Any musicians out there hit a wall?

[speed]

Any musicians feel they have hit a wall; ie they can go further with their talent- or they no longer have the willpower or ambition to get better?

I am a drummer(or was), I can play piano as well. Anyhow, for whatever reason I gave up drums when i was like 17 years old, and then decided to pick them up again more than a year ago. I decided to quit altogether a few months ago. I just thought i wasnt progressing, nor did i have the will power to spend more time practicing. I am not however totally content with my decision, as i would like to still make music, but i have too many other interests and no enough natural talent.

I was wondering if anyone else had this experience, and perhaps would like to discuss their broken dreams?

 

[NocturnalSun]

I have something like that. I am still an active musician, but I really can't go anywhere due to where I am. I'm in a town where most metal is unappreciated, unsupported, and as such I can't find any musicians here to form a band with. I'm at a dead end as far as forming a band goes, I obviously need to get out of my city, but I still make songs as an independent guitarist/songwriter. check the link in my sig. But yea, i see what you mean a little bit.

It's like... I'm at a dead standstill till I get out...

 

[Degenerate Machinery]

fuck "natural talent" . I don't have it and many others dont as well, but you know what i keep practicing and i keep playing. Even when I think i've hit a wall i'll still keep going. I'd be cheating myself if i didnt keep trying. I think it's stupid just to give up, it's rather pointless to keep practicing and jamming for a few years only to give up because you think you've hit a wall. keep playing man...

 

[yabba]

have fun. period. end of story. as far as music goes nothing else matters.

 

[anonymousnick2001]

I'm competent as drumming goes. However, the true competition is in drumming jazz. Until I am the local jazz master, I have something to live for.

And I also play viola, and classical music always requires you to be better, either at tone, or speed, or injecting emotion or developing style. Although there's only so much a bowed string instrument can do, the endless limits are applied to the instrumentalists themselves.

 

[Life Sucks]

Yes. I play guitar (switched over from bass at the end of high school). I'm been playing a lot on and off throughout the years since (I am 26 now) and have gotten to be decent. But I am not as good as I want to be. There are still songs I have trouble playing, and I wish I knew theory better so I can be even better at songwriting. I would really need to play a lot more to get better, but I simply don't have the time since I am in grad school and work 12 hours a week, the only reason I have more time now is because it is winter break. Though I really want to get better, I sometimes think that it would be pointless, since I will never be in a band that is singned and plays gigs. Now I resigned myself to modest goals. There are a couple songs I have written that I would like to record (a friend has his own studio), doing guitar, bass, vocals, and using my drum machine. I would like to keep writing and recording songs, but I guess there is no need for me to be a really good guitar player. It is kind of depressing when I think about it, but that's life.

 

[MasterOLightning]

I'm 18 and I play drums. My dreams have also been crushed. *sigh* I play jazz drums at school, but I'm not great. There's this festival for a bunch of high schools every year, and some of the drummers are so good it puts me to shame. On one hand, I want to get that good, but I know I never will, so it just ends up being disheartening. I've never been great at rock drumming, and I guess once I graduate this year, I won't play anymore. I could never be in a band, because if the other guys were any good they'd just kick me out after a while. I don't suck, but I'm not great. It just sucks that I've been playing some form of drums for 8 or 9 years, and I've never had the dedication to get really good. *sigh again* So I guess it's just my fault.

 

[Heavy Metal Fantasy]

I am only the girlfriend (10 years +) of an awesome guitarist but I hear what you are saying. I have seen the in's & out's of a lot of "stuff" while sitting on the sidelines. May I suggest that you DON'T give up IF it's what your really want to do! My boyfriend pretty much stopped playing after the band he was in got signed, put out a CD, then abruptly broke up a few months later (if that). He figured that's IT, he's tired of trying for so many years (playing since 15) to make it. I tell him so often not to stop playing, he was at his happiest when he was playing just for fun or in a band. And due to him stopping his talent has "slowed" down. He's VERY talented which the last band he was in did not allow him to show his talents off the why they could have been used. Every one just needs to find the "right" people. Get together with some others & see what happens! It won't hurt to try!! He's told me it's VERY different playing alone, compared to playing in a band. SO MY POINT BEING, is if you stop NOW, you may never get to were you are wanting to go! There will always be someone better & there will always be someone worse. (Hell, I know that myself in the art world!)

BUT that's just ONE veiw from the sidelines of rock n' roll!

Oh-Yeah...Don't forget there are always those Guitar - vocal - bass(I think) & drum workshops that you can go too. I have heard of alot of great musicians attending/running!

~Rock On & Do It Rock Hard~

 

[speed]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone, but I am no longer entertaining any notions of even getting back into a band. Ill still play every once in while, to keep my skills up.

I should add that one other reason i gave it up, was because of school and work etc.

I was just wondering how many other posters on the board had coe to that point in their lives when they decided to give up the metal dream and pursue other interests, or become a functional member of society( something I am loathe to do).

whomever said its not all about talent, well i agree alot of practice can make one an excellent musician, not a great or innovative one however.

 

[prince_of_darkness54321]

i recently have stopped playing guitar (im a guitarist by the way) simply because i ahve other things to do, and yes i do wish i would play more, but if i dont want to, wats the point? im a strong beliver tht u should start making music if u want to, not, for instance, to get rich and famous, u should play cos u enjoy playing, so basically all i am sayiong is weather u play twice a day or twice a year, it doesnt matter, as long as u enjoy wat u do, and as for natural talent, fuk it, it doenst matter how good u are, its how much u love playing, i meen if u love to play in ur room alone, do tht, but if u would love to join/form a band and play arenas, try and do tht

to the guy, nocternal something (sorry mate, cant rember ur name), i am the same, not many metallers in my town, even less metal msucians, so all i can sya is if ur serious about it, want to do it as a carrer, move to a city where all the record producers live!! or where theirs alot of live pubs, cos those are the places where uve got the most chance, as for other musicans all u can do is search everywhere, papers, shop window, and of course the good old internet, just keep trying

 

[SpiritCrusherBTR]

Well, if you really strive to be a Metal musician and it's in your heart you will always be able to make the time and take the energy to do it. Right now I do lead vocals for a Power Metal band called Evilution and we're problably recording a five track demo in early February. I don't even think we have come close to tapping our full potential though I do love our material. It gets stuck in my head rather often. I also early last year picked up guitar so soon I plan on also being able to not only write vocal melodies and lyrics, but also guitar for some songs too. Someday my dream is to be able to fluently play at least 4 or 5 instruments so I can write for everything.

 

[Tool]

I know what you mean. I recently stopped playing my electric guitar, because I can't really seem to advance at it. Besides, that way I can pay more attention to the classical guitar (which would probably eventually help me be better at the electric), and singing, cuz I'm the lead singer of my band.

But yeah, I wouldn't reccomend you give up playing, because a long time from now you'll regret you gave up.

 

[Reverand Joint Smoker]

Take some acid.