Ever give up playing?

Maybe it depends how you define "playing". Does picking up a guitar and noodling for 5 to 10 min count? Because I do that many times daily, even in down periods where I go months without actually writing or recording.

I haven't gigged or had a band practice since March 2020, but all this working from home from my studio DAW PC while surrounded by guitars has my noodling at an all-time high frequency. I'm ashamed to admit this here, but even though my FM3 is right beside me, more often than not I'll grab a guitar off the wall and noodle unplugged. o_O

I've been in local weekend bands for 30 years, but never fulltime as a career. In 2018/19 I was in 3 different bands with each one trying to practice or gig weekly. Was back down to focus on one band in 2020 up until Covid. At the beginning I thought I would go crazy missing band activities, but I really didn't. I just kind of settled into the new routine.

Now the 3rd wave of Covid has only recently peaked up here (Canada is way behind the US in vaccinations). Gigs could be possible again by summer and you'd think I'd be chomping at the bit, but... I'm really not so much. Besides It seems like most of the venues have shut down permanently over the past year, and honestly it was not that great a scene before. At least not for aging local guitar bands.

Hmm.. maybe I AM just about done "playing"? We'll see. For sure though, I'll never stop owning guitars and noodling every day. NEVAHHH!
 
I'll echo a lot of what has been said and recommend not getting rid of everything, 'cause the feeling has a good chance of coming back.

I've played for a total of 16 years, "quit" twice.

The first time was due to a really bad band break up that left a lot of bad blood between some close friends. That experience sucked the fun out of it for about ayear, so I just didn't play. I sold the only guitar I regret selling during that time, a Hamer Californian. The spark ended up coming back, so I started playing again. Even started another band with some of the same guys (that one failed too, but was fun at least).

The second time I quit was due to moving across the US in a 4 door sedan. None of my music gear fit, so I offloaded everything, because I had to get out. I didn't play for about 2 years, except anytime I saw a guitar hanging out at a friend's house I would pick it up and noodle a little.

I started working at a pawn shop, talking to quite a few musicians. The itch came back. Nowadays I have more guitars than I ever did (less amps though! :p), and I play more than ever also. I don't ever see myself giving it up again, barring some serious financial/health issues. It comes in waves.
 
Agree with many of the post here - unless you just don't like a piece of gear you've bought, keep it - you just never know when you'll come back to it. I took two breaks from guitar - one of three years, one of nearly five years - but if you ever had a passion for it, you'll come back to it eventually.
 
I give it a break occasionally. I played in bands for a really long time and quit after finally breaking up with my last band. Then I started recording and loved it for a long time until I got sick of programming drums. Then I quit playing guitar for a while so I could get decent at drums. Now I record all instruments and it's fun again.
 
Too many hobbies and too little time. I sadly didn't touch a guitar for probably a decade. I'm sure glad I brought it out and starting playing again though. As someone else mentioned, I enjoy playing with other people and performing WAY more that by myself. I practice WAY more when I have a gig coming up...I wonder if this has something to due with my lack of skills ;)
 
I've stopped a couple times for a few months, about 15 years ago, entirely because of a bad spell of depression. I lost interest in nearly everything, tbh. I learned a lot, and moved on to a different season of life, and guitar has been a wonderful way to spend time, give my brain something to chew on, and meet people ever since. I'm so grateful for it.
The depression is still a part of me, in a way, always kind of washing in the background, but I think that I've learned to be patient with myself in a way that keeps it in check. I have a wonderful life, with a family I adore, a loving wife, a satisfying job... I feel really lucky.
I think my interest in the instrument has always been sort of a barometer for me- it sort of measures how I'm doing. I know now to watch out when I start losing interest in it.
 
I go through phases. I've come to the conclusion that for my personal satisfaction, moderation is key, and abstaining for periods of time "resets" my interest and motivation.
 
I stopped playing for a couple years when the last band I played in zorted out in a pretty dispiriting way. Didn't decide to, I just did. Left the business entirely for a while, never played professionally again.

