"Why can I barely be bothered to play?": Rob Chapman has some good advice on what to do when you lose motivation as a guitarist

Rob Chapman
(Image credit: Rob Chapman / YouTube)

We've all been there, or if you haven't – you will. Those times when you know you should want to play guitar, but you don't. Why? Well, there can be a lot of distractions in our lives. 

Playing music will easily slip down the list of priorities while we still sometimes find plenty of time to spend scrolling through Instagram feeds. Moreover, it can be about a lack of inspiration start with – a reason to pick your guitar up rather than simply the act of doing it. Rob Chapman knows about this kind of problem.

Why I Stopped Playing Guitar - (And how I found motivation again) - YouTube Why I Stopped Playing Guitar - (And how I found motivation again) - YouTube
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In his new video Rob talks about how you can tackle a lack of motivation right now. And I won't spoil his video because you should watch it but things like choosing a random backing track from YouTube or Spotify without knowing the key or style seems like something I should be doing myself as a player – but I'm not.

"You get out of a rut by stopping doing the same thing and apply it to some music," says Rob. Seems simple – well it can be if you use the accessible tools around you. And no, it doesn't mean buying new gear because Rob says that thrill will often "fade off" if you've got real inspiration issues. But he's got plenty of ideas that will inspire you and won't cost a penny. 

Check out Rob''s tips above and subscribe to his YouTube channel here

 

Rob Chapman - Somniphobia (Official Music Video) - YouTube Rob Chapman - Somniphobia (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.