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Question What to do about music lessons?

What would you do?

  • Reduce lessons to 30 min instead of 1 hr

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Keep taking 1 hr lessons

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    11

uncreepy

👵Escaped from the retirement home
Apr 9, 2018
1,618
I am writing this because I don’t have a journal to vent in and I have never taken music classes in school, so I don’t know what’s normal in terms of frustration.


I took guitar lessons with Dan, my first music teacher ever from July 2018 ~ July 2019. At first it was wonderful. I was learning so much and pushed myself to play extra pages in the beginner guitar book every week, I wanted to be “done” learning guitar as soon as possible. But as the months went on, I kept getting frustrated. The format was becoming stale, we would always do a page of the beginner book, try some improv, and I play tabs of a rock song I picked. I felt like I had to always be worse than my teacher (in a position of needing “help”) and needed to keep bringing in new tabs to ask for help on. All I wanted was to make original Vocaloid music, I wasn’t having fun playing other peoples’ songs (there are no tabs for the obscure Japanese metal bands I love). I wanted to know theory, I wanted to play by ear, I was attempting to make songs in Studio One but they were never a genre I liked (more like bad pop music and not metal).

Dan’s studio closed, so I took up bass guitar with a new teacher named Gary in August. I thought I could just teach myself guitar on the side while getting bass lessons, but because I wanted to learn music theory, he kept having to explain guitar stuff during the bass lesson (because basses don’t play chords). We realized how low my guitar skills were (my theory was way ahead of my playing ability) so we switched to guitar lessons. I basically only knew open chords and played slowly/awkwardly. Gary knew Dan and didn’t like his teaching style. He said that Dan thought students shouldn’t surpass the teacher and he didn’t teach much theory. I knew Dan was a performer who played music for the local theaters for a living, so I wouldn’t have learned what I needed from him, but with the theory and homework Gary gave me, I felt free.

However, as the lessons went on, it seemed like Gary grew more disapproving of every side project I tried. I had really liked Gary, so I signed up for two back-to-back lessons (so an hour) every week. But at the start of each lesson, he started to insult me and not let up on it. He would say that I should quit my job, live on welfare, and only play guitar all day and kept asking if I had practiced an insane amount every day (like 15 hours). At first I thought it was a joke, but he wouldn’t let up and kept bringing it up throughout the hour lesson every single time. I don’t understand, I’m paying him to help me, why is he tormenting me about liking guitar and music theory that much?

I got Guitar Pro and started composing my own short song attempts and making finger style arrangements of other people’s songs. It improved my sight reading and I felt like I was living the dream, actually putting my thoughts on paper. I brought in my song attempts and arrangements, but he always has something to say about them. He plays in the gypsy jazz genre, so nothing I ever made was a fast enough tempo, didn’t combine chords/melody like he plays, and he would look utterly bored when I played my songs for him because they were too simple.

I would write a list of the week’s homework and do at least one side project (like composing or learning a song I liked), but he kept making fun of me for being too studious, so I stopped writing a list and doing extra projects. Within two weeks, I was forgetting to do all of my homework (because I had two lesson’s worth so it was hard to keep track of) and playing them worse and worse because I wasn’t putting the time in daily anymore.

For my songs, I write both the tablature and sheet music on the page. Out of the blue, he pointed at my song and said I shouldn’t even be reading tabs. I was shocked, because he has been making me play a song that he hand wrote as tabs for the last few weeks. I truly don’t see the point in arguing if tabs or sheet music is better. I compose songs and copy songs into both sheet music and tabs, so I can read both. And when you memorize a song, both just fade away and you simply play. Why does it matter? Also, finger style guitar is my current main genre, a huge amount of song books provide tabs so you know where to put your fingers.

Gary also gets annoyed and complains when I ask about music theory, but then immediately proceeds to explain in great detail until I understand (even though I have completely stopped asking questions the last couple weeks because I feel dead inside). He kept saying my playing wasn’t on par with my college-level theory and wants me to wait or something. Why does it matter if you learn theory before being able to play instead of the reverse if it motivates me? I can make music in a DAW, so it doesn’t matter if my guitar skills are weak. He keeps saying that I have to keep playing guitar for years and then learn theory.

