Ever give up playing?

Every time I get heavily into work or school, I get into very analytical mindsets that crush creativity and stuff it into a hole in the wall, like all the bodies in that house in the beginning of Sicario. Music in general and guitar in general is a hobby, not my job or anything like that.

I will say that I tend to feel creative at night, and I think up incredible riffs and stuff but it's always when my head is hitting the pillow. I'd have some pretty decent stuff if I could just record whenever I want or I'm inspired and not have to sleep on someone else's schedule.
 
Stopped playing when I relocated to Phoenix, Az from southern Minnesota in '88. Working too many hours at new job, had a kid, playing and coaching hockey until about 2005. Then I hurt my back(too much hockey) and started playing again with a friend from my hometown who was in the LA metal scene/bands back in the late 80s. Anyway, he moved back to LA and started a Madonna heavy metal tribute band(Madonnica) and I retired/moved back to ND....Still playin (guitar, not hockey).
 
Music was always an important part of my life. In my childhood and youth I could only listen to radio and records, but with 19 I got my first guitar. I practiced for a while and then I started playing in bands and doing concerts in small clubs.
After some years I got tired of the usual troubles in bands and I built up a home studio with several guitars, keyboards, tape machines etc. I collaborated with a local dance company and made the music for their choreographies and also music for some no-budget films.
But after some years I lost the interest in playing music and I sold everything. I bought a CD-player and a lot of CDs and tried to extend my musical horizon by listening to all kinds of music.
After some time my interest in instruments revived and I bought again a guitar and a little amp. And then more guitars and keyboards and soon I had another studio and based on a DAW I could make recordings just for fun.
In 2001 I thought it's time for midlife crisis and again I sold everything (except my Les Paul). I moved to Japan and started doing Zen training in a monastery. 9 years I ago I took over a little temple in Kyoto and here I had the chance to install in a small room in the back for the 3rd time a studio. During the day I am now behaving as a decent Zen priest, but when I have the time, I respond in the evenings to my musical needs.
My basic conclusion is: the world and therefore life is constantly changing. It's important to follow the flow, even if it leads to a zig zag course in some areas.
 
On and off. Not always a single reason why. I'm one of those people with lots of interests and only so much free time. I do wish I had made it more a focus in my 20s, but I was doing other things. I don't think I played at all in my 30s.

My biggest problem playing in my 50s is injuries. Not guitar related, but ones my other interests have gifted me over the years, and one of those could flare up and knock me out of playing for weeks at a time. I still buy gear though.
 
From 16 until now (53 in a couple months) I never have stopped... Sometimes I might only play an hour 2-3 times a week.

There have been a few times that I might have not played for 2-3 weeks, but not many.

In the 90s I had an original hard rock band for 6 years... Took a break from the band to write / record some instrumental tracks which led to my next band (also originals) that I ran for 26 years.

I'd been working on an instrumental project with some members from the last incarnation of that band for about a year until COVID put the smack down on that... But in 2 weeks all members should be fully vaccinated and we're ready to start back into it.

The last year has been harder to keep motivated because I really prefer to work with a group than by myself.
 
There was the seven year period when I worked a high paying but utterly soul sucking corporate job. Supporting two toddlers, so I figured I had to stay. I didn’t do much but work, eat, and sleep... it nearly ended me.

Fast forward to the global insanity of 2020-21. Two great bands that I put a ton of work into down the tubes. Many of the venues we played are shuttered permanently. I’m beginning to feel like I did back in corporate hell. Not ready to give up yet, but I haven't picked up a guitar (except to noodle here and there) for several months.
 
ElectricPhase said:
There was the seven year period when I worked a high paying but utterly soul sucking corporate job. Supporting two toddlers, so I figured I had to stay. I didn’t do much but work, eat, and sleep... it nearly ended me.

Fast forward to the global insanity of 2020-21. Two great bands that I put a ton of work into down the tubes. Many of the venues we played are shuttered permanently. I’m beginning to feel like I did back in corporate hell. Not ready to give up yet, but I haven't picked up a guitar (except to noodle here and there) for several months.
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Oh man, sucks.

Personally, playing, even just by myself in my basement "studio", feels like it's good for me, centering. I hope you find your way back to the mucus parts of you, music for is own sake.
 
I had a large gap when I joined the Army and told myself I didn't have the talent to be a great guitarist like those I admired. What I needed was more discipline and drive. It was more about the work I needed to do. Fast forward about 15 years and I had developed the discipline I needed and I realized I missed playing so I got back into playing in my late 30's. Since then I have had occasional periods where I lost my motivation, but generally I can take a few days or even weeks off and the urge returns. I've also added several other instruments and disciplines to my routine, so the variety keeps everything fresh. I think anything can benefit from a break or time off.
 
I pretty much stopped for quite a few years. It was only when playing Guitar Hero and failing to nail Bark At The Moon that I finally thought: screw it, it's got to be easier to play the real thing than do this. So I downloaded the tabs and off I went. How wrong I was!
 
I took a break for 14 years when moving away from the home town band for a job in another city. Moved back and restarted casual gigging with friends. I left when a Digitech 2120, PC sequencers, and analog mixers were the thing; resumed into a world of Axe modelers, amazing DAWs, and digital mixers, so it's been a delightful wake-up in the future after a long snooze. (But, I've never sold a guitar!)
 
Never stopped. I never will stop. I have pretty bad arthritis but still play everyday-home studio . Still sing and play for people when I can and the only thing that will make me stop is if I am physically unable to play.
I m older than dirt, but just love to play and sing. For me singing was always just as important as the guitar playing. I was the lead or co-lead singer in every duo, trio and band I have ever been in. And that's many!
 
I'll make it short: Yes. I was gigging for years and when I stopped the gigs I stopped playing the guitar for about a year. Then me and my wife couldn't have kids for years so I fell into depression. My only way out was the guitar. It literally saved my life. I haven't stopped since then, and I even earn a few hundred bucks each month from it nowadays doing it as a second job. Then we made it to have kids so now I have to play for the money, but this is mostly an excuse. It's still my way out, thinking about guitars, amps, tones and playing the guitar helps me keep myself sane.
 
Muad'zin said:
Having built like 7 guitars during the covid period I noticed that I was more busy building guitars then playing them. And being busy as a sports instructor I also noticed that I was more focused on that then on playing, or even about thinking about playing. Especially in bands. Officially I'm still in two bands, but one I've not played with since autumn last year, the other since what, december last year? And I find that I'm not missing it.

But getting rid of my gear? NEVER! Not in a million years. If I could take it with me to the afterlife I could. Things come and go but playing guitar will always be with me, few things are certain in life, of that I am certain.
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Covid had a weird impact on me as well. It was my first break from gigging in almost 30 years. At first, I really liked not being out until 3am (and then kids waking me up at 8am).
But I do miss gigging (and am about to start again).
I did not find myself playing much guitar while trapped in the house. It made me realize I like performing more than I like just playing guitar.
I thought I would build a bunch of guitars during Covid.....but for some reason my focus turned to motorcycles and I decided to buy another Harley to rehab over the winter. Maybe when Covid is behind us a bit more, my motorcycle focus fades and music/guitars come back....don't know.
I do like that I am finding other hobbies and a forced break from gigging has made me rethink things....but yeah, still undecided what the future will bring.
I've been collecting guitars since I was 12 and would never stop. I'll never sell them....but they're certainly not getting the same attention as they used to.
 
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