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Post by creamburmese on Mar 6, 2015 21:38:12 GMT
I never thought this would happen - but it has. I've lost the drive. For the last 2 years I've been totally addicted to learning to play the guitar - I get up at 5:30 am (well sometimes a bit later) to practice play before work. I get up and play even if I'm not at work. I stay up past my bedtime to play.... I feel a profound sense of anxiety if for some reason I am prevented from playing every day, usually more than once a day ...... yet in the last week it's gone. Yes, disappeared. I actually chose not to play one day, and didn't even feel inclined to take advantage of the SEVERAL snow days we've had recently to spend more time with the guitar.
I'm trying to figure out what happened, and I've come to the conclusion that it was me that did it. I've always been grateful and happy that guitar playing for me is a fun thing I do entirely for myself. Learning to play tunes is fun! Each little skill learned gives a sense of accomplishment! It's new and never boring! At least it was until this week....
Well here's what I'm wondering - did I take away the fun and make it into work? The tune I'm trying to learn (a Villa Lobos piece given to me by guitar teacher as a prerequisite for learning to play a piece I really want to learn by Gary Ryan) is way outside my current abilities, thus requiring lots of "work" to develop skills I definitely do not have. Personally I think If I can play it half way decently at a slow pace by 2016 I'll be doing well. I do have a sneaking suspicion it may never happen. Anyway, I chip away at that in between learning orchestra parts, which are for the most part meaningless without the rest of the orchestra. For instance I can guarantee you wouldn't be at all excited if I played you the bass part to Bach's Air... AND I've had to work at sight reading in the vain hope it'll help stop me getting irretrievably lost when all the other parts are playing. Hmm - it's hard to find the fun in all this....
I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to get it back. I've been called stubborn - I'm not going to give up on the orchestra - at least until after our concert in May. And I don't want to give up on the dratted Villa Lobos, but it's obviously a long term project. What do you all think I should do? Start a fun project? Take a break? Get a new guitar (OMG)?
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Akquarius
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Post by Akquarius on Mar 6, 2015 21:46:08 GMT
What you should do ? relax.
For a lot of us this has happened before and it will happen again. Don't make too much of it. Put the guitar(s) away and do whatever you like to do. Trust me, your enthusiasm for guitars will come back. Definitely.
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alig
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Post by alig on Mar 6, 2015 21:59:33 GMT
Hey, hey.
I would echo what Akquarius said.
I would add that, for myself, for a long time I've been wary of 'targets' for fear that they'd take away my enjoyment of the instrument.
I tend to wait until a piece or tuning piques my interest and go for it for as long as it holds my attention.
I amazed and so very happy that I've kept at it for over thirty years. It's about the only thing that I have kept at.
That said, I also have periods when things lie a little fallow - but, such periods never last.
So, don't worry.
Or, as we'd say in this part of the world - dinna fash, lassie.
Alasdair.
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Mar 6, 2015 22:32:47 GMT
I've had the same experience, but for me it came in my other main hobby, which is running. When I was running competitively at club level, I was doing exactly what you've been doing with music: up first thing every morning for a training session, out again after work, and thinking about it in between. Gradually, what started off as something that I looked forward to doing became something that I felt guilty if I wasn't doing (which sounds exactly like the anxiety you describe). I know lots of athletes go through it, and I'm sure that lots of musicians do too.
For runners, the trick to recovering some enthusiasm is (1) take a bit of time off, and (2) when you start again, leave the stopwatch at home, forget about your regular training routes and just run wherever you fancy at whatever pace feels good.
What you probably need is the musical equivalent of taking off the stopwatch. Forget about the set practices for a while - you won't instantly forget everything you've learned, even though your anxiety will tell you that you will - and just play whatever takes your fancy, and play it for as much or as little time as you feel like it. Remind yourself why you started playing in the first place and why you loved it.
Good luck.
