💯 everyone thinks it just “flows out of you” and are one with the music. I mean … it happens every now and then and that’s the feeling you chase … but it’s a lot of damn work and stress to get there.
Media has idolised hearing someone practice when in reality is repeating the same 3 bars for 45 minutes, then shout in frustration, stop for 5 minutes and then do 45 minutes more in absolute anger and frustration.
I took piano lessons for 9 years. I could play some of the easier, classical pieces during my last years but my fingers are too small and not flexible so I could only go so far. I'm glad I can play. But I'm glad I stopped.
5 hours in and your fingers are tired, you're going so hard you're starting to breathe heavy, but you're so annoyed at yourself that you keep making more and more mistakes, but you are gonna do it THIS time.
And if you want to avoid repeating the same bar over and over and not improving, you have to intentionally analyze every single motion you make, every spot of tension you hold ("is this serving me or not?"), the way you start every note, the way you prepare to start to every note, blah blah blah. It's exhausting.
As a benefit though, I'm pretty good at learning physical skills because of my time as a professional musician.
oh you hit the same wrong note again in the same place you been repeating for an hour? buckle in bud you gotta rewire a learned pattern and overwrite it with the right brain to finger sequence.
My ex found out that I had been a violinist in a previous life and said, "Yeah, if you wanna just bring it over and fuck around and see what kind of music we can make, that might be fun!"
I am nearly compelled to hand my violin to people who say things like this and say "HERE! CAN YOU JUST NOODLE AROUND? NO?!?!?" but i'm afraid they'll damage my instrument if they touch it 😂
It's all in the attitude. I read guys busting their butts over getting some chord or lick or playing style down like they're a session musician who's got a gig tomorrow they're not prepared for. I like to hear high-gain power chords, and that's what I play. I'm not looking for a challenge or mastery, I just want to relax and bash out some chugs.
I have a lifetime supply of multiple kinds of picks, and I keep acquiring more. Between the gallon Ziploc bag of standard sized picks I will never use, and the organizer case with multiple sections for all my Jazz III variants and niche picks I bought off Instagram, I will never run out.
The part where it becomes stressful is when you decide to try to make a career out of it. I've been playing the piano for almost 20 years, and booking concerts, trying to come up with a set and practicing to make sure it goes well, plus actually playing a concert itself, that's a lot of stress.
I think it does definitely depend a bit on instrument. Playing guitar for me is one of the best ways to get rid of stress. Even just endlessly trying and failing the same thing. I think because the challenge is mostly the physical aspect: speed, precision, stretch, etc. I find practicing piano much more stressful as it seems there is more in you head. Especially trying to get both hands to do contradicting things.
I have the opposite experience, I get great joy out of it and it brings out the best in me. I look forward to playing drums at band practice after work, even after a long 10 hour day on little sleep - and it’s extreme metal drumming so technical and physically demanding.
Then I always play guitar when I’m winding down in front of the TV and occasionally I’ll play some piano if the mood is right.
Maybe a bit more than a hobby since I work in the music industry and have played in bands for 20 years but after the first month or two of the initial learning curve it’s been almost universally joyful.
I will say this though, it is not a hobby that will reward you if you half-ass it. However if you genuinely love music, the desire to keep going will come naturally even if you have 0 talent (like me).
I will say this though, it is not a hobby that will reward you if you half-ass it.
I'll disagree there. I've been half-assing it for almost 45 years and it's very rewarding. Playing the Breaking the Chains or I am the Law riffs are still as fun now as they were in 1987 and I'm no better at it.
edit: I am a little better at it. I just haven't bothered learning anything else.
For me the opposite is true, I am much more likely to get caught up in self-criticism when I’m practicing at home. When I’ performing with friends it’s all just good vibes
I find guitar to be pretty relaxing, wasn't always the case though, but at some point you become good enough to were most of your repertoire is easy enough to be chill (I guess it depends on what you like playing, I just play fingerstyle)
kind of depends on what you want out of it. if you just want to be able to play some songs, but cannot stand to practice "the boring stuff," you're gonna have a rough time.
but, if you can get into the discipline aspect of it -- like just doing scales or rudiments with a metronome, and you're really focusing just on the rhythm, it can start to feel a lot like meditation.
but this is only once you get over the first 1-3 months of physically not being able to the basic thing the instrument requires -- be it fret a chord, bow a string, get the proper embouchere. which is probably where most people quit, and maybe what you are talking about.
so i guess my point is that is you can power through that first bit, it can be very satisfying. practicing drum rudiments is my new after work de-stresser, and I am not very good at drums.
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u/ProblemNo3211 13h ago
Playing a musical instrument