Losing interest in guitar...

  • Thread starter Thread starter leib10
  • Start date Start date
I understand fluctuating levels of intensity, but I never understood the guitarist who just flat out stops playing for years at a time. It makes me angry for some reason, I guess the people I knew who did that..I feel like that were posing and were really just interested in the glamour or something not guitar-pure. Or perhaps they move onto business and family interests, thereby giving up the dream. Probably angers me because it frightens me...I keep playing, albeit not monster gigging
 
crankyrayhanky":3ja5bnlu said:
I understand fluctuating levels of intensity, but I never understood the guitarist who just flat out stops playing for years at a time. It makes me angry for some reason, I guess the people I knew who did that..I feel like that were posing and were really just interested in the glamour or something not guitar-pure. Or perhaps they move onto business and family interests, thereby giving up the dream. Probably angers me because it frightens me...I keep playing, albeit not monster gigging
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You make me angry.
 
Great! Take that anger and turn up to a corresponding anger level and rock out!
 
crankyrayhanky":1u5cfw6a said:
I understand fluctuating levels of intensity, but I never understood the guitarist who just flat out stops playing for years at a time. It makes me angry for some reason, I guess the people I knew who did that..I feel like that were posing and were really just interested in the glamour or something not guitar-pure. Or perhaps they move onto business and family interests, thereby giving up the dream. Probably angers me because it frightens me...I keep playing, albeit not monster gigging
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I'm sure there are a lot of guys who have more important matters in their lives like family and careers who aren't "posing" but merely refocusing their attention towards more pressing matters. I for one am going to be applying to law school soon and will almost certainly not have the time to play as much guitar as I used to.
 
I recommend listening to new genres of music. that might get you inspired again. I love metal and opera and going back and forth between them never gets dull.
 
crankyrayhanky":3ueqmnn8 said:
Great! Take that anger and turn up to a corresponding anger level and rock out!
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Well, I'm not THAT angry. Still waiting for the inspiration to come back but when it does, I have some nice tone machines waiting for me.
 
leib10":okccnose said:
I'm sure there are a lot of guys who have more important matters in their lives like family and careers who aren't "posing" but merely refocusing their attention towards more pressing matters. I for one am going to be applying to law school soon and will almost certainly not have the time to play as much guitar as I used to.
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I hear you, it's not like when I was 17 & could play all day and night :no:
 
im lucky, when im not loving playing so much, im loving modding and gearheading...so, it goes hand in hand.

i think im done buying production items. my next project is to build my own telecaster and some pedals.
after that, im going to buy a kit amp and build it
 
I hardly ever play anymore. Just don't seem to have time. I only seem to play when I need to learn a new song or at rehearsal or when playing a show. But I'm always thinking about guitar or reading about new gear or interviews or on the forums. But, I am joining an Ozzy tribute so I've got a lot of songs to start learning or mostly relearning. knew lots of Ozzy back in my twenties but forgot most of it. Definitely gonna have to start practicing more to get my chops a little sharper for this gig but I am looking forward to it. Might be just the kick in the ass I need.
 
Could be the guitar is losing interest in you. The thing sits in the corner taunting/challenging you to prove yourself. Step up and make her sing or show her a few of your new moves before she dumps your ass. ;)
 
When I get tired of playing guitar, I jump on the drum kit for a day or two. Then, I remember why I like playing guitar better.
 
Only did two bands in the last 5 years ... neither did much. Often I do not pick it up for months. It certainly goes in waves.
 
I dont think I lose interest in playing guitar as much as i lose interest in what im into musically at the time. I'll go spells where I want to learn this song or this style of playing i've never played before. usually i just end up butchering the songs im trying to learn but it keeps me happy :D
 
It ebbs and flows, I don't usually stop completely for long periods of time unless there is a physical injury/condition though.

Tennis elbow in one arm and mild carpal in the other has slowed me down recently so I'm in a lull period at the moment and not playing as much and in the proper form as I would like.

One thing for me is that if I'm playing less and not to my own standard, I care less about buying/new/latest gear and lose interest in that side of it as well.
 
Just found out that I was accepted to grad school today. Playing time is going to go way, way down after this. I might even leave my rig at home to avoid temptation my first semester. Or sell it off and have over $6000 in my pocket.
 
I was headed into the audio industry about a year ago. I was doing pretty well with it too; got a job at a high end audio gear manufacturer for the summer, and could have really gone anywhere after that. I had a change of heart though, and realized I wanted to work in engineering instead. I could always do audio on the side, but engineering is more difficult.

Before that decision, I felt like my playing counted for something and that one day, it might help me advance my career somehow. The effect? I never wanted to pick up the guitar. It wasn't fun anymore because I judged myself pretty harshly. Now, my playing isn't anything phenomenal, but for only having started about five years ago, I'd say I'm not too bad!

Anyway, since then, guitar has become one of the most fun things in the world for me (again). I don' get to play with people as much as I'd like in a band, but I have so much fun working on amps, getting different sounds, and just enjoying playing. This past weekend I didn't have much to do, and I probably played for 12 - 15 hours over those two days. I love it!

Maybe I just haven't been playing long enough to get burned out, but a big thing for me is variety. I love almost all forms of blues, rock, and metal. Some days (or weeks, or months), I'll plug my Strat into the Twin Reverb I have and not even think about distortion. Others, I'll down tune and play something more modern (hell, I'm not above saying I even really like some nu metal every now and then). Most of the time it's straight rock or hard rock. And eventually, I'll get an acoustic and forget all the gear for some time.

I guess that's - for me - what's so great about the guitar. It's not a violin, where no matter what, it's always the same sound (nothing against violin). You can cover so much ground, for any type of mood or feel you want. The toughest thing for me though? Remembering to wear earplugs! :doh:
 
leib10":3u7wq93x said:
Lately I've been playing less and less and pursuing shooting more and more. Anybody else have a hobby take over another one?
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you know the opposite happened to me in 2 ways. i gave up photography as well as marksmanship to play guitar. it's ok if playing guitar goes on hiatus. sometimes you need a break from something old and mundane.
 
btw this is one of the most depressing threads i have ever seen. :(
 
Dont totally stop... i took about an 18 year break and regret it every day. I sold all my gear to buy a dirt bike in 1989... made sense to me at the time.
 
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