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Loss of motivation, what to do.
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BarkellWH
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
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 RE: Loss of motivation, what to do. (in reply to Leñador)
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quote:
I know it's going to bum some people out if I step back for a while but I feel like I need to...
Given your description of your current lack of motivation, I think the best thing you could do would be to step back and lay off the guitar a bit. In my case, I had bilateral (both knees) knee replacement surgery in February this year and spent three months in physical therapy/rehab. During that time I didn't play guitar at all. Mine was a sort of enforced lay-off, but I had other activities/interests to keep me occupied. We amateur aficionados of flamenco have the good fortune of not having to depend on playing for a livelihood. We can play for the pure enjoyment of it. Likewise, we can lay off it for a while without complicating our lives.
If you have other activities (other than your work) that interest you, this would be a good time to pursue them more intensely. I would not force the guitar-playing though. That is likely to lead to an even greater lack of motivation. Sometimes it's better to just let go of something for awhile and return to it with a renewed sense of purpose. Of course there are those (some on the Foro) who just got burnt out/tired of flamenco and either went on to other genres of music or some other pursuit. The important thing is to not let flamenco, or any other activity, dominate your life to the point where you think you must pursue it at the expense of a sense of well-being and enjoyment of life.
Best wishes whatever you decide to do.
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."
--Rudyard Kipling
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Date Oct. 6 2018 17:56:36
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Leñador
Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles
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RE: Loss of motivation, what to do. (in reply to Leñador)
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Ah I feel like posted in the perfect place. Solid wisdom on all sides. Thanks a ton guys, sometimes it's just nice to feel validated. A lot of times if you have even a tiny bit of talent at something people around you seem so disappointed when you want to step back from it. Like you're going through a break up or something, "oh, I'm sorry to hear that." lol "I'm not, I'm doing what makes me happy."
@Ramz - Well at least I'm in good company, life can be so exhausting sometimes.
@Fred - Are you going this year?? I'm seriously considering it, I've already told clients and the people I work with to prepare for me leaving for it.
I think I just need a break from trying and just sit back and enjoy, like I said, I still enjoy listening I just have no desire to learn lol
Thanks Bill, I think it's probably time to take my health seriously again and get some good kayak and cycling time in, I've gotten big again and the blood pressure is near hypertension which is no good for someone of my genetics.
It's great hearing these stories though, even though I now feel "validated" I'd love to hear other peoples experiences. I actually ended up in flamenco because I had lost motivation in playing heavy metal. You never know where life will lead you.
_____________________________
\m/
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Date Oct. 7 2018 1:21:54
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Brendan
Posts: 353
Joined: Oct. 30 2010
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RE: Loss of motivation, what to do. (in reply to Leñador)
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Here’s what I do when motivation sags (aside from returning to things I’ve shelved like some classical pieces and wouldn’t it be nice to be able to play Gypsy jazz):
Stop trying to enjoy it. Stop trying to play music. Just do your technical drills every day as a routine like cleaning your teeth. If you’re not trying to feed the tender part of your soul with the gift of music, if all you’re trying to do is make a p-a-m tremolo a bit smoother, then suddenly your success-criteria are very low. Fairly soon, you’ll get a little psych reward because you’ll enjoy a smidgin of improvement on some tiny technical thing. As game designers know, it’s frequent but random little moments of mild reward that keep us hooked.
Play no music! Just drills! For however long. Eventually, you’ll want to play tunes again, and when you do, your chops will not have rotted during your layoff.
Well that’s what works for me, ‘cos of how i’m configured. I ain’t seen your wiring diagram, so this may be terrible advice.
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https://sites.google.com/site/obscureflamencology/
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Date Oct. 7 2018 9:42:08
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Mark2
Posts: 1871
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
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RE: Loss of motivation, what to do. (in reply to Leñador)
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It might be helpful to focus and what it is you'd like to accomplish in flamenco and also what it was that first attracted you to it. For me, the thing that is most lacking in non Spanish players is technique. That is the elephant in the room. It may be impossible for many of us to reach the technical level of an average native player, and I think that is a wall many people have had to face. How you deal with it can make all the difference.
Regarding different styles, many of us came to flamenco from other styles, which we may have more experience with, and having started at an earlier age, have a higher level than we do in flamenco. This is also something one has to come to grips with. Do you want to play with better musicians playing a style you are better at, or would you prefer to play with less skilled people in the style you enjoy more? That is a tough one I've grappled with. Recently I've been playing with some great musicians but playing music I find less satisfying than flamenco. There is something cool about being around life long players who never gave it up despite the ups and downs of their music careers. I can tell myself I belong in this company of pros, but the reality is my flamenco skills don't measure up to the same level of flamenco players.
Super frustrating, but it hasn't stopped me from trying to improve my flamenco technique. And I really don't care if I ever perform in a flamenco company again. Too much downtime, too much dancer BS, too little money. I guess I burned out on the local scene years ago, but I still play guitar almost daily, mostly flamenco, and the goal is only to enjoy myself and improve. Going to see Vicente this week, and this time I'm leaving the wife at home. I just want to sit there and let the music flow into my body, feel the compas, hear the humanity in the cante, marvel at the artistry, and be inspired. I think it's going to work.
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Date Oct. 7 2018 18:46:53
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Miguel de Maria
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
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RE: Loss of motivation, what to do. (in reply to Mark2)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Mark2
It might be helpful to focus and what it is you'd like to accomplish in flamenco and also what it was that first attracted you to it. For me, the thing that is most lacking in non Spanish players is technique. That is the elephant in the room. It may be impossible for many of us to reach the technical level of an average native player, and I think that is a wall many people have had to face. How you deal with it can make all the difference.
I can really identify with this. What attracted me to flamenco, besides the exotic sound, was the fabulous technique, and I when I struggled to develop the virtuoso skills I loved so much, found myself getting frustrated. I guess that's one problem if your "gateway drug" is solo guitarra CDs. And you may be talking more about the ability to internalize compas, and I didn't do so great at that either. :) I didn't find any teachers here who could help me, either--maybe that would have helped. There are only a couple people in town (Phoenix) who have the chops, and the rest of us kind of hack away at it and do the best we can. For me, I ended up dabbling with and learning other styles as I wished, though I maybe none with as much intensity as flamenco.
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Connect with me on Facebook, all the cool kids are doing it.
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Arizona Wedding Music Guitar
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Date Oct. 11 2018 7:26:32
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