I used to sit in front of the computer with my guitar in my lap and spend hours watching YouTube guitar/theory videos. Now I don’t touch my guitar until I have 3 days left before the lesson to cram all my homework poorly. When I play, I get frustrated and feel sick and put it down after a few minutes. Before I was motivated to do homework to impress Gary, but obviously he is the opposite of impressed with my playing/projects. And I wanted to play the homework as best as I could so I could keep learning more new things, but every time I think I played the homework good enough, it would not be fast enough or played incorrectly.

I don’t know what to do. Gary is making me feel bad for being me, but I am learning more than ever at a fast pace. But when I pick up my homework, it’s boring and not my type of music. I feel like me trying to compose songs “before I’m ready” is somehow bad so I haven’t written anything for several weeks and now I feel aimless/hopeless about my Vocaloid dream. I try to find new songs to learn, but close the songbook because I’m afraid it’s too simple. He wants me to play the songs at regular tempo after two weeks, but it’s just too hard, I’m trying to remember fret numbers and stretch my hands but they’re not strong enough to play those chord shapes at that tempo after such a short period of time. He compares me to students who are slower or worse and compares me to children who play better than me.

I don’t know if the benefit of rapidly learning what I honestly don’t think I can teach myself alone is worth the emotional/creative cost. Is this how music lessons are supposed to feel? I feel like if I quit suddenly, it will prove him right.
 

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,982
I think you should try a new teacher.

Dan seems to have had some ego issues. And Gary really shouldn't be giving you issues just because you want to play in a style that is different from his. He's probably right that it will take a lot of practice to get really good at an instrument, but if your goal isn't to get really good, but rather to learn music theory, then that shouldn't be an issue.

Above all, you shouldn't stay in a toxic environment that is making you feel bad. Whatever it is, that kind of injury has a way of sticking. And especially in a creative field, where how you feel is critical to your ability to perform at all, I'm not sure what kind of benefit would be worth the risk. There are other ways to learn theory; to learn anything. There are guitar correspondence courses and theory books and websites, if it comes to that; if one doesn't explain things well, another will likely do it better (I've had that experience myself.). But if you're at risk of losing your passion and what should be making you feel good makes you feel bad, it's time to approach the project differently.

The only reason I say to look for a new teacher is because you said you feel you're making rapid progress that you couldn't make alone. If not for that, I'd say just learn it yourself. There are other ways to get music questions answered. I've gotten theory questions answered by posting them here. And there's also an entire forum dedicated to that kind of thing that might help: Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange.

I feel like if I quit suddenly, it will prove him right.
One more thing: you quitting doesn't prove him right. Based on your descriptions, I really feel that some, if not all, aspects of how Gary's been behaving are failures on his part as a teacher. It's definitely not always easy to step outside yourself, but if he's as hung up on his own style as you say, Gary's doing you a disservice by not being able to do so, separating the more theoretical/teachable aspects of music he should be teaching you from his preferred flavor of their execution. This is something I think a real music teacher should be both able to do, and aware of the fact that they need to do it, unless the sign on the studio door says it's just for one particular style.

Preserving your ability to move forward, even if it's without Gary, is actually preserving your ability to do the opposite of proving him right.
 
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Älfa Dröttning

Aspiring Fan
Sep 17, 2019
75
I am writing this because I don’t have a journal to vent in and I have never taken music classes in school, so I don’t know what’s normal in terms of frustration.


I took guitar lessons with Dan, my first music teacher ever from July 2018 ~ July 2019. At first it was wonderful. I was learning so much and pushed myself to play extra pages in the beginner guitar book every week, I wanted to be “done” learning guitar as soon as possible. But as the months went on, I kept getting frustrated. The format was becoming stale, we would always do a page of the beginner book, try some improv, and I play tabs of a rock song I picked. I felt like I had to always be worse than my teacher (in a position of needing “help”) and needed to keep bringing in new tabs to ask for help on. All I wanted was to make original Vocaloid music, I wasn’t having fun playing other peoples’ songs (there are no tabs for the obscure Japanese metal bands I love). I wanted to know theory, I wanted to play by ear, I was attempting to make songs in Studio One but they were never a genre I liked (more like bad pop music and not metal).

Dan’s studio closed, so I took up bass guitar with a new teacher named Gary in August. I thought I could just teach myself guitar on the side while getting bass lessons, but because I wanted to learn music theory, he kept having to explain guitar stuff during the bass lesson (because basses don’t play chords). We realized how low my guitar skills were (my theory was way ahead of my playing ability) so we switched to guitar lessons. I basically only knew open chords and played slowly/awkwardly. Gary knew Dan and didn’t like his teaching style. He said that Dan thought students shouldn’t surpass the teacher and he didn’t teach much theory. I knew Dan was a performer who played music for the local theaters for a living, so I wouldn’t have learned what I needed from him, but with the theory and homework Gary gave me, I felt free.

