For me, I continually watch and listen to new music and guitarists - If i practice the same things over and over and over every day, I will slowly lose interest in playing. Often I find that when i learn something half decent but hit a wall, if i come back to it in 6 months, I can break through that wall easier. It’s all about fresh perspective, every day.
Even if all I do is watch some YT videos from guitar channels i follow, that can be enough inspiration on a busy day. How about you all? What keeps the inspiration flowing?
Keep guitars out in places you are, have a loop pedal.
I’ve been playing for 30 years. Aside from a few slow weeks here and there, I pick up the guitar pretty much daily. I keep an acoustic upstairs by the TV and an electric setup with a loop station and some pedals in the basement. Having one in sight and close is very helpful. But honestly to create sound is really what keeps me coming back. Every time I sit down to play, I try to make something new. I’ll lay down a new loop and then improvise over it. Sometimes it’s mediocre and sometimes I hit something that is very inspiring. It almost feels out of my control.
I don’t have a real objective for guitar any more. No career goals, no performing. Mostly just making stuff up and occasionally learning a song on the acoustic. Of all the things I do, it provides the deepest satisfaction.
Keep guitars out in places you are, have a loop pedal.
I’ve been playing for 30 years. Aside from a few slow weeks here and there, I pick up the guitar pretty much daily. I keep an acoustic upstairs by the TV and an electric setup with a loop station and some pedals in the basement. Having one in sight and close is very helpful. But honestly to create sound is really what keeps me coming back. Every time I sit down to play, I try to make something new. I’ll lay down a new loop and then improvise over it. Sometimes it’s mediocre and sometimes I hit something that is very inspiring. It almost feels out of my control.
I don’t have a real objective for guitar any more. No career goals, no performing. Mostly just making stuff up and occasionally learning a song on the acoustic. Of all the things I do, it provides the deepest satisfaction.
Therapy, fun, self improvement, creativity. I like to write stuff.
At the end of the day, music is kind of a spiritual practice for me in a way. I may be a mediocre player, but I’m the best when I’m playing, cause IM PLAYING.
Nothing gets me more right in the head than opening a beer and rocking out. Sometimes I have to forego the beer but I still like pretending I’m playing a show. I’ll warm up with some covers but then go through the stuff I’ve written, I’ve never played these riffs or songs live but that’s okay, It’s really just for me. I really just play and write as a hobby.
Yeah, agree that YouTube is a good motivator. I’m subscribed to a load of music channels and more often than not they’re doing something cool, or something I’ve never tried. There is a lot of “Oooh cool, I want to do that” and somehow I never get bored that way. “Practice” is a word that fills me with dread and the idea of endlessly playing scales, but YouTube pushing me to do things that are hard but interesting doesn’t feel like practice (even though it is).
For me it’s honestly the pressure to perform adequately at the next gig, I found that I do not have enough intrinsic motivation to practice regularly.
gigging regularly is a great motivator for sure.
It used to be not embarrassing myself at the next rehearsal, but nowadays a big motivator is setting a good example for my kid and showing him the value of putting in the work to get results.
My motivation is simple and carefree: I play when I enjoy it.
Honestly it’s the silliest thing. I like just the tactile sensation of the strings under my fingers. Also I think that guitars just look really cool, so I just gravitate towards picking one up whenever I get a free moment in the apartment. This is why my guitar lives right next to my desk so I can see it and remember to play it frequently.
Agreed, having a guitar close and at the ready is like 80% of the battle as to whether I decide to play for a few minutes or not
I really do just enjoy playing. On the rare days that I don’t want to play, I play anyway because I know that one day soon I’ll like it again and I’ll regret it if I’m at all unpracticed or didn’t make any progress.
