not playing the guitar at the moment can you help?

"i just stopped"

ok, why?

I guess I felt like I wasn't spending good quality time with the family, like after work went on the guitar instead of playing with kids and felt guilty for that. I would spend hours looking for good guitar lessons on you tube, and there are some good ones there, that really help. So I think I probably need to find a good balance, I now feel guilty for not playing the guitar. I want my eldest daughter to play guitar, so need to set an example in not quiting?

i had the same problem when my daughter was borne.
i used to play whenever i wanted before, but when she arrived i would feel guilty about playing if she was in the house - but i soon changed my routine, and now play with headphones on for 90 minutes when she has gone to bed - that takes me to half 8, when i watch a bit of telly with the missus and have some food :D
weekends are a little better as i can also fit an extra hours practice during the day when she has her nap.

nowadays, sometimes i dont feel like it, but it is just a part of my routine, like going to work, or having a run before i pick the little un up from nursury.

daza,

I've had the same problem many times...Things are going good, I'm playing for hour(s) every day, learning a ton and am super motivated...

Then one day I'll have too much work, be too tired, or have some function to go to and won't get in any practice that day...or the next...or the next. Pretty soon it has been three weeks since I've really picked up the instrument and played.

I used to think these gaps in practice were a bad thing, that I was preventing myself from becoming really good at playing. But I noticed something after several of these "hiatuses" (hiati?)...when I came back, I was refreshed, had an easier time breaking old bad habits or patterns, came up with a lot of new ideas, gained motivation and everything that I had "lost" over the break came back very quickly.

During some of these breaks I tried to force myself back into it a few times...to "get my groove back" as you mention, but things didn't quite gel any time I tried forcing myself to play. It seems better (for me at least) to just let yourself have the break and wait until you are naturally motivated to come back to the instrument.

So, at least for me, the ebb and flow seems to actually be beneficial. Now I am not so worried when I can't or don't find the time to play for periods of time...the breaks seem to help my creativity and increase my love of the instrument.

-Anthony

Daza,
my first break lasted about 20 years! :roll: But I always wanted to play, so I picked the guitar up again when I was about 40 or so. :) Then I put it down when I went through paramedic training for about two years. ALL of my spare time was spent studying. :( Then I picked it back up every day, religiously, for an hour a day of practice. Then a vacation interupted it and I didn't pick up the guitar after the vacation for about six months for some unknown reason :( . I started again and seemed to gain ground again very quickly. :D Then we did a MAJOR remodel and I had my bro-in-law take care of my guitars as there was no roof on the house for months. :shock: As soon as it was safe to bring the guitars back home I started playing again :D and have kept at it pretty much every day.

Lots of folks pick up the guitar and never let it go for the rest of their lives. But I think a lot of people have had similar experiences as us. Sometimes life interfers with our intentions to play and sometimes the motivation temporarily eludes us. But don't give up or think you can't play, cause the desire will return, the motivation will come rushing back and you'll suddenly find yourself jonesing (US expression for craving) for the guitar. At this rate, I'll always be a perpetual beginner, but even tho I suck, I still enjoy practicing and I still have fun strangling the guitar :oops: .

Just relax and the guitar spirits will once again move you to play when you're ready.

Dave "Who" Else

Thanks guys for all your encourging words, I hope my motivation comes back soon cause natural motivation not forced is the way Music should be played.....I'll just listen to some inspiring sounds for now.

your situation is quite normal. hey, if your daughter wants to learn you could both set aside time to play together.that would keep you in the 'game'.

I'll just listen to some inspiring sounds for now.

Someone should start a thread about the music that inspires them; I've been thinking a lot about that recently :)

Another thing you could do - whilst listening to inspiring sounds :) - read up on some of the theory articles (there are some good ones here on GN!). In fact, the beauty of that is it's something you can do where you might not be able to play guitar anyway - e.g. on the train to work.

In fact, that's what I should be doing now - I'm visiting my parents without either of my guitars. Allegedly there's one here, but I think it's hidden in the attic :) Instead I'm surfing GN and watching Terminator on TV!

Me, too. I set October aside for a medical going-over. I'm damned near deaf in my left ear...so I'm getting the little stirrup bone replaced. But this means I had to get my heart checked, first. I just did that. Nothing short of disgusting. They squirt some radioactive dye in through your crotch-type area and you get to lie back and look at the TV view of whatever's clogged in yer body. Angiogramme, in udder woids...with the Quack ready to slide in a spring (stent) through either your groin or wrist...or both. Nope. No problems. 100% okay...no clogs anywhere. Great for 58-plus, I guess. Now I can get my ear sliced open for the artificial stirrup...and three weeks of being seasick thanks to no middle ear balance until it's healed.

So, no. I don't feel like playing my guitar.

Cat

No nothing wrong or bad about taking a break every now and then. I took nearly all of '08 off from guitar with so much interesting things going on in my life. Had been playing/practicing nearly every day for 4 years and I guess I needed a break after all that time. Far better then having a burnout from playing.