Long lay offs

I don't find this myself, because my guitars are scattered throughout the house and speak to me most days. That doesn't mean a layoff is a bad idea if you come back from it ready to rock n roll

Best,

A :-)

I've been at it 2 years, but maybe have one year into it. I stopped with the "I'm supposed to do's" and started the "i feel like doing" things. It made a world of difference.

If it's not fun definately stop. Just be sure you do pick it back up. Speaking from personal experience this is my third time arund and had I kept with it I'd have 20 or so years under my belt instead of 3+.

Hehehe!!! Yeah, I would have 12-13 years under my belt had I kept it up. I think I have only 3 1/2 years experience (err....sot of). A layoff for me seems to be a good thing 'cause I want to practice/play more. I've learned that even learning bits and pieces to favorite songs doesn't keep me bored for long.

The most I've gone without playing was about a month. My girlfriend and I were moving in together so between packing, moving, unpacking, etc., I didn't have much time to play. It did take me a few days to get back into the swing of things after that. Even though I'm a noob, it still felt like riding a bike in that you never really forget, you just get a bit rusty.

As others have stated, if you feel bored with playing, stop for a short time and then pick it back up.

Jason

about 2 weeks ago I picked up my guitar for the first time in a couple months. Started a new job and had some other stuff happen. I also was taking lessons and they weren't going where I wanted, don't know if it was the teacher or me. I think it was mainly because they were mainly theory and genral music knowlage, not enough just playing.

This time I've got some SRV tabs and some blues solos. Had more fun in the last week then the other 6 months of playing combined. Didn't learn alot but had crap loads of fun.

when i first started, i just wanted to be able to stum dylan songs. now, when i get frustrated, i just tell myself that i'm beyond what i originally aspired to, and that there's someone else out there who'd enjoy hearing what i'm doing, even if i don't at the time.
also, sometimes, it's important to just play for the enjoyment of it, and not emphasize "advancing".
i'll get mad at myself for not being jimi hendrix, then i'll walk by someone playing a two chord song and realize that i'm really enjoying listening to it, then i kind of feel like my frustration is pointless.

I take breaks of up to a couple weeks, sometimes it is a time shortage and sometimes I get tired of listening to myself practice. I am sure some of that 'tired of listening to myself practice' is sometimes boredom for lack of advancement. But many times I have time to go through practicing what I know but don't have time to sit down and teach myself something new.

I used to wonder if the lay-offs would hurt me and make me rusty. I find the opposite...one day I just pick up the guitar out of the blue after a lay-off, tune up and find I play BETTER. Part of it is I miss it and part of it is my loose and relaxed fingers from giving it a break! 8)

Everybody is different I guess. I have been playing 33 years now. The longest break I ever took was one week when I went on a business trip and couldn't take my guitar along. I have really played just about every single day since I started.

I don't really get bored or frustrated with my playing. That does not mean I am always happy with it. Sometimes I am very unhappy.

But I have been playing so long that I expect this. You have days were you just don't have it. Everything is off. But the next day you are red hot and feel like the king of the world.

Sometimes when I am off, I will dig out articles I have collected over the years. I will practice unfamiliar scales or arpeggios, or practice jazz chords. Just something different. This makes guitar interesting to me again. I don't worry too much about how well I play. I know that all practice is good.

So, I just gotta play. I actually fear when I will get too old to play. I hope that never happens. I want to play forever.

i really dont htink its possible to get bored

14 years for me. :)

I think it doesn't hurt to put the guitar down once in a while. As long as you never lose the appreciation of music; listening to music; and what others can do with the guitar. There's lots of stuff you can do away from the guitar, like learning theory, or singing, or listening to the music of nature, the rhythm of the seashore. the drumming of rain on the roof etc.

Sometimes, a week or two away from the guitar refreshes and renews...

Sometimes, especially when you are new to the guitar, the pressure of living up to other's expectations (i.e teacher's etc) takes away from the fun...and possibly it makes it difficult to master skills, because you are trying to do too much at once...

later,
Ghost
8)