Here's my problem. Three months ago, I could easily spend five hours a day building my chops. Perhaps unintentionally, the pursuit of technique became my whole approach to the instrument. I was having fun, yes, but for the most part it was my accomplishments at becoming more technically adept that gave me joy. After a vacation, I got back and my chops gradually went down the tubes after I sort of lost my inspiration to practice with the same rigorousness that I had had before the vacation. I haven't seriously played any of my guitars for about a month.
Here's the problem: I seem to be unable to find a way to start playing again. I'm afraid to pick it up, having lost so much of what I had worked so hard to accomplish. Somewhere along the line, I lost the ability to appreciate the simplicity of the instrument, like when I was just starting and would sit down and try to learn Zeppelin tunes just for fun. I would like to have fun with the guitar again, learn some new songs, and impress people with simple renditions of popular songs, but I'm still stuck in the mindframe that guitar means practicing scales 5 hours a day to reach some sort of Petrucci-Malmsteen-esque level of ability. How can I have fun again with simple stuff, when my head is chalk full of theory that now seems useless?
Any advice? How do you guys have FUN with the instrument? For you technique heads... lal, I'm looking at you bud, put yourself in my place based on what I just explained and tell me how you would approach picking up the guitar again.
I hope this made sense... I realize I was kind of ranting. Let me sum it up again. I had come to define myself as a guitar player based on how fast I could play, my knowledge of theory, how well I could improvise.. etc. etc. Now, the technique is gone, and I'm wondering how I can fit guitar back into my life in a funner, more manageable way.