Passion for Music

[TheNaivePicker]

Latley noticing How I hardly ever pick up my mando anymore, nor listen to my Dawg or Thile tunes. I became concerned, REALLY Concernd. I found more people who just simply have Lost their whole music abbility, if you will.
Im Sure you'll eventually get it back, but Is There a cause for this weird thing?! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[steve in tampa]

It comes and goes! Sounds like you need a jump start. Attend a festival soon! Nothing better that seeing the best go at it on stage, and the opportunity to chat with them afterwards!

[John Flynn]

The way to deal with burnout in any field of endeavor is to make a major change. I had a bad case of what you describe a couple of years ago. I got a new instructor and jumped into a completely different kind of music than I had been playing. In my case, I got into old-time string band music, but it could have just as easily been blues, jazz or classical. I got into it totally and was completely re-energized by the change. I have nothing agaist the big name "mando-celebrities," or the kind of music they make, but there is a whole world of great music out there that you never hear the celebs play and a whole world of great mando players out there to listen to that will never be "household names." I am two years into this change of direction now, still going strong and enjoying playing more than I ever have.

[Damnation Gulch]

I've been playing guitar since I was ten so for me its always been a love hate thing. I hear about folks that practice every day and I dont know if I admire that or not. Probobly the longest I've gone without playing anything is a week, but thats why I enjoy collecting different stringed instruments. Some days I feel like playing my acoustic, some days sitar, mando, dulcimer...whatever. There was a time when I told someone I was going to quit playing guitar and just play mando, but as Ron White would say "I was wrong" #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif .

Women have come and gone from my life, my guitar has always been there.

Simple little things can inspire me, like right now my quest for Dawg picks or finding out Gov't Mule's "Dose" is available on LP...all these things make me want to play. I cant even begin to think how I'll feel after a 24 hour greyhound bus trip to see Mutal Admiration Society in LA #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[JGWoods]

I admire folks who can play the same instrument every day and never lose interest. I am not one of them. At one point I quit for 10 years, and I regret it now no end because even though I can say I started playing in the 60s, my playing doesn't show 40 years of work, more like 25 or so.

Then too I couldn't stick to one instrument, so I started on guitar, went to banjo, then on to mando and fiddle. Now I divide my time among them and have become average at everything, good at none. BUT, I keep playing and growing and loving it. If I live to be 100 I'll be pretty good on a lot of instrumnents, and if not, its a great passtime- homemade music is the best.

If the urge to play is gone- listen to some new music. Go on a quest for some new favorite tunes, soon you will be wanting to play them. Don't quit, make some changes. Buy a new mando http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

enjoy
gw

[TheNaivePicker]

Well thanks everyone for the Advice and Stories.
..Taking a break from the Mando for about a Week, yesturday I spent the whole day listening to all my Cds, Thile and Dawg, my two favorites, and because we were out Driving around the Mountians it made me really Want to play my mando badly. So When I got home I picked it up and Ive been playing all day today..lol. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Im also Trying to teach myself Chris Thile's "The Lament for Dewayne Pomeroy" I figured maybe I just lost the Music passion because I was getting tired of playing the same songs over and over.

DG, I also have a quest for Dawg Picks http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif Im surfing around ebay as I type http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

..and I would go see Live music if I knew any of the bands playing localy... Theres a Bluegrass/Celtic/Folk fest In town next week... its free, so I might go.
AND I WOULD KILL To go see Nickel Creek, (so look out DG,lol) They'll be in Portland and Seattle, AGAIN. Ive never seen em, ever.
Thanks people!!

PS: Browsing around the Cafe helps alot too!

[Damnation Gulch]

Ordered mine from here today:

http://www.musixnow.com/Dawg%20picks.html

Davids got them for sale on his site but I dont want a whole dozen before tryin em out.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYBODY #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif#http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif <-Beer

[dixiecreek]

I went through the same feeling awhile back. I just had no desire to play my mando or my banjo. Usually when I feel that way I just go to a concert, get myself inspired, and come home absolutely CRAVING my mando, but this particular time, even seeing Nickel Creek (which I do a lot, hehe) didn't do the trick. So I just took a break from mando and told myself I would not play mando or even listen to country or bluegrass music for 7 days... and at the end of the week, I wanted to play soooo badly, and I was cured, hehe...