"Who am I?" Any fellow lost musicians?

[terran236]

Note: This is not a Woe is me Thread, I really do want help from people who have felt similarly.

I'm a 27 year old battling the feeling of being in a rut the last 5-6 months. Still practice to keep up my chops. But my own mind works against me. "Maybe i should just quit guitar, says my brain." "maybe im too old for music."

Lately ive been trying to write originals again but 32 bars in I get bored and dislike my own music. "its not good enough, its not technical enough, its not layered enough, its not <insert favorite artist> enough" The song then ends up in the bin.

Doesnt help that I always compare my self to current favorite artists. (Currently, Plini/widek/david maxim micic/letchford.) So Musically I dont know who i am, and i havent found "my voice" so to speak.

In short i feel my life is just wasting away and wonder if it ever gets better. Anyone live through this feeling?

 

[cwhitey2]

I feel you man. I'm 27 as well, haven't done anything productive in the last 3 months music wise (I had something going good.. But as all good things it came to an end).

I have been selling off more and more of my gear keeping only things I need. I play almost everyday but lose motivation after 30 min.

It sucks because I love music more than anything but it feels like a waste of time anymore

 

[cjms1997]

I'm 10 years younger than both of you, but I know the exact same feeling. The past 5-6 months I've slacked off on guitar so much it's ridiculous. I still love guitar, but I feel like I've lost the motivation to play and the inspiration to write. I just don't exactly know what I can do to re-motivate myself back into playing. I don't know what I need to do to progress forward. I still practice, because I definitely don't want to quit guitar. No matter how old I get, I'm never going to quit. I just don't know where to proceed from where I am. It's honestly making me a bit depressed at this point.

 

[cwhitey2]

I'm not all about quitting, but my area has no talent whatsoever ( I have played with all the good players). That alone is a demotivater...I write new stuff once a week but I never progress beyond that anymore because I don't have anyone to play with and i have ADD

 

[Hollowway]

I'm way older than any of you in this thread, and I get the same thing over and over. Really, the best thing is to get some living souls to play with. Recording on your own is good when you've been playing with loads of other people constantly. Otherwise it's lonely, and you start questioning everything. Music, by its very nature, is to be heard and felt. You lose both of those things in the recording process. I've pretty much stopped recording completely because of it. But at least I'm having more fun now.

So, my recommendation is two things:
1) Take time off from playing. Maybe a couple of weeks in a row. When you come back to it, it will all sound good. Right now your ear and brain are burned out.
2) Get some people to play with, if at all possible. If not, plug in and just play out loud, and forget for a minute about writing a song or chops. Just enjoy it, and see if anything comes from it.

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

"maybe im too old for music."

before you ever quit, join a cover band - i'm not suggesting you should instead of following your original music goals, but if you are going to up and quit...try it first. I'm 37 and having a great time (not to mention bringing home some decent $$$$) playing in a cover band, also being forced to learn new licks - for instance I learned to sweep cleanly for a song we play. Not to mention you get to put all your expensive gear to good use (70% of the fun for me)

Fortunately i'm playing alot of tunes i actually dig. We are playing about as heavy as possible for your average bar to actually pay for our services. it's good times and actually the most responsible, trouble free band i've ever been in!

 

[Riverrunsred]

17 ?...27 ?...you fellas are just finding yourselves. As a guy once said " shut up and play yer guitar " !!!

Don't overthink it, it's music. Have fun. Oh, and I'm an old fart....48.

 

[Demiurge]

17 ?...27 ?...you fellas are just finding yourselves. As a guy once said " shut up and play yer guitar " !!!

Don't overthink it, it's music. Have fun. Oh, and I'm an old fart....48.

Great advice. I'm still 34 and trying to find myself as a player. Ain't sweating it. I bet BB (RIP) at 89 was still looking to turn some sort of corner, too.

There's nothing wrong with ambition and whatnot, but the whole "I've gotta become a great player, gotta write some profound guitar-based Gesamtkunstwerk, gotta share it with the whole world" can go from benign to self-defeating if one isn't careful. Guitars are awesome-sounding instruments and are fun to play- feel blessed that you have the ability to play and to concern yourself as to how much you care about how expressive you can be with it.

