Make guitar playing fun again?

[Akkush]

I started writing and EP and it's like work. I don't really enjoy it, only the end results.

Sometimes I play other bands songs, sometimes my songs, but that's it.

What do you do when you feel burned out or bored to play the guitar?

I'm not a big fan of collecting gear and guitars as toys, but does it help a little bit to pick up another guitar, or a bass?

I don't want to take a break, because I want to finish this damned EP!

Thanks!

 

[budda]

I dont play when i dont feel like it.

If you want to finish your ep, then you gotta finish it lol. But whats the deadline and why?

 

[Crungy]

Picking up different guitars/basses/instruments inspires me. One time when moving instruments from one room to another I recorded a short riff/idea with every single instrument I picked up. All unplugged, recorded with my phone.

For me, different instruments bring different things out of me.

Another thing that helps me is taking a break from working on something like an ep, if time allows. Learning other songs can be inspiring or at least something that gets your brain working differently.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Take a break.

It doesn't have to be forever, but give yourself at least a long weekend to just reset.

 

[SalsaWood]

I just don't play guitar when I don't feel like it. I also don't get any better at it or write new material. I just exist and own guitars that I sometimes pick up and do exercises with. I'm fine with it, I'd rather get my leg chopped off in a civil war era abortion clinic than be a professional musician of any kind.

 

[Akkush]

I dont play when i dont feel like it.

If you want to finish your ep, then you gotta finish it lol. But whats the deadline and why?

I don't have a deadline, I'm just frustrated that I wrote 3 songs through a year and want to finish it before I get hit by a truck accidently!

 

[gabito]

Set a schedule, try to follow it. Take a break if you’re burned out, but maybe not a long one.

Create a workflow that works for you.

These things take a lot of work for minimal returns, there’s no way around it. More so if you’re doing everything by yourself.

Also 3 or 4 songs is an OK amount of songs for an EP, you are not too far off.

 

[Stiman]

I don't have a deadline, I'm just frustrated that I wrote 3 songs through a year and want to finish it before I get hit by a truck accidently!

Ha! I still haven't finished songs I started over 10 years ago!

But seriously, I know the feeling. I'm trying to finally get an EP out too. I know some people can write on a schedule and get songs written, but I can't. I can't force it. So I play covers, practice and learn exercises and new songs and sit down to write now and then when it feels right. Wish I could just force it. I've tried, sit for an hour, 5 days in a row and come out with nothing. But slowly over time I am getting more effective at writing.

If you're able to push through, then do it. Like @gabito said, you're basically there with 3-4 songs for an EP. Are you at the point where you could record them and get them out?

 

[TedEH]

IMO, at some point you gatta acknowledge that some parts of the music process are work. Songwriting is work, recording is work, mixing is work, etc.

But work serves to get you to the fun parts. Just as someone has a job to fund the more enjoyable parts of life, you have to do the work part of music to prop up the fun parts of music. Can't brag about your cool solo album or whatever until you actually make it. Can't write that epic 3-hour long concept album or whatever without going through the iteration and the practice and the attempting it and failing and attempting it again and slogging through the "I've got nothing to say and am not a great writer" parts of it, etc etc.

It's a lot of why I mostly play other people's music. Let them do the work parts of writing stuff, I just show up, play my parts, do the fun bits and the shows, bask in the post-concert praise, and go home.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

As mentioned previously, it's work. I know that personally I struggle with going to Work at my Job and then coming home to do the thing that I'm supposedly passionate about and then wtf is this more work? Having a routine and clear goals helps me, and there's nothing like a deadline to light the fire. I'm great at prepping for shows for this reason, and terrible at turning out recorded material for the same reason. There's no real deadline on a personal recording project. If anything I take too many breaks/have too much unstructured time in that regard. I don't really have a workflow for recording because I've done so little of it.

I'm currently working on/procrastinating an EP as well (it was supposed to be a christmas EP), I've got a gig this weekend and then I'm planning to get back into that. It's almost done, I just [excuses and whatever]. You can do this, I can do this, let's make it happen!

 

[DoctorStoner]

I don't want to take a break, because I want to finish this damned EP!

What part do you not like about it? I love writing a few killer riffs but then writing bass and drums, editing, and doing all the non-guitar stuff just sucks.

So I'm in the same boat with a handful of great starts to songs and the last 20% is just completely nagging at me... I just want to play more new riffs.

