Burned out

[JCBone]

So I think I have burned out. I dread picking up the trombone everyday and get can't wait to pack it back up. I often will wait until 2 in the morning to practice because of my procastination. I have tried taking breaks but I just come back with the same mentality.
my aspiration is to be a professional musician and I understand that won't happen unless I practice but I just can't find the motivation.

I think this has to do with the lockdown. I never liked practicing but I had auditions and performances which I wanted to pass and do well on. I was motivated even though I didn't really like doing the work. During the first lockdown I worked My butt off and ended up coming out as a much better musician but I don't think I can do it this time around on the second lockdown. Who knows when I'll perform next? Could be in a few weeks, could be a whole year. I have nothing to work for yet still I'm expected to inprove during the lockdown. I just don't know what to do and need some help.

[hyperbolica]

Obviously a little time off would help, but you might try something different in two aspects. Try new music, arranging, or maybe even a different instrument. Piano, euphonium, guitar... Just something different to give you some time while still being musical.

[Burgerbob]

I'm still on my first lockdown!

I practice every day, and I enjoy it, because I keep my goals very small. Every day is just a bit better than the last.

I would love to just work up an entire recital and record it, but I'm not sure many of us have the capacity for that kind of drive for this long.

So just chill a bit. Maintain some things, work on small aspects of your playing, and release the expectation that you need to be putting 7 hours of 100% perfect sound every day.

Find the reason that you like playing the trombone. For me, most of it comes from playing in a great section, but some part of my enjoyment comes from constant improvement. I can do the latter!

[harrisonreed]

If you never liked to practice and you are waiting until 2am to practice there are other, more fundamental issues at play keeping you from being motivated and becoming a musician.

Being awake at 2am, unless your job dictates that you be awake then, is problem 1. Try starting an early exercise program, wake up at 0600, make your bed, and do weights or running or swimming etc at 0630am. THEN eat breakfast. You'll already have accomplished more than 75% of "I want to be a musician" wannabes.

You'll be more motivated to practice, and you'll want to go to sleep at a normal time. Your life will get better.

[Bach5G]

Have a look at:

https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-An ... son&sr=8-1

[Burgerbob]

Have a look at:

https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-An ... son&sr=8-1

Oh boy... not that guy please

[marccromme]

my aspiration is to be a professional musician and I understand that won't happen unless I practice but I just can't find the motivation.

I never liked practicing but I had auditions and performances which I wanted to pass and do well on. I was motivated even though I didn't really like doing the work.

The essence is in these two sentences. Humans get good at stuff, which they love to do, and feel happy about using a lot of time to do. So, you must find your inner pleasure in practicing. If you don't think it's fun to practise, you need to change routines until you love it.

For me the most motivating factor is the peace and Zen of deep concentration, plus the reward of a daily small improvement.

You need to find out what the pleasure of daily practice is, and nourish it. Yours, not mine.

Do not let other people's pass criteria define your motivation, find your Zen, your love, your pleasure. It's about mental attitude, yours, that is.

[Savio]

So I think I have burned out. I dread picking up the trombone everyday and get can't wait to pack it back up. I often will wait until 2 in the morning to practice because of my procastination. I have tried taking breaks but I just come back with the same mentality.
my aspiration is to be a professional musician and I understand that won't happen unless I practice but I just can't find the motivation.

I think this has to do with the lockdown. I never liked practicing but I had auditions and performances which I wanted to pass and do well on. I was motivated even though I didn't really like doing the work. During the first lockdown I worked My butt off and ended up coming out as a much better musician but I don't think I can do it this time around on the second lockdown. Who knows when I'll perform next? Could be in a few weeks, could be a whole year. I have nothing to work for yet still I'm expected to inprove during the lockdown. I just don't know what to do and need some help.

You are not burned out in your age. You just have to approciate both your self and your trombone.
When I wake up I take a cofffee and think Im so blessed because after the coffee I can go and make a sound on my trombone. If it is a bad sound I wait and take one more coffee, if its ok I play a melody and enjoy. If I sound really bad I might take a long walk outside. The happiness is to go back and the trombone is waiting for you....

Leif

[VJOFan]

“Do or do not. There is no try.” (Yoda- if anyone needs the reference.)

[FOSSIL]

So I think I have burned out. I dread picking up the trombone everyday and get can't wait to pack it back up. I often will wait until 2 in the morning to practice because of my procastination. I have tried taking breaks but I just come back with the same mentality.
my aspiration is to be a professional musician and I understand that won't happen unless I practice but I just can't find the motivation.

