Home › Forums › Discuss Anything But Politics › Total loss of motivation
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May 29, 2019 at 6:22 am #133903
I seen to have reached this state, it’s been quite a long time since I last picked up a guitar to learn a song or learn a lesson.
I’ve sold off quite a few of my guitars and have others which will go up for sale soon.
2 or so years back I hit the frustration wall, possibly because I wasn’t making the progress I thought I should be making. But this is a different feel to that, guitars are no longer shouting “play me” when I look at them.
I honestly don’t know how to find my motivation again, maybe I need to look at a different style of music, maybe I need to find another style of instruction, or maybe guitar playing just isn’t for me and it was a crutch I needed at the time for a short time..
It could be all of the above, it all feels a tad hopeless tbh...Billy..
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May 29, 2019 at 9:09 am #133912
Billy,
This makes me sad to hear! Sometimes I feel that way,and when I do,I hook up the guitar and put on a really good slow blues number! As soon as I hear it,I want to start playing along with it! If this feeling ever goes away,I fear I will be in the same boat with you!…….Sal -
May 29, 2019 at 10:27 am #133914
Billy,
I have hit points like that in the past. I find that listening to a lot of music eventually inspires me to get back to playing.
But I think for me there were other factors at work. I took up playing piano in my retirement. I looked at it as a challenge and it certainly was. But I found that I was losing interest. I think it was because I wanted to play things like I heard in songs, but it was beyond my skill level. I don’t play as much as I used to, but when I do I keep it very simple and just enjoy it like that rather than undertaking endless practice to try to achieve some higher level.
I’m pretty sure I am better at guitar than piano, but I think the same thing has crept into my guitar playing. I used to have all these things I was working on to try to improve. Now I just do what I feel like doing, without any goals. For me guitar has become an enjoyable way to pass the time rather than an activity which needs to have goals and measurable progress. I still play daily so I think it works for me.
Bob
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May 29, 2019 at 10:47 am #133916
Hi Billy, I have to agree with Bob S, I was fortunate enough to start playing and learning when I was 11, bands etc. I cant imagine starting now…it would be very challenging, I enjoy it more each day because I can hear something and then go play it for the most part…..yet it does hurt to know I’ll never have my long hair again and rock out playing on stage every weekend……we won’t be Jimi or Jimmy….but I find that the guitars themselves bring me pleasure and fun, hanging out with other guitar geeks and the community of players is fun as well. When I had my recent family crisis, it was the guitar that kept me sane…….dont stop, take some time off, but listen to music all the time and set your expectations where you believe it will be fun for you……not easy to give you advice only you can know what motivates you…..we’re here for what you need…wish I could buy you a pint and talk and play…..hang in there…
Roberto
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May 29, 2019 at 11:05 am #133917
Hi Billy,
after my last Band I started learning the piano. It was a great challenge, to play independent with 10 fingers. I was enthused and forgot totally my Bass and my Guitars for some years. But at any moment, the Guitar-Virus came back and so I landed at A.M. and others and my Guitars are again full in action every day. I think, there is no use at all, to force yourself. If you need a rest, take it and wait. And when someday you will dream of a Guitar at any night, perhaps it will be the beginning of a comeback? If not – there are so many other creative pursuits or hobbies.
Wish you the best decision, so or so
Dieter
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May 29, 2019 at 11:41 am #133918
The driving force for me has always been when I hear a piece of music which inspires me to want to re-create it on guitar. I’ve been playing (on and off) for 60 years and I should be much better at it than I am, but that’s life.
As soon as I find that nothing inspires me musically any more, I will give up guitar and probably play more golf…..but unless I go completely deaf, who knows what’s around the corner.Richard
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May 29, 2019 at 11:42 am #133919
Some great experience and advice there, Billy. Hope you find your motivation again somewhere down the road. Hope you stay active on the forum, I always enjoy your cheeky posts. I’ve got a new toy coming but it’s taking it’s sweet time arriving (maybe early next week). I’ve been dying to show you in particular, so stay tuned.
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May 29, 2019 at 12:11 pm #133920
Billy,
Funny thing is I remember noticing the last time I heard you play how much you have improved.
It’s sometimes hard to watch others on the site make it look so easy.
I’m hoping you find your way through this funk, really do enjoy your banter.
Ron -
May 29, 2019 at 1:58 pm #133921
Don’t quit just yet Billy ’cause I’ve just sent you a private message that might help.
Your good friend Ernie’s Hairy Knees -
May 29, 2019 at 3:26 pm #133923
Sorry to hear you are feeling this way, Billy. I would urge you to take a step back and relax a bit. The nice thing about being amateur players like us of course is that there is no external pressure, only our own enjoyment and expectations of ourselves. Sometimes we can get too close to a subject, I believe, and almost think ourselves into difficulty. Most of us are doing or have been doing something else for a living so perhaps we shouldn’t expect too much of ourselves too quickly as amateurs! Hang in there, Billy, and stick at it!
