and the rapid approach of their 30th birthday felt significant to them.
Then I asked them to go back to the beginning. Not the moment when smoking became a problem. But the moment when it started. Or maybe more accurately…the moment when they first discovered cigarettes. The client paused for a moment. They then said, “Well, I first met cigarettes when I was eight years old.” That caught my attention immediately. I remember noticing and making a mental note when they used that word.
“Met.”
That word stayed with me.
At first, it caught me by surprise. Then curiosity kicked in. A moment later, I found myself quietly smiling because the idea was so obvious once I heard it framed that way. It was one of those strange moments where a lightbulb turns on and you realize what it’s illuminating had been there all along, hiding in plain sight. As I kept listening, what I realized in that moment was that I wasn’t simply hearing the story of a “bad habit”. I was hearing the story of a relationship…and every relationship has a beginning.
And that’s where we’ll pick up the story next time.
After The Last Note
Music and creativity have always had a way of opening doors to perspectives or parts of life we did not even realize were closed. If a song, piece of music, performance, or experience has ever made you pause, reflect, question something, or see your life or personal or band relationships more clearly, I would love to hear about it.
I am always open to reader questions, topic ideas, or even specific songs you would like to see explored from a mental health perspective, especially where music, creativity, and everyday life intersect. You can send your thoughts, experiences, or questions to: Letsconnect@nlsccc.com
About the Author
Daniel Barrera, M.Ed., C.A.R.T., LPC Associate, is a licensed professional counselor associate in Texas who also spent many years immersed in the creative world as a bass player, graphic designer, copywriter, and voice-over artist. His counseling work lives at the intersection of creativity and mental health, informed by lived experience on both sides of the stage.
Since 2012, he has worked with musicians, artists, writers, and other creatives to help them navigate the emotional realities that often accompany a creative life. His writing reflects a deep respect for the artistic process and the inner struggles that shape it.
Learn more at www.nlsccc.com
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