However, as the lessons went on, it seemed like Gary grew more disapproving of every side project I tried. I had really liked Gary, so I signed up for two back-to-back lessons (so an hour) every week. But at the start of each lesson, he started to insult me and not let up on it. He would say that I should quit my job, live on welfare, and only play guitar all day and kept asking if I had practiced an insane amount every day (like 15 hours). At first I thought it was a joke, but he wouldn’t let up and kept bringing it up throughout the hour lesson every single time. I don’t understand, I’m paying him to help me, why is he tormenting me about liking guitar and music theory that much?

I got Guitar Pro and started composing my own short song attempts and making finger style arrangements of other people’s songs. It improved my sight reading and I felt like I was living the dream, actually putting my thoughts on paper. I brought in my song attempts and arrangements, but he always has something to say about them. He plays in the gypsy jazz genre, so nothing I ever made was a fast enough tempo, didn’t combine chords/melody like he plays, and he would look utterly bored when I played my songs for him because they were too simple.

I would write a list of the week’s homework and do at least one side project (like composing or learning a song I liked), but he kept making fun of me for being too studious, so I stopped writing a list and doing extra projects. Within two weeks, I was forgetting to do all of my homework (because I had two lesson’s worth so it was hard to keep track of) and playing them worse and worse because I wasn’t putting the time in daily anymore.

For my songs, I write both the tablature and sheet music on the page. Out of the blue, he pointed at my song and said I shouldn’t even be reading tabs. I was shocked, because he has been making me play a song that he hand wrote as tabs for the last few weeks. I truly don’t see the point in arguing if tabs or sheet music is better. I compose songs and copy songs into both sheet music and tabs, so I can read both. And when you memorize a song, both just fade away and you simply play. Why does it matter? Also, finger style guitar is my current main genre, a huge amount of song books provide tabs so you know where to put your fingers.

Gary also gets annoyed and complains when I ask about music theory, but then immediately proceeds to explain in great detail until I understand (even though I have completely stopped asking questions the last couple weeks because I feel dead inside). He kept saying my playing wasn’t on par with my college-level theory and wants me to wait or something. Why does it matter if you learn theory before being able to play instead of the reverse if it motivates me? I can make music in a DAW, so it doesn’t matter if my guitar skills are weak. He keeps saying that I have to keep playing guitar for years and then learn theory.

I used to sit in front of the computer with my guitar in my lap and spend hours watching YouTube guitar/theory videos. Now I don’t touch my guitar until I have 3 days left before the lesson to cram all my homework poorly. When I play, I get frustrated and feel sick and put it down after a few minutes. Before I was motivated to do homework to impress Gary, but obviously he is the opposite of impressed with my playing/projects. And I wanted to play the homework as best as I could so I could keep learning more new things, but every time I think I played the homework good enough, it would not be fast enough or played incorrectly.

I don’t know what to do. Gary is making me feel bad for being me, but I am learning more than ever at a fast pace. But when I pick up my homework, it’s boring and not my type of music. I feel like me trying to compose songs “before I’m ready” is somehow bad so I haven’t written anything for several weeks and now I feel aimless/hopeless about my Vocaloid dream. I try to find new songs to learn, but close the songbook because I’m afraid it’s too simple. He wants me to play the songs at regular tempo after two weeks, but it’s just too hard, I’m trying to remember fret numbers and stretch my hands but they’re not strong enough to play those chord shapes at that tempo after such a short period of time. He compares me to students who are slower or worse and compares me to children who play better than me.

I don’t know if the benefit of rapidly learning what I honestly don’t think I can teach myself alone is worth the emotional/creative cost. Is this how music lessons are supposed to feel? I feel like if I quit suddenly, it will prove him right.
Music lessons are not supposed to feel that way. For one thing, the instructor is supposed to encourage you instead of making you feel terrible (I once had a guitar instructor who was into classic rock/country and when asked him to teach me some chords from J-Pop songs he was fine with it). It’s helpful to find an instructor with musical interests similar to yours, but it’s not always necessary. Also Gary’s idea of needing to learn to play an instrument before learning theory is wrong. You can do it in any order, and knowing a chord-based instrument alongside the theory can be helpful, but it’s not necessary at all. I’d suggest a bunch of different things in no particular order:

-Take a break. It sounds like you’re practicing to please someone else instead of yourself. You should figure out what you like about guitar/bass in particular and then once you feel like you want to play it again you should practice some more. If you end up figuring out that you don’t like those instruments, then maybe try something else like piano.