Came back after a while, but doing sound and custom electrics for musicians, not playing, except on my own and jamming with friends which I loved then, and still do. Then my girlfriend-now-wife got pregnant, and the main band I'd been mixing for many years decided to winter in Florida for the first time ever. I said no, and starting doing computer temp work.

Ended up learning to program, paid more in taxes my first year doing that than I'd ever grossed in my life.

And here I sit!
 
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I went through a period of maybe 4-5 years where I didn’t play at all. In fact my wife never even understood I was a guitar player since I wasn’t playing during our pre marriage time. I was in a rut, tired of my equipment and not thrilled with my guitars at the time. But I picked it back up, bought a new guitar and started building amps. Still in a rut but at least I was playing. Then I smashed my left hand in a machine. Lost some of the index and it didn’t bend too good for awhile. So I played slide for a couple years. And now I’m full bore at it and playing a lot. Had to learn to play with my modified hand. That got me out of the rut since in some ways I was starting over. Now I have more guitars and picked up the FM3. Hooked up with some musicians and it’s all good. I also plan on taking lessons to keep it interesting and to keep moving forward. I don’t plan on ever quitting again unless it’s for some physical reason.
 
I also nearly stopped or play very seldom in 2009-2010 because I got no band and just realised that playing on my own for myself was no fun and boring.
Then I got a new coverband at beginning of 2011 and it was fun again and I had to practice more to play faster for the songs we wanted to perform.
Then we stopped the project in 2018 an again, playing for myself does not inspiring me.
Since 2019 I got a new band with own songs and now it's fine again.
But in this 2 years now I get out more fun too, playing for my own an do recordings for myself.
Things are changing over the years.
I also started playing drums with an E-Kit in September because programming drums does not satisfy me.
I have a cheap 8-String too and use it, tuned to E, for recording bass-lines with the FM3 bass amps.
I like it doing all instruments on my own, even if on not so high level but it's from me and nothing programmed.
 
2 or 3 times in a year. I almost get tired of even listening to music. It lasts 2 or 3 weeks. During that time, I listen to totally different genres other than metal. Then the instinct comes again :)
 
Kinda there right now. Not quitting, exactly, just dispirited.

I thought I'd have the energy to find bandmates in a new town....so far, not so much.
 
I think it's good to take a break from any hobby once in a while. Keeps you from getting either obsessed (which gets expensive) or totally burned out (which just sucks). I used to be big into firearms and target shooting. With all the mass shootings and political nuttiness that surrounds them, I've lost a lot of interest in it. Ammo is so expensive now too. I haven't been to a range in a few years, but I'm sure I'll pick it back up at some point. My opportunities to hunt and fish these days are more limited too.

Even with music, my interest comes and goes. Lately I've been listening to more podcasts (Stuff You Should Know is great) while driving and far less music. I haven't much kept up with any new music in a while, but it will flip flop at some point and I'll go back to the tunes.

Things get stale if you're stuck in the same routine all the time. It's good to mix it up. Keeps your brain working.
 
Cut back quite a bit at times while raising a family, but never went cold turkey. I will get on an acoustic kick where I won't touch an electric for weeks, but I haven't done that since getting my FM3.
 
For a couple of years late 90's (I think), I just quit altogether. Just got burned out on the whole instrument in general. Then, when I got back into playing again I exclusively played acoustics/fingerpicking type stuff - did that for years and didn't touch my electrics. One day, I woke up and said I was going to sell all my solid bodies "but, I'll plug them in just one more time".. and that was it. I was back to playing electrics again!

It's like any type of love, I figure. Put that much time and effort into learning to do something kinda-sorta-well-enough, you got to love doing it; and any old-flame more-easily slides back into a person's life for it.

It's kinda strange though. These days, I'll play for a couple of hours every day, and when I sit down to practice I can still get completely emotionally wrung out from doing so for "entering that zone". But, as I sit here typing, I don't feel one way or the other about the instrument. It's like an old pair of shoes - comfortable to me, and familiar. But I can't say I'm in love with it, or driven to play. Not like back when I was a kid.
 
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I never gave up on playing...though many have begged me.

In truth I stopped during medical school and subsequent surgical training, so nothing for 15 years.
 
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