I played guitar for 10 years. I had 3 teachers, 2 really good, the 1st one was bad. I went though alot of modules on this website and also other websites. I learned alot of songs. I spent alot of time on You tube. I started learning jazz songs to raise my game. I was starting to stress as I couldnāt find time and then in July I just quit. Not only did I stop playing, but I had an aversion to playing. I felt like I was trying to remember too much. I was tackling things that were above my abilities. I wanted to be a musician, but I couldnāt advance above a couch strummer.
Last night I started again. My fingers were rusty, I forgot a lot. but I feel like I needed to forget alot. I started with practicing scales, chords and reading some sheet music. Iām going to take it slow and remember that this is for enjoyment and try not to be hard on myself. If Iām mediocre, thatās ok. I really do love it. I was just frustrated.
Anyone ever go through this?
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Hi Michael,
Not exactly the same story, but I did give about a 20 year break. Learned in my 20s and picked up again in my 40s. When I started up again, I started Justin at Grade 1 like, how to tune the guitar (even though I already knew a fair bit). What I have found since restarting is that the purpose/motivation is important and playing with/for others is also important.
Me personally, I would never get to the point where I feel I am good enough to perform, so I just started doing it when I was not ready yet, take every opportunity to play with/for others and for me that drives the enjoyment. There is like a thrill with getting out there in front of others that helps motivate me to get better. Find open mic or a jam buddy or even just ask someone to listen to you play, post videos of yourself online. Whatever the thing is, getting you as a musician out there, I feel is important and really drives the need to improve your skills along the way.
I do think that getting WAY better at 1 thing far exceeds the value of being OK at a number of different things. Like we all want to be Keanu Reeves plugged into the Matrix, āI know Guitar!ā but instead of learning ALL the skills, Master 1 and then move on. It makes the journey slower, but much more enjoyable.
Good Luck!
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Yes, I did it twice. First time it was about 15 years brake. Then my bro met another guitar addicted guy and they started to play together, so occasionaly I happened to join them.
The second brake was much longer, about 25 years. In 2017 I bought a new guitar and started again. In a couple of months I recalled almost everything I could play before and I even did some progress, which motivated me to play more and moreā¦
Now Iām retired, so fortunately I have a to of time to spend with my guitars.
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Welcome back Michael 
For me that would be the opposite of enjoyment 
but whatever floats your boat.
What do you want to get out of playing guitar? You say
ā¦ but in what way?
Play for/with others?
play creatively for yourself?
become āproficientā in certain techniques, and if so, to what level?
Unless you know what your goals are you are likely to become frustrated again.
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sounds like you hit some combo of burnout and being overwhelmed.
I agree to decide what your musical goals are. Iād argue that all of us here are musicians. Just musicians with different goals. Mine is to have fun playing songs with others. Especially my wife, but I also show up to different āclubsā to jam with them. One is a ukulele club (I show up with my guitar now because theyāre very open to a variety of instruments) and the other is a local guitar club.
I play simpler basic strumming in the group environments and do harder, more complex stuff at home on my own. I may eventually get interested in doing an open mic. I never thought Iād say that, but my wife does them sometimes with her ukulele and has a lot of fun with them. She even got an offer last weekend at an open mic to open for a band in Nashville sometime. I have to admit, itās really cool and Iām warming up to the idea.
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Wow Michael, well its nice to meet you and yeah I know your story so lets just dive back into it mate cheers Hec Iām new and old but known on the community so lets get cracking cheers
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Yeah, a couple of years ago I almost quit because I wasnāt progressing anymore. Instead I changed my expectations for myself, accepted that Iām never going to be better than mediocre, and just play for my own enjoyment. Iām still plugging away.
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Hey gang,
Thanks for the replies, suggestions and feedback. Just to give bit more feedback. I felt like I was trying to remember alot. I have a big family and alot of things going on. I also donāt play with others, except my 14 year old son who is a great flute player. We would jam and that was fun. i want to focus on what made me happy, which was just playing and learning in my queit place. I agree 100% that I need to define my goals. I was all over the place, one day working on picking, another on a Jazz song, another on solos the next on theoryā¦etc. I think the burnout was mental and the focus needs to be on enjoyment. Thanks so much.
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Hi there! Not exactly like your story, but yes I quit and then I I restarted after about 20 years!
Exactly this Brian saysā¦eventhough it was really difficult for me to set goals at the beginning and the only goal was āenjoying music the way I was able to and being happy while I spent that little daily time with my guitarāā¦and that is working really well with me, because itās daily happiness and music enjoymentā¦along the way the more specific concrete goals (Technique, Theory ectā¦) it all came naturally to make me progress!
This is for enjoyment! Donāt be hard on yourself! 
Wish you loads of fun!!
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I think many of us do, in varying forms. I started learning guitar in my mid-teens. In my late 50s my internal critic was in overdrive with coulda / shoulda regarding all the things I hadnāt done over the years to develop as a player. That caused me to completely walk away for about 2 years; I just had to get away from those thoughts. Around my 60th birthday I realized I was ready to come back with a focus on just enjoying myself. Bought two new guitars and a new amp and while thereās still much more I could do, five year along Iām a lot happier with what I am doing. I hope your renewed journey works out well.
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I have a similar story to many others here. I first started when I was 12. Sadly I had the guitar teacher from hell, the most negative uninspiring guy Iāve ever met. I did a handful of lessons and then gave up. What mightāve been if I had some half decent guidance all those years ago. Anyway, Iām here now and very keen to learn. There was an article in Justinās Food for Thought book, the basic idea was to start by learning a few songs and then see where that takes you.
Welcome back @Mr_Fingers! I hope you stay for a while.
I have not had such a break, but as one of the many more matureā¦well, maybe notā¦āolderā players, I have struggled with goals and satisfaction playing.
There is an under current of pressure in the guitar teaching/learning world to work towards performance and excellence. This is quadruple true in the classical guitar learning world.
Not that this is bad at all, it is just pressuring a goal I donāt have, and many of us donāt. It makes us feel bad for not developing ourselves this way and it is more insidious because it is not usually overt.
It is important to under what you want, what is realistic, what is a real drive and what is fun and fits your personal journey. Let go of the pressure, play to enjoy, learn songs you love, experiment off piste learning how to make the guitar produce sounds you like, approach exercises, theory and such in a way that augments what you want to do or need to know for what you want to do. Enjoy yourself, push yourself, but donāt let others push you.
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Welcome back Mr Fingers. At least you still have that muscle memory thats probobly a really good feeling . That means you did strong work before.
Iām not sure how many times Iāve lost and rebuilt my calluses. 
. Always painful to restart after an extended break.
Hope you find renewed enjoyment in picking up the guitar again!
Iāve found that if I feel like Iām starting to stall in progress for a particular song, then it is time to try to learn a new one for a bit. Often times coming back to a song later, you find that things you found difficult before have gotten easier.