onewilyfool Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I'm just burnt out.....pulled back from the Cafe gig-thing, even though my playing and singing feel great...My forearms are tight and I have a little pain in my wrists and right shoulder......haven't bought a guitar in two years....been trading some, but even that get's old.....I'm not up for the horse trading, back and forth.....just tired of the whole game. I do like to come on the forum, but am even doing that less these days. I think I am on guitar over load....just need a guitar-less vacation. It's kind of like a mini guitar depression....lol.....Do any of you players get to this point ever? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Happens to me on a regular basis..... I suspect that's why I'm only a mediocre player...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 . No burn out here. Maybe you should message Buc. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I can identify with this. I'd been playing in one particular band for nearly 15 years - we released material on a 50/50 deal with an indie label but paid our own recording costs and operated at a financial loss for most of that time. After the last album it occurred to me, this is basically a job that is stressful, demanding, I don't enjoy very much and I'm not even being paid for it! Same goes with the studio I set up a while back, I enjoy recording there but trying to treat it as a business in an industry that is collapsing in the face of cheap home recording and a freefall in record sales, it's just more stress than it's worth. So, now music has been cut back to a hobby: I do my day job (which admittedly is still music related), I have a pastime that is nothing to do with music, and I have a band that rehearse once a week and enjoy playing together. Rent on the studio is covered out of my day job and it's there to use when I'm inspired to. The original band, we're thinking we might do another record, but we'll only do it as long as it's fun, and if it stops being fun we'll pull the plug. You know what? I'm a lot happier now, and I'm beginning to enjoy playing music again. Sometime you just need a realignment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Guess I tried it in different fields, even music a few times. 20 years ago I reached a step where I couldn't feel what I was doin', , , that was definitely a low point. But not now - Just had the spacing on my 12-fret widened Tuesday. Played it a lot yesterday and today. I can't afford to burn out - trying to learn the guitar before it's to late. . . Be patient, onewilyfool - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest J-Doug Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 To avoid burn out I take a day off a week from guitar playing and spend some time with my wife and do a bit of reading. I find that helps. Maybe you need a bit of a break from the whole thing. Set aside a week and do nothing guitar related at all. If at the end you feel like it do some playing, etc. The break might help you reset and freshen you up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Just get another obsession. I restarted my photography obsession. Now that I have a new Nikon D7100 DSLR, I'm taking photos of guitars more than I'm playing them. Then I get bored with the photos and play the guitars. It is a wonderfully vicious circle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Wily, I think your feelings are pretty natural. We're only human and sometimes things (life) just wears us down a bit, especially regarding something important to us that we feel we should be better at..lol...That's me all over.. I feel like that often with my music, then I have a day like yesterday. At a weekday, afternoon gig I had eleven friends show-up. It blew me away. They came-out on a beautiful afternoon and killed 2hrs of "their" time to listen to and talk with me. I'm honored.....Then, out of the blue, the newspaper editor of the "right down the street" local college was there. She sat there the entire two hours. I had no idea at the time who she was. I figured she must be some kind of loon, because she didn't have a lap top or any books with her, yet she was still there and actually listening to me sing. After my gig she introduced herself and asked if she could interview me for the college paper....HELL YES!. So on Monday afternoon I'm going-in to talk with her and play some songs in the student union for the college kids. She thinks her contemporaries will enjoy hearing my nostalgic take on life. Pretty cool stuff for an old dude from Vietnam and the folk era. Plus, the coffeehouse owner likes the exposure for his business. ... And on Wednesday morning I was feeling like my songwriting is in a rut (I think that a lot) because everything is about "yesterday" in one way or another........YES, life can be a pain-in-the-butt and it does get me down at times, but we NEVER know what is waiting around the corner for us. Even when I'm worried about what is around the corner, my guitars are an outlet for me. I totally understand where you're coming from, but you've got to just laugh at it and move on down the road. Think of the good days you've had with your music. There will be many more of them. Keep going............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I can identify with this. I'd been playing in one particular band for nearly 15 years - we released material on a 50/50 deal with an indie label but paid our own recording costs and operated at a financial loss for most of that time. After the last album it occurred to me, this is basically a job that is stressful, demanding, I don't enjoy very much and I'm not even being paid for it! Same goes with the studio I set up a while back, I enjoy recording there but trying to treat it as a business in an industry that is collapsing in the face of cheap home recording and a freefall in record sales, it's just more stress than it's worth. So, now music has been cut back to a hobby: I do my day job (which admittedly is still music related), I have a pastime that is nothing to do with music, and I have a band that rehearse once a week and enjoy playing together. Rent on the studio is covered out of my day job and it's there to use when I'm inspired to. The original band, we're thinking we might do another record, but we'll only do it as long as it's fun, and if it stops being fun we'll pull the plug. You know what? I'm a lot happier now, and I'm beginning to enjoy playing music again. Sometime you just need a realignment. Share some of your stuff for us ! Lots of us love to here members music . