I think I have peaked

Hi guys,

I'm starting to feel that I have peaked musically, probably years ago. I'm not whining about it (first world problem) but I think the days of really nailing tunes are over, along with advancing as a musicain. I know it's a journey but as I approach 50 I guess for some reason I'm regressing, pretty much unwillingly. I do continue to work on new tunes with varying success so maybe it's just a phase but I feel like I'm not playing my best anymore. My love of music and guitars is still there though. Maybe I'm lacking direction or focus?

Anybody experience this as a long time player? Did you jump start your playing again? Do I just have the COVID blues? My class this year at Fur Peace Ranch was cancelled so that may be adding to my doldrums.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I'm 65, playing 50+ years. Just think of them as plateaus. The important thing is to keep playing and more importantly, have fun doing it.

[Wrighty]

I’m sorry to hear that..

I had played on and off since I was 16 and never really felt on top it until I had an enforced break from work in 2017 at the age of 50. I rediscovered guitar playing and fairly quickly found fingerstyle - I haven’t looked back since and feel like I am a much improved player now than I have ever been. Helped no doubt by having the time that year to dedicate 3-4h per day to playing for 6-8 months.

For me it was the excitement of having a clear direction, and finding tunes I was truly passionate about wanting to learn and play well.

Good luck, and I hope you rediscover your passion.

[Bob Womack]

In my experience, this is a phase. There are different ways to deal with it, but the fundamental way to deal with it is to not be psyched out by it. I've been playing for fifty years and these times have come and gone. Once I was on the fast track to growth, playing a minimum of two hours a day, seven days a week, and I felt like I suddently hit a glass ceiling. I got kind of worried about it and tried to power through but it wasn't changing. Nothing I did would push through. Then, life circumstances suddenly demanded a break from playing entirely. After the break, actually several months, I started again. It was much like getting back on a bicycle after a while but with kind of stiff legs but within a couple of days I was back at it and actually found myself breaking through those barriers I had been banging up against before.

Since that incident I've had other little bumps in the road. I've learned that the biggest thing to getting over these glass ceilings is to not fight them but sort of convince yourself to ignore them. It's like a little Jeddi side-step: "These are not the glass ceilings you want. You can move along." Don't let them become the focus. Don't allow them to bother you. Chances are, no-one but you knows about them. Take joy in your playing. When I have done that I've woken up one day and suddenly realized I've sort of motored on through.

All the best,

Bob

[Earl49]

J-Doug, in the several times I have experienced this myself, it has always turned out to be a plateau, with better times ahead. Keep chugging along! You've only peaked when you stop trying. Having said that, I notice that at 60 my hands are not quite as dexterous or flexibly as they were at 50, or 40. Some things are just not as cleanly playable anymore. It is an unfortunate fact of aging.

[Lesbark Wagmore]

Old guys can put more soul into their music.

Like old dogs. They may have lost a step or three in the field, but they radiate more and more love.

[FrankHudson]

Let me start by giving an amen to what Bob said just above.

Age, focus, and some arthritis have diminished what few chops I had at one point, particularly on "bad days." But I've learned more about different musical tactics, and now have played or composed for more instruments. Since I have recordings I've saved I can go back and objectively weigh what I was doing 30 years ago to now. I sometimes think "How was that guy (me, just years ago) able to do that (guitar operator skills, but also some skills in melodic improvisation)?" And then I listen to things I've done in the past year or two and think "It hasn't been but in the past three years that I could have even attempted that, much less figured out a way to make it work."

It helps to consider in one's playing what is there, not just what is not there. There's always things that are not there.

[tnvol]

I just passed 50 myself not too long ago. While I don't think I've peaked, my hands have slowed down somewhat. I wish I had taken better care of them over the years. It's not like I'm crippled, but they get sore and I have to stretch and rest.

Like Bob said, there are def plateaus. You just have to look for inspiration wherever you can find it and play through them. I actually came back to this forum after many years away to help work through this current plateau. lol

[mercy]

plateau's dont matter, fun does. No matter a person's skill, it is fun that is what you evaluate. I lost the fun a last year and actually quit. I sold my main guitar and didnt play for months. But I was so miserable not playing and not thinking of myself as a guitarist, Ive played for 60 yrs, that I bought another guitar and thou my skills have deteriorated and coming back Im loving playing again. A big part of that is the awareness that came to me not playing but also this new guitar has different sounds that Im enjoying playing my old songs on. Im not recommending a break from playing or a new guitar but Im talking about fun. If it takes a different guitar to restore the fun then ok, or whatever...fun.

[Peepaw]

I'm turning 69 in a few weeks and I am still learning new things.

I retired 5 years ago and now I have all the practice time I need.

That said, about once a week I just don't play at all for a day or two.

Gives my old left hand a rest. After a rest my playing is much easier.

Still learning and loving the guitar more than ever.

[Retired1]

All of the above - good stuff. For me at 78 I've found when I plateau what can get me going again is finding new material to inspire me -lately I'm relearning a lot of my tunes in a different key - learning to play my C tunes in G and my G tunes in C. Also taking a hard honest look at my technique and working on what I've known needs improvement and avoided. The road of improvement goes on forever- glad for that - otherwise I'd get bored and loose interest. Hang in there.

[TBman]

When I hit a plateau, I will go back to an old tune or two that I never finished and revive it, or I'll shop for new strings. Sometimes moving some of the focus to gear related stuff helps me for some reason.

[raysachs]

I think I'm on a trajectory to peak about 75 years after I'm dead, so I'm not gonna worry my pretty little head over it...

[reeve21]

Doug,

I disagree. I've been listening to your posts here and on soundcloud for a few years now. I think your playing has gotten more fluid. The stuff you do is very complex, and to my ears it grooves better now more than ever.

I think you are on the right track with your recent foray into jazz/standards. It is easy to become overly critical by staying in the same genre for a long time.

Ease up on the Rev. and all the blind guys for a little bit and give your ears a chance to catch up with your hands

[rick-slo]

Definitely peaked technically decades ago - slower reflexes, slower memorizing.
With a little extra work and I can play mostly what I want. Still enjoy playing.
That's enough.