-Get a new instructor. Right now it sounds like you’re paying Gary to make you feel bad and that’s not a good thing. It’s one thing if an instructor chews you out for not practicing at all (It’s happened to me a few times and it’s usually well-deserved) and a completely different thing if they are saying you need to practice an insane amount of hours (and they should never tell you to quit your job). The only time where I could see the suggestion of practicing for a large amount of hours being acceptable would be in a conservatory or applying to a conservatory, and that’s not what you’re aiming for. Everyone learns at a different rate and if the instructor doesn’t get that, that’s a problem. Even if it takes you years to get to a level you’re happy with, you’ll get there eventually. Maybe let the person teaching you know how many hours you’re usually able to practice per week so they don’t have unreasonable expectations?

-If you do go looking for a new instructor, I recommend asking people at local music stores or other music-related places where to go. They’ll probably have some good recommendations.

-If you don’t want to take lessons but still want to learn an instrument, you could see if any music programs near you have a community band of some sort. That should get you basic proficiency with an instrument which is what you’re looking for, right? It won’t necessarily be the right style for your music, but it’s a start. And you could always supplement it with lessons if you need to.

-Explain what your goal is with learning the instrument to whoever is teaching you and maybe show them the things you’ve written so they know what style you’re going for.

These are just suggestions and you don’t need to follow them if you don’t want to. Whatever you do, I hope your situation with Gary gets better.
 
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Kona

Avanna's #1 Fan
Apr 8, 2018
813
USA
i think firstly, you need to get away from that teacher. It’s really ruining how you think and you deserve to be treated better.

i think maybe take a break, try learning guitar on your own without the stress of a class. Try to just learn to play than focus on the theory for it right now. Mqybe get Youcisian or Rocksmith to help you out. Focus on learning to live the instrument, because if you don’t enjoy playing, you’ll never improve.
i hated trying to learn guitar, even though it was my favorite instrument. I pick it up ever few months and try but can’t get it. Earlier this year though, I took another approach—I got a ukulele. I figured a similar instrument would make the learning curve smaller and more fun. I fell in love with ukulele, it’s so fun to play and easy to get a grasp on. Maybe that’s something you could look into.The fingerings are easy so you can focus more on theory and onxe youreally adjust, head to the bigger instrument

I also think you should seperate theiry from instrument for now. Get yourself something like Hooktheory or some other music theory series and just read. No notes, no breaks, just read a chapter and consume it. Then open Studio One and fo for it! You don 5 have to be good, you don’t have to be complex, just make an intro, a progression, anything. Practice with what you want to do, not with worksheets.
i am still learning theory myself, I pick a key and go “let’s try I V IV” because I still can’t just go off chord names, but I learn with just that simple knowledge and build on it. Maybe get a MIDI chord pack to help you see examples and make ideas, I personally love the one by Unison that is just chords with no rhythm.
if you like certain artists, maybe find videos of how they make x song or how to make a song like x, they can really inspire you!

It’s okay tk want to learnfast, but give yourself breathing room and try finding a way of learning that you love. If you get burnt out, try finding something new to start fresh again. Don’t let a teacherget to you qnd don’t rely on one if you aren’t passionate learning that way. I learned that the hard way with singing, but I got through it and even though my choir director still looks down on me, I know I am improving and doing good with my singing.
 
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uncreepy

👵Escaped from the retirement home
Apr 9, 2018
1,618
Thank you all for writing thoughtful replies to me, your words really helped clear my mind and made me feel a bit better. I am going to commit to taking a break from lessons once December is over (I already paid for this month).

I had another lesson with Gary the night I wrote this post. I tried to tell him that I was getting bored with the material and wasn't motivated lately/wanted to try something different, but he lectured me for a good chunk of the hour. Some of it I agreed with, but not other things.

For example, he was saying that I should at least be able to play a few songs by memory, which is true. But when I do bring in classical fingerstyle songs, he just glances at it, plays 3-ish bars by himself, and shoves it aside. Even though I thought the piece was so moving that I played it every day that week and could remember how to play a good chunk of it without peeking. I guess in his book, only pop/rock/blues tabs from Ultimate Guitar count as a song I am approved to memorize?

