Help! I've lost my swing!
 

I've been playing guitar for about three years now. My playing is up and down, but recently I've really been losing my feel for it. I've just been playing now and I can't make anything sound like music. I'm seriously thinking of giving up coz there doesn't seem to be any point now. I'm going to have a LOT of spare time on my hands if I do give up. HELP!

Have you been practicing less, or is there any particular reason you could be having trouble? That's very strange, I'd say you should find out why before you give up.

I know exactly how you feel actually. I've been playing seriously for 9 years now, and there have been times where i feel disgusted by everything i play. My first advice is, not matter how shit it is sounding, don't give up, because you'll sort it out eventually. So many of my friends took it up, put it down, and then curse themselves for not being able to play like...me to be honest. Other than that, i'd advise trying something different. Sometimes, also you need a break. Don't play for a few days, then come back and try again. Do you compose anything? It may well be you need a change in your musical direction, or the things you spend your time practicing on. As a fellow guitarist, i beseech you to not give up.

Cheers for the encouragement guys. My girlfriend plays violin and she also suggested I put it down for a couple of days and come back to it. I might try that.

Hey John Henry I recommend you play with other guitatrists/musicians. I go through these phases too, but when I play with others I get my groove back every time. It's a great way to get new ideas for different styles and riffs. Also try writing some songs just for yourself. Rock on and junk!

I have a friend who I regularly jam with, but the other day when we were playing, it felt like he was doing the music and I was just doing the maths. I've been trying playing my own stuff and just couldn't come up with anything new the last couple of days. Actually I've been a bit ill and I think that's contributed. I've been playing a bit of Reggae today and that's helped a bit. Keep the tips coming, even when I've 'recovered' I'm sure they'll be useful for others.

usually, when i get into the proverbial "rut" in my playing, i start tweaking with "my sound". i find that i play best, and write best, and practice best when i am happiest with my sound. if the sound isn't right, nothing you play will make you happy.

start tweaking with your setup, or start learning how to break out your normal playing routine.

Yeah!!! Soopa, thats scary i know exactly what you mean. I've spent hours adjusting my treble/mid balance, reverb is important to me. If it isn't JUSt right i get pretty emotional. I like to shred, sometimes if i get frustrated, i just play as fast and dissonantly as i can, then anything i play sounds good in comparison.

When I get frustrated with either guitar or piano, I walk away for a few days. Then I come back and try again. If it's the keyboard, I'll try an organ sound or something different to evoke a different feel. With guitar, sometimes i set up a metronome and just try to play different rhythms within the confines of the beat. Sometimes these work, sometimes they don't. But don't give up completely. We all hit brick walls every so often.

did you look behind the couch? thats where i usually find my lost swing. sometimes it's under the rug in the living room, too.

Remember that there are two kinds of improvement. You can "grow your ears" so you hear better quality playing in your head, and you can grow your playing up to the standard of your ears. Sometimes your ears take a big jump and your playing takes a while to catch up. This is the most discouraging part of playing - because you feel like you have developed new problems playing. However, you can take heart, because this means that your playing is ready to take a big jump as well - improvement may be right around the corner if you can hang in there. So you might record yourself - it's probably not as bad as you think.

Alternatively, you could be suffering from "paralysis by analysis". Meaning you aren't playing as well because you are thinking about your difficulties too much. Your best playing will come when you are pursuing a whole musical product, not chasing down the loose ends in your playing. If this is happening, spend some time listening to the music that really gets you fired up, even if it isn't guitar. Then just spend some time playing things you like, and try to remember that all you are ever doing is playing tunes... Good luck - I think we've all been there!