Giving up music for life?

this is something i've struggled with, on and off for some time. Esp since I got started creating music so late in life (early 20's). I've singlehanded had to drive my music project forward for the last 5 years, teaching myself guitar, writing, recording techniques, etc. There are many times when i wonder why am I doing this? but it always comes down to... i love this, i love this too much to stop doing this. but that realization alone isnt always enough to keep the doubts at bay.

here's how i've decided to deal with it.. i have my day job. and while it might not be in exact same field as you, its not a 9-5. I'm salary and I have to work as many hours as it takes to get the job done. and i come home almost every night and try to put some hours in on the music as well. sometimes just one, sometimes six. you never know, i just call it as i see it. in the end... i sleep less, party less, and dont travel as much as i'd like. but i'm doing all that i have to do: my job to pay the bills and pay for my equipment and my music for my soul and sanity.

you'll always have to re-evaluate your priorities as your life changes. graduation, job opptys in diff towns, relationships, marriage, kids, etc. but like someone said earlier... everyone needs something outside of work to keep their sanity, whether its a hobby or something more professional like music. either way, you cant work all the time. so if you do somethign outside of your job, make it music!
 
what's with all this "giving up music"-threads as of late? it's making me feel uncomfortable at times :/

I have no idea at all. I never spend time in the Off-Topic forum, I'm constantly in the prod/mix area and just learning. This is the first time I post in this part because... well, this thread belongs nowhere other than here.

AFTER I posted this thread, did I discover that there has been lots of these threads going on lately but I did not know. Anyway, what does it matter? If somebody is seriously struggling to choose between things, and if people can share their experiences to expand the "view angle" of the person in question, is it a bad thing? Do we need to make four parody threads for every "serious" thread? :)

I don't get it...

well anyway, so far I think this thread has been great, there is no emo bullshit going on, just some straight up "life stories" and experiences. (Or actually, I'm crying and screaming and wishing everybody would look at me, I want to be the center of attention! If not, I threaten to cut myself!)

Keep it up!
 
Don't worry Gojira.. it has been a good read, a good topic and obviously you are not the only one.. maybe one day i'll write down my stuff as well in this thread. :)
 
Im in the same situation.
6 months left at university studying to become an engineer.

So what happens then? I become "serious" and get a house and maybe kids even.
I fear that there will be no more time for music.

I dont have any answers, but you're not alone with this.

I do suspect that music is in my blood and that I would become ill if I
was never going to do it again.

Oh yeah definately, I know I'm not alone with this "problem" of choosing between different careers. I'm actually thankful, in a way, of having the chance to make this choise. People with terminal diseases, poor kids, etc, their life is total shit compared to this.

Become your own Boss that way you make your own hours. I did and I work about 5 hours a day and the rest is music time:headbang:

Trust me, this thought has been on my mind too :D What/how did you do it? What do you do now? Would be interesting to hear more about it.

I gave up programming for music

That is kinda inspiring to hear. My mentality lately has been like "music is dying, people are going for big careers and nice jobs... maybe I should too", but that's most likely due to the people that I have to meet in everyday life.

this is something i've struggled with, on and off for some time. Esp since I got started creating music so late in life (early 20's). I've singlehanded had to drive my music project forward for the last 5 years, teaching myself guitar, writing, recording techniques, etc. There are many times when i wonder why am I doing this? but it always comes down to... i love this, i love this too much to stop doing this. but that realization alone isnt always enough to keep the doubts at bay.

here's how i've decided to deal with it.. i have my day job. and while it might not be in exact same field as you, its not a 9-5. I'm salary and I have to work as many hours as it takes to get the job done. and i come home almost every night and try to put some hours in on the music as well. sometimes just one, sometimes six. you never know, i just call it as i see it. in the end... i sleep less, party less, and dont travel as much as i'd like. but i'm doing all that i have to do: my job to pay the bills and pay for my equipment and my music for my soul and sanity.

you'll always have to re-evaluate your priorities as your life changes. graduation, job opptys in diff towns, relationships, marriage, kids, etc. but like someone said earlier... everyone needs something outside of work to keep their sanity, whether its a hobby or something more professional like music. either way, you cant work all the time. so if you do somethign outside of your job, make it music!

