Not as much motivation to write anymore.

Darin · #1 11-02-2008, 01:53 PM

I have a couple thousand dollars of recording gear. Not real high end, but pretty darn good stuff. And it sits. I recorded a lot more when I had basically no gear but lots of ideas. So I spend a bunch of money so my ideas will sound better recorded. Now? Nothing. I sit down with my guitar, and nothing. I guess I've reached that age of mortgages, kids, horses, jet ski, never turning down work etc. I don't even listen to music much anymore. I'm a talk radio junkie. I listened to Suspended Animation the other day when I was mixing for a thing at our church. I cranked Suspended Animation through my Makie system while they where playing volley ball. It was great. No one had heard it before and I got asked a lot who that was. Anyway, it was new to me again. It was inspiring. I was like, "wow, I forgot what amazing guitar playing sounds like, man I need to get practicing and recording again!"

Anyone else in the same boat? Besides Shane Regal!?!

I pay every weekend in church and am working on a cover project with my daughters for a couple different events.

If you know Christian music, you'll know that there are some great bands. Some are getting secular radio air play, Like Red, Thousand Foot Krutch, Flyleaf, and I think Fire Flight. We are doing Fire FLight, Pillar, Anberlin, and even Shimmer from Fuel!

There are no real guitar solos in that stuff, and the ones there are my daughter is doing. Just playing is fun, but I think most of us around here have that guitar virtuoso gene waiting to be unleashed! Fact is though. You practice for ever, shred like mad, and no one cares. But they do care if you play a song that just rocks and they can move to it.

**elcid** · #2 11-02-2008, 02:16 PM

Same boat for about the last year to year and a half. No motivation after work and school. The real problem was I was working between 50 and 70 hours a week from last November until March so there was no time to practice and after not playing for all that time my playing suffered. Now it's disappointing to even try to practice. Hopefully this will get me motivated again

Darin · #3 11-02-2008, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcid

Same boat for about the last year to year and a half. No motivation after work and school. The real problem was I was working between 50 and 70 hours a week from last November until March so there was no time to practice and after not playing for all that time my playing suffered. Now it's disappointing to even try to practice. Hopefully this will get me motivated again

If THAT doesn't inspire something, then your beyond help.

MFB · #4 11-02-2008, 04:04 PM

Would you rather have half a song and writers block or no song at all?

mike570 · #5 11-02-2008, 06:17 PM

I was so burnt that I gave guitar up for over three years. I barely played at all; period!
I think there's a natural progression to these things sometimes.

**jemaholic** · #6 11-02-2008, 06:35 PM

Don't sweat it - I also go through the same cycle of no motivation/huge motivation, and I also invested in some decentrecording gear.
For me, I just know it is only a short time until I'm back in 'The Dungeon' writing cool new stuff.

CosmicDebris · #7 11-02-2008, 07:12 PM

I have to be in a decent mood to want to play. I have had a bad cold all week so havn't wanted to play. Now that I feel better my ears are still clogged and everything sounds weird.

the · #8 11-02-2008, 11:28 PM

im there with ya, for my birthday i rebought the entire satch collection, just cuz that was the music i grew up on, the music my memories were made too, and dont heat it anymore. its all this stuff that i dont care about , sure some of its good songs, other of it is bs. the downer i get though the more motivated i get. i just wish i had it in me to be some great writer/player.

Darin · #9 11-02-2008, 11:54 PM

Alright, this should be funny. For the sake of comparison, I set up a couple mics (a Sennhieser 906 and a SM57 in front of the JSX) and set record. I have this track that came with a TAB book. It's fun to jam along with. Well, after not noodling for months at least. This is what came of it. The comparison will be in a week or two after practicing some, if I can find the motivation that is.

This is pretty scary rough. But the tone is good, so it's worth a listen anyway.

www.christianbattleofthebands.com/jam.wma

Darin · #10 11-02-2008, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jemaholic

Don't sweat it - I also go through the same cycle of no motivation/huge motivation, and I also invested in some decentrecording gear.
For me, I just know it is only a short time until I'm back in 'The Dungeon' writing cool new stuff.

That looks a little too organized for a guitar player in there.

**jono** · #11 11-03-2008, 03:52 AM

I don't record and I've not written anything for over 10 years and I've never been happier with playing guitar.

You just have to realise that you need to find the "good" in the time in which you're living now, rather than pining for what used to make you happy.

Playing in bands used to make me happy, and that was great then, I wouldn't be wanting to live out a van nowadays or take my precious geat out on the road. Nowadays, jamming along to backing tracks and enjoying the time I'm playing is what makes me happy. Recording and writing? Meh.

jb4674 · #12 01-12-2009, 04:08 PM

I too have been feeling on the same boat lately. I have nice equipment at home and I keep dumping money into it but not doing anything with it. Having a 1 year old at home and working/taking care of the house/spending time with my family leaves me with very little room to pick up a guitar and do something usefull with it.

Jimmy

DEADTUNES666 · #13 01-13-2009, 08:28 AM

With my wife and I running our own business, and 4 kids, I'm on the little league board, my son takes piano and violin, so there is not a lot of time, obviously. Once I started to gig again I had an excuse to practice...I always find a little time to play now! I also have to stay one step ahead of my son who is really learning and growing quicker, musically, than I ever did.

scotte_za · #14 01-13-2009, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcid

Same boat for about the last year to year and a half. No motivation after work and school. The real problem was I was working between 50 and 70 hours a week from last November until March so there was no time to practice and after not playing for all that time my playing suffered. Now it's disappointing to even try to practice. Hopefully this will get me motivated again

What model exactly is that Elcid? It looks looooovely