Having played the piano for 55 years, and hardy missed a day except when on holiday, I havent now played for 10 days, and I have no inclination or desire to do so.
Im not ill, have not had a busy weekend, have no worries personally, I just feel I dont want to play! How long will this last ? Have other been through this sort of trauma, and how did you get out of it ?

Two things make me very, very determined to practise after a dull patch.

One is not being able to play or sing - so for example when I have a cold I'm always DESPERATE to get back to singing, when I injured my shoulder I was terribly frustrated that the violin was stuck in its case etc.

The other is being insulted - so if someone ridicules my piano playing I will probably put in some major keyboard time to try to prove the insulter wrong.

I'm going through the same sort of phase too - I seem to positively have to force myself to go and sit down and do any practice......... part of my problem is that I don't have anything to work for - no recitals in the pipeline etc, and I don't feel I have the energy to organise my own again like I did a couple of times before for charity.......it just all seems like too much work to have to practise up a full recital's worth of music from memory.......and I'm not as easily motivated to get a piece up to concert standard unless there is a concert in the offing so I can't even just pick one piece and work on that.........I'm basically just messing around from time to time with a few Chopin studies just to try to keep my technique from being totally lost.........

Perhaps you need something new and different to play ....

Would you play some non-classical music for fun if we get together tomorrow? I'm talking well-known songs from the 20s, 30s or 40s. I could, er, sing along with you

I've just had a month of this after playing for 21 years, hit me by surprise too, just wasn't interested anymore. 2 days ago I started to get the interest back again and am now seriously thinking about another diploma again. I don't know the reason or how to get over it, but with me it just took time, maybe it's a musical SAD syndrome

All sorts of things (some identifiable, some we may never recognise) turn us off playing our instruments from time to time. After all, apart from sleeping and eating, there can be few activities any of us undertake every day of our lives, certainly with any genuine enthusiasm. I think it's perfectly natural to go through phases where, quite suddenly, it all seems too much hassle.

I've sometimes experienced same with my oboe playing: I just ride it out and either get going again because I've got a goal to aim for (eg concert, rehearsals etc) or I do as others have suggested and look for something very different to play. Sometimes I just don't play again until I have the hunger to do so.

It doesn't happen often but I've never not yet returned to my oboe and loved it to pieces when I've picked it up after a slightly longer gap than usual.

I wouldn't worry if I were you - let time be the healer and when you're ready to try something, then do it. If you haven't played after a month or so, give yourself a good reason to do so (ie something to aim for) and get started again and see how it feels.

As others have said, perhaps you need a new challenge?

I had this when I tried new flutes out. it was only a few days because I had to teach on it though. I thought that because the flute I had chosen sounded so good, my flute would sound awful in comparison. But on returning to itm it wasn't as bad as I had thought. Time out is good anyway!

I wouldn't worry about it at all. It's certainly not a crisis. You'll play again when you feel like it. All artists suffer from this now and again, and the trick is to deal with not playing, rather than finding a solution to the 'problem'. It could quite simply be your mind telling you to have some time off.

If you need a new challenge, do have any inclination to take up learning a new instrument?


Although I think what scarpia has said makes a lot of sense.

I used to have what I called 'writers block' (I am a composer). I would get to a point that not only couldn't I write, I couldn't actually stand to look at a score, and sometimes to even listen to music. I got terribly depressed about this, until I realised that all I needed to do was take some time off from music, let everything 'ferment' in my mind, and come back to it later. This once lasted 6 months. I can only say that my house was VERY clean at the end of this!

I then woke up one morning, and carried on writing as if nothing had happened.

A colleague of mine (a tenor) sometimes only sings when he is teaching. If he has no performing work, he doesn't practice, learn something new, or anything. He sees it as a break from when he has a week to learn a role and memorise it!

I started playing just about 55 years ago too, and have had many periods when I haven't touched the piano for ages - sometimes it's been because I was living in rented accomodation with no piano available, or just because "I haven't felt like it". I sometimes think that I could have been brilliant if I'd played every day I have always come back to it, and I have to say the periods when I haven't played don't bother me at all, maybe because I know it's always there, waiting for me to come back. I also find that it helps if I have a goal - a concert or an exam or something to aim for. I've got a concert in about 10 days so am practising for that, but also have discovered I enjoy the recorder, so, at least temporarily, that's what I'm playing most.

Don't worry about not playing; enjoy doing something else for a bit and I'm sure you'll come back to it soon.

Maybe time to take up another instrument F#M?

I think we all seem to go through patches of unmotivation, I wonder why. I will often try something different; for instance if I'm fed up of playing my current pieces, I'll try and compose something or arrange something to play with a friend or maybe practise my part of a duet or an accompanied piece.

Not to worry - I'm sure you'll be drawn back to it!

Do you sing or hum while you are doing something? Do you still listen to music? I think it is quite healthy to have a break... I just hope that your technique doesn't suffer...

Shall we play duet? How about Scaramouche by Mihuid? or Beethoven's 5th Symphony "Fate" knocking on your door?

hero

This is a strange one! I play the piano everyday too, (sorry FSM I'm not quite at the advanced age to which you infer, only just having reached 39) but I have been playing the piano since I was 5 years old. I have never felt like this even on very bad days and when away on holiday (if not at my villa in Spain which has a piano) I usually seek one out and "bully" someone into letting me play it. (It's easy when you're 6'4" tall)

Speaking as a doctor your problem may be related to an unpleasant piano related phobia from your past and just happens to have reared its ugly head. I'm not a psychiatrist so would not like to dwell on that aspect too much. I remember a 55 year old patient of mine coming to see me because he had lost all interest in his home, garden, wife, children, guitar (he was an astonishingly good guitarist). I examined him for any likely physical problems but there were no cotra-indications of a physical nature, and I explained that I could find nothing phyically wrong with him. He broke down and said he was having an affair with a twenty one year old girl at his office. He should be so lucky

FSM if it's not another woman I wouldn't lose any sleep over it, and even then not.

No its not another woman.!

Thanks all for your posts and sympathetic advice. !
I'll give tonight a miss, then I'm away in Leeds tomorrow night (as I am most Tuesdays). Maybe I'll be up for it when home on Wednesday night.

I wouldn't worry about this, it happens to everyone sometimes! You will get drawn back to it one day, and end up playing for ages and ages!!!

You are very lucky indeed if this is the first time in fifty-five years! All artists get this from time to time and the desire to create again almost always returns. If you had to play each day for several hours as your full time career it might matter. As youy play for pleasure (I think. Forgive me if I am wrong) there really is no pressure for you to play until you are ready to do so again. Is your brain trying to tell you to give up music for Lent?

Something I said to somebody else recently is that practice is one of those things - the more you do it, the more you want to do it, and the less you do it, the less you want to do it. (I could draw a parallel with another activity, but I won't. ) My answer is just to grab a new piece of music - a real challenge - and make yourself get started, with a view to perfecting it for something specific - or for a specific person who will appreciate it. We would! What about the forumrecordingswebsite?

I am pleased to tell you I finally snapped out of it and played three complete Beethoven Sonatas last night !
Op10 No1, Op28, and Op90, increasing in difficulty !
Thanks for all your help and advice.

Excellent!

Great News

Fab

Very pleased for you!

I was going to reply earlier and say "great!!! Wish I could get out of my rut......." and since then - I have!!! Just spent 3 hours practising today and learning a totally new piece.....! (You must have inspired me!!! )

How nice to hear a happy ending to your 'crisis'