Due to a failing mother 900 miles away, and the only relative she has, I haven't been able to zero in on my guitar practice/interest for a month with no relief in sight. How long have you been away and been able to step back in without too much loss in skill level and interest in a much enjoyed hobby?

Went about ten months once without picking up a guitar - one of the best things I ever did, as it got rid of about 17 years of bad habits and tired old runs!

From 2000-2005 I hardly touched the guitar because I was battling depression that was basically caused by excruciating chronic pain due to injuries from 2 accidents.When I picked up guitar again it took about 3 or 4 months to get my playing back to a level that I was satisfied with.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Eight months, while enjoying the lovely weather and sunny climate of Iraq...longest damn eight months of my life! Although when I did get back and picked up the guitar I was pretty juiced and although it took a bit to get fingers lubricated, I played like a demon!

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

I just did a 3 month away from my guitars. I got back about a week ago and other than my fingers turning into little girls the skill is still there just hurts to play very long. While away I bought a new guitar which was sent to my house also so Ive had a new guitar to play with also.

from 1984 to 2002, i hardly picked up a guitar. i played in bands from 66 to 78, and finally just got tired of playing most weekends and having a full time job.

now i'm playing better than ever, and i'm anxious to gig again

A break can often be a good thing to re-energize the batteries i find

I've been focusing real hard the last six months and my progress has been in baby steps. I feel like if I miss a day of practice, I'm slipping. Maybe I need to lighten up.

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'10 American Deluxe HSS Sunset Metallic
'10 JA-90 Thinline Telecaster
'15 Music Man JP-15 Blueberry Burst
'07 Les Paul Standard Faded LCPG #82
'14 Carvin ST300
'12 Carvin CS424S
'66 Guild Starfire IV w/Bigsby
'14 Warmouth Partscaster Daphne Blue

I played every single weekend from 1982 through 1986 at a supper club in northern MN. I played Friday and Saturday night without fail. At first I played with a Colorado native named Marlin, but when Marlin got run out of MN for real estate fraud, I took over the gig and went solo for a while. Then I hooked up with a redhead named Sue and she and I played together about a year before she took off for parts unknown with her lesbian lover. I went back to solo gigging there until the place was sold and the new owner said no more music - he wanted his customers to eat and git!

After almost five solid years of playing as a house guitar monkey, I put the guitars and amps away and never touched them again until 1994, when a very strange dude from Texas figured out I used to be a player and coaxed me out of retirement.

I've been gigging out ever since. Truth be told, I kinda wish I'd taken advantage of those eight lost years to improve my lead playing, but life is what it is - I got busy WORKING!

Nowadays I'm a guitar playin', guitar buyin' fool - the gig money builds up and pretty soon another poor homeless guitar or amp comes to live with me. I'm a soft touch for dogs and cats, too.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

About 5 months.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

tvr1979,
Your Mom is lucky to have a son who is willing to put his interests to the side when she has problems. I hope everything works out for the best. I have been there and done that helping both my parents until their deaths and I am glad I did. You won't regret what you are doing. I stopped playing guitar for 25 years. My job and family took control of my life and I placed no interest in playing for many years. I felt like Rip Van Winkle waking up after a long nap when I walked into a guitar store after not setting foot in one for 25 years. Lots of really cool stuff to try out. I started playing guitar again a little over 6 years ago. Even though I only took lessons for about one year back in the early 60's and for the most part was self taught, it took some time to get back to the level I was playing at before I quit. The one thing that was a real plus for me, is I now have so much more patients. So much that I started taking lessons to learn how to play jazz guitar and become a better guitar player and I am having a blast doing it. You are never too old to learn. So if you have to stop playing for a while, always keep it in your mind that you will play again and I am sure it will take no time to get back to playing as well as you do now. Good luck.
Kenny V

tvr- does your mother like to hear you play?

the reason i brought this up is this: my parents are geting up in age. i played guitar first, and my brothers learned later on. every so often, the folks ask us to bring our guitars and play. we do songs they know, and it always turns out to be a good night for all of us.

maybe you could play a little for her...just a thought.

I put mine down in about 1969 mostly because of job and family, and dident pick it up again for over 30 years. I damn near forgot everything I ever knew. It's been a real struggle to start all over again. I've been working on it for the past several years, and have made some real progress. Now I'm limited only by age and dexterity. No shortage of will and enthusiasm though. Sometimes a guy has to make a decision about what's important to him. Sounds like you've made a good choice. My hat goes off to you.
----Danny,

In a prior incarnation I was quite talented. The body I am in now is not very musical at all. It struggles with recognizing the difference between tones or thats sounds like a C or is that a A,B,C,D,E,F or G. Carrying out melody and can hardly get in a groove, Its pretty bad, but it cannot stop trying. It will never be in a band and envys those talented enough to to so.

So to answer the question, I am laying off really playing for an entire lifetime, I am hoping the next body has some talent and the rest of several decades will serve it well

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I remember when we were free!

Hi tvr: I got a slipped disc about seven years ago and couldn't so much as hold the guitar for many months. After that there was a long period where I could only play lying on my back on the bed, still in agony.

It put a final end to a very minor occasional playing-out career. Not a terrible loss to the world - not even much of a loss to me. Been a purely recreational strummer ever since.

The lesson: if we don't want to lose it, use it.

Cheers - C

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