How to get back into guitar?

[DankStar]

I'm having a bit of trouble after a trip to "get back into guitar" as we say. It's like I don't give a crap about the dang thing, but I know at some point I'll look back and wish I hadn't squandered my time.

So how do you guys get back into it when you're not feeling the itch - go to a music store, watch a G3 DVD, or what? I ain't feelin' it. I'm still posting here (obviously) and listening to a lot of my favorite guitar-oriented CDs, but the drive is not there.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

I practice almost everyday piano, voice and guitar. I just buy song books and learn new songs and also training books - about an hour a day max. Usually I'm working on making tracks so it's a nice break and it helps me to be a better all around musician.

 

[doveman]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

Sounds stupid ... but a new set of strings does it for me. I can't put 'em down with new strings on them. Just love the tone & feel on the 2nd day. I change 'em a lot ... :laugh: Dumb huh?

 

[Stratovarious]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

listen to Van Halen 1

 

[cream123]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

i would just pop in your favorite guitar album and get an itchin to able to play like them

 

[frpax]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

Wow...good question.

Motivation is a very personal thing. Everyone has different things that motivate them.

For me, a purchase of some kind is usually in order to kindle the fire within. New guitar, new amp, new pickups for one of the axes, a pedal, maybe even a cable.

Also, learning a song or solo that I've always wanted to learn can kick start me.

I'm also in a band that rehearses regularly. Sometimes we'll have a kick ass rehearsal and that will fire me up and keep me going for quite a while.

Whatever your need is, I hope you find it. If not, maybe you have some gear I can buy for cheap! LOL!!

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

Well, I dropped music for ......... 5 years .. and than about a year ago, I realized that I am suffocating. So I had a new years resuloution - play guitar again. So here I am with recently bought Laney AOR, full retube set of JJ for it, CS-9 chorus, and my first ever, pink Kramer barreta out of the storage for the first time in 7 years and writing songs with a goal of an album with my best fried for the last 16 years with whom i was in my last band for 3 years and my very first garage band in high school. In retrospec I realized that what made me do it was all the shows i saw in 05/04 Priest/Helloween/Nightwish/Metal Church/Dokken/Malmsteen .... shows, club shows where you can be 20 years away from a one of the guys who made you wanna buy guitar in the first place see do things that mesmorised you as a kid that's what really gets me pumped. And of course the album that made me wanna be in the band - Beast from the East by Dokken once I hear Unchain the Night or Kiss of Death off that album I really wanna kick myself in the ass and practice one lick for the rest of the day till I get it right.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

club shows where you can be 20 years away from a one of the guys who made you wanna buy guitar in the first place see do things that mesmorised you as a kid that's what really gets me pumped.

i met 20 YARDS ... damn ass ... sorry.

 

[Animal]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

Spending less time on the internet helps.

Before we got broadband at home, I used to play and practice guitar so much more than I do now.

 

[Forbes]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

Last time that happened to me i just grabbed my fave album at the time, and learned every song off it in one sitting. The album was out come the wolves by rancid, and it took about the length of listening to the album to learn all 19 songs!

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

Maybe give it some time... sometimes I also don't feel like playing, even for longer times, but then there's always this moment when I pick it up again and feel like...."I WANNA ROCK! da.. da dadada.. dadadada.. dadadada" lol

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

don't force you to anything.You will feel it when you want it again.So stay calm ,hang loose ,feel free.!

 

[DankStar]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

thanks dudes!

 

[StratTom]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

I'm having a bit of the same problem myself. The thing that did it for me is getting new gear! I bought a toneport and now I can play guitar with headphones on so I'm not bothering others in the house. Also, I use Albeton Live Lite to record myself. Lately I've been hitting record and just start playing. Then I go back and listen to what I just played. It's brought my motivation back up a little, the only thing that would motivate me more is a better guitar, but I'm working on that.

 

[Davey]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

find a drummer or a 2nd guitarist and start to fool around with music.

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

I think it is a brain chemistry thing. I dropped guitar for eight years, then 12 months ago, I just got "horny" to get back into it. You can't force it. It's not like making yourself like a particular girl...beer goggles are not a help here.

New/used gear can help, I suppose...and knowing what type of person you are before you go down that road can help. I am not the type of person who "gets tired" of stuff that I have. I generally keep my cars, and gear for a looong time so new/used gear works for me. I know some people get tired of even looking at the same car, or guitar after a few months.

What I actually found after I passed through my guitar drought, was a keener ear, better touch, and more ability after I knocked the rust off my hands! Getting a place, where I can play as loud as I want helps too.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fingerace]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

find a drummer or a 2nd guitarist and start to fool around with music.

That's the best thing you can do IMO! you have LOTS of fun... and the next time you get together you may plan to play a certain song or two, so you go home, learn the chord progressions and riffs and maybe some of the solo and you really look forward to your next jam!

 

[Davey]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

That's the best thing you can do IMO! you have LOTS of fun... and the next time you get together you may plan to play a certain song or two, so you go home, learn the chord progressions and riffs and maybe some of the solo and you really look forward to your next jam!

:fing2:

 

[greendy123]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

I think listening to new music is the thing that makes me want to play guitar. Maybe try a new band or genre of music. Mainly awesome solos in songs are the thing that gets me to play. Maybe something new will inspire you to play. Lately I have been listen to B'z which has inspired me to play hard rock type of songs with some shredding solos.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: How to get back into guitar?

I got a new guitar and now I play guitar a million hours per day.

Also, I got into seeing how many different tones I can coax out of my gear, for instance, I decided today that I wanted to make the bridge single coil in my Strat sound huge. I tweaked knobs for a while until I got HUGE sound out of my bridge single coil. Then I was so happy with the tone I found, I played for an hour.

Try that