Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => The Dressing Room => Topic started by: Dmoney on April 11, 2010, 11:13:40 PM
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So.
since my band 'split up' (final show in May) I've just been working, tinkering about kind-of-making-amps-but-not-quite.
I've not even been playing guitar that much, since music in general has got me down a bit, the thought has crossed my mind to just give it up totally, but I think that is a bit like 'all or nothing' thinking.
I'm not sure if london's got me down, or what im doing. I went back up north to the lakes a few weeks back, love it up there but there are no jobs along the line of what I do in that area... I don't have a bad job but I just have a general lack of interest in everything. I meant to be doing 4 or 5 bands now, but none are really off the ground.
I kind of want to do something else. I thought about trying to get into electronics a bit more seriously. I enjoy building and modding amps for example but I don't have the knowledge some of the guys here do. maybe do a course or something somewhere. I could get training through work but Its not really relevant to what i do.
I dunno. I don't feel like im doing anything musically, or professionally. I guess other people on here have gone off and done a bunch of things to get over this problem.
maybe im just thinking aloud
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I am so with you on this mate, since my band pulled a blindingly bad gig last summer, it bummed me out and I've not done anything with them since. It was a really important gig too, and we just blew completely. I tried to start another project, but I have just had THE longest bout of musician's block and I'm absolutely positive it stems from that one bad gig. I've kinda developed stage fright because of it too.
The musician's block is what is REALLY getting me down though, I just feel absolutely useless, musically. I've not written a decent riff or a lyric in something like 6 - 7 months. Sucks because when I write a song, and I don't want to sound too big-headed here, but I write good stuff that I want to perform and get other people into.
Besides that, I'm working a really lame job, the only good point of which is that it's in the NHS so I do hope to train up with them and move around a bit later on, but the job gets me down too. I want to do something I enjoy with my life, but due to shoddy debt problems that I've had for ages (and have not been helped by being laid off twice) I'm stuck in my house trying not to spend money.
So yeah, I kinda feel like giving up music all together at the moment too, having a proper crisis of faith in myself. :?
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I'm in a similar position, I've written one piece of music in the past year or thereabouts I think!
About to graduate uni with whats probably a pretty useless degree, not looking forward to trying to find a job either.
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I've had a mad bout of writers block too. I'm never that confident with what I write though.
I work in broadcast, there isn't much choice of where to work in terms of companies and roles. It's not the worst job by a long shot but it's not something im hugely interested in any more.
my biggest problem is that I don't have a clue about what I want to do, and things I do enjoy actually depress me as much as make me happy. Like playing music and touring is awesome, but dealing with the financial side of that with promoters and so on is a nightmare (one made bigger when you compare what european bands go through compared to american bands).
right now im meant to be joining an established band, im doing a 2 new london based bands, one more alt rock, and one harder, I have my own ideas im working on, and I'm meant to be doing some kind of pop-rock duo with a friend of mine.
someone told me I should travel. I dunno though.
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I think everyone involved in a creative project of any kind feels a bit jaded at one time or other. I barely played for five years after my band split in the early 90s and other stuff I've done since just hasn't recaptured the excitement and passion that band had. All I could do was put the guitars under the bed for a while and wait for the motivation to return, which it did eventually and I'm very glad I've never sold a guitar.
So don't ebay everything because you will live to regret it.
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I'm not gonna sell everything off. I do still want to sell my Ubderschall. JPF has my SLO build. if frank can fix that ill be super happy.
music is part of my problem. right now im looking for other things to grab my interest. night shifts don't help.
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I'm still in Uni, with no job and little to do in my free time and with summer coming up I feel I'm just gonna be sitting inside because I won't be on holiday and everyone else will be and I have no money.
Easy enough just to say what you want to do, but getting it done is another thing.
Quite depressing even though its a sunny day.
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maybe you're down because you haven't played music for a while. even if your not inspired it might be worth giving it a go.
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maybe. I do still try to play. i think right now the enjoyment is outweighed by the frustration.
Like, I'm meant to be doing all these bands, I don't have to write for two of them so much. I have an interest in all of them of course but I have mad block as far as writing anything I like goes.
work is uninteresting, I don't really do much with my spare time, I dunno. I need to set some goals or something and work towards them
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It's a tough one when you lose some of the passion for it. I'm going through that at the moment (although I didn't have any bands planned) and it's making me feel like selling everything and buying some new stuff just to get my juices flowing again. I know I shouldn't do it and have stuck to my guns so far.
I think what might help me best is to just get on with playing music as suggested by gwEm. There's not really much going on around the Basingstoke area to be honest - will be on the look out for some like minded people to jam (I really don't like that word) with just to see what happens.
Hope you find something to get you back into it again.
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I'm in the same boat matey. After my drummer $%&#ed us over for a really important gig I've barely even thought about my own band. It is the worst feeling in the world as I LOVE playing live.
Paddy
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In the same boat after my band split last year. I have been getting lessons, I think if I wasn't I would have probably stopped playing by now.
