stuck in a rut

[albeham]

I feel lately that I am stuck in a rut anybody got some ideas on how to get out of it ?
Thanks
Al

[davidtoc]

Have you tried taking a break? When I first played banjo, I practiced a couple hours a day and I never missed a day for almost 2 years. Then I went on vacation where I couldn't take a banjo (I know, hard to imagine there are places that don't allow banjos, right?). It was a whole week without playing. When I got back, when I picked up my banjo again, everything seemed fresher and I actually felt like a better player.

Other things I've done were turning the metronome to a much lower tempo, and forcing myself to practice at that speed, no faster, no matter how badly I wanted to. It can be very meditative, and I discovered all sorts of things I thought I could play fine but actually couldn't at a slower speed, so I praticed them super slow and fixed them up.

And try switching to a different genre of music than you normally play (Bluegrass, Irish, Classical, etc.). Learn a new tune in that genre every week. I discovered a whole new world of music that way and found myself more motivated to play again.


dave

[Mark Wilson]

Try and find a way to go watch someone play mandolin thats pretty good. Watching someone else play that knows what they are doing always seems to recharge my desire to keep at it. Local band with a mandolin player or a jam where there a good or even decent players is all it takes to get me motivated.

Try and take up a technique or skill that you've never attempted. Not too long ago I was bored with nightly practice and decide to take on crosspicking patterns and nothing else for a while. When I came back to my normal practice studies it seemed fresh again.

[farmerjones]

Do you, jam regularly?
, attend festivals?
, play professionally?
, take master classes?
, play more than one instrument?

[Marc Ferry]

I second what others have said about trying something new. Try a different style of playing, or a different genre completely. Try singing with your mando, if you aren't already.

[Pete Counter]

I asked that to Victor Wooten once and he said "Anything you push against hard enough will eventually push back, take a break, pick up a different instrument, indulge in other hobbys for awhile and when you come back, it will probly be fresh"

[JeffD]

Try something vaguely uncomfortable. Try playing in an alternate tuning. Or pick a tune you can play in first position and learn it up the neck or without open strings, or practice noodling with the fifth fret as your home base. Try learning some pop tune that you hate, so that you can destroy it later.

Just something that makes the whole enterprise seem new again.

[Iron]

This is an interesting thread, after practicing regularly for well over a year I just don't feel like playing my mandolins the last few days, pick one up in the evening and run a few scales maybe, hopefully I will get outa this rut have no idea why ?

[bayAreaDude]

I can get bored unless I'm learning or have just learned a new tune.

[farmerjones]

Try something vaguely uncomfortable.

Yes, indeed. Like a always say, "You can't throw yourself a curve." So consequently, if you're not either jamming, taking lesson, or somehow interacting with others you are short changing your musical existence.

Yes, I have been musically bored. But not since I started playing with others. Now, when I practice it's more effective because I have an idea of how, what I do fits in the musical stew. WORSE, I can strategize on new and different ways to fit within the strata, for the next round.

[bart mcneil]

What I do is set challenges for myself. Like "I want to be an expert at tremolo and focus on that using it in most of the tunes I have learned and of course adding some tunes. Another would be improving pick holding position.

Build a kit mando... that inspired me big time

Read "Building a Bluegrass Mandolin" A great source of inspiration and understanding.

Buy a damaged but decent brand mando on eBay or Craigs list and fix it up to playability. This can be a real inspiration.

If you are into bluegrass focus on another style playing. Celtic or blues or American folk.

In my case I refuse to stop for any length of time for fear of losing my interest and my callouses. Certainly mando playing can become boring.... But only if you allow it to.