 

[mongey]

I'm in this boat right now but for a difrrent reason. Im 41 and have a 4 month old baby .I have so little time to play right now if I do get a little time I often cant be bothered and just end up playing ps4 or soemthing insetad. I know it will pass and am enjoying the time with my daughter for what it is but its making me a little fed up being in a band and trying to write music at the moment

 

[terran236]

Awesome responses all around. I like the perspective you guys have on the whole ordeal. Specially the peeps with more age under their belts. A break from music sounds like a good way to refresh ones perspective on the art from as a whole.

The overwhelming theme that struck a chord with me was "dont over analyze, just stfu and play" haha

To that end, i totally agree. I always get stuck trying to make the most complex songs. Sometimes that brings about a bit of stress that kills interest in a current piece.

 

[Riverrunsred]

Awesome responses all around. I like the perspective you guys have on the whole ordeal. Specially the peeps with more age under their belts. A break from music sounds like a good way to refresh ones perspective on the art from as a whole.

The overwhelming theme that struck a chord with me was "dont over analyze, just stfu and play" haha

To that end, i totally agree. I always get stuck trying to make the most complex songs. Sometimes that brings about a bit of stress that kills interest in a current piece.

Good deal. One thing that has always stuck with me, it has been said that B.B.King (RIP) could say more in one note than most guitarists can say in multiple notes......I firmly believe that. Go listen to some B.B., might put you in a different place.

BTW...nice collection of gear you have listed.

 

[FILTHnFEAR]

I'm 36 and I still feel the same way sometimes.

Take a break from playing for a week or two. When you pick it up again, don't try to force anything specific. Just play. Also, try playing/listening to things you wouldn't normally play or listen to.

I took a break recently and when I picked my guitar back up almost 2 weeks later my buddy(drummer) and I jammed some of the coolest things we've ever played together until like 4 am. It felt really good.

I had gotten frustrated with not being able to play exactly what I wanted. I was trying to overdo things. I was getting annoyed that what I was doing was too simple and it made things very un-fun. So don't push so hard for complexity. A lot of the songs you say you threw in the bin, are probably a lot better than you think.

And quit comparing yourself to your favorite artists or others in general. That will drive you bat .... crazy and be very demotivating. Been there, done that, not good.

 

[n4t]

Hay.

I'm 41 and like Holloway says, collaboration is rejuvenation.

Problem is I'm a Systems Engineer. I move jobs and towns often. If you are an introvert like me, this is a recipe for hell.

I may have finally settled here in my location. We'll see how it goes.

 

[FILTHnFEAR]

If you are an introvert like me, this is a recipe for hell.

I'm one too. Makes jamming with new folks pretty awkward sometimes.

 

[mr coffee]

I agree with a lot of the points that have been made. Some of my most productive times have been after periods of not playing for one reason or another. As a youth, I played a lot but didn't really get anywhere with it. Oh, I had a lot of fun, and I built my chops, but I wouldn't say I ACCOMPLISHED anything to speak of.

When I was in my late twenties, I put music largely to the back burner to focus on career and family. Of course, I hated my career. When I woke up and returned to myself, I poured myself into it, writing, recording, practicing, playing out in a cover band, and the amount of material I put to hard disk was ridiculous. Some of it good, some of it crap, some fragments and a few really good songs. Second cycle was a three year hiatus thanks to carpal tunnel. Now I'm back at it again, and again, productivity is crazy.

As for what's good enough and what's not, having another musician to jam with and bounce material off of is a great way to skim the cream, and with the right people and chemistry you'll find yourself cranking out some worthy stuff.

-m

 

[tacotiklah]

Note: This is not a Woe is me Thread, I really do want help from people who have felt similarly.

I'm a 27 year old battling the feeling of being in a rut the last 5-6 months. Still practice to keep up my chops. But my own mind works against me. "Maybe i should just quit guitar, says my brain." "maybe im too old for music."

Lately ive been trying to write originals again but 32 bars in I get bored and dislike my own music. "its not good enough, its not technical enough, its not layered enough, its not <insert favorite artist> enough" The song then ends up in the bin.

Doesnt help that I always compare my self to current favorite artists. (Currently, Plini/widek/david maxim micic/letchford.) So Musically I dont know who i am, and i havent found "my voice" so to speak.

In short i feel my life is just wasting away and wonder if it ever gets better. Anyone live through this feeling?

