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Tom Sklenar
Registered User
Joined: 07/25/17
Posts: 52
Tom Sklenar
Registered User
Joined: 07/25/17
Posts: 52
09/30/2017 6:39 pm
Originally Posted by: maggior

I am in a similar situation. If I had my way, I'd play guitar every night for 3 hours or more. Sometimes I'm tired from work or my family (wife and 3 kids) require attention and I just can't do that.

I think the keys are balance and flexibility, along with a dose of perspective. You want to be the best guitar player you can be, but you'd also like to keep your job and not find yourself in divorce court :). You should strive for being the best guitar player you can be given the time you have available to you.

Don't beat yourself up or get upset if you have to miss out on a practice or learning session because the kids won't go to bed, or are sick, etc. Life happens. You are probably learning music as a hobby...it's not your livelihood, keep that in perspective.

I give my family a heads up and announce that the next few days I need to learn x number of songs for my band. I still leave time to spend with my family, but by announcing it, it's not a surprise which can lead to resentment. If I sense some resentment is building up, I'll make sure to focus more on the family for a while.

If music is a passion for you, your family will recognize that and understand...as long as you don't put all of your focus and energy on only your music. :)

I also grab time when I can. Sometimes I'll grab a guitar and run through a riff I'm working on for 5 minutes. Those little micro practice sessions help reinforce things I'm learning.

Just some random thoughts on how I've dealt with the situation.

Thank you for your suggestion! We don´t have an easy life, are we? :-)