He also wanted me to be able to play chord progressions that I created, which is true. But I had been presenting him with my own progressions and he was disinterested by them, during the lecture, it felt like he had no recollection of my printouts. And the last knife twist was that even though he knows I want to make songs with a DAW, he said doing that was "easy" compared to being able to play guitar. I felt insulted for our fandom, making good DAW music isn't something anyone can do effortlessly! It takes a lot of work just like any hobby! I don't wanna be a maestro, I just wanna have fun!

@mobius017 Thank you for recommending a music theory question forum. I hadn't even thought about asking my questions on a forum like that. I think when this payed month is over, I will pick up a theory book and re-assess what I know so far and just go back to being creative and free, try my best, and ask for help when needed. Your last big paragraph was very motivating to me, too.

@Älfa Dröttning You gave so many good suggestions and your descriptions of a good music teacher helped "wake me up". You are completely right, thank you so much.

@Kona I love your suggestions. I can't wait for this month to be over so I can learn at my own pace and practice whatever instrument I want when I want. (I actually have a piano I need to dust off in addition to guitar/bass, but like you said, I need to re-find my love for them.) I also like the resources you suggested and will definitely try them out.

@parallax_fifths I looked up about Lemmy's playing style and I was very intrigued. I want to try to learn some of the bass parts he has written once it's January!
 

Älfa Dröttning

Aspiring Fan
Sep 17, 2019
75
I’m glad I could help! It’s too bad that Gary is still uninterested in your music, but it’s great that you’re taking a break soon. If you’re looking for a book on theory, I learned theory from a book called Tonal Harmony (the eighth edition). It focuses mainly on classical theory which wouldn’t apply to the music you’re writing, but it does include Roman numeral and lead sheet analysis and dips into 12 tone theory a bit. I’d be glad to give you tips for learning stuff by ear/practicing in general if you’d like (I’m not great with chords, but I can pick up melodies pretty quickly).
 

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,982
I'm glad that what I said helped!

(Ha ha, and Gary digs himself a deeper hole.... He really does sound narrow-minded, or at least rude and condescending.)
And the last knife twist was that even though he knows I want to make songs with a DAW, he said doing that was "easy" compared to being able to play guitar.
Ha ha, that's just funny!

Just speaking from my own experience, I tried to learn an instrument once when I was younger. Between that and working with a DAW, I think the two activities involve vastly different skillsets. Learning an instrument is basically a physical skill--moving fingers/breaths/etc. to the right places, at the right times, in the right ways. On the other hand, I think it's fair to say that operating a DAW is basically entirely mental. It involves considerations that span music theory (which the instrumentlist would also share, if they compose), audio production (i.e., mastering/mixing), and to some extent just (somewhat advanced) computer operation. A person playing an instrument has to play an instrument; a person with a DAW almost never plays just one instrument, they play several, working to make each one sound good both alone and together. A person with a DAW is basically always taking on a role beyond that of a single traditional musician; he/she is a composer, and something related to an audio engineer.

Personally, I ended up stopping my instrument lessons after maybe a year or two (I think?), but it wasn't because playing was too difficult, it was because my teachers couldn't explain the theory in a way that made sense to me. Now, like a number of people here, I'm doing that job myself, plus learning how to work with my DAW/mix/all the other things. (Might not be fair to throw in there, but there could end up being a little linguistics, too, since there may be rules for learning how to put the various different kinds of phonemes together well when the engine doesn't choose well enough.) It wouldn't be the case for everyone, and I only have experience with the one instrument, but between the two, I found learning the physical instrument comparatively less demanding.

As an aside to the aside, I'd add a point I've wanted to make somewhere for awhile: I think the crowd that aspires to be producers some day should have a good bit of self-respect. It's not a hobby that's by any means a snap to pick up, and pursuing it long-term very possibly speaks to your self-confidence and your intelligence. (Though there are much more important things than intelligence when thinking about whether or not you ought to feel good about yourself, honestly.)
 

uncreepy

👵Escaped from the retirement home
Apr 9, 2018
1,618
Just wanted to follow up cause I feel horrible. I just got back from another lesson (2 left to go). When there were a few minutes left, I told him that I "wanted a break for a month" from lessons because my boss quit suddenly (his last day is Christmas Eve) and there's literally no one to replace him (and there will only be 3 of us left in the department for the foreseeable future), plus they are tearing out every cooler and replacing them so I didn't know what my schedule was like at all.

