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Life Getting In The Way

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(@grungesunset)
Honorable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 342
Topic starter  

I remember the days when I was single, childless and jobless I could play guitar all day. I didn't but still managed 1 to 2 hours a day. Between a job at Apple where 50 to 55 hour work weeks are the norm and my daughter taking up the rest of it, the last thing I want to do is play guitar. When I first had my car accident, I thought about getting a new guitar when my case finally settled. Now my thoughts are getting a MacBook Pro, down payment on a house etc. Part of me still wants a 7 string guitar though.

I played for my daughter a few times. She's figured out how to strum the strings though her fingers aren't strong enough to strum them. I haven't gone completely rusty. I know how to strum, know my way around a fret board and still know my chords. I've forgotten a lot of the songs I used to know though.

I guess my question in all this is, does the interest come back and does anyone want to buy me a 7 string?

"In what, twisted universe does mastering Eddie Van Halen's two handed arpeggio technique count as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?!" - Dr Gregory House


   
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(@alangreen)
Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5342
 

Your interest clearly hasn't gone away.

What has got in the way, though, is important stuff. But, one day, you'll find the desire to pick up and play and spend some time working at it. That day won't be today, it won't be tomorrow either, it might not even be until a year or two down the line, but it will come.

You're still going to have to buy your own 7-string. That'll never change.

"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk


   
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(@moonrider)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1305
 

I guess my question in all this is, does the interest come back and does anyone want to buy me a 7 string?

The interest never goes away. Mines lasted through three kids and 35 years of marriage and career. Now I'm chasing a dream ;)

You on Facebook? Friend the fat guy with the white Tele in the band below.

Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.

Moondawgs on Reverbnation


   
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(@s1120)
Prominent Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 848
 

Does the intrest go away? Well being your hear asking I say no... it hasnt. :) I know the life getting in the way thing. I have two younger children.. 6 and 10.. and they sure fill a day!! I normaly still get a hour or so, most days a week to pick it up.... but sometimes that doesnt happan. Frankly the last month, with Christmas, sickness, the kids, and all the school events... OH MAN!!!! I forgot what end of the guitar to hold up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hang in there... and play when you can. Itll come back to you.

Paul B


   
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(@danlasley)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2118
 

There are only so many hours in a day, and family comes first. However, you've already started to introduce your daughter to music, and perhaps someday she'll play along with you. In the mean time, you may be in a bit of an "acoustic" phase of your life. Just go with it. Your life will change continuously, but music can always be a part of it.


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 10264
 

Nice to hear from you, GS. Been a bad year for me.... and that's an understatement. Worst year of my life would be nearer to the truth. But.....I still keep on keepin' on, as the old soul song says (who was that? any one know? I've a feeling it may have been Sam and dave, or maybe Wilson Pickett?) and that's what you have to do. Hardly touched a guitar last year....most of my musical equipment has been sold off to pay bills. All I've got left is the Squier Custom Tele and the worst amp ever created in the history of amps....cost me £10 in a junk shop, and boy, was it over priced.

But - am I downhearted? Well, yes, probably still feeling my loss. Will things get better? Hell, yes, they always do. There are times in my life I've felt low - but I never hit rock bottom till earlier this year. Umm, last year - March 9th, 2012, to be exact. Things haven't got a lot better since, but they can't get any worse.

Little steps - day by day - things are getting better. Not much, but anything's an improvement from absolute rock bottom. And they'll keep on getting better throughout the year....hey, I've always been an optimist. While one person's glass is half full, and another's is half empty....while they're arguing over it, I've emptied the glasses and one of them has to get the next round in!

First day of the year, I've already got a couple of hours practice in....I aim to do the same EVERY day this year. More, if possible, when the fingertips get back to being hard as rock....now if I could just clear my mind and get back to writing songs... I used to be reasonably good at that. Not lately - but, optimistically speaking, it's time for a comeback. hey, Sinatra did it more than once....

Oh well.....all the best, GS, to you and your daughter. Hope this year's a good one for both of you.

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@unimogbert)
Estimable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 174
 

I put my guitar aside for 20 years following college.

Navy, marriage, new job, outdoors activities all were more important to me at the time.

But when I came back to it, the internet , electronic TAB, forums and 1000% more resources were available.
Made lots of progress in a short time on as little as 15 minutes a day.

