taking a break

[friendship]

I've been pretty burnt out with music, making it and even listening to it, for the past couple of months. I involved myself in working on other people's projects to give myself something to do, but those projects have concluded, and I feel like I might need a serious break. Have you ever taken one and stopped even just noodling around, for an extended period? I'm a little worried because in the past, my mental state suffers when I'm not actively involved in music, but beating my head against the wall isn't doing me any favors either. Do you have any ideas for keeping myself occupied/sane? My only other hobbies are cooking and reading.

[cherler]

I stopped playing almost entirely for the first year and a half or so of undergrad. I got really into climbing and it just sorta happened. When I started to feel bad I picked it back up. It was really cool to have spent so long away from riffs that were worn in too much and my playing style changed drastically. So I say embrace it and maybe take up climbing!

[ShaolinLambKiller]

Fuck no. I can't even imagine that. I figured some people need this shit. I've never had. my only breaks were forced breaks where I'm away for a month at a time for work. all that time all i do is think about composition and recording music and listening to more music. I actually buy far more albums during that time cause I'm actively seeking out even more and more.

Do what works for you ultimately. That's what is best and anyone else's thoughts or experiences will never be the same as your own.

[lunchbox]

Yes, I've taken breaks. The last long one I took was from 2003-2011. I had quit my band of 9 years and sold all my electric gear. I bought a Martin acoustic and started playing 'old time' and bluegrass. I even taught myself to play fiddle. It gave me a whole new perspective and skill set for playing music. When I came back and started my last band in 2011, I was 10x the guitar player and writer that I was before my 'break'.

[UglyCasanova]

I started playing music 11 years ago and I've had two long breaks.

The first one was quite early, about a year after I first started. It lasted for a little under a year.
Reason: GF at the time hated hearing me play the same shit and fail over and over again. Her constant "ugh"s and looks whenever I picked up the guitar made me not want to play anymore. She was a fucking bitch. Still is.

Second time was for a period of almost two years.
Reason: Both my bands fell apart due to drugs and mental illness. Without going into details, it was pretty ugly and playing just made me remember all the bad stuff.

Now, I've been playing with Eivind August in iRerror for a little over a year and I fucking love every second of it. I also have another project where we try to create various fusion music. And I have my solo project of drones and noise. And I make gear demos. The key element in both bands and my other projects is fun, and that's what was missing both times I took a longer break from music. If you're not having fun with it, you might as well spend your time doing something else.

[echorec]

If you have an obsessive passion that dominates your life, then there's nothing wrong with taking a step back for a time. I wouldn't be overly concerned with recent feelings. It's nearly impossible to sustain an intense desire for anything 24/7, 365. Life/habits are cyclical.

After a traumatic separation, I put music on the back burner. I basically never played, and I stopped buying gear altogether for almost 2 years. Then I got fucked over by a deadbeat, piece of shit business partner. I had to sell off my entire gear collection piece-by-piece until nothing remained, but the guitar I got from the woman who turned my life upside down. Fast forward about 3 years and I started entertaining the idea of playing guitar again. Fast forward another year or so into the future and I started noodling with synths. I played guitar for 15 minutes tonight and that's the most I've played in a month.

I can go a week or so without plugging in a synth, then I'll have a day where I play for 6 hours. As far as listening to music and getting burnt out---I've definitely been there----that feeling that nothing is good enough, or I've outgrown it all, or it simply doesn't reflect my current situation/mood. Lately I've not been listening to any music in the car----just engine noise and traffic. For years, though, I could not fathom driving without music to fill in those silences---even on the shortest of commutes.

What is there to do in your area? Are you completely antisocial? It's kind of hard to make any recommendations without knowing what's available. My first instinct would be to suggest doing something that takes you out of your apartment/house. (even if that's something like taking long walks by yourself) If you're looking for a new distraction, then try to find something where you'll meet new people, even if they're not people you're going to keep in your life long-term.

[PeteeBee]

I've alternates between primarily skateboarding and playing music as main hobbies for the past like 15 years. It's a great cycle. I'm convinced it's all part of my process. I need variety and newness.

[friendship]

If you have an obsessive passion that dominates your life, then there's nothing wrong with taking a step back for a time. I wouldn't be overly concerned with recent feelings. It's nearly impossible to sustain an intense desire for anything 24/7, 365. Life/habits are cyclical.

After a traumatic separation, I put music on the back burner. I basically never played, and I stopped buying gear altogether for almost 2 years. Then I got fucked over by a deadbeat, piece of shit business partner. I had to sell off my entire gear collection piece-by-piece until nothing remained, but the guitar I got from the woman who turned my life upside down. Fast forward about 3 years and I started entertaining the idea of playing guitar again. Fast forward another year or so into the future and I started noodling with synths. I played guitar for 15 minutes tonight and that's the most I've played in a month.

I can go a week or so without plugging in a synth, then I'll have a day where I play for 6 hours. As far as listening to music and getting burnt out---I've definitely been there----that feeling that nothing is good enough, or I've outgrown it all, or it simply doesn't reflect my current situation/mood. Lately I've not been listening to any music in the car----just engine noise and traffic. For years, though, I could not fathom driving without music to fill in those silences---even on the shortest of commutes.

What is there to do in your area? Are you completely antisocial? It's kind of hard to make any recommendations without knowing what's available. My first instinct would be to suggest doing something that takes you out of your apartment/house. (even if that's something like taking long walks by yourself) If you're looking for a new distraction, then try to find something where you'll meet new people, even if they're not people you're going to keep in your life long-term.

