I’ve been listening/playing/practicing now for about 8 yrs and during all this time I stayed really motivated, but lately, for some reason, just feel I’m starting to lose some of my love/passion/interest in the music. I’m doing less practise, Im listening more now to other types of music (classical mostly also Van the Man, Leonard Cohen etc) and any practise I do is because I feel I have to...
I presume that this is just a dip I have to get thru and I will re-discover the joys of being immersed in the music.
Has anybody else found this to happen to them, and if so, what happened?
Agree, your interest will probably come back, or goes on something else. To my mind it isn't really important, you just have to enjoy what you do a the present time ;)
I suggest reviewing some recordings or attending performances of the stuff that fired you in the first place.
When I feel a slump, I just turn on the old Bothy/Chieftain/Dedannan/irish Tradition recordings, and it is all new again.
B B - I'm afraid it's something that happens as you grow older. It's called 'EReconciliation Dysfunction' Sometimes changing the key can help !!!!!!!!,
Yeah, don't worry I've been through this, it's safe - even if you don't fully recover, which was my case. I even stopped playing altogether for quite a while, like 6 months - but then it gradually came back. Now, almost two years past, I sometimes play Irish trad again and it gives me pleasure, but I try to keep it scarce and apart. I'm playing a lot of jazz and Breton music now. No regrets, no looking back.
Even if you never come back fully to Irish trad, what difference does it make? It's better to let go and move to something you are passionate about than force yourself on it.
The first years of discovering Irish trad were a bit like being in love - exciting but absorbing . Later on things get more in balance. Gives you time for other things.
Definitely so in my case. I'm simply getting old and lethargic. Can't be bothered to practise - just sometimes daydream about the things I would do *if* I practised. Once I was young and lethargic. Then I practised a great deal. The constant factor is my lethargy. The variable factor is the number of years on the dial.
It's gratifying trying to compose tunes because you can do it on the back of an envelope without playing a note or moving a muscle, except to write abcs and lift drink to one's lips.
All this, ironically, kicked in following my purchase of the decent instrument I'd waited decades to buy, able to do all sorts of stuff I couldn't do on a humbler one (melodeon, this is). So I'm not doing it. Don't think I wasted my money, though.
What happens if you put it down for a week? Does it feel like you have to work to *not* play?
Occasionally, I will feel a bit of a burnout with the music. But I find that if I put it down completely for just a few days, the tunes are running through my head, and I feel a distinct need to pick up an instrument and play.
I have also found it somewhat disappointing to reach a point where my playing is more or less on par with the majority of other players around. Instead of being constantly surrounded by people that are better players, which provides great motivation, you can reach doldrums when a session isn't particularly inspiring. And in those cases, you need to look for inspiration elsewhere.
In my case, the inspiration comes from finding a few musical partnerships that are mutually-inspiring, where the music reaches a new level because each of the players is inspired by the others, and it creates a feedback loop that raises the whole game to an amazing level. My hope is that someday, I will be able to find that inspiration more from within.
Anyway, I agree with the general consensus. Don't fight it. You'll be back. And if you aren't, then it wasn't meant to be, I guess.
I got in this mood a few months ago....on freind tried to get me to consider the intellectual and musical aestehtic of Pink Floyd....I became the permanent substitute organist for an Anglican Church nearby with the attendant multimeter/multimodal 17th Century stuff...and I was forced to sit through a Josh Brogan concert.
It can happen quite naturally in any intense and absorbing occupation like music. Even famous authors can get "writer's block" - which can be a bit awkward if you earn your living by writing. But most of the time it cures itself after a while, or you can go off and try some other music venture and then come back refreshed and perhaps apply some of your new-found musical knowledge to what you are returning to. Even the great concert violinist Nigel Kennedy got fed up with the concert circuit some years ago. He said something about being down to play the Mendelssohn concerto 20 times in the next few weeks and wondered what on earth he could find new to say in all those performances, so at the earliest opportunity he went off and played other sorts of music for a few years and came back refreshed.
Always happens! Especially when I have spare time and I play more than normal because I sort of get stuck in the same musical pattern everyday. Going to concerts really helps me at those moments. I'm not sure if it's just because I suddenly think "Help! I really do have so far to go!" and I suddenly just want to go home and practice. I suppose it might be because I am watching a band live as well rather than just listening which I know I can turn off or ignore at any moment.
I wouldn't worry too much. I don't think there's anything wrong with liking and even playing more then one kind of music. I play mainly Irish trad, but also folk songs and lately a bit of Coldplay too! As every one has said, as long as you enjoy what you're doing.