Simon
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Mar 6, 2015 22:58:47 GMT
creamburmese - Seasons come and go Julie - enjoy each of them - they do come around again. All the best with the work for the concert, and for the event itself - let us know how it goes! Keith
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on Mar 6, 2015 23:56:43 GMT
I never thought this would happen - but it has. I've lost the drive. For the last 2 years I've been totally addicted to learning to play the guitar - I get up at 5:30 am (well sometimes a bit later) to practice play before work. I get up and play even if I'm not at work. I stay up past my bedtime to play.... I feel a profound sense of anxiety if for some reason I am prevented from playing every day, usually more than once a day ...... yet in the last week it's gone. Yes, disappeared. I actually chose not to play one day, and didn't even feel inclined to take advantage of the SEVERAL snow days we've had recently to spend more time with the guitar. I'm trying to figure out what happened, and I've come to the conclusion that it was me that did it. I've always been grateful and happy that guitar playing for me is a fun thing I do entirely for myself. Learning to play tunes is fun! Each little skill learned gives a sense of accomplishment! It's new and never boring! At least it was until this week.... Well here's what I'm wondering - did I take away the fun and make it into work? The tune I'm trying to learn (a Villa Lobos piece given to me by guitar teacher as a prerequisite for learning to play a piece I really want to learn by Gary Ryan) is way outside my current abilities, thus requiring lots of "work" to develop skills I definitely do not have. Personally I think If I can play it half way decently at a slow pace by 2016 I'll be doing well. I do have a sneaking suspicion it may never happen. Anyway, I chip away at that in between learning orchestra parts, which are for the most part meaningless without the rest of the orchestra. For instance I can guarantee you wouldn't be at all excited if I played you the bass part to Bach's Air... AND I've had to work at sight reading in the vain hope it'll help stop me getting irretrievably lost when all the other parts are playing. Hmm - it's hard to find the fun in all this.... I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to get it back. I've been called stubborn - I'm not going to give up on the orchestra - at least until after our concert in May. And I don't want to give up on the dratted Villa Lobos, but it's obviously a long term project. What do you all think I should do? Start a fun project? Take a break? Get a new guitar (OMG)? I agree with Bernd in that it will definitely come back. You could do some house decorating? I have lots of DIY stuff to do in my house at the moment and I find that after a few hours at it I am itching to pick a guitar up Phil
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Mar 7, 2015 5:47:12 GMT
I'm not going to disagree with anything that's been said by others, Julie. It happens to everyone - whether it's practising a difficult piece, or trying to write a song or just wanting to noodle.
It comes back when you're ready. You've just got to relax and let it happen and not beat yourself up over it.
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Post by grayn on Mar 7, 2015 6:33:11 GMT
+1 to what Simon said. Rest days are important in any endeavour. It's great to have goals but some days you should just pick the guitar up, with no idea in mind, other than just seeing what comes out. Noodling, or whatever you call it, is definitely to be encouraged, IMO. Good luck.
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Post by vikingblues on Mar 7, 2015 10:09:14 GMT
The advice you've had in the posts above is excellent, and I offer my sympathy to you in your plight. I certainly recognise the symptoms! I also recognise that concern you've voiced that you've turned the enjoyment of a hobby into too much hard work. In which instance the earlier you can spot the problem and ease off the better. It can be that it's something that just needs a short break, but there is the potential for it to be something deeper rooted and needing attention. I've only had one severe case of "losing it" that was long term and that was with classical guitar where lessons and need to keep playing more and more difficult pieces took over. Resulting in disillusionment, loss of any enjoyment and repetitive strain injury. A longish break from playing followed by a total change of genre got me back onto guitar but improvised blues with an electric guitar is quite a contrast to classical guitar in so many respects. I think I left it too long before I made that break and the result has been I've never rediscovered the joy I had in playing classical guitar - and I regret that. I did get some advice not much more than a year ago when I hit the doldrums again - I had felt that I was making some final statements in what I was playing and found I didn't feel the need / urge to explore what I had been doing any further and as a result was in limbo:- ************************************ #1 question is :- What is the purpose of you playing music ...or you playing guitar
