You ever take long breaks from playing?

[holoholo]

Just shooting this out there. There was a period after my last gig in October where I didn’t have anything lined up until January. I didn’t pick up the guitar for that period with the holidays, kids activities, and mostly just a lack of enthusiasm to play. I came back feeling really refreshed and ready to start gigging again. Any one go through similar periods?

 

[PLX]

I didn't even have a guitar for the years I was in the Army.

 

[HomespunEffects]

I was in an awesome band from 1989-1993 then the other guy in the band followed a girl to California and left me behind. I kinda went into a funk and just never could replace him as a friend or a band member. I kept a guitar and amp around but neither wrote music nor practiced until I decided to join a church band in 2016.

So i guess I quit playing for about 23 years.

 

[the-trooper]

October where I didn’t have anything lined up until January.

Those are rookie numbers. I had pauses that lasted years.
On guitar, did play other instruments.

 

[JasonE]

Just shooting this out there. There was a period after my last gig in October where I didn’t have anything lined up until January. I didn’t pick up the guitar for that period with the holidays, kids activities, and mostly just a lack of enthusiasm to play. I came back feeling really refreshed and ready to start gigging again. Any one go through similar periods?

Yep. I had a really long break when my daughter was born. I started playing again when she was young. It was kind of funny. I bought an acoustic guitar so I could have something around to just grab and play. She asked me why I bought a guitar when I didn't know how to play. My wife said, he does know how to play. She had never seen me play one. She had one of her CDs playing and I started figuring the songs out while they were playing and by the time each song was getting close to half way through I was playing along with them. That gave a false impression that learning to play guitar must be really easy. When she was a little older I bought her a guitar and she found out how difficult it really is and didn't stick with it.

I have had much shorter breaks throughout my playing. I find that many times I come back from the break with a much more clear head, am more relaxed and my hands seem to go where I want them to easier. I think a break now and then can be a good thing.

 

[DrewJD82]

Every 3-4 months I end up not touching a guitar for a couple weeks at a time. It’s my built in “never top yourself” function as it keeps me perpetually in catch-up mode. It’s generally after I finish a song and I’ve had a guitar in my hands nonstop for a few weeks, which sucks because that’s always when my playing is at it’s best, then I hit the reset switch and have to catch up to my former self again.

 

[newholland]

definitely so.. life kinda tends to do it to you. i took a break for maybe ten years-- not NOT playing-- but not playing electric- and it mostly had to do with just changing careers, getting married, renovating houses... lotta thirties flux. I came back to it for sure-- but hit 50, and it happened again between losing a parent, changing careers again, and other stuff for a coupla years, but back at it again. music never gets fully jettisoned, but sometimes has to hibernate a while.

 

[JasonE]

An interesting thing for me is when I came back from that long break after my daughter was born, I felt the stress relief that playing gave me. It was very good for stress relief. I told myself at that point that I can never take a long break like that again because this stress relief was really needed in my life. As life would have it, I have had some breaks since then but none anywhere near that long. I keep guitars out and around me all the time so I can just grab one and play a little.

As a side to this, during that one really long break I had, I was heads down digging into computers and programming. It put me on a different path for work that has very much so panned out for me so I can't say it wasn't worth it. I just wish I had kept playing along with all of the other learning I was doing. When I started playing again, I jumped back in with both feet.

 

[PLX]

When I started playing again, I jumped back in with both feet.

I use my hands, but I totally get you, bro.

 

[OrganicZed]

I basically didn't play guitar during my final year of school. I was renting a room in a house and was working about 70 hours a week. I just didn't have the energy to play and I didn't want to annoy my roommates. The following year and a half or so I only played for a few minutes a week.

I didn't find it to be rejuvenating to my playing in any way, but it was also a much longer period than you did.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I go through spells of less play time, but never fully stop playing for long periods. Probably 2 weeks has been the longest I can think of and that was because I was traveling or on vacation. But even then I'd find a way to hit a music store, much to my wife's delight.
But not every year has been equal with quality play time.

 

[JasonE]

I use my hands, but I totally get you, bro.

Try something new. :)

There are actually some videos on YouTube of a guy that plays with his feet. Man, that kind of makes me want to just burn all of my guitars.

 

[PLX]

Try something new. :)

There are actually some videos on YouTube of a guy that plays with his feet. Man, that kind of makes me want to just burn all of my guitars.

 

[holoholo]

The tan shorts tells me he’s a guitarist

 

[Mikael Dez]

I didn't even have a guitar for the years I was in the Army.

Same actually for the first couple years. Just a poor private lol.

 

[norminal]

 

[MTB1973]

“It shoots through schools…”

 

[norminal]

End of high school and through most of college because beer, weed, cars, and dating was more important to me.

Since then I’ve never went more than a few days at most, and that was because I was either out of town or very ill.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I quit guitar and sold everything for about a year, sometime in 2018 thru late 2019. Horrible decision and, while I won’t make excuses related to a toxic relationship and low point in life

On the bright side, once getting back in the flow I now have one of my best gear collections and most enjoyable and fulfilling band situation ever

 

[spawnofthesith]

Less extreme example, I’ll definitely say that occasional if there’s some band down time and we don’t get together for some weeks, sometimes that first practice back is really inspired and refreshed

Sometimes it’s been really bad too though