So my guess is there are probably quite a few people here like myself. So I thought I would look for advice and inspiration here. Bare with me here as this may get a little long winded, but I feel like I need to get this out, and this seemed like a good a place as any to do so.
Back story: Roughly 16 years ago I relocated, moving from Chicago to NY. When I lived in Chicago I actively played in a band, and wrote music. I would come home from work every single day and inevitably would settle right into my home studio for the night and do nothing but write music for my band. While all of my band mates were going out for the night to hang out and party, I always opted to sit home and write and record music. It literally was my life. I worked as a touring lighting director doing corporate gigs, and when i wasn't doing that I wrote music, and practiced and played with my band.
In 2005 I relocated to NY to move in with my now wife. Upon moving I had barely any money in my pocket, and my only focus was on getting a job and working as much as I could to get myself established and back on my feet. I had no space to really sit on my own and write and practice, and just play due to us living in a very small apartment, and me always feeling like when I would play I was bothering or disturbing my wife, also adding that I really am a person who likes to be alone with myself when I write to keep my self in that headspace that I needed to be in when I write. So music and guitar kinda of fell by the wayside. Now it's not as though I completely stopped playing for 16 years. Even in our apartment I would still play, but just not nearly as much as I was prior to relocating.
Fast forward 16 years later (where does the time go) and my wife and I purchased our first home. I was so excited because now I would finally have a space that I could dedicate to being a home studio, a place I could escape and be alone to do my thing with no distraction. BUT, now I have found that I just can't do it anymore.
I constantly now come down to my studio and fire everything up and I sit down to play, and within an hour or so I end up so frustrated with myself, that I pretty much just end up putting the guitar back on the stand, and walking away.
I realize alot of my problem is that every time I sit down to play I am trying to write, which is something i haven't done in a while. I have written little things here and there, but nothing like I use to. I know that because I am trying to write and nothing is coming together is what is leading to my frustration, but writing was alway what i loved. So naturally I am trying to get back to what I love. I just can't seem to get over the hump. I constantly tell myself, just go and play and don't worry about what comes out of it, put on some music and just jam along, just play damn it! but it always ends in frustration.
I will add to this that I am a self taught player, I know no theory, I had no formal lessons or training, I always just loved guitar and decided at 13 I was going to teach myself, since my parent's couldn't afford lessons for me. I learned by listening to music and figuring out how to play the songs I liked, I would hunt and fish for notes until I got it, and then I would piece it all together, which I think trained me ear really well.
I think did pretty well for no formal training, people complimented me on my playing, people always told me they really liked my songs, etc....
I'm no malmsteen, but I learned enough along the way that I feel i became a pretty solid player and writer, I learned enough to be dangerous as they say.
At my age now I just don't have the patience to sit down and learn theory. it ends up boring me, and i just can't keep my attention up long enough to focus on formal training.
Bottom line is I just miss my passion for guitar and music and really want it back. I just can't figure out how to get there.
So I thought I would share here. See if anyone else has gone through or is going through the same thing.
So feel free to tell your story, share what you may have done that helped you get your groove back.
Or, just read this respond that it's because I suck, and tell me how it's not gonna happen. lol
Thanks for listening, and letting me vent my frustrations.
), but I found that my skills and inspiration were rusted and aged . What I do now is to have fun playing without expecting anything serious. I figure out riffs and licks, I record them at DAW, and I put a lot of effort trying to clone particular tones. I actually spend more time tweaking than making music.
