Thinking of jacking it in

adamm82

Rant mode. I love playing the guitar. But where I live makes things impossible. Small place have to sit on the bed like a kid to play. I don't have anytime I play the same shit the time and never get any better. I'm lucky to get 30 mins spare a day to play then it's a big performance to drag all my shit out to play. Can't use an amp properly as the place has paper thin walls. I'd move but I don't want to pay any more in rent. It used to relax me I want to get good but I don't have the time too practice. I only play well when I dedicate proper time everyday and I just don't have anymore time. Maybe it's better just to stare at my guitars and give up or sell them pay off my bills. 

All this dreaming of side hustles and the like just a waste of time. I don't even have time as it is so fitting something else in too is impossible.  

Lestratcaster

Don't give up man! There's always ways round this, you can practice amps with headphone jacks for silent practice, alot of digital modelling amps are now on the market so you can run your guitar into it and do the headphone thing.

Even if you play 15 minutes a day every day it still better than 2 hours once a week. Little and often.

As for time if you have time to eat and stuff then you have time to play guitar. Some people will prefer to practice in the morning, as they're more "fresh" some in the evening when they're proper awake. If you can get some routine in your day so you pick up the guitar at the same time it starts to become consistent.

My natural answer for "playing the shame shit all the time..." would be to get a guitar tutor but that's your choice. For some of my learners the lessons give them something to strive for and they're always learning new things.

If you stick to it playing the guitar is very rewarding, and is a life-skill just like driving or first aid!

Drew_TNBD

You probably should jack it in.

midlifecrisis

its playing guitar, not life saving work. if you feel like jacking it in, jack it in, you can always go back to it. sometimes a break is good

Grunfeld

adamm82 said:

it's a big performance to drag all my shit out to play. Can't use an amp properly as the place has paper thin walls...

Obvious suggestion is get yourself a small, tidy, solid state amp. 
One flick of a switch and you're playing.  And you can get an acceptable sound at a very gentle volume.

Fretwired

adamm82 said:

Rant mode. I love playing the guitar. But where I live makes things impossible. Small place have to sit on the bed like a kid to play. I don't have anytime I play the same shit the time and never get any better. I'm lucky to get 30 mins spare a day to play then it's a big performance to drag all my shit out to play. Can't use an amp properly as the place has paper thin walls. I'd move but I don't want to pay any more in rent. It used to relax me I want to get good but I don't have the time too practice. I only play well when I dedicate proper time everyday and I just don't have anymore time. Maybe it's better just to stare at my guitars and give up or sell them pay off my bills. 

All this dreaming of side hustles and the like just a waste of time. I don't even have time as it is so fitting something else in too is impossible.  

I jacked it in for 20 years and regretted it. Mind you back then an amp was all you could use. Sell your amp and invest in something like a Yamaha THR10. Instant noodling, no annoying the neighbours and no need to drag out heavy amps and you can play with backing tracks via the amp or via headphones.

Lestratcaster

Usually people who "take a break" never go back it and the guitar is a very difficult habit to pick up after 10 years +. Esp if you haven't been playing for very long prior that.

Dominic

No such thing as no time - if you really want to do it you will make time one way or another even if you get up 45 minutes earlier.You have to really want to do it like people who get up at 5 and are in the gym by 5.30 a.m........no point looking at their arms and wishing they were yours unless you put in the sweat to acheive the same.
 I have been playing 40 years on and off and I still play the same shit ...........but I play it a bit better every year !
 The noise and space limitations are a more real issue - you can always play unplugged or with headphones. It's no different when you are more settled and have a family and have to be quiet for baby's sake. If you want to do it  enough you will find the way.

Dominic

Lestratcaster said:

If you stick to it playing the guitar is very rewarding, and is a life-skill just like driving or first aid!

I've never saved anybody's life with a Gmaj 7 arpeggio yet ! but you never know !

Fretwired

Lestratcaster said:

Usually people who "take a break" never go back it and the guitar is a very difficult habit to pick up after 10 years +. Esp if you haven't been playing for very long prior that.

I did amd I know other people who did .. today's low cost tech means you don't have to take a break .. :-)

McSwaggerty

Simple answer....Get an acoustic guitar....you can have a rattle anywhere.   when walking from kitchen to bedroom....from bedroom to bathroom.....you can play it In the bathroom....outside.....in the car....in your bed....take it to work.....play in the park.....play on the street....busk.....

