I play bass in a reggae band.
Here's the thing about reggae: it's all about space.
The muted guitar skank. The one drop of the snare and the kick drum on the three. The bass line weaving in and out. The lead keyboard riff slicing through.
One night we were rehearsing for an upcoming gig. After about four songs, I said to the band that something felt off. The sound was muddy. There wasn't enough space.
Everyone agreed. We played another couple songs.
No change. We were grooving all right, but the space wasn't there. What was going on?
Then our keyboard player said, "It's you, dude! It's the bass."
Me?
Yes, it was me.
I was letting the end of each bass line ring out. A big, fuzzy boom was taking up all the space.
My unnecessary extra bass sound was muddying everything up. Taking away the shine off the other instruments. Taking away the space.
I started clipping the bass lines. I was more concise. The space opened up. The other instruments could be heard more clearly. The band as a unit sounded way better.
When things aren't going right at work, when your team can't solve the problem, when your relationships seem to be lacking connection, maybe the problem is you.
Maybe you're taking up too much space and drowning everyone else out.