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What do you do when you like many different genres of music and can play most of them to the level of being able to go out and earn money doing them, but can't seem to pick one to really concentrate on? I seem to want to play whatever I happen to be listening to at the time but then I get a "oh, look....a squirrel" moment and go a different direction. I've been playing for 64 years, 54 of them for pay: country, jazz, classic rock, theater pit, Celtic, Chet Atkins/Merle Travis, bluegrass/Doc Watson - whatever I've been hired to do. Nowadays, as it's winding down (I'll be 79 in a couple weeks), I find it impossible to play for my own enjoyment; recently bought a nice Ibanez GB10 to work on chord melody and have barely touched it. A few years ago, I had a custom Brook acoustic made in England to explore Celtic and more modern fingerstyle and it sits unplayed. I still like these types of music but spend all my time watching You Tube videos. Nobody in my area to play with - it's sort of a musical black hole around here so I have to rely on Band In A Box. Just in kind of a rut, I guess.
End of vent....thanks for listening
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05-11-2024 01:50 PM
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I find myself doing what comes along. Some projects end up being brief others can and have lasted years.
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You really don't want us to psychoanalyze you, do you?
Or maybe Yoga guru: "Look within you, the answer you seek is there."
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fify
Originally Posted by mick-7
you really don't want us to psychoanalyze you, do you?
Or maybe yoda guru: "within you look, there the answer you seek is."
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I like to play a lot of stuff as well.
I just sit down with a guitar and play whatever strikes me. Today I started out with my acoustic flattop, started playing Satin Doll and Polkadots and Moonbeams, and moved on to Stairway to Heaven.
It helps to have a goal to focus your attention. For our gig in April backing a singer on ‘70s/80s pop and RnB I tried to play the songs through once or twice for an hour a day. Anything else was icing on the cake.
I have started to enjoy playing more pop songs, even classic rock. Some stuff by Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins and even Journey lends itself to chord-melody.
These are just random thoughts. But my real advice is don’t beat yourself up over it but just pick up a guitar and play something, even if it’s just scales, or random acoustic strummings or the Eagles.
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Play for someone. Maybe someone you know or knew. Maybe some part of yourself or an imaginary listener.
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The answer is to make your own YouTube videos. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
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If you figure out the answer, Skip, be sure to let the rest of us know.
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Been done along with exploring my PTSD due to an all expense paid trip to SE Asia back in '68-'69. Basically, everything I've ever done, whether it's been art/graphics or music, has been due to work or art school assignments that I was required to complete, i.e., this piece of art for a Pentagon briefing has to go out by 2:00 Thursday afternoon or I have to learn these four tunes for a gig Saturday night or the structural drawings for this building have to be completed by such and such time. Basically, it's all been work related and I've never been able to do any of it for fun - in other words, it's never been a hobby. I've tried woodworking and leatherworking but, how many wallets or boxes can I give my family and friends? It's frustrating that I must have a reason/assignment to do anything instead of doing it for my own enjoyment of the process but I find it almost impossible to spend the time working up a chord melody or tune with a track unless I know I'm going to perform it somewhere and those days are pretty much over, especially in my area. Plus the longer I go without playing somewhere, the worse my chops get and I start losing confidence in my ability to play and start thinking that nobody wants to hear what I want to play anyhow. It's an ongoing struggle. Originally Posted by Mick-7
You really don't want us to psychoanalyze you, do you?
Or maybe Yoga guru: "Look within you, the answer you seek is there."
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Sometimes you just have to load up the van, head for the outdoors, and just chill...
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My life is simple, you don't play- you don't eat. No time to contemplate, just get em gigs while they come your way. The style don't matter anymore.
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That reminded me of a book I read long ago: https://a.co/d/1xyKmYY Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
From what I recall he shared some of the symptoms you're describing.
That's a big reason of why I stopped playing violin. Being able to perform somewhere for a "real audience" was just icing on the cake for me, and sometimes a way to attract others to play with. Picking up the guitar instead of some other instrument was a calculated move to get back to playing music, with the romanticised idea of learning to sit porch-picking some form of blues which supposedly is something you don't need anyone else for. Almost 6 years in I have yet to start to learn to play anything that didn't come off a score and the past few months of being without a teacher have shown me how important the playing for or with someone still is for me. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
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What's The Answer?
The answer depends on the question. The problem is I don't hear a question, I hear a situation. A situation is something life has brought about by itself, it's not necessarily a problem that needs a solution.
We're all getting older, Skip especially (79 now), and his situation has changed. But that's something that has to be adapted to and dealt with in the most intelligent manner. Searching for an answer to it isn't necessarily the right response. In fact, it may be a mere avoidance which only creates further problems.
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Sounds like you’ve gotten hobby and profession muddled together.
An average guitar hobbyist knows a few campfire songs. Getting into jazz is advanced musicianship. It may be the first step into advanced musicianship, but it’s still well beyond “I dabble a little for fun.”
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The question is he's having trouble playing for enjoyment and is asking for advice. Sorry I've never had this problem, wish I could offer advice. When I studied music in college, I realized I didn't want to try to make music a profession because it seemed like it would damage my enjoyment of music and music is too important to me. Aside from that my only ruts were caused by sucking, not lack of enthusiasm. Originally Posted by ragman1
We're all getting older.
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Skip is old enough to do whatever he pleases. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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I really don't understand implications lol. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
Last edited by Bobby Timmons; 05-12-2024 at 09:21 AM.
