snowcone
HEY ALL
SO I OFTEN SIT ALONE AND TAKE A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE, THE ONLY THING THAT EVER POPS UP THOUGH IS
HOW IF I HAD CARRIED ON JAMMING NON STOP FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS WHERE WOULD I BE?
ITS FUNNY HOW THEY SAY PLAYING GUITAR IS LIKE RIDING A BYCICLE YOU NEVER FORGET NO MATTER HOW LONG ITS
BEEN....AS TRUE AS THIS MAY BE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU LOSE, SOMETHING SO SIGNIFICANT TO YOUR PLAYING
THAT YOU OFTEN SIT AND WONDER......WILL YOU EVER BE AS GOOD AS YOU WERE? OR SHOULD YOU JUST QUIT NOW?
I STOPPED FOR 5 YEARS THEN FOR ANOTHER TWO AND INBETWEEN IT WAS MERELY PLAYING ACE OUT
BUT AFTER THOSE 5 YEARS I WOULD PICK UP MY AXE AND JUST NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT
I TELL YOU IF YOU HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THAT FEELING YOU HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED TRUE FRUSTRATION
AND DISSAPOINTMENT.
IF I COULD GO BACK 10 YEARS I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN PLAYING WITH METALLICA TODAY I DONT KNOW
THIS TOPIC IS SONE OF THOSE THINGS IN LIFE THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IT HAS BEEN BURNT INTO YOUR MIND
AND SOUL....THE DAY THE MUSIC STOPPED!!
Martyr
i've never experienced that...i've been playing for 4 and a half years now and i play everyday...i don't think i will stop playing guitar it's way to fun ?
NorioDS
I've definitely been through that. Going through a slump right now where I'm barely touching my guitar and, when I do, all the stuff I USED to be able to do is gone.
Granted, it comes back faster than when I first tried to learn it but, still, it's very frustrating!
Martyr
if i don't play guitar during the day and get home at like 12am/1am in the morning,i throw on some headphones and jam for a bit...i have never really gone through not playing guitar,except sometimes during exams i play alot less because i gotta study...like at the moment i'm going through a guitar detox because my exams are in 2 weeks ?
Heath
i stopped 6 years ago , when most of my gear was stolen , what was left i just got rid of and stopped playing, when i met my wife she encouraged me to play again . i lost alot in those 2 years ... 4 years down the line and i feel i am not as good as i was then , but on the other hand i enjoy it more now . back then it was the pursuit of fame and fortune , big ego's and been IMO an idiot . These days its about passion the music the undieing love for an instrument a piece wood .
will i be famous , probably not . will that stop me , never again
Guy-Onraet
yup, i also played a lot and gigged in highschool, then went overseas for 2 years, didn't really touch guitar for about another year after that. picked it up again and now i have trouble putting it down ?
clinton
I've been playing for 14 years now and the only thing that works for me when I go through a slump is to learn a new style or even better to learn a new alternate tuning.
I was kicked out of my last slump by learning about the OPEN C TUNING. This is a great tuning for blues slide as well as real irish celtic feel songs.
Do something you have never done before (even if it means that you feel a bit like a noob guitarist)
Paul Gilbert said once that the way he writes solos is to listen to the backing track without a guitar in his hand and try to come up with licks in his head. That way your fingers dont fall into the same old comfortable modes and licks that you are used to.
Try it, it really works.
snowcone
Tailon ......dude!
That was deep and pretty much sums it up for evryone out there who feels they are going nowhere, it is about the passion and now unless you have like sick skills and can play your axe like ricky martin...jokes
unless you are gods gift to a guitar then just having that passion i think is far greater than been a famous rock star in a way im sad about my lifes misfortunes but in another way im glad, it has indeed bought me closer
to music and playing my guitars. And the other issue you mentioned "tailon" where your wife encouraged you to play again......dam brother you are so lucky to have her, evry time i quit was because of my ex girlfriend
she didnt like me jamming with my best friend cassandra we had it made we used to jam at " The Tusk Inn " in durban where bands like Watershed first started out and i threw it away for a woman.Needless to say my new
lady is more than supportive and i think that is what every musician needs support from those who matter most.
LMinnie
Ive went thru a stage about 1 year ago when i just lost interest in playing cos i never had anyone to jam with..
Since i joined the forum i play every nite even if its for 10 mins..
This place is kinda like a support group,encouraging us to better our skill,wether it be luthiering,playing diffrent styles,GAS or just tips and tricks...
I credit the forum for pulling me outta my slump.. ?
snowcone
True words spoken there, since i joined the forum i have had these like butterfly feelings inside everytime i picture my jackson, devil mask and springbok boxers..ha ha
its more of a benefit to be on the forum is an honour to be able to associate with guys like all of you the old new and inbetweens.
you guys rock!
iceman83
I started five years ago
played for two years and then I slumped - the bottom dropped out, so to speak
I got discouraged, sold my guitar, went through a bad time
but now I'm back, and you better believe I'm back with a vengeance, baby!!
WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!! ?
Shredder3211
I started 4 years ago, i loved music but never had the cash to buy a guitar....then started working and the first thing i bought with my paycheck was a guit and think it was a 15w prac amp. Obviously everyone wants to be a rockstar and all that, but it truly is hard to find ppl that is so passionate about guitar like all u ppl. I can remember, my friends that did`nt play an instrument had to listen to me rambling on and on bout gear, new guitarist i admire, and just talking about music...felt like i was talking to myself. This forum truly is a awesome idea, thanx to all involved that developed it.
Squonk
Snowcone
A very good topic
Woman are quite evil in drawing you away from guitar playing, I have made that mistake as well. I joined a band years ago, we were pretty crap but full of energy and passion, met this girl and used to drag her along to rehearsal only to find that the other guys didn't quite enjoy her being there. Gave me ultimatum and I actually chose her, walked away from guitar for about 5 years.
This has been going on since 1979, but this forum has got me right back on track. I even dream about different types of tunings and what pedal I should buy etc.
The thing is to have no regrets, rather use the past to propel you to bigger and better things. Learn your lesson, have a moan,and move on.
Dont Fret about what could be, rather imagine what can be. Eric Clapton is still rocking at sixty odd.
YOU CAN STILL DO IT
CornFlakes
I have also had my ups and downs, but I keep on pushing to get better and better every day. The thing I have problems with is jamming with people especially in bands. A lot of guys get stuck with an idea of playing and stay there "that boring!" I like all styles of playing I mean I’m actually busy learning chicken picking with different rhythm structures and man it’s so much fun.
one more thing..
I LOVE GUITARS!!
Matt-White
I know exactly what you guys mean. It feels as if I've been playing for ages, but I'm still a crappy guitarist.
I did realise early on Im never gonna be a Jimi, SRV or Satch and after that created my own space for playing for enjoyment.
Playing and learning is like a series of uphills and plateaus! Especially if you can't find someone to jam and play with.
But over the years Ive found ways of keeping it alive.
For example, a new piece of kit that changes my tone, makes me play all the old stuff again.
If I struggle with theory (all the time!) or with internalising and remembering someone's song, I'll leave it and noodle around till I find a new riff of my own, then crank it up and just wack it, over and over again.
Took a big knock recently when a band which lost its rhythm player, asked me to join. I went for it, boots and all, and learnt all the songs, but then they decided to call it a day - before our first gig! I was crushed! But I realised it got me to put in hours of practice, which made me a better player.
I think nothing you play is ever unneccessary. I still learn all the time and try to keep it fun. That's why we started out, isn't it?
Will never give it up!