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May 29, 2019 at 3:56 pm #133925
Thanks fellas for the support, it really is much appreciated. Martyn has messaged me with an idea or two which may or may not help me find my Motivation but as they say, “there is nothing to lose by giving it a go” and after all it cant kill me hahahaha
I do pop on to the forum each day, say hello to the new people and listen to the showcases, geez we do have some very talented people on here eh, Now it looks like I’ll have to pop in twice every day now to see if Chajo (John) has bought a taxi cab and if I am moving to Canada to drive it for him..I’ve not done a challenge response since Jan, come to think of it i’ve not looked at any of the new lessons in months either so maybe I’ll try put something together for the beginning of June, that might just be the kick in the pants that I need.
..Billy..
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May 29, 2019 at 4:10 pm #133926
I started to realize last year that I was becoming a guitar robot, endlessly learning new lessons, more theory, new styles of playing, but not actually getting much better at playing. There is no one in my peer group that I can sit around and jam with, and no open mic sessions that would be readily accessible to me. My only choice is to play alone, and my only audience comes from my Youtube videos watched mainly by my friends and family.
So, coming from a scientific background as I do, I started to analyze why that was happening. I asked myself, why am I doing this? What do I want to be doing 3 years from now? Do I actually need more guitar skills? What can I do with the skills I already have achieved?
The answers for me were:
(1) I’m doing this because I like the sound of guitars, and the things you can do with them.
(2) 3 years from now I want to be creating my own music. Not necessarily improv, but actual compositions. That’s why I especially like Brian’s lessons where he explains how he arrived at the melodic structure.
(3) I’ve seen some guys play some awesome music on their guitars using absolutely basic beginner level skills. So I don’t need to learn any more than I already know. But if I learn stuff along the way, that’s also fine.
(4) There is music in my head. With the skills I already have, I can learn to create better compositions, and make better recordings. My DAW us the gateway to this process. Toward that end, I need to make multi-track recordings. If every track were me playing a guitar, it would be boring. So I have embarked on a quest to learn some basic skills on some other instruments. Last year I bought an electric bass. It’s fun to put on one of Brian’s lesson demos and just jam along with it on my bass using simple bass licks. That way, I learn. I’ve also dusted off my old harmonica, and bought a few new ones, and got serious about becoming a better cross harp player. My goal is to just learn to play a few simple notes, but play them well. I’ve also collected a few things for playing percussion on – real and virtual drums.Day after day I sit alone in my music studio, just messing around and having fun. It’s not that different from an artist who sits alone in his studio every day, and creates painting after painting, never selling any of them. We do it for the love of it, like a famous new Zealand group said:
Sunjamr Steve
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May 29, 2019 at 7:32 pm #133939
I seen to have reached this state, it’s been quite a long time since I last picked up a guitar to learn a song or learn a lesson.
I’ve sold off quite a few of my guitars and have others which will go up for sale soon.
2 or so years back I hit the frustration wall, possibly because I wasn’t making the progress I thought I should be making. But this is a different feel to that, guitars are no longer shouting “play me” when I look at them.
I honestly don’t know how to find my motivation again, maybe I need to look at a different style of music, maybe I need to find another style of instruction, or maybe guitar playing just isn’t for me and it was a crutch I needed at the time for a short time..
It could be all of the above, it all feels a tad hopeless tbh.Billy, I feel for you man,, listen to me..be it you depressed or frustrated or whatever.. you be happy to keep at least one good acoustic and if you must sell ,, keep at least your favorite electric… honestly.. speaking ..keep the ones you know when the moment returns ,you don’t regret selling a good value or something that will appreciate in value overtime. good luck Billy , you hang in there too..we all in time especially our age go through tribulations ..I keep reminding myself how fortunate I still have it.. but like any day it can change.. the good thing is we can share our trouble thoughts as friends and share our gifts, each and everyone Billy, as you have to me and still do.. be at peace and for all! watch some old star trek lol.. that’s what i’m doing while practicing.. btw, learn some johnny cash stuff or even the willie nelson lesson here! strum light country chords and small riffs if you don’t care to blues it on penta shapes or whatever. still fun stuff BILLY GOOD luck and for always being a friend and upfront bro!
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May 29, 2019 at 7:43 pm #133940
I started to realize last year that I was becoming a guitar robot, endlessly learning new lessons, more theory, new styles of playing, but not actually getting much better at playing. There is no one in my peer group that I can sit around and jam with, and no open mic sessions that would be readily accessible to me. My only choice is to play alone, and my only audience comes from my Youtube videos watched mainly by my friends and family.
So, coming from a scientific background as I do, I started to analyze why that was happening. I asked myself, why am I doing this? What do I want to be doing 3 years from now? Do I actually need more guitar skills? What can I do with the skills I already have achieved?
The answers for me were:
(1) I’m doing this because I like the sound of guitars, and the things you can do with them.