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You're in one of the most populated states There are people to play with there. You need to reach out more through craigslist and social media to find other players. Maybe hit some jams. You're allowing yourself to be musically isolated. You need to get out and socialize and make some friends if nothing else. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
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If I could go back to my younger years I would love to have made music a profession. Some of my friends and peers did. I was classmates with the Indigo Girls for instance and contemporaries of REM (friends of friends).
Heck some of these people didn’t even know how to play their instrument before they decided to start or join a band.
IDK though. Having any interest as a business instead of a hobby for pleasure only changes things.
I do a lot of woodworking—often make a fair number of things—pens, knives, cutting boards—made 2 guitars last year—for auctions and fundraisers. But I haven’t yet started building up some inventory and taking it out to craft shows. I probably will when I retire from my day job.
My friend who is retired and is a glass worker teaches a lot and obviously enjoys it, but there are a few headaches with the business end of the deal.
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I have this "disease" as well. I love music so much that I love many genres. And because of that, I'll never buckle down to become a "master" in just one. I love them all. Blues/rock/hardrock is "my wheelhouse" because that's what I learned on, wrote music for, spent years with a band trying to "make it." Had we made it, it would have consumed my focus and I would have become a master at that style (it's still the one I can play very well- better than all others- without even thinking about it), but since we didn't, I started exploring. Which I have enjoyed immensely.
I'm currently in a cover band, doing mostly rock & pop. It's alot of fun. So it still takes quite a bit of my spare time, and I am not moving forward in any other style due to lack of required time. When my band days are over, perhaps I will start concentrating on getting better at the OTHER styles I'd like to be good at: jazz and bluegrass. But that is a "full-time job" and I don't have that time right now, so I just dabble.
BUT
perhaps the best thing about playing (at home) for me isn't "getting better at a particular genre" as much as it's getting better with connecting with the instrument, the music, the muse, regardless of style. My home playing is sort of genre-less, it's just me and the guitar, solo (I don't even use a looper yet), and I wander where the muse takes me, trying to get inside what I'm playing. It's not about playing professionally/making money, but it IS about making MUSIC, and getting better at it.
OH: after reading some of the replies above, I forgot to mention: JOY. I play in a cover band, for joy. We are great friends as well as bandmates. But I also play at home, alone, for joy. If there was no joy I wouldn't do it. I don't need gigs (either solo or with a band) to have joy playing music. I will admit that since starting this band (about 4 years now), if it stopped I would heartbroken and depressed. Because the joy of playing with others isn't the same as home alone (at least when you're playing with THE RIGHT people). But I will always have joy playing music (and singing), even at home and alone with no gigs to practice for. It's almost therapy for me.
I have experienced times when I found no joy in playing, but that wasn't the music or the playing do it: it was me, I was depressed, for other reasons. The music itself never caused me depression. If anything, it was a brief respite from it. If you're in a slump, perhaps just walk away for a little while. Stop overthinking it. Just put it down, go do other stuff, and come back later (a week? 2 weeks? a month? Whatever it takes). I have often found that taking a short break (even going on vacation for a week, with no guitar) is enough to remind me that "absence makes the heart grow fonder."
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No, he never asked for advice, he was just telling us about it. Asking would have been a question. I'm tempted to say he was only here for a moan, probably true, but I think there's also something behind it. Hence the relatively serious answer. Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
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I’m with DawgBone, if you’re where your profile says. There’s people playing jazz in coastal Florida, you just have to find them. I’m 60 miles south of Chicago in the middle of cornfields and there are jazz groups here.
Jazz Club of Sarasota
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All inclusive does not always mean happiness
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That aside part of what gives me motivation to play is having an audience. I don't always have a physical audience - besides myself - but then I imagine ...
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Far be it for me to give a 79 year old Vietnam Vet advice on how to be happy or inspired about anything. We all have a different path to take in this lifetime. That said, music has been a big part of my life since childhood and I think the reason for that is some sort of "calling" that is beyond my comprehension. There have been periods in my life where the inspiration to play is there and periods where it was not.
I try to go with the flow and not overthink it. I have other passions in life and usually when I am uninspired about music, I get inspired about something else.
The music can wait.
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Skip you are 79 years young. I retired from my civil job at 57. I played off and on and did a lot of teaching many years ago but never was music career. During college it was as close to full time gig as it gets but never since then. Unlike you I am not so diverse. I really can only play jazz and my county and rock chops are worthless. Like you now I can sit and play all I want and frankly have played the guitar more the last 5 years than ever in my life. My chops are better than they have ever been. I am going to celebrate that for sure because everything else is getting slower.
I find only concentrating on music is going be make life dull. Music is not everything for enjoyment and if it is your job then it is a JOB. My answer for you would be to be grateful for what you have got and done. A tour of southeast Asia is nothing something to be taken lightly and not the best way to see the world. I think music like athletics you need a break. Stay away and do other things. You said you cannot play for your own enjoyment..............THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES!
As a trained Spiritual Director, I can apply this to your guitar and music. You need a break and should do things that you like and are interesting. I love the Lord and his Church but even the Deacon realizes that I need a break and do just the minimum at times. This becomes more important as we get older. I normally do 9 am Mass but I went last night to the 4pm and took Sunday off. I went on a 60 mile bike ride. It was glorious!
If you have your health at 79 then enjoy the things you can now. Eat good food, drink good beer, and indulge in some long walks. You did not mention your relationships. In my case my bride Mrs D.....lost her battle with breast cancer and it has been 5 years. Life is not the same grateful for what I had but we don't realize what we have until we don't anymore.
Ok, my preaching over today.
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