Lestratcaster

Fretwired said:

Lestratcaster said:

Usually people who "take a break" never go back it and the guitar is a very difficult habit to pick up after 10 years +. Esp if you haven't been playing for very long prior that.

I did amd I know other people who did .. today's low cost tech means you don't have to take a break .. :-)

I only say it cos I've experienced this with learners, NOT ONE has ever come back after giving me the "taking a break" bollocks, they're not putting enough time in it in the first place so how is taking a break going to make it better?

richardhomer

I've got close to giving up before - there was a period when I was highly stressed and depressed where I just couldn't get a sound out of a guitar which pleased me in any way. I just couldn't 'connect' with the instrument in the way I could in my youth - I found it really dispiriting....

Having made many changes in my life, I found myself noodling about on one more often - and realised that the guitar is such a fundamental part of my identity that I couldn't let it go. Over the last couple of years, I've played more - though I often go several days without picking one up - and think I play better now than I have at any point in the last 20 years.

I should really be better than I am, I suppose - but I can at least produce a sound out of one which pleases me again. I'm glad I didn't sell off my stuff when I was in a bad way - if I had, I'd probably never have got back into playing again.

Lestratcaster

richardhomer said:

I've got close to giving up before - there was a period when I was highly stressed and depressed where I just couldn't get a sound out of a guitar which pleased me in any way. I just couldn't 'connect' with the instrument in the way I could in my youth - I found it really dispiriting....

Having made many changes in my life, I found myself noodling about on one more often - and realised that the guitar is such a fundamental part of my identity that I couldn't let it go. Over the last couple of years, I've played more - though I often go several days without picking one up - and think I play better now than I have at any point in the last 20 years.

I should really be better than I am, I suppose - but I can at least produce a sound out of one which pleases me again. I'm glad I didn't sell off my stuff when I was in a bad way - if I had, I'd probably never have got back into playing again.

Similar to my journey in a way, started when I was about 13/14 and always played. Yes some months it was rubbish and stuff but I never really allowed myself to give up. As time went on I started to change chords quicker, pick up rhythm a bit more accurately and started to play along with recordings more so my timekeeping improved. Obviously going to a music institute for years in 2007 helped but before that I still wanted to play as much as I could.

adamm82

midlifecrisis said:

its playing guitar, not life saving work. if you feel like jacking it in, jack it in, you can always go back to it. sometimes a break is good

thing is I think about guitar all day long. when I play Idon't think of anything else.
just frustrated at the moment with a lot of things. 

Fretwired

Lestratcaster said:

Fretwired said:

Lestratcaster said:

Usually people who "take a break" never go back it and the guitar is a very difficult habit to pick up after 10 years +. Esp if you haven't been playing for very long prior that.

I did amd I know other people who did .. today's low cost tech means you don't have to take a break .. :-)

I only say it cos I've experienced this with learners, NOT ONE has ever come back after giving me the "taking a break" bollocks, they're not putting enough time in it in the first place so how is taking a break going to make it better?

You have a point but I'd say as learners they decided the guitar wasn't for them. I got married and moved from my parents nice detached house (turn everything up to 11) to a small terrace house in which playing the electric guitar was a non-starter without annoying the neighbours. This was around 1979, so no modelling tech ..

Lestratcaster

Its probably their polite way of saying "I don't want to play anymore..." lol

Schnozz

I'm in a similar situation to you and so I've sold everything and bought a cheap but quality Strat and a Vox Amplug

I enjoy an evening noodle and music is still important to me, but I haven't invested a lot of money in it, so there's no pressure.

I'm happy 

mellowsun

Play through headphones with a stereo delay and reverb - it's very inspiring, much more so than playing through a thuddy old valve amp.

neilg

I've got the same problem with not being able to have the guitar loud at home so one of the things I'm really liking about my recently purchased Helix LT is that it will model an amp turned up to full but without having to output a high volume.

Dominic

mellowsun said:

Play through headphones with a stereo delay and reverb - it's very inspiring, much more so than playing through a thuddy old valve amp.

Can I come to one of your gigs ?