Every guitar player experiences slumps, and no one enjoys them. When our practice becomes stale—or worse, non-existent—we vacillate between ignoring the problem and trying to figure out what to do about it. If we manage to get into the practice room at all, we usually feel too uninspired to spend much time there.
There are lots of ways to reinvigorate your playing, some of which lie outside of the practice room. If you take a look at your listening history during the weeks or months preceding a period of dullness, for example, you might find some clues.
Here are a few things to look for:
- You spent little or no time listening to music
- You listened, but instead of listening deeply, you used music as a background to other activities
- You didn’t feel moved by the music you listened to
- You listened only to music that you’ve heard repeatedly over a period of time
Your observations may point out a lack of inspiration not just about your own, personal practice and music making, but about music in general. Go back over the above list and consider what you can do to remedy any of the items that may be causing stagnation. The first two items can be addressed through intention, whereas the last two will require you to search out music that inspires and motivates you.
Discovering New Music
Finding music that speaks to you can seem like an overwhelming task when faced with the staggering amount of options available. You may frequent one or two radio stations or streaming sites, but if they don’t regularly provide inspiration, you’ll have to search for it elsewhere.
You can try finding new music from suggestions on your playlists, but what you hear won’t differ much from your usual listening choices. If you want to expand your listening palette, you’ll need to search other places, such as blog posts or reviews from people whose musical taste matches yours, or lists that you find online. For example, Rolling Stone has a greatest albums list that can direct you to music that you may have missed when it was new. These kinds of extensive lists can keep me busy for years. They can even make climbing out of a slump fun!
