I’ve been thinking about this one for a couple of days, (unlike my usual response).

First of all, little boys start playing guitar for one reason. They want the girls to pay some “special” attention to them.

Guess what? It works! And after I got that “special” attention, I discovered that I really liked playing guitar!

Then I started playing because I wanted to play.

Playing with others became a “special” experience too, because it was something I hadn’t experienced before. Especially since I started playing with a group of exceptional musicians.

Then came the period of playing in “flatpicking” contests where I was competing against former national champions. The first one, I was relaxed because I didn’t think I had a chance of winning, and I won. The second was the same and I won again. I placed second in the next two contests, partially because I thought I could win. Third next.

It ceased to be “fun” because it became a competition for me and not about making music. Dueling guitars anyone? Notice my results went downhill when I started taking it seriously.

That’s when I stopped playing publically. It screwed up my mindset about what playing music was.

Hopefully, one day I can get back to just playing music. Don’t ever encourage anyone to play in contests. Going from having 3 judges critique every note and nuance to just making music and expressing yourself isn’t an easy transition.

Music should be fun. For the listener and the musician! Oh well.

Bob
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http://soundcloud.com/bobcflatpicke/music-in-the-mountains