I'm at that point too. I'm trying to keep the practicing going, at least at a lower rate. That way when the motivation does come back, i won't have lost as much.
I play in different sessions which are very distinct. I play while I am working on the computer. I play walking the dog. I play at parties. I play in the woods. I play performances. I play for dancers. And, even tho I try to tell myself I know enough tunes, I am always learning new ones. I play, with different levels of skill, a few instruments. And I keep up a trad website. Lots of different things going on.
Same ol' session...same ol' tunes...that spells trouble.
Besides, I couldn't walk away from my beloved tunes any more than I could walk away from my white mother. But I really mean it.
I was feeling a bit of the "slump" you've been discussing last night -
I sat down with a cold can of Miller Lite and some Cheetos, and gave a listen to some tracks of Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and Riverdance.
Suddenly, I found myself shivering and shaking on the floor, twitching and sweating, and then, with an heroic effort, crawling desperately toward my pipes.
Shock therapy works.
Barely made it, but I am here to tell the tale.
This post is primarily addressed to fiddle players ...
You could look on this "losing interest in The Music" as an ideal opportunity to brush up on technical aspects of your playing - and everyone, without exception I might add, needs this at some time or other in their playing career, whether or not they realise it at the time. Aspects of technique can slip over time without the player noticing, or, especially in the case of beginners/improvers, may never have been properly acquired in the first place (posture, bow hold, left hand etc).
I would suggest a good classical teacher who also plays and is knowledgeable about other music such as folk, jazz etc - such teachers are indeed around. And if the teacher also plays in a band or orchestra or band even better - they'll have practical knowledge of problems and solutions.
A couple of years ago I went through a period of playing where I wasn't making any progress and couldn't figure out why. I wasn't losing interest but perhaps if I hadn't done something about it that might have happened. So I had a word with my local violin store which has a list of teachers in the area with details of the type of teaching they do (classical, folk, jazz). I found one not too far away who fitted all the criteria, trained as professional classical player and has since been playing in a folk band for the best part of two decades. The first thing that happened was that she slightly readjusted my bow hold, and the improvement was immediate. This was enough to kick-start the process of recovery and I haven't looked back since.
If a personal teacher isn't available I'd suggest working through the excellent Todd Ehle tutorials on YouTube. I doubt whether you'll find better on the web.
As a writer, I can really relate to this. I think I, personally, tend to "shut down" when I'm pressured and stressed, which takes the fun out of anything. Has something happened recently that has turned you off? I know I didn't play for about two weeks straight after my first visit to the site, because I became a little jaded about the living up to everyone else's expectations and standards. Then I realized that I don't play for anyone but me, even when I'm up on stage. Then I felt relaxed enough to play again.
I also think it's a good thing to explore different styles of music. Sometimes I think Trad. players are, again, bombarded with all kinds of pressure to live up to the standards of the purist tradition. Sometimes deviating and coming back is all one needs. And you might even become a better player, technically, by appreciating other styles.
I wouldn't worry. I think it'll sneek back up on you.
Nothing wrong with listening to different types of music, too much of one type tends to dull the senses, and sap your enjoyment of things. Don't be afraid to hear and play different things, life is too short to limit yourself to only one flavor of music. Would you eat the same food every day?????
I know there is quite a bit of banter in the tradition culture.
I just think it is a form of humour. At time a good relief valve.
Another form of expression. Aside from that though, music is fun to play!
Pressure is the inverse.
Cheers!
Yep. I studied classical violin for 22 years, then fell in love with Grisman's style of newgrass. I played bluegrass after that from '89 till '95, when I fell in love with Celtic music. After my first trip to Ireland in '96, I dedicated myself to Celtic music exclusively.
But I do love Bluegrass still, also Klezmer and world beat.
losing interest?
losing interest?
I’ve been listening/playing/practicing now for about 8 yrs and during all this time I stayed really motivated, but lately, for some reason, just feel I’m starting to lose some of my love/passion/interest in the music. I’m doing less practise, Im listening more now to other types of music (classical mostly also Van the Man, Leonard Cohen etc) and any practise I do is because I feel I have to...
I presume that this is just a dip I have to get thru and I will re-discover the joys of being immersed in the music.
Has anybody else found this to happen to them, and if so, what happened?
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by BanjoBongo
Re: losing interest?
Don't fight it. Let yourself drift. If you try to force yourself you'll lose it
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: losing interest?
Agree, your interest will probably come back, or goes on something else. To my mind it isn't really important, you just have to enjoy what you do a the present time ;)
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by RoLuPiN
Re: losing interest?
Are you allright Gilly?, a human side of the great sh*tekicker?