You are absolutely right... I can't argue on that!

The thought of giving up drumming isn't so scary anymore, knowing that I would switch to guitar instead. I would still make an effort to make music and keep it going.


One thing is sure: It's really helpful to hear what some of you have given up for music etc. It gives a whole new perspective for me, because everyone in my life is so "I want to be really busy and make as much money as I can and I want to buy a big house and I want to meet a perfect partner and I want 2 dogs/whatever and I want this and that, I'm never happy with what I want, I want more! more more more more more!", sort of.
 
Those seem like the kind of thoughts I get when I feel beaten, you know, like somebody has done something better than me in things I've thought I'm good at. Then I understand it's my ego putting these thoughts into my head and tell them to go fuck themselves and keep practising, as I try to avoid egocentric thinking as much as possible.
Another thing is trying to keep out of thoughts like, "I might just as well quit playing because I'm not going to be the best player in the world anyway."
Well when did music became competitive and sportslike as it's far away from an exact science with measurable results.
A musician can give life to rhytms and melodies even if not excelling in complicated techniques. I have more respect for such self-expression than just a machinelike tempo-junkies.
By the way I started with keys, moved to drums, sold them and bought guitar and after ten years of that forgot guitar and started playing cello at the age of 24. Now I've found guitar again:loco:
I guess it's all about what one finds interesting and mindful.

Oh yeah, I've you love money, THEN forget about music..
 
I have no idea at all. I never spend time in the Off-Topic forum, I'm constantly in the prod/mix area and just learning. This is the first time I post in this part because... well, this thread belongs nowhere other than here.

AFTER I posted this thread, did I discover that there has been lots of these threads going on lately but I did not know. Anyway, what does it matter? If somebody is seriously struggling to choose between things, and if people can share their experiences to expand the "view angle" of the person in question, is it a bad thing? Do we need to make four parody threads for every "serious" thread? :)

I don't get it...

well anyway, so far I think this thread has been great, there is no emo bullshit going on, just some straight up "life stories" and experiences. (Or actually, I'm crying and screaming and wishing everybody would look at me, I want to be the center of attention! If not, I threaten to cut myself!)

Keep it up!


Oh no, your post may be perfectly valid, I just wondered...
might be some kind of winter phenomenon or maybe just coincidence ;)
 
Dude...

Time. Management.

8 hours a day you do 3d art stuffs.

8 hours a day you do music stuffs.

You can sleep when you're dead.

Even if you only do 8 hours every other day, that seems like more than enough time... or even 4 hours a day... 3 hours a day...

If you really love it, and you aren't physically limited from it... there is NO REAL REASON to stop.

Bottom. Line.

Unless you just suck. Then you should stop immediately as to do the rest of us a favor.
 
Also the fact that you can't have them in your apartment (neighbours would go ape-shit, even while playing on e-drums).

Hmm, really? I'm pretty sure you can make edrums really quiet, almost silent. The models with mesh heads are really quiet, and if you figure out a way, you can make the kick very quiet too. Just isolate them from the floor somehow, and your neighbours should be fine :)

I'm pretty sure I could never quit music myself. I want to make it my career in some form eventually, even if I'll be poor as fuck. If I get another job or find something I like to do, it'll just be to cover my expenses doing music :)
 
Man, I've lived a quite similar mindstorm. I'm 29, grown up in a poor family (poor in Brazil terms...o_O), I'm studying now and I have a day job that I hate, but I can't quit, and a night job that I love (teaching music :)), so I have abot 3 hours a day to mess with my music. I write songs since I was 15, plays various instruments... I JUST LOVE MUSIC SO BAD !! Everytime I think about quiting it, I stop thinking.
My family pushed me to get a career and stuff too... "you need money"... "you need to get married, you're getting older"... I used to worry about it... now, everytime I hear them speaking that, I just take a breath and move on. I'll make music for living yet, no matter how much time I have to spend on it, even if I die trying.
ROCK ON MAN !!!!! :headbang:
 
just do as others have said and put it on the back burner until you feel the desire to pick it back up. I quit playing music for almost 10 years once. it;s weird running into old friends these days and most of them have picked it back up at some point even as just a hobby.
 