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Nilppeznaf Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I You know what? I'm a lot happier now, and I'm beginning to enjoy playing music again. Sometime you just need a realignment. Retirement i thought..it did it for me ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markini Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I can relate (62), I still play everyday but for a time I felt I was in a rut. So I started to buy cheap import electric guitars and rebuilding them adding American electronics, bridges, tuners etc.. Even necks. I sure have learned a lot. I had to buy tools and set up a work shop. I am learning a lot. I have reached a point where I can carve my own nuts (sounds bad), level and reinstall frets. I am trying to become proficient as a "neck" guy, because that seems to be the most difficult part of the guitar to get just right. I have even carved out and reshaped neck pockets. It gives me a new appreciation towards playing guitar. After many trials and errors finishing my first guitar, I was surprised at how well it came out, I must have played it 4 hours straight. In a way it has revitalized my interest in playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.R.M.30! Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Here's some advice soldier: Quit belly-aching and complaining, you're out of line soldier, better man-up or else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I am guessing it is a rare person who does not get burnt out from gigs. Happened to me to the point I still have band-o-phobia. These days I only play on my terms. I do not play for money and prefer to just do some sitting in or back up work. I play just enough to keep me in the game but not enough that I am obligated to show up on a certain night of every week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share Posted September 12, 2013 Thanks for the helpful and thoughtful comments guys...it helps to hear your experiences...thanks, Wily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Easy to burn out with anything you overdo, but playing guitar can sure be involving. Why not learn some bottleneck slide, OWF? You have the LG1 and a National, don't you? Start at the beginning. Having a few slide styles to play fingerpicked in open tunings can be like playing a totally different instrument - start with Stefan Grossman DVDs perhaps. Absolutely enjoyable! Have a look: http://www.guitarvid...-1/slide-guitar and a video: Then you will need to change the guitar set up and buy a proper bottleneck: http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/DB08/index.asp BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Ok to break for life and a recharge once in awhile. I did for 20 years, but circled back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w02YmwXIVpM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Nilppeznaf Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Great thread Coyote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Hits me every now and then. I'll want to make music and play a lot. Every day. And then it seems life gets in the way and I am MIA for a month... Sometimes two. My advice? Walk away. Just like when pain tells your body to stop doing something, maybe you need a leave. You will return refreshed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMELEYE Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I'm really enjoying this topic. Thanks, owf. Been in this frame of mind for about the past year. Figured it was burnout and old age ganging up on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorick Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Hi Wily, I've had times when the cases just gathered dust for months. I can remember a low point I hit some time in the late 70s when I had the good sense to loan out all my guitars to friends because I was sick of hearing myself play them (and was thinking of selling them). In 2003, I hit the skids again--lost my long-time guitar in a bizarre accident, then had to cancel what few gigs I had because of tendinitis. I didn't play for 6 months, and considered just packing it in. I must be past all that now; playing guitar makes me happy (as it did when I was a tadpole). Life is filled with ebbs and flows. Hang in there, bro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Have to say that i have never been as good a player as I was when I lived alone. The urge to play guitar or create music doesn't come in set hours at the same time each day. I wouldn't change my situation for the world , but many a time I've been up on a Saturday morning and playing away in the music room only to have the other half coming and reminding me of the things that need done. Fairly knocks the wind outta the sails and quite often I think 'not much point in lifting the thing today. Sometimes it takes a new capo or a string change to get the thrill of it all back. Bit like polishing and cleaning the car always makes the next drive in it a bit more enjoyable. She's off on holiday / vacation in a week or so and while I'll miss her , the urge to play guitar is growing every day with the knowledge that I can grab it when and for however long I feel like. I'll be willing to bet that the stuck in a rut guys aren't single . Life's a ***** huh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Nilppeznaf Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 The urge to play guitar or create music doesn't come in set hours at the same time each day. I I'll be willing to bet that the stuck in a rut guys aren't single . haha..good observations there...and its one of the reason I live with Terry the cat...in the middle of the Hills..where no one can haer me singing and shouting at any hour of the day or night its a choice i made...when i get lucky enough to meet my next wife....she better have her own place...or a bloody big house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Have to say that i have never been as good a player as I was when I lived alone. The urge to play guitar