I live in the NYC area, so there's ostensibly no shortage of things to do if you have the resources and the inclination. But I am kind of anti-social these days, I could be making a better effort to say yes to invitations rather than take the easy way out of laying on the couch Flixing it up. I think getting out of the apartment is prooobably a good idea since my routine is work-home-sleep-repeat. This is a stupid question, but I've never been much of a joiner... what are groups that early 30s people join?

Your stories are really encouraging, I didn't know taking a break was common. I haven't taken a break longer than 3 weeks in almost 20 years.

[psychic vampire.]

I grew up in the NYC area, spent the first quarter century of my life there, nearly!

I take breaks from music all the time. It's crazy, because it's the thing i want to do with my life and i know that if were interested in making a go of it, which i always have been, the only way to do that would be practicing every day. But i just can't. Granted, i've been playing music for over 2/3 of my life, so it feels less hard now than it did in high school. In 2011 my life hit the shitter in a heavy way after two friends died in the same month and everything in my life felt out of place. Then in the fall 2011 ALL of my musical instruments got stolen, and i had no money to replace them. I went from Summer 2011 to Spring 2015 without playing a single show, or even so much as playing music more than once or twice. I made a band last summer, we wrote enough songs to play a show in like a week, and then some drama shit happened and we broke up and i took another few months off.

Lately the music i play is by myself, or in the garage with two friends, but in either case it's just been for me, or the three of us. Maybe i'll play shows again, or record - i'd like to, and i have offers to - but it doesn't really grab me as much at this time as i'd like.

[friendship]

I grew up in the NYC area, spent the first quarter century of my life there, nearly!

I take breaks from music all the time. It's crazy, because it's the thing i want to do with my life and i know that if were interested in making a go of it, which i always have been, the only way to do that would be practicing every day. But i just can't. Granted, i've been playing music for over 2/3 of my life, so it feels less hard now than it did in high school. In 2011 my life hit the shitter in a heavy way after two friends died in the same month and everything in my life felt out of place. Then in the fall 2011 ALL of my musical instruments got stolen, and i had no money to replace them. I went from Summer 2011 to Spring 2015 without playing a single show, or even so much as playing music more than once or twice. I made a band last summer, we wrote enough songs to play a show in like a week, and then some drama shit happened and we broke up and i took another few months off.

Lately the music i play is by myself, or in the garage with two friends, but in either case it's just been for me, or the three of us. Maybe i'll play shows again, or record - i'd like to, and i have offers to - but it doesn't really grab me as much at this time as i'd like.

Yeah, it's like I want to want to, but I don't actually want to. What really annoys me is that I've never had so many tools and new skills, so if I were "inspired" or whatever I could be making a lot of stuff. The only thing stopping me is me. That dick.

[psychic vampire.]

It feels important to me to use those times off from music as a good period to re-assess my desires and intentions. Right now all my electronic music equipment is stored away, i'm not even looking at it on a regular basis, but i'm actually spending a good deal of time thinking about what i want to be doing. I downloaded a free DAW/Softsynth, bc even though i refuse to use that shit for my finished product, it feels nice as a sketchpad at the minute, and i'm only using it as that. Jotting down little things as they become clear to me.

I would say don't let your tools or new skills get rusty, if you can avoid it, but don't beat yourself up over it if you do. Just take the time to take stock, figure out where you wanna be at, and really experience the other things life has to offer. I went and sat in a waterfall for a few hours the other day, and it was the best use of my time i could have imagined.

[friendship]

It feels important to me to use those times off from music as a good period to re-assess my desires and intentions. Right now all my electronic music equipment is stored away, i'm not even looking at it on a regular basis, but i'm actually spending a good deal of time thinking about what i want to be doing. I downloaded a free DAW/Softsynth, bc even though i refuse to use that shit for my finished product, it feels nice as a sketchpad at the minute, and i'm only using it as that. Jotting down little things as they become clear to me.

I would say don't let your tools or new skills get rusty, if you can avoid it, but don't beat yourself up over it if you do. Just take the time to take stock, figure out where you wanna be at, and really experience the other things life has to offer. I went and sat in a waterfall for a few hours the other day, and it was the best use of my time i could have imagined.

Would love to recharge my Magic Points under a dope waterfall

[psychic vampire.]

Go do it! If this midwestern septic tank can have two waterfalls, there must be some near you!

[Jwar]

I took about a four year break in the 20 years I've been playing. So technically I've only played 16 years. I still considered myself a player even though I'd only pick up my bass when I was drunk and never really play anything.

Me stopping when I did gave me a new passion for music when I came back. I learned more about myself and reignited my love for it.

I say be true to yourself dude. If you need a break, take a break. Fuck it. Nothing in life lasts forever, so you've gotta do what makes you happy.

[Aquietcabin1978]

I took a very long break from playing entirely after my dad died in 2001. He was the sole reason I got into music as heavy as I did. Sold most of my stuff, keeping only what was his and didn't touch any of it for almost a decade. After my daughter was born I started refinishing and building parts guitars to kill time and that led to actually playing again ( after like 15 projects ) . Would love to devote more time to making music but buying a house and general adulting has been putting a serious hurt on that. I play when I can. I have been getting into riding bikes ( BMX ) when I don't have time for any other outlet.