What is your purpose in playing music ? Why the guitar ? Where am I with my Music ? What am I enjoying right now ... What give me satisfaction??.. what is causing Frustration ?? What do I want to get better at ..skills wise in order to achieve my goals
when people get lost or frustrated with stuff its usually due to · The Purpose isn’t clear ..why am I doing this ?? ..what is the purpose behind my actions ?? · And what am I trying to achieve .... What are my Goals .. Long and short term
If the Purposes are clear And you have some goals for this year and maybe beyond What skills you need to work on What do you need in order to fulfil those goals .........will all be much clearer But do write stuff down .....other wise it just spins about in your head .......causing confusion , frustration..and all the rest of it Write it down ........then revisit it all in 3-4 days time and amend it all as necessary ....the first draft may be way off the mark .************************************ I'm not very good at being analytical about my gut feelings and instincts but I gave it a go and though I found it quite tricky at first to put down everything onto paper it did help a lot in the end. The key for me was identifying what gave me most pleasure in playing and then finding a way I could introduce that into acoustic guitar playing rather than electric. Which carried me into the wonderful world of open tunings - that's a nice big wide world to explore that could well see me out! Good luck anyway Jilie - hopefully it's just a minor blip. If it's major then I hope you can find a good way to get that motivation going again - it is worth it! Mark
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Post by andyhowell on Mar 7, 2015 11:34:34 GMT
Just leave it for a day,or two or week or two. Don't force it. It will come back!
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Post by guzzler on Mar 7, 2015 12:50:15 GMT
Can't add much to the above, but a break will do no harm. I'd have a day or two off then come back and play old favourites and forget the challenging stuff for a while. Those are interesting questions posed by Mark and should help to clear your mind.
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Post by Cams on Mar 7, 2015 15:09:29 GMT
You've had some excellent replies and I agree with them all. I've been through this many times and, like you, I used to get upset and worried about it. Experience then taught me that the drive does come back, and then I stopped worrying about the fallow periods. I went through a long photography phase which I'm just coming out of now and I'm still learning about how to manage my time and hobbies. I've figured out that I can't really do serious photography and improve my guitar playing at the same time, so the photography has been knocked on the head for a bit and I'm playing as much guitar as ever. I can also attest to the fact that a new guitar might just help you!
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Post by creamburmese on Mar 7, 2015 15:45:16 GMT
Thanks for all the ideas and support! "Why" has been in the back of my mind for a while - do I have a goal apart from the sheer enjoyment of playing? I don't. Yet. There are obviously some things that aren't going to happen- I'm not going to be a great guitar player, I really don't want to play in front of an audience although I wouldn't mind being able to play (finger style) competently with others or as an accompaniest. I'm actually having fun composing little tunes and im looking forward to learning more about harmonizing them so it's not all bad. . I think its the classical guitar thing has got to me. I only started with the classical because it was the best way to find a good teacher and then I found I liked the sound and the playing was a lot easier on my hands. Then I got sucked in and I find I'm in a world of work to make progress... And suddenly the fun is gone even though I've progressed to the point where I can actually play the odd tune. I actually feel a lot better today after taking a couple of days without " working" on anything and having had the great pleasure of seeing michael chapdelaine in concert last night. He played fun, accessible tunes and standards from a number of genres on an amplified steel string guitar, some of them not that difficult relatively speaking (I actually recognized a version of "Yesterday" that I play (at least without the twiddly bits). The audience loved it. It was a far cry from the classical concerts I've been going to but reminded me that my original goal was to play fun tunes that people could listen to or sing along with. So I think I'm realigned! I'm going to take a break from the hard stuff and just have fun! Maybe write a tune and learn to play it! Thanks again for all the support and encouragement .
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Akquarius
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Post by Akquarius on Mar 7, 2015 17:58:38 GMT
I'm going to take a break from the hard stuff and just have fun! Maybe write a tune and learn to play it! That's the spirit
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Post by Cams on Mar 8, 2015 10:41:04 GMT
When it stops being fun, it's time for a break! Besides a new guitar, I find that seeing live shows inspires me to play more too. Just don't overthink it. That's what I tend to do and it can add to the funk.
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