 

[feilong29]

I finally summoned the courage to release a full album last year--not professional by any means, BUT, it was a goal of mine and it was from songs that I had written years previously and decided to re-record them, and add a few new ones. From the time I was redoing old songs and making new material to release was 3-4 years, but it wasn't my main "thing" to sit and record everyday, it was whenever I felt inspired and motivated to craft my tracks. Currently I'm scheming to do another EP and am slowly working on material--my goal is this year, but I am not hard pressed by any schedule, so I just do it when I feel like it. If I'm not motivated, I do other things I enjoy. Getting burnt out is common and easy to fall into--just take a break, buy a new guitar (ok, don't do that...or should you? lol), relax, listen to new music or rediscover old music and just write/record when you are motivated. I work full-time, so I don't play or practice as much as I used to when I was younger.

 

[Akkush]

"What part do you not like about it?"

The recording part (I'm a bad guitarist), and the "how should it be? Is it good enough?" part!

 

[feilong29]

The recording part (I'm a bad guitarist), and the "how should it be? Is it good enough?" part!

Haha, I feel this. I just get something down and just revisit it overtime as I learn new things. Eventually it'll get a to a point where further improvement isn't needed.

 

[Das Gitarrenwiesel]

I make my living from making pickups, so I find myself forced to play daily even if I don't feel like it.
When I feel kinda meh and my creativity feels dried up. I grab a different tuning ... If I'm demoing pickups I really don't have to be in E standard all the time, so I might have a blast at DADGAD or an open tuning ... or go super low ... it makes me think ... and I find when I have to 'think' the passion comes back.

 

[c7spheres]

I loathe programming drums and stuff like that. I always like guitar but when it gets exhausting I change hats and re-learn theory stuff or read gear manuals, work on mixing techiniques, I've been writing a book for the last 30 years in spare time it not priority) ect. Most of that is really just keeping the train moving and getting work done in some area no matter what. But to keep it fun the only solution is to plug in and experiment with effects and noises and stuff like that. I find being stupid brings out stuff in me I normally wouldn't think of. Sometimes I write lyrics or poems too or make fractal art. Anything to keep me going and not sitting around playing games or watching tv. It's why I don't own games and only have tv ifor if it's needed. It's not even connected. lol. Ther's always the old school way too; sex, drugs, rockNroll. lol.

 

[Lasik124]

Hi bud!!!

Feel this!

I try and approach guitar two ways!

Fun and riffing that I do when I want.

But writing/recording? I force myself. I hate it sometimes, but Im happy with the end result as you said.

As others said short breaks help! Taking a few days or a week of is healthy

Best of luck!

 

[jaxadam]

What do you do when you feel burned out or bored to play the guitar?

I listen to a totally different style of music for a little while to seek out other inspirations or ideas. Then I will incorporate it into some practice licks that turn into more musically developed ideas.

It’s like cooking. I will go try a new dish at a different type of restaurant, then I will take that meal home and try to recreate it with my own twist.

 

[feilong29]

I loathe programming drums and stuff like that. I always like guitar but when it gets exhausting I change hats and re-learn theory stuff or read gear manuals, work on mixing techiniques, I've been writing a book for the last 30 years in spare time it not priority) ect. Most of that is really just keeping the train moving and getting work done in some area no matter what. But to keep it fun the only solution is to plug in and experiment with effects and noises and stuff like that. I find being stupid brings out stuff in me I normally wouldn't think of. Sometimes I write lyrics or poems too or make fractal art. Anything to keep me going and not sitting around playing games or watching tv. It's why I don't own games and only have tv ifor if it's needed. It's not even connected. lol. Ther's always the old school way too; sex, drugs, rockNroll. lol.

Programming drums is the bulk of my time when I want to record, and I hate it too; worst part!

 

[gh0styboi]

For me personally, music is art, and you can't force art. When you're inspired to record or you get an idea you wanna track, work that out. When you don't feel like you've got a lot of song ideas or you're not happy with the ones you've got, put them down for a while. Sometimes you'll come back to them, sometimes they'll get lost. But forcing something you love is a great way to turn it into work that isn't very rewarding. Unless there's an external deadline (like studio time booked, paying for a producer's time, etc), I don't see any reason to force the issue and make yourself hate what you're doing.