(2) 3 years from now I want to be creating my own music. Not necessarily improv, but actual compositions. That’s why I especially like Brian’s lessons where he explains how he arrived at the melodic structure.
(3) I’ve seen some guys play some awesome music on their guitars using absolutely basic beginner level skills. So I don’t need to learn any more than I already know. But if I learn stuff along the way, that’s also fine.
(4) There is music in my head. With the skills I already have, I can learn to create better compositions, and make better recordings. My DAW us the gateway to this process. Toward that end, I need to make multi-track recordings. If every track were me playing a guitar, it would be boring. So I have embarked on a quest to learn some basic skills on some other instruments. Last year I bought an electric bass. It’s fun to put on one of Brian’s lesson demos and just jam along with it on my bass using simple bass licks. That way, I learn. I’ve also dusted off my old harmonica, and bought a few new ones, and got serious about becoming a better cross harp player. My goal is to just learn to play a few simple notes, but play them well. I’ve also collected a few things for playing percussion on – real and virtual drums.Day after day I sit alone in my music studio, just messing around and having fun. It’s not that different from an artist who sits alone in his studio every day, and creates painting after painting, never selling any of them. We do it for the love of it, like a famous new Zealand group said:
<iframe src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/7HIc2EYnY2I?wmode=transparent&rel=0&feature=oembed” allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=”” id=”fitvid0″ frameborder=”0″></iframe>Steve, all of us have the gift, some have been prcticing way more than others,, look at Brian! you think after reading his life story intro as how he endeavored to start active Melody with a three hundred dollar Sony cam and look where we are now thanks to his courage and talent and especially passion for what he shares here! I feel lucky to have an Active Melody account! I tried many sites and sure I can still try many sites but really is enough here to keep me having fun/actually Active Melody! lol.. Anyway, we all are going to get up and down days but the truth is we should be grateful for SUCH A COOL SITE!
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May 30, 2019 at 3:59 pm #133964
Absolutely!
Sunjamr Steve
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May 31, 2019 at 5:17 pm #134099
Billy, do you have any local opportunities to play out with others at a jam or even just to goof around over some beers? One of the biggest driving forces for me is the ability to create the whole enchilada, so to speak. Make music, contribute to a song, the parts contributing to the overall sum. When I got back into playing 5 or 6 years ago after a very long hiatus, the allure of home recording is what drove this. I wanted to recreate my all-time favorites. With a modest investment in DAW software, an interface, a cheaper bass guitar, and an inexpensive drum machine, it lit the fuse for me. For me, there’s nothing quite like a group of guys “playing in the pocket” on a song, it makes it all worthwhile for me. I wish everyone to opportunity to experience this even once because once they do, they will be hooked on playing music.
One more thing- I’ve long ago come to the honest conclusion that I’ll never be a great musician. I’ll probably never be able to rip off fast runs, my voice will always warble more than I’d like, I’ll never be able to get all of the scale patterns down pat. Lack of free time, lack of ability, whatever. But there is an endless world to what I can do with my skill set. Not sure if you are in a similar place but hopefully you can find some encouragement in all of this.
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May 31, 2019 at 11:14 pm #134183
Hi Mark,
Yes, we used to have a pub jam on a Sunday over a few beers but that kind of petered out within a few months,
I also went along to a local guitar group on a Thursday night, wasn’t just guitars there were singers and fiddles to, that to was a lot of fun until it felt like a happy clappers convention.I took once a week lessons at one point, sadly though good guitarists don’t always make good teachers/instructors and that to fell by the wayside.
Thursday gone I took the day off work, fired up my DAW, loaded in one of Brian’s jam tracks, connected up my thr10c and then just sat there looking at the pc screen for 20mins or so, not a single flicker of motivation to even reach for a guitar case let alone plug a guitar in.
My aim when I started to learn guitar was to go and do open Mic nights, I didn’t want to be a great musician, all I wanted to do was learn to play guitar.
Venturing to an open Mic night never happened so possibly I should have pushed myself harder to achieve that,Honestly I don’t know what to do now, do I force myself to play in the hope that this is just a passing phase or do I just sell everything up and have a weeks vacation with the proceeds,
Everyone on AM have been so supportive either in this thread or in message, some cases in both, So big thank you to all.
This will I’m sure resolve itself one way or the other...Billy..
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June 1, 2019 at 4:31 am #134228
Billy Hi
Why not have a little break? It might be that the guitar suddenly becomes missed again and then that’s the problem gone. Alternatively perhaps a few private lessons with an experienced player might help you to an alternate angle and renew your interest. We all hit impasses for a time and they can be hard to get through. Adding some variety might be the spice of guitar life. Your playing, seen by a different pair of eyes and heard by other ears might instigate an insight you have not realized.
Hopefully I am about to start open mike playing. I am sure playing with others will bring yet more ingredients to the table perhaps that’s a route for you?
Oh and remember you’ve sort of been here before and pulled through and moved streaks ahead with your playing so look at it as a natural but probably temporary thing.
all the Best
JohnStrat
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