I think this has to do with the lockdown. I never liked practicing but I had auditions and performances which I wanted to pass and do well on. I was motivated even though I didn't really like doing the work. During the first lockdown I worked My butt off and ended up coming out as a much better musician but I don't think I can do it this time around on the second lockdown. Who knows when I'll perform next? Could be in a few weeks, could be a whole year. I have nothing to work for yet still I'm expected to inprove during the lockdown. I just don't know what to do and need some help.

I know how you feel...another lockdown looming...gigs getting more distant, not nearer....you cannot give output so get input...listen to music, all and everything as long as it's high quality...listen, listen,listen...when you want to emulate, you have a reason to work.

Chris

[harrisonreed]

“Do or do not. There is no try.” (Yoda- if anyone needs the reference.)

Didn't they edit him out of the "special" editions they did in 1997?

[Doubler]

Variety helps. Think of different things to do and different approaches to what you already do. No need to stick with any of them; just try them. Working on one area of your playing is interconnected to the rest. Listen to music you enjoy just to get it circulating in your subconscious and unconscious mind. A little less pressure to achieve and a little more focus on what things you do enjoy will help.

I herby waive my 2 cents fee.

[imsevimse]

I practice 20 minutes a day on tenor trombone to stay in shape and about an hour on soprano trombone and after that an hour on french horn. I end the day with bass trombone and some tuba No gigs. I'm in isolation. I have only met with people five times since 17/3 and will continue to be in a private lockdown for about another six month probably. I have now started to fool with a student Yamaha flute too. I play it about 10 minutes and not every day. I'm not sure I will be able too double on flute decent because my lips get a little stiff from much flute playing, more than I thought. Tenor trombone, bass trombone, soprano trombone, french horn and tuba on the other hand work pretty well in a combination. The variations saves me from beeing burned out and it makes me wonder how good I can get on the new instruments if I practice like this for half a year

/Tom

[JCBone]

Thank you all for the advice. I'm trying to carve out a bit of time each day to. do someth8ng I really like. Lately I have been playing along to orchestra pieces.

[Vegasbound]

Thank you all for the advice. I'm trying to carve out a bit of time each day to. do someth8ng I really like. Lately I have been playing along to orchestra pieces.

IMHO lacking motivation to practice would be a better description of where you are, you may or may not remember Daley Thompson? He was a decathlete during the 1980's and was for many years the only man to have defended that particular Olympic title

Daley was once asked in an interview why he trained on Christmas Day ? He replied that he knew his biggest rivals would be eating their Christmas lunch knowing he was training as they did.

Why do I mention this? Your motivation should be to become a better musician every day, but if you really wAntto make it as a pro player remember that your competition for every audition will be practicing every day

So you need to look yourself in the mirror, and decide if being a pro player with all its pitfalls and precarious living is what you really want?

[olivegreenink]

Soooo I guess Ill be the person who takes a whole different approach. What you are describing is perfectly normal

1. As humans we all have ups and downs.
2. While it is something you have to work towards, like any goal, you also have to allow your body AND mind to recover From fatigue. Just like a runner must have rest days.
3. Objectively, the world has been nuts for an exhausting, extended period right now. I’m not a psychologist, but certainly know that the state we’ve been in leads for many to various levels of depression. Nothing wrong with that at all. Again, perfectly normal. Losing interest in things you love is one of the most common effects of depression. An inability to sleep is another common outcome for that matter. I know there is a long history of stigma around this sort of thing - but again, perfectly natural. I’m so glad more people are starting g to see the benefits of caring for all forms of health. Depending on your insurance benefits more sessions are being offered as part of the COVID care and response if you’re interested in simply talking to someone about it, which I suspect will help
4. Personally, I felt my trombone professor did a disservice by trying to put fear in us that if we didn’t practice for one day, we would lose a week of progress. I think they were just trying to overcompensate to get us to practice at all and in turn some folks took it black and white.
5. I have to respectfully disagree with the point made above - anyone at any age can indeed get burned out.
6. Agree with advice above to essentially focus on the part you do still enjoy. Writers read to hone their craft. As musicians it might work for you to try to pick up a different instrument - but it might work to just listen to great music. OR, simply let your mind wander. Music is a creative outlet - and other creative things can easily inspire you to want to create. So a great movie could spark your wanting to play.
7. When we pursue a passion as a career, the luster wears off for many of us. The mechanics and administration become the focus instead of the joy/fun. So many folks start small businesses based on their hobby and wind up hating it because they spend 90% of their time outside the actual creation portion.
8. It’s perfectly ok to take a long break....or even decide this might not be for you. That’s what happened for me and after many years away and a 20-year career in a visual creative field I’m back and loving it. I never ever liked practice when I had to. Only this year have I discovered the joy of practicing for me. Which has a lot to do with tech and how accessible sheet music is.
9. Perhaps cut yourself a little - or a lot - of slack
10. Remember that the better you get the smaller your improvements will get over time. It can be challenging to feel like your progress is slowing, stalling, or even regressing. That’s just math though. We all make leaps and bounds in the beginning. It’s only possible for relatively incremental changes once the foundation is there.
11. While I’m unlikely to be able to give much guidance with actual music, because I am one of the many who had played many paid gigs before realizing I would never be good enough for it to be a full time profession. My calling was in creative services (design, writing, video, 3D, print production). I’ve been in that role for many years now - the past 15 years leading progressively larger teams. And to be very clear, regardless of what branch of being creative they are in, every member of my team (plus myself) has needed support when getting though a creative “rut” at some point or another. So more specifically I feel That my calling is helping other people - especially creatives. So no pressure at all but if you want to PM or email me, I’m sure all my years of helping others re-find their spark and sharing a wealth of resources is potentially applicable to your situation I’m no guru - I just really like helping others - so merely a friendly offer.

