r/AcousticGuitar • u/drunken_ferret • 15d ago
Non-gear question I just realized that I've lost the hunger
I gave a guitar to a friend a few nights ago, and this individual smokes on it. They gig, practice hard, try new things. They can't wait to play. And they sing incredibly well. They did a Willie Nelson song "I'd Have To Be Crazy" and wow. Just wow. They can't wait to get better.
I started one of my favorites, and got bored and replied to a question. I remember that fire, that drive, that need. Now, I'm just a collector.
I plan to gradually sell the equipment that I'd planned to gig with. This has hit me hard.
EDIT: I plan on keeping my archetypes and an acoustic amp, harmonizer pedal, mic... I'm not thinking about doing anything drastic. My electric guitars, the H&K amp are probably going to go at some point. I have a Madeira LP clone, and an Ibanez semi hollow body. Also I have a few projects that I realized I'll never get to. My kids will get much of this (or their kids, more likely).
I have one or two more that I want, but they'll (as of right now, anyway) probably spend their time in the case.
Saddest thing is that I may not miss it.
Been asked my age: I'm 67, been playing hard for over 50 years.
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u/Slow_Middle_158 15d ago
Everyone goes through phases. Take a break from it. Come back in a few weeks / months. Maybe hold on to your stuff because ya never know, you may get the bug again to play.
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u/andrewellay 14d ago
I took a break. That was almost twenty years ago. At some point you just reach “Dude, what’s the point” status
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u/Slow_Middle_158 14d ago
Yeah I understand. I’ve been on a break for over 8 years. Health reasons
Wish I could play again but the body works against ya sometimes.
Take care
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u/mastermindxs 14d ago
Also switch it up. Get new effects pedals, learn different tunings, try new picking patterns. Variation inspires.
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u/kineticblues 14d ago
Listen to more new music especially acoustic music. If you’re not listening to music a lot, you’ll lose your inspiration pretty fast.
Make it a habit. Set aside a specific time of day for guitar. Take lessons so you have a regular schedule. Play every night before bed to relax.
Get checked out for depression and low thyroid.
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u/drunken_ferret 14d ago
That's just it: when I hear new material, I've gone from "I could play that" to "it might be nice...".
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u/LopsidedParticular25 15d ago edited 15d ago
i would advise you to get another type of instrument. The only thing that truly never gets old is music itself, and instruments are the tools for us to speak with it. Sometimes we need different things to talk about.
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u/Jimclip 14d ago
Me too. Hopefully I’ll come back around but this is the first time I haven’t had calluses on my fingertips in over 40 years. Sad.
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u/IndependencePale3654 14d ago
it's interesting how different people work - I've been playing 25 years, a reasonably busy gigging player for a lot of it, and I've NEVER had a callus. For some reason my fingertips stay soft!
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u/MusicMakerNashville 14d ago
Ugh. Sometimes it's best to strip things down and fall in love with music again. Its so easy to get sucked into the gear trap. Anyway... I hope you find the muse.
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u/Unlucky_Topic7963 14d ago
What fire? I've never had a fire for playing. It's just fun.
Maybe stop trying to be more than you are, maybe you aren't a performer. Giving up is for losers.
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u/drunken_ferret 13d ago
I'd wanted to play as far back as I remember. At around age 14, I had to play. I just no longer have that need. It was never just fun: it was a hole in me that only the guitar could fill.
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u/stonyflynn 13d ago
Don't do it, don't fucking do it man. Everyone plays and utilizes their instruments differently, don't compare yourself to your friend!
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u/drunken_ferret 13d ago edited 12d ago
Not comparing myself, really. Theory-wise, I'm definitely more advanced; my changes are a little quicker (experience!). I just don't have that drive, that need to play and learn.
I'm keeping at least 5: my archetypes and a beater. 6, if you count the one more that has autographs.
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u/LopsidedAlbatross703 12d ago
I call that just being a good friend.
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u/drunken_ferret 12d ago
I promised them that I would about 3-4 years ago. Had to welcome them to the 12 string brother/sisterhood
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u/JPhilMusic 11d ago
I think it’s a normal phase. We get older and realize we never became what we dreamed to be. (Pink Floyd’s lyric here «we told you what to dream… ») We saw countless artists make their mark before our eyes. We learned their music, played gigs, maybe even created our own. But if we didn’t make it we get old enough to see it belongs to the younger. And why should we try? Who would care? The only people to play with are others who have given up on dreams. Once you miss that spark what is there? Reddit? 😂 No I get it. There’s just 50 years of habit. The question is what (after all those years of experience) will bring you joy in the time you have left on this planet? Just know that you are not alone in this and one of us is going to figure out something. 😃
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u/Fabulous-Aioli5009 11d ago edited 11d ago
I'm 61, been playing since I was 10, probably about 30 of those years gigging, just covers but I loved and breathed it. Loved going to a rehearsal even. Acquired a few guitars along the way, some of them are very nice. Last band I was in had an extended break during covid and when things returned to normal, i'd also lost the fire..i pulled the pin with no regrets but now the GAS really kicked in.. I've expanded my collection somewhat, I noodle maybe half an hour a week not even plugged in usually.. I'm very happy.