Hmm, really? I'm pretty sure you can make edrums really quiet, almost silent. The models with mesh heads are really quiet, and if you figure out a way, you can make the kick very quiet too. Just isolate them from the floor somehow, and your neighbours should be fine :)

Perhaps it's true, never thought of mesh heads hah... but still, the feeling would change dramatically I guess. But it is better than not playing at all of course, can't argue against that.

Man, I've lived a quite similar mindstorm. I'm 29, grown up in a poor family (poor in Brazil terms...o_O), I'm studying now and I have a day job that I hate, but I can't quit, and a night job that I love (teaching music :)), so I have abot 3 hours a day to mess with my music. I write songs since I was 15, plays various instruments... I JUST LOVE MUSIC SO BAD !! Everytime I think about quiting it, I stop thinking.
My family pushed me to get a career and stuff too... "you need money"... "you need to get married, you're getting older"... I used to worry about it... now, everytime I hear them speaking that, I just take a breath and move on. I'll make music for living yet, no matter how much time I have to spend on it, even if I die trying.
ROCK ON MAN !!!!! :headbang:

That is truly motivating :) Brazil ftw, Krisiun kicks some serious fucking ass!

just do as others have said and put it on the back burner until you feel the desire to pick it back up. I quit playing music for almost 10 years once. it;s weird running into old friends these days and most of them have picked it back up at some point even as just a hobby.

Yeah I think that is exactly what I'll do. After a while you realize there is no point in thinking about it when you can't come up with a solution. Best to just let it go for a while and see what happens with time.

Thanks
 
Even if you have an hour per day to play, or listen to music, do it. No matter what, never quit... play guitars (God bless amp sims... they've made us quieter :heh:), keys, whatever... just keep it alive ! :kickass:
 
Despite never posting on this board and lurking most of the time. I'm pretty young (21) so my story might not really apply to you but I will share it nonetheless in the hope that it helps you.

Since starting uni one and a half year ago my life has turned from having to do jackshit and having fun all the time, to serious business (no pun intended). I've had to drop bands altogether, my musical peers all live far away from here and in my collegeyear I'm actually the only person who's into metal or any heavy music at all. Out of 100 people, what a fluke.

So, I have no band. I sold my Mesa amp since I live in dorms and I'm not home at my parents all that much so there's no point in keeping it. While I think it's an unfortunate byproduct of what I chose as my path, I don't think it's bad or evil in any way. Yes I do have much less time to practice and play, but at the same time I value music all the more because of it. So instead of making me feel that life has downgraded a little bit, it's become better.

Yeah you'll have to make compromises of things that are important to you. That doesn't mean you have to give up things you're passionate about, just because time now presses you and your mind becomes preoccupied with other things. It sounds like drums might really be very difficult to keep up with, so as you suggested you can always take up playing the guitar or bass; or anything else for that matter!

You love music as you've proven in your post. You're just being honest with yourself when you've got your future in mind and try to make up a good balance, a lot of people just drift along and fuck up big time along the way so don't feel bad about using your brain. Just grab an instrument now and again and it'll help you laugh sometimes when you need it!

Hope this helps, although I might've come across as incoherent rambler :lol:.
 
Hope this helps, although I might've come across as incoherent rambler :lol:.

No, not at all man, it's a valuable story in my opinion. Studying at university level is a big change in one's life, as we've concluded in this thread. I've had luck so far in my life and I haven't had to move to another city, so I have been able to keep practising the drums and all. But yeah, exactly as you say, I guess when you are forced to take a break or tone down music, if you really are a musician, the love for music will grow even stronger.

As I've said in a post not too long ago, I'm kinda coming back to my senses and I will never be able to stop with music for 100%. If worst thing happens, I will probably be playing guitar instead (no offence to guitarists... haha, I know it sounds bad :() One thing that is so awesome with guitar is that no matter where in the world I go, I can always bring my guitar with me and practise pretty much anywhere, anytime. And it's a great instrument that combines both rhythmical playing and melodic playing.

Anyway, it's great reading other people's stories about these kind of things. If there are more stories, throw 'em in :)