Life happens. Do the important stuff first. Come back to guitar when you're ready. You'll remember a lot (but will have to rebuild your callouses)

Unimogbert
(indeterminate, er, intermediate fingerstyle acoustic)


   
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(@mattearlycom)
New Member
Joined: 11 years ago
Posts: 1
 

continue to play for your daughter... the love will come back :D


   
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(@ghost)
Prominent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 815
 

The need to play guitar still burns in you. It'll always be there. When you get the time pick it up and strum it a little. In no time it'll all come flooding back into you. You'll be playing Smells Like Teen Spirit once again. :D

Back in 2011 during the summer I took all my gear into the local guitar store to sell because I thought I was done myself and was going to just listen to my records, CDs, or mp3 player for now on. What happened is I fell in love with an American Standard pearl white Fender Strat and been playing ever since. Of course now I'm in debt and have a girlfriend that wants to get an apartment and have been selling my collections and whatnots off since then. My new gear isn't part of it. The girlfriend has 2 of my guitars for the time being since I can't afford to buy her one. Don't see why she can't buy her own. :roll:

"If I had a time machine, I'd go back and tell me to practise that bloody guitar!" -Vic Lewis

Everything is 42..... again.


   
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(@grungesunset)
Honorable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 342
Topic starter  

Nice to hear from you, GS. Been a bad year for me.... and that's an understatement. Worst year of my life would be nearer to the truth. But.....I still keep on keepin' on, as the old soul song says (who was that? any one know? I've a feeling it may have been Sam and dave, or maybe Wilson Pickett?) and that's what you have to do. Hardly touched a guitar last year....most of my musical equipment has been sold off to pay bills. All I've got left is the Squier Custom Tele and the worst amp ever created in the history of amps....cost me £10 in a junk shop, and boy, was it over priced.

But - am I downhearted? Well, yes, probably still feeling my loss. Will things get better? Hell, yes, they always do. There are times in my life I've felt low - but I never hit rock bottom till earlier this year. Umm, last year - March 9th, 2012, to be exact. Things haven't got a lot better since, but they can't get any worse.

Little steps - day by day - things are getting better. Not much, but anything's an improvement from absolute rock bottom. And they'll keep on getting better throughout the year....hey, I've always been an optimist. While one person's glass is half full, and another's is half empty....while they're arguing over it, I've emptied the glasses and one of them has to get the next round in!

First day of the year, I've already got a couple of hours practice in....I aim to do the same EVERY day this year. More, if possible, when the fingertips get back to being hard as rock....now if I could just clear my mind and get back to writing songs... I used to be reasonably good at that. Not lately - but, optimistically speaking, it's time for a comeback. hey, Sinatra did it more than once....

Oh well.....all the best, GS, to you and your daughter. Hope this year's a good one for both of you.

:D :D :D

Vic

Sorry to hear things aren't going well. Glad to hear your spirits are up though. I've been in debt since the car accident so I know what it's like. I sold my firebird. Not so much that I needed the money but I was offered $400 for it and didn't play it. He originally wanted my LP and Jag but they weren't and still aren't for sale.

Your amp sounds like the first one I ever owned. Awful dull clean tone, no dirty tone. It was tough though. It could survive a nuclear blast and still work. If the apocalypse comes, take shelter behind the amp!

"In what, twisted universe does mastering Eddie Van Halen's two handed arpeggio technique count as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?!" - Dr Gregory House


   
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(@threegtrz)
Estimable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 105
 

Hey!

I sold every stick of musical equipment I had when our first son was born. I didn't even try to get fair market value, just went down to the pawn shop and took what they offered. I thought I was retired and would never look back.

Little did I know, my perspective would change as I aged. For a few years, I was too busy with life, scouts, teacher conferences and little league to get back into it. But my taste in music began to change; and as I heard different songs, I wondered how cool it would be to learn them. When my wife and I would go out and see a live band, I hated them because I wanted to be up there.

My wife got me a beautiful 12-string acoustic for Christmas one year and I dabbled in that, but I was still way too busy.

Finally. right after I turned 40, I got a cheap strat knock-off and a tiny amp with a button for fuzz tone. Man, I never looked back after that. Our sons were getting too busy for their folks and I had time on my hands. What was really cool was that my older brain had calmed me down and I was actually hearing the music better and was not only learning new styles of music, but playing my old favorites much better than I did before!

12 years later, I'm leading a band and I have six guitars and a mandolin.

What's great about musical talent versus being something like an athlete, is that you will be able to do this almost your entire life! Your interest will never go away!


   
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(@rahul)
Famed Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 2736
 

I remember that time OWA. It rocked. And now I also feel the tension of future freaking me out (I couldn't use the F-word lol).

Carpediem is all I can say for you and more so for myself!

:D


   
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