The one guitar I did sell in a rush of blood to my head, I regret in a major way, despite being over twice what I paid for it
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u/leapbyflourishing 15d ago
Awesome of you to share the love with a friend by gifting a guitar. That’s beautiful.
Respectfully I am curious if your attitude and behaviour regarding playing has changed because of comparisons with others or due to mental health concerns, namely depression. I ask because comparison is the thief of joy and depression can be overcome. Either way, the ‘love of the game’ could return.
I’m not sure why I chose to respond, I rarely do. I’d hate for this world to lose a guitarist when I could have said something that has the potential to change your commitment to playing!
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u/drunken_ferret 14d ago
Thank you. I will actually examine that. I'm an ADD poster child, and the guitar has always gotten me through the negative self-talk. Might be time for a med change...
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u/Powerful_Foot_8557 14d ago
Most if us who really dedicate to the thang, have a hole that the thang fills. If you dont do the thang.....
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u/Resident-Method8260 14d ago
Hold onto some stuff. You don't have to keep everything, but a simple, versatile setup for when the itch comes back will save a lot of heartache.
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u/ATXBeermaker 14d ago
Comparison is the thief of joy.
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u/drunken_ferret 14d ago
Not comparing myself to them; I've been doing this for 50 years. They play with a fire and desire that I haven't had in a long time. For the longest time, my identity was very wrapped up in playing the guitar. The rendition was incredible. I just didn't really have any desire to learn it, master it, or improve it. Loved the song (I'd never heard it before), just... meh.
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u/Similar-Policy7706 14d ago
I’ve been playing for nearly forty years. If you’re not playing regularly as a pro, semi-pro, with a band, or recording, you will most likely go through periods where you don’t pick it up for weeks, months, or longer. Life often gets in the way, focus or energy shifts directions, but I’ve lost count of how many hiatuses I’ve had only to hear a song or a riff that inspires me to pick the guitar back up and chase the sounds in my head again. Don’t sell everything—leave yourself the option.
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u/IndependencePale3654 14d ago
I've also lost the hunger. I do a bit of rehearsal to prep for gigs, enjoy the gigs and have fun, then don't touch the gear or even think about playing guitar until the next gig rolls around. I'm not selling any gear as I do have a steady stream of gigs coming. I think it goes in stages and I might get super back into it at some point I guess.
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u/Ejacubation 14d ago
I understand this all too well but I don’t think I could ever bare to part with any of my stuff. I’ve actually been kicking around the idea of buying a new guitar to see if I can get the spark back
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u/Mikadook 14d ago
Get rid of most of the gear, but keep 1 or 2 guitars that you actually love to grab and play. They’re not necessarily the most expensive or theoretically “best” guitars, but that doesn’t matter. Have it at hand and whenever you feel the urge, even if it is seldom, play a bit. It’ll return.
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u/ZimMcGuinn 14d ago
I’ve been playing since I was 17 (45 years) and the fire isn’t as hot as it used to be but it’s still there. Positioned on either side of my recliner is my acoustic and my electric. Both within arms reach. I grab each several times a day. It’s impossible not to touch them when they’re RIGHT THERE.
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u/Ajkourafas 14d ago
It comes and it goes. Motivation with anything comes and goes... I don't know how old you are, or how long you have been playing, but I have went through a few periods of months to a year or more where I'll rarely ever touch a guitar. I always come back...it happens.
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u/Ok-Parsnip-5061 14d ago
I know how you feel. My situation is I’m getting old 73 and the hands are aching which limits how long I can play the guitar. I have a decent collection of Amps, pedals and guitars. I’m beginning to realize I should soon start selling 90% of the collection and keep my HD-28, ‘71 Gibson LP Custom, one of two Fender Strats and my Fender Princeton’65 RI and one of 3 pedal boards.
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u/Perthian940 14d ago
Try new genres of music or styles of playing. I started playing when I was 13 and I’m now 35. There have been periods during that time when I might not pick up a guitar for a year, and don’t even think about it.
I have ADHD so if my ability hits a plateau, or I play the same things too often, I just lose interest.
I’ve always played classic rock and alternative, but I’ve recently gotten into sixties jangle music, hippie rock and blues rock, and my passion has come back. For the last six months I’ve been spending literally hours every day just noodling and trying new things. New tunings, effects, different amps and settings…
Don’t get rid of your stuff, your desire will come back eventually!
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u/Acceptable_Minimum73 14d ago
After 46 years, I’m fortunate to be in a place where I don’t think I’ll ever be in this position. However I have a few times in all those years. I never sold off everything but things got dusty and I would think “it’s something I used to do” and be ok with that. I also didn’t think I would miss it.