He told me "Just so you know, once you quit, you can never come back." I wasn't planning on it, but it's cruel to know that you can't take a break for any reason with him, apparently. So I just cried as soon as I got in the car. I hate how he decided I don't like guitar and am not serious about it. Just cause I can't play super fast and can't remember the chord names by the end of the week doesn't mean I don't like guitar. : { He decided that himself for some reason and I think that's why he basically "fired" me. I'll stop complaining once this month is over and this crud is behind me, it's just adding so much stress on top of work and the holidays that I can't help but be a grouch lately.
 

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,982
He told me "Just so you know, once you quit, you can never come back." I wasn't planning on it, but it's cruel to know that you can't take a break for any reason with him, apparently. So I just cried as soon as I got in the car. I hate how he decided I don't like guitar and am not serious about it. Just cause I can't play super fast and can't remember the chord names by the end of the week doesn't mean I don't like guitar. : { He decided that himself for some reason and I think that's why he basically "fired" me. I'll stop complaining once this month is over and this crud is behind me, it's just adding so much stress on top of work and the holidays that I can't help but be a grouch lately.
Jeez, I'm really sorry that happened. I can't help but think that Gary has a seriously over-inflated, or else insecure, ego. That's why he puts on all these "Gary the Guitar God" airs. He has to believe he's a big man, and so he acts like one and ends up stepping on you and issuing these ridiculous edicts.

The truth is, Gary's not that important. He thinks he's doing you a favor by being your teacher, but the truth is, you PAID him to teach you. And he failed at it. Miserably. Teachers are supposed to help their students get better, not push them to the point where they need to escape their presence to preserve their creative abilities.

Beyond that, Gary the Guitar God, his inherent basic level of worth as a person aside, is replaceable. You know this yourself: there was Dan before Gary, and there can just as easily be Tom or whoever after, if you want there to be. Gary actually looks very small from here, doesn't he?

You don't have to prove to Gary or anyone else that you like guitar. You do. You're the only one in the best position to know. You sought out lessons, dedicated what seems to me to be more effort to the study than I'd imagine is typical of most students--things Gary should have known if he'd paid attention. You're not some half-cocked kid who took things halfway purely because they think they look awesome when they jam air guitar to the radio.

Please don't feel bad. Take the last two lessons, or the refund, and get the hell away from Gary. Your music will be better off for it.
 
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Cyana

The Kagamines are my children
May 25, 2018
24
Australia
Gary sounds like a real snob. Those kinds of people who think there's only one genre of "real" music and anyone who likes other music is wrong and knows nothing. I agree with everyone else here, get away from him ASAP. A bit of criticism is good if you want to improve, but it's got to be constructive - Gary just sounds like he's being downright mean. Maybe he's just salty he never became a rockstar. Anyway

Self learning is difficult (I struggle with it too rip), but maybe you could try looking at some free youtube tutorials? Both for guitar and for music theory. You mentioned metal music in your original post, there might be some tutorials for how to make metal music with your DAW of choice/good free plugins for metal/applying music theory to metal/etc, to help you get back in the groove of it. Even if it's stuff you already know, it could be good to revise and get Gary out of your head

Honestly, my best advice would be to take a break and just play around with music stuff for a bit. Maybe make January a month where you allow yourself to not make progress with music, just have fun and do whatever with it, make the silliest songs you can. Then you can start February refreshed and ready to make progress again. It's rough, but you've got this :)
 
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uncreepy

👵Escaped from the retirement home
Apr 9, 2018
1,618
Thanks for your nice comment and advice, I appreciate it. Next Monday is my last lesson and I am really happy about it. I already watch a lot of tutorials for music theory/guitar techniques on YouTube and have a massive playlist dedicated to it, but I want to buy some specific books to further help (I guess I didn't believe in myself about self-learning even though I was already spending a lot of time doing it). Talking with other people about this problem made me realize a lot of things about music goals and clear my head about the situation and I'm grateful. You all made me feel 150% better than when I originally made the thread out of miserable desperation.

For making January good and just being creative as a break, I ended up writing a to-do list with ideas, goals, and a schedule. (If people are okay with it, I was thinking of making some sort of music "journal" thread with song attempts and stuff like that for 2020.)
 

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