what a weird time to have a crisis of faith!

[jomahu]

the band i play in is doing well...playing gigs all over town & out of state, lots of buzz, in the midst of recording, good vibes all around...sounds perfect!
so why do i feel so glum about my playing?

i dunno. i'm in this weird slump about playing - how it sucks, and whether i should be playing at all. and no amount of practicing or listening music is helping. it isn't even one of those 'oh, i'm just on a plateau' kind of slumps. hmm.

i know folks have gone thru this, any suggestions?

[Sundogue]

You are, and your playing, and your music, is whatever you think it is. If you think it's glum, boring or whatever then it is.

No sense in beating yourself up over it, because you will only feed that nonsense.

Just take a break from playing. Obviously your heart isn't into it. Simply walk away from playing entirely except for when you must (band rehearsal or gig).

Your soul is trying to tell you to do something else and you keep fighting it, which only reinforces the problem.

When I don't feel the need to play, or when I feel just like you do, I just stop playing and do something else. Eventually it will come back, and usually the urge and desire to play will come back even stronger.

Don't sweat it. It is what it is. You are more than a musician. Go enjoy something else for a bit.

[ibnzneksrul]

Listen to some past recordings you've made and notice how much your playing has improved since then. That's usually good for a shot in the arm.

[lefty]

i quit for seven years. got back into playing and love it! totally changed my style of playing. at the time when i quit, i was sick of the way i was playing.

[joebingo]

Originally Posted by Sundogue

You are, and your playing, and your music, is whatever you think it is. If you think it's glum, boring or whatever then it is.

No sense in beating yourself up over it, because you will only feed that nonsense.

Just take a break from playing. Obviously your heart isn't into it. Simply walk away from playing entirely except for when you must (band rehearsal or gig).

Your soul is trying to tell you to do something else and you keep fighting it, which only reinforces the problem.

When I don't feel the need to play, or when I feel just like you do, I just stop playing and do something else. Eventually it will come back, and usually the urge and desire to play will come back even stronger.

Don't sweat it. It is what it is. You are more than a musician. Go enjoy something else for a bit.

all too true!

[m0nst3r]

Whenever I feel the way that you described, I simply put my bass down for a week or so, and I try to not even think about it. After that week or so of not playing, I pick it up again, and it just feels like home. Maybe you should try putting your bass down for a few days, relax, and see what happens.

[jady]

Originally Posted by m0nst3r

Whenever I feel the way that you described, I simply put my bass down for a week or so, and I try to not even think about it. After that week or so of not playing, I pick it up again, and it just feels like home. Maybe you should try putting your bass down for a few days, relax, and see what happens.

+1

we all go through phases of rapid progression and then stagnation for a bit. Just roll with it, on the bright side, if you are stagnant that means a period of discovery is right around the corner!!!!