Go back to being a cranky old b@stard forthwith. I don't like this developement at all
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by mcknowall
Re: losing interest?
Klezmer music makes a nice alternative.
Just kidding.
I suggest reviewing some recordings or attending performances of the stuff that fired you in the first place.
When I feel a slump, I just turn on the old Bothy/Chieftain/Dedannan/irish Tradition recordings, and it is all new again.
Good luck.
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by Rook
Re: losing interest?
B B - I'm afraid it's something that happens as you grow older. It's called 'EReconciliation Dysfunction' Sometimes changing the key can help !!!!!!!!,
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by Free Reed
Re: losing interest?
Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards again..
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: losing interest?
BB - if you're taking a little time out to listen to Leonard Cohen, that's got to be a good thing
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by domnull
Re: losing interest?
Yeah, don't worry I've been through this, it's safe - even if you don't fully recover, which was my case. I even stopped playing altogether for quite a while, like 6 months - but then it gradually came back. Now, almost two years past, I sometimes play Irish trad again and it gives me pleasure, but I try to keep it scarce and apart. I'm playing a lot of jazz and Breton music now. No regrets, no looking back.
Even if you never come back fully to Irish trad, what difference does it make? It's better to let go and move to something you are passionate about than force yourself on it.
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by EastPole
Re: losing interest?
The first years of discovering Irish trad were a bit like being in love - exciting but absorbing
. Later on things get more in balance. Gives you time for other things.
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by Henk Bos
Re: losing interest?
Definitely so in my case. I'm simply getting old and lethargic. Can't be bothered to practise - just sometimes daydream about the things I would do *if* I practised. Once I was young and lethargic. Then I practised a great deal. The constant factor is my lethargy. The variable factor is the number of years on the dial.
It's gratifying trying to compose tunes because you can do it on the back of an envelope without playing a note or moving a muscle, except to write abcs and lift drink to one's lips.
All this, ironically, kicked in following my purchase of the decent instrument I'd waited decades to buy, able to do all sorts of stuff I couldn't do on a humbler one (melodeon, this is). So I'm not doing it. Don't think I wasted my money, though.
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by nicholas
Re: losing interest?
drift. you'll be back. ahahahahahaaaa
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by drone
Re: losing interest?
What happens if you put it down for a week? Does it feel like you have to work to *not* play?
Occasionally, I will feel a bit of a burnout with the music. But I find that if I put it down completely for just a few days, the tunes are running through my head, and I feel a distinct need to pick up an instrument and play.
I have also found it somewhat disappointing to reach a point where my playing is more or less on par with the majority of other players around. Instead of being constantly surrounded by people that are better players, which provides great motivation, you can reach doldrums when a session isn't particularly inspiring. And in those cases, you need to look for inspiration elsewhere.
In my case, the inspiration comes from finding a few musical partnerships that are mutually-inspiring, where the music reaches a new level because each of the players is inspired by the others, and it creates a feedback loop that raises the whole game to an amazing level. My hope is that someday, I will be able to find that inspiration more from within.
Anyway, I agree with the general consensus. Don't fight it. You'll be back. And if you aren't, then it wasn't meant to be, I guess.
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by Reverend
Re: losing interest?
Practice?
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: losing interest?
I got in this mood a few months ago....on freind tried to get me to consider the intellectual and musical aestehtic of Pink Floyd....I became the permanent substitute organist for an Anglican Church nearby with the attendant multimeter/multimodal 17th Century stuff...and I was forced to sit through a Josh Brogan concert.
Snapped right out of it. Good as new!
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by zippydw
Re: losing interest?
It can happen quite naturally in any intense and absorbing occupation like music. Even famous authors can get "writer's block" - which can be a bit awkward if you earn your living by writing. But most of the time it cures itself after a while, or you can go off and try some other music venture and then come back refreshed and perhaps apply some of your new-found musical knowledge to what you are returning to. Even the great concert violinist Nigel Kennedy got fed up with the concert circuit some years ago. He said something about being down to play the Mendelssohn concerto 20 times in the next few weeks and wondered what on earth he could find new to say in all those performances, so at the earliest opportunity he went off and played other sorts of music for a few years and came back refreshed.
# Posted on July 13th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: losing interest?
Always happens! Especially when I have spare time and I play more than normal because I sort of get stuck in the same musical pattern everyday. Going to concerts really helps me at those moments. I'm not sure if it's just because I suddenly think "Help! I really do have so far to go!" and I suddenly just want to go home and practice. I suppose it might be because I am watching a band live as well rather than just listening which I know I can turn off or ignore at any moment.
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by creathana
Re: losing interest?
