saturn Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 What motivates or inspires you to pick up your instrument and play? For at least the past 15 years for me it has been the expectation of an upcoming jam or gig. Especially the past 3 or 4 years, I've had a lot of different gigs with various bands. So I was just busy trying to get down song sets. I really didn't focus too much on technical stuff. When we gig I don't use sheet music or I-pad, so I usually just spend what time I carve out for practice making sure I memorize the chords and changes etc. for the songs on our list. I didn't really "practice" so much as I "crammed" Last month, when all our gigs for Spring and Summer got canceled, I figured I'd work on my chops since I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. one thing I had sorely neglected was my right hand picking technique, so that was one of the aspects I focused on and for several weeks I was making good progress. However, it's now been almost two weeks since I've even touched the guitar. I just have no motivation with no gigs or even jams planned. Plunking around the house doesn't do it for me. After I get off here, i'm going to force myself to play though. Anyone else feeling this way? Or maybe the boredom and isolation encourages you to play more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Yeah, I'm playing more. I don't gig, so this is just more time for me to have some fun. What motivates me is songwriting. I like to write songs, play the instruments, record them, mix, master, rinse, repeat! I have a lot of fun every time I take on a new recording project. I recently recorded an instrumental with drums, bass, guitar. I share the results with family and friends. Or sometimes not. Sometimes I just do it for me. Sometimes it can be frustrating. And I am not always happy with the results. But I always get better at it, and always learn something new. That's what motivates me to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01GT eibach Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Chasing the perfect guitar solo ... When I am not playing regularly, that perfect solo gets much farther away. Playing regularly keeps me much closer than not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 I'm sitting here looking at my hot rodded G400 an new tube amp with some new effects. I'm about to have a great time.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Gigs have been my motivation and more specifically not wanting to embarrass myself and also not let the other bandmates down. Sounds nauseagenic but true. Speaking of, the Alzheimer's Arkansas gig that I play every year was officially cancelled today. It was scheduled for August 1st. Things keep getting pushed back. I remember a few months ago when the folks involved in a meeting scheduled for this week said there was no way things wouldn't be back to normal by now. To your original point, I was playing a lot last week but haven't played in a few days and now just don't feel like playing. Guitar has always been my refuge. It will be again. Just an extraordinarily weird time right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 I see that many people play guitar or music in general to relieve a bad mood or anxiety. I have to be in a fairly good or positive mood to even want to play. I just got that new PRS amp and used it at a rehearsal and I think two gigs. Haven't plugged it in since. But I did just get out my LP and played unplugged for awhile. Maybe this weekend I'll plug in and some tube crunch will inspire me. 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 I have not been as motivated as I should be or thought i would be being at home so much nowadays...BUT... we are coming out of restrictions around here, and band rehearsal may soon become a reality 😀so I'd better get my sorry @ss back into it!!! The 3 new songs I've pulled together are quite easy to get motivated to play cos they are fresh and I'm looking forward t hearing the guys make them sound great, but the other 12 or 15 in the set take a bit more effort to get into - but the thought of rehearsal will do the trick - I'll play em this weekend for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 I don't gig either. Like Brad1, I play for the fun. Theres about 35 to 40 songs I can play. As a kid it was mostly Ventures as they were my inspiration but now, at 67 I play more variety but mostly 60's & 70's. My inspiration to pick up a guitar is not only to have fun but to always improve and learn more songs. I always practice unplugged or on the Acoustic which is often. Dementia runs in my family so I do several things to try and keep my mind straight. Guitar is the number one thing I do. I have played chess since I was just a toddler my mom said and I have played chess computers and in tournaments forever. That really helps. But I only have to look at all the great guitarists in this world and I don't need to look any further to be my inspiration to play better. Haha, Thats my story and I'm sticking to it, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01GT eibach Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 4 minutes ago, Retired said: ... Like Brad1, I play for the fun ... . Wow. I hope that we ALL are playing for fun. