This is just not working

Subject: This is just not working
From: harmonic miner
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 05:41 AM

I posted recently about the benefits of taking a break from playing.
Well I need one now. Harmonica, guitar, singing, its just not working. Nothing feels/sounds right. Our usual pub session night got hijaccked by a DJ who was 'practising'. (Practising what, don't they just put something in a machine and press play?) Oh well, I'll do something else like a bit of cycling. But the roads are rough. Headwinds abound. 20km (normally very manageable) nearly killed me.

There are two approaches. (a) keep going and it'll come right (b) take a break, you know you can do it normally, just a bad day/week/month.

Think I'll go for (b) this time

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: Allan C.
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 06:18 AM

During whatever break you might take, try something completely new and challenging and OTHER. By "other" I mean something almost totally unrelated to your other stated interests. Purchase a book on bread baking, get someone to teach you to sail, try your hand with watercolors - anything that is quite different than your current norm. The distraction will allow your brain the opportunity to digest whichever issues there are that are in the way of your enjoyment of your currently interrupted pleasures.

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 12:45 PM

"Nothing feels/sounds right"

Does everyone in the band feel the same way? Sometimes one's own perspective gets skewed. If you are not in a band, check with trusted members of the audience- it's just possible that you - alone - have entered a new phase and that the audiences are perfectly content with the old one.

FWIW

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 08:59 PM

"Practising what, don't they just put something in a machine and press play?"

Erm, that swaggering flourish they do when they press play takes years of practice...

Seriously, though, I fully understand how you feel... when it goes stale, it takes a lot to brighten it up again. It doesn't matter what others may think - what you feel inside is what counts.

'Helpful' people tell me it's a shame I don't perform as much as I used to do - but it doesn't give me a 'buzz', I'm just going through the motions and am professional enough for it to appear as if I'm enjoying every minute... but I'd rather not be bothered.

If there's a magic formula to fix it, I'd be pleased to be given it...

Hope things work out for the best, mate.

Oh, and if someone says 'You never know what's just around the corner'... just give 'em a smack for me!!

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 10:03 PM

Totally feel for you. My writing appears to have gone stale over the past month and it's been hard to convince myself to do my weekly posts. I haven't written something I've been proud of for a while, which is taking it's toll.

However, I'm working on writing something brilliant and getting mentioned on a site. If that happens, I'll know I'm doing something good. Mayhaps you require something like that as well?

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 20 Mar 11 - 04:26 AM

Pity the session musicians don't hijack the pub back from amateur DJ.
Was this coup approved by landperson? What is the demographic of the pub? Is management hoping to attract the young clubbie types who drink to excess?

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 20 Mar 11 - 08:38 AM

If the landlord wants to attract those who drink to excess then I REALLY feel for you. Even I hate them, and I'm a Student.

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: Ian Fyvie
Date: 20 Mar 11 - 12:03 PM

Before you take that break, make a list of all those things on the backburner which could be damaging your enjojment of your music - then go and do them!

This should work far better than taking a break for the sake of it and drifting around aimlessly.

I took a three month break from our singarounds about ten years ago to produce a song book.

Unfortunately all those back burner things replaced my intentions and I ended up with no songbook. If I had identified the non music issues and set about sorting them in my break, I could probably have produced the song book whilst still enjoying two singarounds a week.

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: harmonic miner
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 09:23 AM

The one thing that revitalises me is getting to play with the others are the session. By tomorrow night I may will had enough of a break!

Basically we just walked in to the pub one night, asked if we could practice in the corner and just sort of kept doing so for 2 years. Owners are very amenable to us, we go on a quite night and we are 4 more customers than they would not have otherwise. Normally they turn turn off the speakers in 'our' corner and others can then happily listen to the usual piped music and ignore us. Thats fine, we just want to get out of the house and play music together. The DJ might be a temporary aberration. If not there are other pubs in town...

If you're ever in the neighbourhood... http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/2607

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: Bernard
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 09:29 AM

Blicky thing!

Hmmm... rather a long walk from Manchester (Mainland UK)...!

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: C-flat
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 09:53 AM

Have you considered picking up a different instrument?
I suffer occasionally from the same problem. Being in a musical rut can be very frustrating and potentially damaging in so far as you can fall out of love with playing and never return!!
I sometimes try playing my daughters keyboard. It's got loads of "voices" and the different sounds can inspire me back.
C-flat

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 12:09 PM

perhaps you are not practising in the best way, imo good practising involves working seperately on the bits causing difficulty slowly and working out your mistakes. [a] is your answer, but you need to analyse where and what is not working , then practise out your problems really slowly

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 12:16 PM

dont practise when you are tired, intense practice rather than playing should be done in short burst[15 minutes max].
if you are going to stop playing do not have a longer break than a week

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: freda underhill
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 07:00 PM

I think you have to work hard to maintain your session zone. You and your friends have set it up - talk to the aspiring DJ, ask him to do it on another time. Get support from the others. If that doesn't work, speak to the owner, don't let some dag take it over. it's dispiriting having someone just come on in and take over something so good.

good luck!

freda

Subject: RE: This is just not working
From: sharyn
Date: 22 Mar 11 - 03:54 PM

Something that can always get me going is playing along with a recording of a musician/piece of music that I really like because I get the pleasure of listening leading me to playing -- and I'm not particular about what or how I play along i.e. I am not trying to do anything other than join myself to the music in some way.