I should be shot.

[Mr. Loar]

I haven't picked up the mandolin in four days.

[Austin Koerner]

why not?

[jefflester]

Too busy hanging out on the internet.

[kudzuklunker]

On that subject! Am I the only one who looses interest and puts it down for awhile? Some time motovation just ain't there! When I do pick it up again, I can't put it down for days. What do we do to keep motivated?

[chip]

Desire..

[Gutbucket]

Where's the fire burning within? Well sometimes it flickers and almost blows out.

[ApK]

On that subject! Am I the only one who looses interest and puts it down for awhile? Some time motovation just ain't there! When I do pick it up again, I can't put it down for days. What do we do to keep motivated?

Find people to play with.

I have a monthly guitar jam, but the mando and fiddle rarely make an appearance. I played a little fiddle with one the guitar players this past weekend and REALLY enjoyed it. Made me want to practice more. Same thing happened when I got play some mando with my BIL a while back, but it eventually wore off and the mando sees a lot of case time.

So who wants to jam?

ApK

P.S. If Mr. Loar gets shot, who gets his mando?

[Bill Snyder]

I will go months without picking it up. I think during the last several weeks though I have played some just about everyday. My fingertips can tell the difference.
I chime in on threads frequently, but almost never (maybe never) on questions about playing.

[Austin Koerner]

when I feel unmotivated, I usually watch videos (of people playing mandolin), go to jams and just listen, or read about stuff on here.

[tkdboyd]

I haven't been able to play for almost two weeks...thank God(and chemists) for modern pharmaceuticals!

[Chris Biorkman]

I haven't played for a few days and it's really bothering me, but my wife and baby are going to be gone for three days starting Friday and I plan on doing just about nothing else during that time.

[CES]

I go through spurts where I really focus on either the mando, guitar, or (shame, shame) banjo and will only intermittently pick up the other two. WHen I'm really motivated and can make the time, I'll practice 2 a day and alternate which two. Especially when I work on the same songs with different instruments this can be productive, but I've been trying to make myself focus primarily on the mando of late...guitar is hard to give up b/c it's just easy to pull out and play/sing with friends who may or may not play and/or sing (but can be convinced when appropriate "inhibition inhibitors" are applied . Wife's still trying to convince me to sell the banjo, even to the point of resorting to saying I should trade it in for an electric mando...she's good, I tell ya, good. But, I haven't cracked yet!

Don't worry about it. Breaks, provided they don't drag on for too long, can be really productive and actually sharpen your focus when you come back...

[powercat]

I have just been too tired when I finally have time to practice.(3 kids, 8 and under). Sometimes it is motivational too. I'm a perfectionist, and my mandolin playing is way below perfect...perfectly bad sometimes...so I just don't feel like playing...I totally understand.

[JEStanek]

Is this how you make your living? If not, play when you feel motivated and take your time off when you need it. If playing is a hobby or outlet for you don't make it a job or competition. That said, I always find listening to a favorite recording a useful nudge back to the woodshed.

Jamie

[Rick Schmidlin]

I pick up mine with coffee in morning and play a closing number at night. This keep each day perfect for me and I am moving on. The Meer book is a new #event in my life. Also I still play a least three hours a day and have for the last three and a half years. Except a few Winters back when I taught skiing and was burnt out at night.

[bgjunkie]

I find that all my instruments (guitar, fiddle and mandolin) get neglected when I am not playing with other people often enough. I tend to get in a rut with my playing when I am not working on new tunes or old ones in an effort to play with (or for) other people. My mandolin has seen only a couple of hours playing in a few weeks.

[Mandolusional]

It happens, life happens, and priorities happen. Like inspiration, dedication can ebb and flow. The topic title seems pointlessly extreme to me. Missing a few days, weeks, months, or even years doesn't merit punishment or make someone a bad person. It just happens.

[MikeEdgerton]

This is starting to sound like mandoholics anonymous people....

[Jim MacDaniel]

I pick up mine with coffee in morning and play a closing number at night...

That's a great idea, making the mandolin part of some of our daily rituals! I think I'll try that with an upbeat tune first thing in the morning to supplement my caffiene buzz, and something more mellow and introspective in the evening for relaxing at bedtime.

[John Flynn]

Find music to play that compels you to play. That is not as simple as it sounds. It may not be the kind of music you think you should want to play or the kind of music you most like to listen to right now. When I first got into old-time (and this is just my example, it may be something else for you), I had never even heard of the genre, but I was hooked right away. For about five years, I could not go a day without playing it. Now I still like old-time, but I am looking for my next musical addiction and I know it's out there. But I can't complain about the fact that just discovering a genre of music bought me five years of motivation!

As far as being able to play every day, I have a whole array of options that allow me to always have a mandolin to play. I have a couple of beaters I can keep at remote locations where I travel frequently. I also have Risa Mando that packs in my suitcase. I even had a beater mando with me when I was in the hospital a couple of years ago. Portability is one great thing about mandolins.

[JeffD]

Do you folks mean that you haven't picked up the mandolin, but you have picked up the guitar or banjo or bassaclarasaxaviatrombophone?

Or do you mean you haven't picked up an instrument?

I often go to my fiddle, or tenor guitar, but I rarely go a day without playing something. And those days I am probably pretty grumpy.

[mdlorenz]

Maybe I've made up for you. I had a recording session friday for 6 hrs, a gig on sat for 4 hrs. played on sun for about 5, monday for 3, & had band rehearsal yesterday for about 2. I do go days where I hardly pick her up though. Then I'll get inspired by something & won't put her down.

[fredfrank]

Maybe I've made up for you. I had a recording session friday for 6 hrs, a gig on sat for 4 hrs. played on sun for about 5, monday for 3, & had band rehearsal yesterday for about 2. # I do go days where I hardly pick her up though. Then I'll get inspired by something & won't put her down.

Sounds like you're starting to taper off!

I do like a routine that includes playing with my morning coffee and the time just before my wife gets home from work in the evening.

I rush home and race through the latest posts on the Cafe, make a few wise cracks, and go play the mando or banjo for a while.

[lovethemf5s]

I'll play a lot every day for weeks then I may feel I'm getting bogged down and not making much progress. When that happens I'll put it away for a couple of days and when I start playing again it's almost like waking from a refreshing sleep. My timing is better and the music just makes more sense.

[birdman98]

As Nike would say...JUST DO IT.

I have those tired nights where I just don't feel like picking the thing up. But I grab it anyway, strum a chord, pick a melody and I'm off.

Two hours later I don't want to put it down.