I tell people "I never practice." And to some degree that is true... I have never been able to stand practice of scales, etc. To me that is incredibly boring. But I play an awful lot. In fact my wife accuses me of only knowing one tune. But I learn by repetition and in fact it is a form of practice but it is concrete, not abstract like scales are.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Dave - I wish i had a £ (UK) for every time that's happened to me. A break from playing can be a real refresher. On the other hand, as i found out yesterday,jamming along with a few YouTube vids of ''not really Bluegrass'' tunes played by Greensky Bluegrass was quite an experience. It sort of takes you out of 'known territory', you're playing by the seat of your pants & you have to listen carefully to what's going on to follow the tune. For me that's a whole lot better than plugging away at the same old stuff over & over,although at times,that also needs to be done.So,either a complete break or divert to 'something new'. Early on,i found just chopping away to tunes by my all time favourite band of any sort, ever - ''Eagles'',was great fun,
Ivan

[Pasha Alden]

When I feel somewhat stuck in the old rut I do one of the following:
a) Take a break;
b) Immerse myself with music, this as source of inspiration: not necessarily mandolin music, any style I envisage myself playing; I start with something easy. I listen and often that gets me to pick up the mandolin again and play around. Often I actually find the style that inspires me, e.g. my present work with double stops. They tested my confidence and made me feel stuck. Have tried some and they are coming good.
I think the trick is not to get too rigid or hung up on one's playing. It must always be fun.
c) I set a goal for a specific aspect or style of playing, not a rigid one, or no deadline, just a goal to start working on a certain aspect of playing; Often when I begin to make progress with that I also find that encouraging.


Good luck with climbing out of that rut!

[Pete Martin]

Obtaining new ideas is often very inspiring for getting out of a playing funk.

I think the best way to do this is transcribe and learn a solo from your favorite player. Do this and you'll get a LOT of new ideas.

[mandocrucian]

Well, there are various degrees of "in a rut" leading to various forms/degrees of burn-out (from "burned out on mando", to "just sick of music in general" all the way to"instrument collection for sale".

Depending on the increasing severity of "rut":

• start playing another instrument (other than mando family, or one with strings tuned in 5ths)
• start playing a non-stringed instrument

The deeper your rut/apathy, the further and further you need to get away from the mechanics and familiarity/habits of stringed instrument fretting and plectrum/fingerpicking. (well, you could start learning to play left-handed) (Going to a different musical genre(s) is OK, but, I'd already been at multiple genres for many many, years, and I needed something a lot more drastic)

.....meaning..... keyboards, drums, wind/brass instruments. (harmonica and/or tin whistle are your least expensive options for the last category if can't borrow something from someone).

(the regular metal) Concert flute was one instrument which was as far away from mandos that I could get, plus, I had always wanted to play one (Tull, Traffic, Irish etc. ...but don't go for that prissy classical sound at all). Still at it, even though I've gottren back to playing a fair amount of mando (band work) the last year+half. Probably put in much more "practice" time on flute, and have been using it just as much for writing new material/tunes. Wish my (flute) chops were further along so I could use/play it onstage as much as mando or electrics.

NH

[Phil Goodson]

Yep, all good advice. I recently bought an upright bass and started learning. Talk about shifting gears!!! It sure doesn't fit behind my driver's seat when I go to a jam!!

[Bill Bradshaw]

Guess I'd add; make sure you are playing with people that inspire and help you to get better. There are lots of pickers who are more about "look at me" than anything you do or want to do, that can be a deep rut. Or maybe the local jam has just gotten stale. Maybe find some new folks to pick with for a while.

Bill

[paulspafford]

Some things that I do weekly:

1. I'm practicing weekly with a band of people who are all bringing original songs into the mix. That tends to switch things up a lot. They keep thinking they have to throw in weird chords to avoid being predictable or mainstream.

2. Attend a weekly jam session. It has a large variety of people who attend from one week to the next. That throws some variety at me.

3. Play solo at an open stage. I don't mean sitting there playing fiddle tunes. Sing folk songs while chording along on mando. It's a much better instrument for this type of thing than you think. Mixing in chording with fill, and adding the odd solo into your song is a great challenge. During the fill and solos I use as many double-stops as possible, to make sure it doesn't sound empty when I've stopped chording.

That's three nights of the week for me. The rest of the nights are spent preparing for this stuff, and general practicing. It keeps me scrambling - which is usually a good thing.

[albeham]

Wow. A lot to think about. Thank to all. This does help.
Albeham

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well,i followed my own advice yesterday & jammed along ('jammed up' might be more appropriate) with a few Greensky Bluegrass songs - there's some really sneaky chords in their songs & if you think that you've got a good ear for the way a chord progression is going - think again !. Their stuff is a long step away from Bluegrass 'proper',but it's good fun to try your hand on,
Ivan