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You don’t need to be in a band to get a lot out of the guitar, you don’t even need inspiration. Just set some time aside and learn something new, get a book and keep learning until it sinks in. You sometimes have to play without Inspiration. Worrying about that just makes things worse, just play and things happen.
I think it is very important to be able to play solo guitar (not guitar solos), you don’t need a band for that. You might be into your downtuned metal or blues or whatever but try picking up an acoustic and just learning some nice finger picking or ragtime tunes.
I also find having too much gear complicates things, it kind of clouds my mind and stops me playing so I am sticking to the guitars I have (3 electrics and an acoustic).
It’s plenty and they are good enough so need to just think about playing now.
It amazes me when the music’s getting me down how little of it I’m actually playing at the time it’s getting me down!
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Sounds like your jaded with life or a bit depressed.
As for music, other people always let you down. I rehearsed for a year with some other musicians and it was enjoyable but got same race issue vibes from one of them even though i was subbing his studio time. People eh, they are still selfish and foolish even as muso's.
Why not record at home? Have a look at some of the software from Native Instruments for ideas!
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i can understand you... i 've been through a very similar moment of my life. i couldn't write anything, and didn't feel the urge to. i played with a band i didn't really like being in (we played covers, go figure...), crossed a couple of useless projects and finally found a real band, some month ago. now, i'm playing again my stuff (and everytime i take a guitar i come with a lot of cool riffs...) and having fun.
these moments come and go, don't lose hope.
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No words of advice, because I don't think you need them - these things come and go.
I keep sane by having more that one interest, I guess - for me it's either the guitar or Wing Chun. At the moment, because I'm in a band and that's all pretty new (well, for the last 20 years or so!!!), the guitar is taking most of my free time. But I know full well that will change, and the martial arts will start taking up the bulk of my time, with the band taking a back seat.
Life is a journey, not a destination, Grasshopper...
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no about music still.
I found an interesting martial arts thing to start doing. gonna check it out at least.
maybe that will help.
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no about music still.
I found an interesting martial arts thing to start doing. gonna check it out at least.
maybe that will help.
I've taken up roller skating again. I forgot how much fun it is! :lol:
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If you're looking for something fun to do and get the adrenaline flowing, take up mountain biking :)
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If you're looking for something fun to do and get the adrenaline flowing, take up mountain biking :)
I was going to suggest learning to play country music or progressive bluegrass.
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If you're looking for something fun to do and get the adrenaline flowing, take up mountain biking :)
Good idea, it certainly blows away the cobwebs!
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deary me :? I've not gigged since last summer and it's the one thing I really, really want to do, but can't be arsed to put the effort into a 'just along for the ride' type band, got sick of organising everything etc. I work on the road now so it's even harder to get something started :( looking to move to London in the Autumn time and start something proper again...mayhaps some of you guys would be interested? Was gonna do like some covers just to get back into it all before writing own songs again, that's the plan anyway...
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not a bad plan about the bikes. when I lived up north I thought about it.
I messed with garageband a few nights ago.
http://soundcloud.com/user8302510/r1983pop1
did that track with a straiight beat loop, bass, and 2 guitar parts. that was it. just playing around with some chord. more of an exercise that anything else. sounds summery.
Its a lot different to any of the band i'm meant to be involved with, so it's kind of useless.
tonight im going to start kali & filipino boxing. hopefully once i get exercising more ill have more energy to write songs.
hopefully :?
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If you're looking for something fun to do and get the adrenaline flowing, take up mountain biking :)
I was going to suggest learning to play country music or progressive bluegrass.
or progressive vegetarian grindcore
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Good idea, it certainly blows away the cobwebs!
It may well have overtaken guitar on my "hobbies list"! Haven't progressed much on guitar for ages but I'm seeing some steady progression on the bike over jumps and such.
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Nothing wrong with taking time out, I did that for a good few years around 2004.
I also think that too many projects does your head in, focus on one or two (max) projects and do them well. A covers band is a good release and lots of fun - no pressure to write anything, just jam the songs out. Be honest with yourself and ask yourself what part of playing and being in a band is fun for you - if you can't find anything thats fun for you, maybe some down time is exactly what is needed.
Don't sell your gear either - I nearly did that after my last original band split and am REALLY glad I didn't now.
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Good idea, it certainly blows away the cobwebs!
It may well have overtaken guitar on my "hobbies list"! Haven't progressed much on guitar for ages but I'm seeing some steady progression on the bike over jumps and such.
I used to do a bit of mountain biking when i was... ahem, a bit younger! I did used to do Enduro Racing on motorbikes, now that is good fun. Its a bit like motocross but over a cross country course and it goes on for a few hours, hence the name.
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I did the filipino boxing! trained barefoot like I used to, but blistered my feet up pretty good. took a good 24 hours before the aches kicked in. It was the first time in a while I'd felt truly overweight and self conscious about it. Normally i just think "beeeefcakeee!".
I still really need to get learned some songs and writing some songs though.
I don't think I'm cut out for a covers band. I don't think I have enough skill to pull off what people would want to hear.