I wish you all the best!

Cheers,
BO

[harrisonreed]

Watch the Japanese cartoon "Nodame Cantabile"

[Jimprindle]

I stopped "practicing" decades ago. I perform for myself daily because I enjoy it and have no another musical outlet these past few months. True, my performance includes a lot of long tones, scale exercises, etudes, etc. but I am not playing those things to "get better" or to "maintain" but because I enjoy making music whether long notes or rests in a third trombone part or melodies. I know, it is an attitude, but it has worked for me for decades.

[Savio]

I stopped "practicing" decades ago. I perform for myself daily because I enjoy it and have no another musical outlet these past few months. True, my performance includes a lot of long tones, scale exercises, etudes, etc. but I am not playing those things to "get better" or to "maintain" but because I enjoy making music whether long notes or rests in a third trombone part or melodies. I know, it is an attitude, but it has worked for me for decades.

Excactly! Jim you are same as me. I can of course understand the pessimism, the negatives things the pandemi brings. We all do. But we have to hang on the positive thing when all thing seems negative. Make a joy out of every note we play at home. Make the best out of it. Adjust our goals. One positive thing is we can practice a lot.

I mean it doesnt help to sit down and feel hopeless. Or to say everything is so sad. We have to make the best out of it all. Creativity? New ways to perform? Maybe love what we allready have and can do? I dont know, but I do know it doesnt help to put our head down in the sand. I hope this is ok to say?

Leif

[bassboy]

This may not help but I remember Brian Hecht saying that he's added 1-3 hours to his practice sessions of just playing along to songs on the radio, or movies or TV--and it's made him a happier musician. It's both ear training and playing. And he's in the Atlanta Symphony!
You may not like all the stuff on the radio, but it can also be fun to play along to music on your favorites shows, or even some music in video games. And by the way, you're still playing the trombone, so no calling it wasted time either!

[Elow]

Just had a lesson with him, he buzzes songs on the radio when he can’t play. He also does his best to avoid buzzing just on the mouthpieces. He says it creates bad habits and he uses either a tube or a leadpipe to create good resistance.

[izMadman]

I've been in your shoes before, and trust me, burnout is no joke, especially when you're pursuing something as demanding as a career in music. What helped me was finding a new hobby to mix things up a bit, even if it's just for a short while. Sometimes, you need to take a step back to reignite that spark.

In your case, maybe setting small, achievable goals and finding a practice buddy could make the journey less daunting.

During a particularly rough patch myself, I went to a psychiatrist in nyc who helped me rediscover my passion by identifying underlying issues that were holding me back. Sometimes, talking it out with a professional can make all the difference.

[musicofnote]

Maybe it would help, if you described your practice "routine". What do you do to warm-up for how long? What do you then pull out to accomplish that?

I'm 70 now and don't play publicly anymore, but love to play every day for myself. Although I do have a simple warm-up routine, the reason is, that it sets me up in about 8-10 minutes to play most anything I want. Then a few weeks ago, I decided to "work" on my low register, so what I immediately didn't do, is haul out a bunch of scales and arpeggios. Instead I play Bordogni and then Concone because 1) they're fun and 2) they proof, that I'm "doing it right" in a musical setting. I have a couple of "solo" pieces I play from time to time and notice, that without woodshedding anything, they get better and better.

