Things just ain't so interesting any more.

[Dmoney]

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

[Nadz1lla]

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.  :?

[_tom_]

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.

[Dmoney]

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.

[Frank]

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.

[Dmoney]

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.

[Jonny]

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.

[gwEm]

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.

[Dmoney]

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

[Ian Price]

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.

[bucketshred]

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

[Dazza1004]

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.

[tomjackson]

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!

[Johnny Mac]

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!

[dheim]

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.