or create music doesn't come in set hours at the same time each day. I wouldn't change my situation for the world , but many a time I've been up on a Saturday morning and playing away in the music room only to have the other half coming and reminding me of the things that need done. Fairly knocks the wind outta the sails and quite often I think 'not much point in lifting the thing today. Sometimes it takes a new capo or a string change to get the thrill of it all back. Bit like polishing and cleaning the car always makes the next drive in it a bit more enjoyable. She's off on holiday / vacation in a week or so and while I'll miss her , the urge to play guitar is growing every day with the knowledge that I can grab it when and for however long I feel like. I'll be willing to bet that the stuck in a rut guys aren't single . Life's a ***** huh "Classic schism -" Said the Acoustic Monk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Wily, I think your feelings are pretty natural. We're only human and sometimes things (life) just wears us down a bit, especially regarding something important to us that we feel we should be better at..lol...That's me all over.. I feel like that often with my music, then I have a day like yesterday. At a weekday, afternoon gig I had eleven friends show-up. It blew me away. They came-out on a beautiful afternoon and killed 2hrs of "their" time to listen to and talk with me. I'm honored.....Then, out of the blue, the newspaper editor of the "right down the street" local college was there. She sat there the entire two hours. I had no idea at the time who she was. I figured she must be some kind of loon, because she didn't have a lap top or any books with her, yet she was still there and actually listening to me sing. After my gig she introduced herself and asked if she could interview me for the college paper....HELL YES!. So on Monday afternoon I'm going-in to talk with her and play some songs in the student union for the college kids. She thinks her contemporaries will enjoy hearing my nostalgic take on life. Pretty cool stuff for an old dude from Vietnam and the folk era. Plus, the coffeehouse owner likes the exposure for his business. ... And on Wednesday morning I was feeling like my songwriting is in a rut (I think that a lot) because everything is about "yesterday" in one way or another........YES, life can be a pain-in-the-butt and it does get me down at times, but we NEVER know what is waiting around the corner for us. Even when I'm worried about what is around the corner, my guitars are an outlet for me. I totally understand where you're coming from, but you've got to just laugh at it and move on down the road. Think of the good days you've had with your music. There will be many more of them. Keep going............ Have to say that i have never been as good a player as I was when I lived alone. The urge to play guitar or create music doesn't come in set hours at the same time each day. I wouldn't change my situation for the world , but many a time I've been up on a Saturday morning and playing away in the music room only to have the other half coming and reminding me of the things that need done. Fairly knocks the wind outta the sails and quite often I think 'not much point in lifting the thing today. Sometimes it takes a new capo or a string change to get the thrill of it all back. Bit like polishing and cleaning the car always makes the next drive in it a bit more enjoyable. She's off on holiday / vacation in a week or so and while I'll miss her , the urge to play guitar is growing every day with the knowledge that I can grab it when and for however long I feel like. I'll be willing to bet that the stuck in a rut guys aren't single . Life's a ***** huh There is nothing that makes me more creative than being in a pinch, no matter if originally caused by body or soul. I believe writing lyrics and composing music is a variation of my self preservation instinct. Since it went towards divorcement two and a half years ago, I wrote a song every few days in the average, compared to every few months the 25 years before. It usually goes around women less than half my age, and in most cases I even don't dare to tell them personally - I just keep on taking down my feelings and thoughts during sleepless nights. I think that maybe I am a better guitar player than ever before, but since my composing is far ahead of playing, I feel as if I just don't get anything right what makes me to burn out during playing regularly... <_< My best recipe against seems to be relaxing and grabbing a guitar of different build a few minutes later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 OWF, I feel your pain. I retired 16 months ago and was not sure what this new deal would bring. Never been "idle" before. Decided I needed to find something (other than my guitar hobby) to fill the void. Took up 3 different things I was very interested in: Volunteering at Zoo; season tickets for minor league baseball team; and hanging out at a horse"rescue" ranch. At this point, I'm actually getting burned out on all 3! Only average once a week for each, so no more than three half days in a week. Your question got me thinking. I wonder if this low threshold is related to how many miles we have on our odometers and how hard we've been driven? In my desire to eat and have a roof over my head, and my family's, like most -I had to work long and hard. Major crises and challenges occurred regularly. Each took another brick from the wall. In my last 2 or 3 years, I had a "short timers attitude". I no longer could get excited by supposed crises. My bosses could not get me to feel responsible for problems created by others. The down side was, it is harder for me to get excited about things that would have 20 or 30 years ago. Harder to become "engaged". I fear if I were to push too hard on the guitar, or spend too much time on it, I would get burned out on it and I would never.want that to happen. So I make a conscious effort to manage my time in my music room. I only play when I feel I will have "quality time" there. Never when I'm just bored, or when I feel I "have to". Hope this helps, or at least provides some insight into what you might be able to do to enjoy the guitar more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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