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 I have seldom had this problem. I always want to play. Not necessarily practice. I pick up the guitar and go somewhere with it. It may be soloing over a chord progression (imagined usually) and changing with those chords instead of the easier modal approach. That takes some concentration. Or creating a new soloing idea & figuring out the technique. In other words its keeping the brain engaged rather than just repeating what the muscle memory does best. Its also productive, and may generate songs etc. I find that playing this way is almost addictive. I simply want to keep doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Jay, I am with you on this one. There is no better motivation to play and practice than having to get ready for an upcoming gig. Without a tangible goal in sight, you are left to your own devices, and then household distractions grow exponentially. 😗 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Music has always been like a Drug for me.. Playing Instruments has been a passion almost my entire life.. Gigs or no Gigs it's about the Music. Although, being a Singer Songwriter, Recording Artist, Producer has a lot to do with it.. That being an Art unto itself requiring much dedication to a huge Learning Curve in addition to just playing Guitar... During this Quarantine one of the Bands I play with is going to try a Virtual Recording Session. Emailing Tracks to each other.. Maybe try to do a Rehearsal on Zoom too... Anybody else doing that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 20 minutes ago, Larsongs said: During this Quarantine one of the Bands I play with is going to try a Virtual Recording Session. Emailing Tracks to each other.. Maybe try to do a Rehearsal on Zoom too... Anybody else doing that? Both groups I play with have talked about doing this, but so far we haven't actually tried it. Someone gave me an old Tascam DP-01 8 Track thing. I have it plugged-in and have been looking through the Manual, but I really have no clue what I'm doing with it. I haven't recorded anything yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 13 hours ago, saturn said: What motivates or inspires you to pick up your instrument and play?<... snip ...> It's FUN and I LOVE it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 3 hours ago, Notes_Norton said: It's FUN and I LOVE it!!! Yep!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 The hookers and blow that are stipulated* in my contract. rct *It works better if you say it like Daffy Duck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 (edited) Starting around 18 years ago, I forced myself to practice every night for at least an hour, sometimes two or three, whether I was motivated or not. I may have missed a night a month. My practice sessions were very structured, broken into three sections- technique, theory, learning and practicing new songs. Probably 6 or 8 years ago, I got tired of that. While I improved tremendously, I found I got better just having fun, playing and applying what I'd learned. These days, I'm kinda bored with it. I figure I've gotten as good as I can get, which is better than I thought I'd ever be, but not nearly as good as I'd like to be. I'm getting the most pleasure these days from telling Alexa to play songs by artists I like and seeing what I can do with them. I'm also paying more attention to tone, and this has led me toward experimenting with pedals. For the longest time, I was just using what I could get out of an amp. Most of what I was playing was clean, and that's because when I started to get serious about playing, most of the stuff I liked was played clean. Since I'm getting back to B-side tunes and older, more obscure (to me) Rock and Fusion, the call for tone modification has taken me in new directions. A lot can be said for just getting started. Once I have a guitar around my neck, everything gets better. Edited April 30, 2020 by zigzag 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 3 hours ago, zigzag said: A lot can be said for just getting started. Once I have a guitar around my neck, everything gets better. That really says it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Mac Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) Usually, I'm practicing the songs I need to know for the gig I've got next. As a sideman, that keeps me pretty busy learning new stuff and polishing up on old stuff. Since the shutdown, I find that I've got plenty of time to work on what I want to work on and that's exciting for me. I decided that I'd go back and work on theory and technique. I usually try to put in at least two hours a day, ( occasionally more), in two sessions. I'm playing all the modes of the Major, Melodic Minor and, Harmonic Minor scales in all intervals...Seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths, and