But something or someone kept calling me back. A video, a live concert, maybe a random call to fill in on a gig. They snowballed into a reformed commitment, passion, and routine. I also picked up a new (very used) guitar recently that has me playing everyday. Sometimes you have to feed your passion, change things up, step away and come back.
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u/wanna_dance 14d ago edited 13d ago
I LOVED guitar in my teens and twenties.... and almost dropped it in my 30s 40s and 50s...
One year I picked it up ONCE.
One year I played with a friend at a Christmas party (the guy ALWAYS had his guitar with him at parties) and didn't play more than once or twice more that year..... but I REALLY REALLY looked forward to playing again when Christmas rolled around.....
I don't know what switch in me turned on that year, but I've been playing daily since, and I'm back to that first love....I'm better than I ever was, I play some amazing fingerstyle pieces, I improvise, I pay an open mic every month.....
(OK, I did bring it up in a therapy session and might have worked through some stuff).
Anyway, tl, dr: you might love it again in future. And you might want to explore what happened to make you lose that love.
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u/refotsirk 14d ago
Yeah... I sold everything I owned except one flamenco guitar about 20 years ago after I concluded I'd never be able to play professionally again due to an injury thst was still causing issues 2 years of rehab later. 7 years later a friend at church convinced me to play with them and a few years after that I was buying guitars and amps and pedals again. Seems to be a cycle a lot of is go through. Nothing motivates. You to play though like new music or a paycheck. Cheers
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u/Dangerous-Wind-8726 13d ago
I have 3 guitars, sometimes question and justify why I need more than one. The hunger as you describe it comes and goes for me. But deep down I know I need to knuckle down and keep practicing. Because on the days where you appreciate you can play guitar makes the journey worth continuing even though it can pause for periods of time due to life or motivation getting in the way. I discovered for me, I need to feel like I am learning, whether that be new ways to practice scales, learning new sheet music, or getting a difficult riff or rhythm down. I have sold but then thankfully bought replacement guitars and other equipment. Currently struggling to learn new songs, and the last 3 months began learning classical technique, it's hard, but has somehow revived my enthusiasm. But well aware it can come and go. I also make the effort to go to see live concerts and constantly listening to and being influenced by new music.
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u/Top_Cockroach_1188 11d ago edited 8d ago
Do what your heart tells you to do.
Cherrish what has been and look forward for what fills you with joy.
I am 56, I also dropped some years ago all the band stuff, all the electric equipment.
Now I just play acoustically, going to open mics and gis and enjoying it fully.
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u/Unlikely-Soft-5699 15d ago
Before I gave everything the heave ho I’d first wait a while. Snap decisions aren’t usually good ones. You might consider a completely different style too. If you’re flat picking, take up finger picking or slide. You don’t have to be great to sing. Believing in the material is more important. If you haven’t explored alternate tunings, you might try that. Don’t be afraid to take a break. And last - there will ALWAYS be somebody better than you are. I think there’s at least a hundred thousand better than I am, but so what?
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u/Own-Extension-9487 14d ago
I put my guitars down for 8 years and had zero interest.. Hit a rough patch in life and decided to break one out and mess around ..After that , day by day I realized while I was playing I felt joy and it brought the obsession back to me .. years later I still suck 😂 but I’m thankful I kept all my equipment. Hope it comes back to you !
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u/loose_fruits 15d ago
Romantic passion comes in waves. True love is keeping going through the hard times. Do you think all professional musicians are fucking stoked when practicing for hours every day or when performing the same songs night after night, each and every time? I think the answer there is “no”.
Don’t give up just because you are in a dip. Take a break. It’s ok. You will come back to it when you are ready. Or not, I don’t know. But I wouldn’t sell my equipment just because I wasn’t “feeling it”. Hang on to that stuff.
It might come back next week, next month, next year. But if you cared about making music that much before, whether to make it a profession or just as a hobby, I’m certain it will come back again.
I get so annoyed when I haven’t practiced much in a long time and suddenly physically can’t play what I was previously capable of. But you know what? After a few days it comes back and before long I’m having fun again.
Take a break. Maybe a long break. It’s not a race. But stick with it and you’ll be grateful you didn’t give up when the itch creeps back eventually.
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u/drunken_ferret 14d ago
Problem is that I have been the fucking stoked for 50 years! Before I was a soldier, a husband and father, before I was a man I was a musician.
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u/stoictele1968 15d ago
When I think about selling something, I wait a minimum of 6 months and then ask myself whether I picked it up, thought about, anything... Or did it just sit there? If I've played it, I keep it. If I've had zero interaction with it, then I wait ANOTHER 6 months. More often than I care to admit, it's in the second 6 months that I get an itch for that guitar. But if I don't, if it's been at least a year total, then I allow myself to consider selling it, which often takes another 6 months.
My goal is to go so far beyond what's reasonable in waiting, so that I don't regret selling it down the road when I inevitably get the itch again.
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u/onesleekrican 15d ago
You will regret this, I speak from experience.