I wouldn't worry too much. I don't think there's anything wrong with liking and even playing more then one kind of music. I play mainly Irish trad, but also folk songs and lately a bit of Coldplay too! As every one has said, as long as you enjoy what you're doing.
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by camwebby
Re: losing interest?
I'm at that point too. I'm trying to keep the practicing going, at least at a lower rate. That way when the motivation does come back, i won't have lost as much.
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by Kheelch
Re: losing interest?
Variety.
I play in different sessions which are very distinct. I play while I am working on the computer. I play walking the dog. I play at parties. I play in the woods. I play performances. I play for dancers. And, even tho I try to tell myself I know enough tunes, I am always learning new ones. I play, with different levels of skill, a few instruments. And I keep up a trad website. Lots of different things going on.
Same ol' session...same ol' tunes...that spells trouble.
Besides, I couldn't walk away from my beloved tunes any more than I could walk away from my white mother. But I really mean it.
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by feardearg
Re: losing interest?
I was feeling a bit of the "slump" you've been discussing last night -
I sat down with a cold can of Miller Lite and some Cheetos, and gave a listen to some tracks of Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, and Riverdance.
Suddenly, I found myself shivering and shaking on the floor, twitching and sweating, and then, with an heroic effort, crawling desperately toward my pipes.
Shock therapy works.
Barely made it, but I am here to tell the tale.
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by Rook
Re: losing interest?
This post is primarily addressed to fiddle players ...
You could look on this "losing interest in The Music" as an ideal opportunity to brush up on technical aspects of your playing - and everyone, without exception I might add, needs this at some time or other in their playing career, whether or not they realise it at the time. Aspects of technique can slip over time without the player noticing, or, especially in the case of beginners/improvers, may never have been properly acquired in the first place (posture, bow hold, left hand etc).
I would suggest a good classical teacher who also plays and is knowledgeable about other music such as folk, jazz etc - such teachers are indeed around. And if the teacher also plays in a band or orchestra or band even better - they'll have practical knowledge of problems and solutions.
A couple of years ago I went through a period of playing where I wasn't making any progress and couldn't figure out why. I wasn't losing interest but perhaps if I hadn't done something about it that might have happened. So I had a word with my local violin store which has a list of teachers in the area with details of the type of teaching they do (classical, folk, jazz). I found one not too far away who fitted all the criteria, trained as professional classical player and has since been playing in a folk band for the best part of two decades. The first thing that happened was that she slightly readjusted my bow hold, and the improvement was immediate. This was enough to kick-start the process of recovery and I haven't looked back since.
If a personal teacher isn't available I'd suggest working through the excellent Todd Ehle tutorials on YouTube. I doubt whether you'll find better on the web.
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: losing interest?
It's a good job I'm not a "career" fiddle player
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: losing interest?
As a writer, I can really relate to this. I think I, personally, tend to "shut down" when I'm pressured and stressed, which takes the fun out of anything. Has something happened recently that has turned you off? I know I didn't play for about two weeks straight after my first visit to the site, because I became a little jaded about the living up to everyone else's expectations and standards. Then I realized that I don't play for anyone but me, even when I'm up on stage. Then I felt relaxed enough to play again.
I also think it's a good thing to explore different styles of music. Sometimes I think Trad. players are, again, bombarded with all kinds of pressure to live up to the standards of the purist tradition. Sometimes deviating and coming back is all one needs. And you might even become a better player, technically, by appreciating other styles.
I wouldn't worry. I think it'll sneek back up on you.
# Posted on July 14th 2009 by Fiddlechick7
Re: losing interest?
Nothing wrong with listening to different types of music, too much of one type tends to dull the senses, and sap your enjoyment of things. Don't be afraid to hear and play different things, life is too short to limit yourself to only one flavor of music. Would you eat the same food every day?????
# Posted on July 15th 2009 by AlBrown
Re: losing interest?
I'm posting this link (again),
"What is a Curmudgeon anyway?"
http://www.concentric.net/~marlowe/curdef.shtml
I know there is quite a bit of banter in the tradition culture.
I just think it is a form of humour. At time a good relief valve.
Another form of expression. Aside from that though, music is fun to play!
Pressure is the inverse.
Cheers!
~ end of hijack
# Posted on July 15th 2009 by Random_notes
Re: losing interest?
Yep. I studied classical violin for 22 years, then fell in love with Grisman's style of newgrass. I played bluegrass after that from '89 till '95, when I fell in love with Celtic music. After my first trip to Ireland in '96, I dedicated myself to Celtic music exclusively.
But I do love Bluegrass still, also Klezmer and world beat.
# Posted on July 16th 2009 by celticagent