I really do know those feels. I've been really trying to finish up this deathgrind EP that I'd been working on forever and it just feels like I have to fight to come up with anything good. I'm really tempted to bin all of it and start over on something else. But when I try to write something else, it just feels convoluted and not "interesting" enough. Or the song gets about halfway through and I have no clue at all on how to finish it. I'll come back to it a few days later and it's still not working out. I've been going through this for a couple of years now and while I've turned out a few good songs here and there, all of them sound and feel so different from each other that I feel that there's little point in even trying to group them all into one project.

tl;dr:
I suck as a musician and am awaiting the sounds of the world's smallest violin.

 

[will_shred]

also this

 

[FILTHnFEAR]

tl;dr:
I suck as a musician and am awaiting the sounds of the world's smallest violin.

Just for you Taco...

 

[terran236]

Good deal. One thing that has always stuck with me, it has been said that B.B.King (RIP) could say more in one note than most guitarists can say in multiple notes......I firmly believe that. Go listen to some B.B., might put you in a different place.

BTW...nice collection of gear you have listed.

Very good point. Also, The silence between notes is just as important as the notes.

I'm 36 and I still feel the same way sometimes.

Take a break from playing for a week or two. When you pick it up again, don't try to force anything specific. Just play. Also, try playing/listening to things you wouldn't normally play or listen to.

I took a break recently and when I picked my guitar back up almost 2 weeks later my buddy(drummer) and I jammed some of the coolest things we've ever played together until like 4 am. It felt really good.

I had gotten frustrated with not being able to play exactly what I wanted. I was trying to overdo things. I was getting annoyed that what I was doing was too simple and it made things very un-fun. So don't push so hard for complexity. A lot of the songs you say you threw in the bin, are probably a lot better than you think.

And quit comparing yourself to your favorite artists or others in general. That will drive you bat .... crazy and be very demotivating. Been there, done that, not good.

Awesome, I find your advice very sound since I can relate!

Hay.

I'm 41 and like Holloway says, collaboration is rejuvenation.

Problem is I'm a Systems Engineer. I move jobs and towns often. If you are an introvert like me, this is a recipe for hell.

I may have finally settled here in my location. We'll see how it goes.

Unfortunately, I am also an introvert so it makes collaboration tough. I end up being more of a solo composer.which I think is also valid since some -if not all-of the biggest symphonies were written by solo composers.

I agree with a lot of the points that have been made. Some of my most productive times have been after periods of not playing for one reason or another. As a youth, I played a lot but didn't really get anywhere with it. Oh, I had a lot of fun, and I built my chops, but I wouldn't say I ACCOMPLISHED anything to speak of.

When I was in my late twenties, I put music largely to the back burner to focus on career and family. Of course, I hated my career. When I woke up and returned to myself, I poured myself into it, writing, recording, practicing, playing out in a cover band, and the amount of material I put to hard disk was ridiculous. Some of it good, some of it crap, some fragments and a few really good songs. Second cycle was a three year hiatus thanks to carpal tunnel. Now I'm back at it again, and again, productivity is crazy.

As for what's good enough and what's not, having another musician to jam with and bounce material off of is a great way to skim the cream, and with the right people and chemistry you'll find yourself cranking out some worthy stuff.

-m

This is great advice. I don't know if it's my introverted brain but I've always found it hard to collaborate with people. It's as if I can't connect with others unless I am just doing some melody over their already written piece. Or in the case of the parts already written and we are just arranging. So it's more of bouncing compositions/sections of each other rather than jamming.

I really do know those feels. I've been really trying to finish up this deathgrind EP that I'd been working on forever and it just feels like I have to fight to come up with anything good. I'm really tempted to bin all of it and start over on something else. But when I try to write something else, it just feels convoluted and not "interesting" enough. Or the song gets about halfway through and I have no clue at all on how to finish it. I'll come back to it a few days later and it's still not working out. I've been going through this for a couple of years now and while I've turned out a few good songs here and there, all of them sound and feel so different from each other that I feel that there's little point in even trying to group them all into one project.

tl;dr:
I suck as a musician and am awaiting the sounds of the world's smallest violin.

Oh man That's practically how I feel right now. Trying to write a prog album that's taking forever.

 

[mr_rainmaker]

there is a big lag in my area,music stores are shutting down,one store owner is not liked by ANYONE...
pettyness over music,no places in the area to gig small bands anymore,have to drive over a hour to get to big city,good metal bands are getting scarce in the area,but I will keep on keeping on,just gotta keep banging it out,maybe something will happen...
sometimes it clicks.