Playing, stopping and back again...

Do not practice. Get a Boss looper and noodle around till you get a groove going. Then, loop it, and noodle some more around your groove.

 

Agreed, moved by the mood.

 

If you’re interested, check out my YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCRGh5m2Ql9IYjN5jy3KsKQ

The lessons aren’t strictly beginner lessons, but I do try to break everything down and go slowly on stuff.

Mouse always makes great vids too. He’s got great taste in music.

 

I always try to keep learning songs, and commit to jamming with people to keep myself playing. It can get stale very quickly.
Some of the guys that I jam with have no intention of playing shows. We jam to have fun.

 

I started playing guitar when I was 10 years old. It has been on and off until 2010 when I started playing pretty much every day. Few things that really work for me: first as most have said have your guitar out and handy to grab. If under your bed or in closet in the case it’s easy to get lazy. I have 2 guitars (electric & acoustic) in my living room on the wall. Sometimes when I’m watching TV I will noodle or just go over some scales. Second is have equipment you love, since I got back into playing I went through a few guitars until I bonded with the ones I have now. They don’t have to be high end or expensive but they have to make you want to play them. Third I made a promise to to myself to play every day, even if only 5 min I alway pick up the guitar and play something. I found the more I play the better I get and longer I want to play. One advantage I have is my wife and daughter take a long time to get ready to go out so I usually play while I’m waiting Even when I go on holiday I seek out guitar stores to go play. Lately due to COVID of course there has been a lot of staying home playing. Last is it really has to be fun, if not then most fail. Just starting to play learn a simple 2 chord song play with the original all the way through, also a looper pedal can be fun as well. Keep at it!

 

I'm a typical musician, by which I mean "moody little *****" . I started going thru some tough times, and just set the axe down, and literally didn't touch it for years, or decades, at a time. Just was too wrung out, mentally, not in the mood.

Then, things start picking up, and, of a sudden, I'm hot and heavy at it, again.

I have to agree with Stonetone, if you start writing down a repertoire of songs, rating them, by
how gig worthy they are, you will want to keep going, to keep expanding the list.

 

This is just all around great advice.

 

Stick with it. It’s a frustrating amount of effort at first. It’s well worth it, if you keep up with it. If you practice with a good routine, you’ll start to see progress quickly.
I also preach the metronome/drum machine religiously.

Crawl. Walk. Run.

 

I still have a lot to learn and not just the guitar. One thing I have learned, nothing can really stop you unless you you give up. Music, playing music, should be fun, should make you feel something. That's not a bad goal, if that's as far as it goes I think you would be ahead.

 

I'll go years without playing. Lived in a semi-detached house for years, so didn't want to upset the neighbours, and now live in a terrace so it'll be much the same. However, I have a nice dry cellar which I'm turning into my mancave - it's already full of bookcases, my sofa and big tv, so guitars down there are the next obvious step! Just going to need decent headphones...

 

See beloe

 

You need to know why you are.

Are you over playing?
Sometimes it can be like exercise...U just got to put a foot out the door.
Are you gaining understanding and knowledge that can be applied elsewhere when you learn a new song?

For me personally the two aspects that motivate me the most is growth in the physical application of new skills and most importantly the understanding and knowledge gained through study and contemplation. I feel a prisoner of my own ignorance and lack of skill and these two aspects are helping me to break those chains so I'm able todto what I want to do.

I love those Eureka moments, those moments of revelation. Those are the rewards of effort and study that motivate.

 

You are a emotions/feeling person. That part of you needs a rest sometimes. Feelings are the like the ocean and have tidal movements. When the tide withdraws quickly acknowledge to yourself the tides going out but it will be coming in again soon because it always does. So don't abandon your guitar for a month pick it up in the evening or the next day and just give it a strum. If you do and that dead feeling is still there just say "ok I'll just put you down the tides still out".

When you have your off days are you able practise as opposed to play? Eg learning the fretboard, triads, inversions, chord variations, scales, position shifts etc.

 

I think many of us are in the same rut . I think getting a new guitar is a good suggestion , if you can afford it . Variety seems to help , I have a good variety of guitars and getting one out I haven't played in awhile works for me . Or use an amp you haven't used lately , or even a stomp box . I sometimes start out with a rhythm pattern I like and put it on my looper pedal and start improvising leads , or layering leads . But sometimes just starting is the biggest hurdle , just push yourself a little . Making music is therapy for me , helps during this crisis we are in .

 

Learn a country song.
Learn a jazz standard.
Learn a scrap of a classical piece.
Learn a children's song.
Revoice your most used chords elsewhere on the neck.
And this might sound completely ridiculous: Learn the outro to Hotel California. Dissect how the arpeggios dovetail with the chords. There's a lot of mileage in there.

 

I'd actually thought I should come up with a 15-20 minute technical practice plan for those kinds of days. Just to develop the fingers on the days I don't feel like playing.