octaves. That's been helping me a lot! I've been delving more deeply into chords so, I spend a good bit of time reharmonizing jazz tunes that I already know; trying to sound like the gospel piano guys from church. This has led me to explore the idea of chords as triads with various bass notes (which is how these guys think). For instance, Dm7 is an F major triad with D in the bass, or A7b9(13) is an F# major triad with A in the bottom. During my second session, I just play; searching for new chord progressions and ways to utilise the technical stuff. I also go over stuff that I just plain like to play. Yesterday it was Cantelope Island by Herbie Hancock and 'Cause We've Ended as Lovers by Stevie Wonder. Today, i've been working on All the Things You Are in all twelve keys which is a very good exercise! Playing any song in every key is great for getting to know your fretboard! Also, I've been exploring the diminished scale more thouroughly. Half-Whole over dominant sevenths and Whole-Half over minor 7b5's. Anyway, I have no problem getting inspired to play as there is SO much on which to work! Music is a puzzle that, no matter how one puts it together it always makes a cool picture! I could drone on about this for hours...you see, I'm obsessed! It's time for session two...later fellas! Edited May 1, 2020 by G Mac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) 22 minutes ago, G Mac said: ...I also go over stuff that I just plain like to play. Yesterday it was Cantelope Island by Herbie Hancock and 'Cause We've Ended as Lovers by Stevie Wonder.... Yeah! 'Cause We've Ended as Lovers is all variations on a theme... great song for noodling. That's what I'm talking about... just picking up the guitar and playing. And playing thru the modes of melodic and harmonic minor all over the fretboard really gives you an intuitive feel and ear for hearing your options when improvising... really broadening your vocabulary. Playing never gets old when you're learning that stuff. At the same time, it takes dedication. I wish there was a way to hear all of that in my head before I had to spend endless hours practicing it. I'd rather have been able to play it than explain it. Edited May 1, 2020 by zigzag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) I still find myself playing everyday. I’ve got two hobbies: model railroading and guitars. The two feed-off of each other and inspire each other. I can do both at the same time, which I do quite often. Also, over the last few weeks I’ve found myself doing more early morning picking on the back deck. I might work on some little solo I’d like to use in an old song, or maybe work on a new song. Actually, over the last few weeks I’ve written three new songs. Hadn’t written a song for several months before that. In addition, my dad passed-away on April 5 at ninety-six and that seems to have added to my desire to pick-up a guitar and write.. Incidentally, the three new songs are all on the somber side. ....I don’t know that I’ve ever been someone who enjoys practicing. I’m primarily someone who ends-up playing what I like and am familiar with and occasionally trying to add some new wrinkles to my technique. I might spend two hours just gently strumming the same 2-3 songs. I’m not disciplined enough to practice in a regimented way. Wish I was. It’s kind of Helter Skelter for me. Likely why I’m just a “jack of all trades and master of none” when to comes to musical instruments. Anyway, I really enjoy playing. Edited May 1, 2020 by MissouriPicker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 The next gig and whatever 50 songs we are taking. I stay busy with the setlists and practicing singing and playing. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 17 hours ago, rct said: The hookers and blow that are stipulated* in my contract. rct *It works better if you say it like Daffy Duck. Ron, so I tried and you're right, it does.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 To paraphrase what Saturn said - I'm rarely inclined to pick up a guitar when I'm not in a good mood. I want to enjoy the time I spend playing - and I've found I need to be 'upbeat' to start with. But, to me, Zig Zag said it best - again to paraphrase: "Things are always better with a guitar hanging around your neck." ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 I started as a Singer & still am the Lead Vocalist in the Bands I play with. Early on I needed accompaniement.. Which led me to Guitar. I've been playing & singing all my life.. My first inspiration was Elvis.. It has evolved over the years... It's always been fun, frustrating, love, sometimes hate, up & down journey... Passion is a crazy thing... One day you think you've mastered it & the next you wonder why you waste your time with Music in the first place.. Ultimately, for me, it's in my blood & there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it... So, I play & sing... As crazy as it is, I do love it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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