What I'm trying to say is, that practice sucks. Much too often it has too little to do with making music. So I approach it differently. I don't think of practicing, but rather on playing music that will advance me gtechnically and musically. And is fun to play.

But on the darker side, if you aspire to be a professional musician, you need to "practice", whether you call it that or approach it as I (and others) do, ie playing goal oriented music. If you can't find music to play that will also help you reach your professional goal, then the problem may lie there.

About 10 years ago i reached that point and took a break for about 18 months, concentrated on other things, did other things professionally. Re-thought my attitude towards music. At that time I had a "practice routine". When I went back, I decided to do a minimum of technical work (which became less and less as time went on) and just played stuff I WANTED tto and LIKED playing. My trombone world didn't collapse or blow up. I did gigs and played those pieces in a more intelligent manner, rarely practicing, but rather playing and rarely woodshedding. It seemed chaotic at first, but it worked and I got more confidence in my own abilities. And if I did run into a passage that needed woodshedding, I approached it more intelligently and not trying to muscle it into my head, large muscle groups and small muscle groups. Just a minute or so of mental analysis and then practice that for a minute or so, never berating myself if it doesn't want to work right away.

So much of playing is mental and having a bad attitude towards playing the trombone is not condusive to making music on the trombone. Some can do it and practice their Ling-Ling 40 hours a day, others can't. If you can't you can either find a different approach to the same ends or ... find new ends.

[WGWTR180]

The original post is from 2020. Wondering if the OP is still burned out or has stopped altogether?

[Matt K]

Especially since depending on life circumstances, and location, they may still be reluctant to be in public. Covid coincided with the birth of my first child fairly closely and we didn’t emerge meaningfully until last September when he started preschool. I took a pretty substantial trial break… only got the horn out of the case a few times from late 2019 to October 2022, so almost 3 years.

[WGWTR180]

Especially since depending on life circumstances, and location, they may still be reluctant to be in public. Covid coincided with the birth of my first child fairly closely and we didn’t emerge meaningfully until last September when he started preschool. I took a pretty substantial trial break… only got the horn out of the case a few times from late 2019 to October 2022, so almost 3 years.

Agreed Matt. The last three years affected everyone differently.

[tbdana]

Especially since depending on life circumstances, and location, they may still be reluctant to be in public. Covid coincided with the birth of my first child fairly closely and we didn’t emerge meaningfully until last September when he started preschool. I took a pretty substantial trial break… only got the horn out of the case a few times from late 2019 to October 2022, so almost 3 years.

Even today there's still risk. I just finished a musical theater run in a pit orchestra, and in the middle of the run we started losing cast members to covid. There they all are on stage, the entire cast belting out their vocals and their lines, and spewing covid into the air, and possibly into the orchestra pit, in a big "super-spreader" event. So yeah, there's still a risk in some situations.

[GGJazz]

Hello everyone !


I do not want to be pedantic or pathetic , but I think that among the most important quality that a musician should have , there are certainly passion , determination , and discipline .

For sure , the Lockdown was a very hard time , but .... things could be much worse (my grandfather during WWII comes to mind ) . And , hopefully , much better !

Apart from the fact that 8/10 minutes can be enough to be completely "warmed-up" , I think that we have to practice fundamentals (tone , articolations , range , flexibility , intonation , dynamics , ecc ecc) every day . All life long .
Why ? Because we have to improve it , to get it better and better . They will allow us to play Music in a better way . So , you have to "pay your dues "....!

Anyway , many things apparently have nothing to do with the "game" itself .
If you are a boxer , you do not enter the gym and immediatly get the ring to fight . You need to stretch , run , jump rope , try and try again the various blows and learn to hit them , ecc ecc .
A boxer jumping rope is like a trombone player practicing lip flexibility .

If we want to be professional players , I think we should consider that some musicians have set standards we have to measure against .
So , this do not means that you have to play like Joe Alessi or J.J. Johnson , or you have to stop playing ; but you have to go in these directions , and try to do your best .

Again , I do not want to be pedantic or pathetic , but it' s hard to me even to imagine how anyone could be bored playing music , practicing an instrument .
Of course , everyone can have moments of great discomfort , but they should be overcome ...

In this World , some people have a terrifyng , very tiring , sad , dangerous life .... I thanks Fate every day for allowing me to be a musician , and to make living from this since I was 17 .

Regards
Giancarlo

[Trombonjon]

What's the very best use of your time today? Do that! It matters not whether it's related to music or anything else. Time is the one resource that we cannot regain. Once it's gone it's gone.