Hating your playing, sometimes or always.

N

Noestre

Guest
Lately I have been having problems with just not liking my playing from time to time. Mostly from band-practice recordings and stuff. The things I play aren't "wrong" or sloppy/out of time and so on, It's just that I can't stand listening to it, but I don't really know why.

Anyone got any familiar experiences and tips on how to like your own playing more?
 
I have only played for 5 months.. so i always hate my playing :) Sorry thats not much help though..
 
Hah, does that sound familiair!

I only seem to pick up the bad parts, not the good parts.
Must be a perfectionist issue.

The ironic part is I was the one who edited all the videos of my last band...
 
Yeah.. I would say you should try and pinpoint what fills/beats/tendencies you dislike and erase them from your playing.

What do others think?
 
Folks.... as I read the first line in the OP - he HAS been recording himself, and that's what he does not like. The sound of himself.

I first suggest a break if anything.
 
Oh yes, I do know the feeling! Some reasons I can think of:

-you're sounding so familiar to yourself (obviously) that it's starting to annoy you?
-you imagine things differently musically or how it all sits, but at the moment of
playing all that comes out is (obviously again) you?
-as a musician you probably like diversion and varierty, but there is only so much
you can think of while playing, and it always sounds like you?

Hope you get the points I'm trying to describe. They do apply to me sometimes.

Also, in my playing, it often is the quality of it - timing, groove,
phrasing, creative and musical coherence (don't find another word) etc. that
makes me sick of it. So if this isn't the case for you as you say, you must be
luckier than me at least :).
 
The things I play aren't "wrong" or sloppy/out of time and so on, It's just that I can't stand listening to it, but I don't really know why.
Thaardy my man, I think the fine folk here should realise you're a player of very considerable skill. That's an important piece of context right there.

Reading between the lines, I'm getting you're not happy with your playing choices. That's a much more difficult fix than any identifiable technique based issue. I'm guessing you're probably being a little over critical, & you're simply transitioning one of those self satisfaction plateaus we all experience from time to time.

I'm constantly dissatisfied with my playing, but my issues are there for all to see. No mystery whatsoever :(
 
It happens. You push the envelope of your playing, then you master it, then after awhile it bores you. Two bits of advice for you. One is to realize that your being overly critical of yourself (not a bad thing) and others don't hear your playing with the same "been there done that" attitude. Second, and this is harder, get influenced. You have to listen to new influences and give them time to sink into your playing. You'll be okay, you've got the right attitude. It's ebb and flow.
 
Lately I have been having problems with just not liking my playing from time to time.

Anyone got any familiar experiences and tips on how to like your own playing more?

Not being completely satisfied with one's own performance is part of the human condition. It's part of the mechanism that drives us to improve. Musicianship is a constant battle between our abilities and the maturity with which we hear. The more you play, the more refined our perception becomes.

So it's not unusual that you feel this way, and it's not unusual for this situation to repeat itself every so often. What is important is that you learn to recognize this feeling as an improvement, and not get hung up about it.

Peace and love.
 
It's just that I can't stand listening to it, but I don't really know why.

Step 1. Figure out why.

Until you do that, we can only speculate.

I play very very basic drums and I generally love the way it sounds whether recorded or live because I'm listening to the music, not the drums.
 
Could it be that you're just tired of your own playing? This has happened with me.

Maybe you hear yourself and you think, "well there it is again - same ol', same ol'." I get that way (kind of there right now in fact).

Like Bill, Swiss Matthias and SunDog said, try new influences, add to your vocabulary or try some lessons that are different than what you're comfortable with. These have helped me.
 
Actually, the next-to-last time I heard myself on a recording, I was surprised at how good I sounded! I hadn't heard myself for quite some time, and even though I'm not a flashy player at all, I was rather proud of what I heard.

Then . . . we recorded ourselves live at a large event in order to produce a demo tape. I was feeling really good that night, but all night long I was rushing horribly and making really amateurish mistakes. I was quite embarrassed.

Practicing is another thing altogether, though. I bore myself silly and marvel at my lack of inventiveness. Seems I can rock a band really well, but when it comes to integrating new material, I suck. I'm trying to budget a Zoom video recorder so I can record myself and do some serious critical analysis.

I suspect that most of us have gone through periods where we don't like our playing. But you've received some good advice on what to do. I just wanted to let you know that what you're experiencing is not unique.

GeeDeeEmm
 
I notice I hate my playing when I've recently gotten into a new style/song, and slowly realize there's no faking my way into learning it. My appreciation of this thing I hear in another drummer isn't going to be effortlessly absorbed into my own playing, just because I like it. For just a second I sulk like an idiot, then I remember this was the process for everything I know right now. Duh.
 
Thaard, you need to break it down more. You have to pinpoint exactly what you aren't liking. Problems have to be fully identified before any work can be done on them. So what is it that is troubling you? Usually when I listen back to myself, and I don't like something, I know exactly why I don't like it, and either drop it or modify it before I play it next. It's really not that big of a problem once you identify the key elements that aren't sitting right with you. So what are the key elements you don't like? Or hate even?
 
Thaard, you need to break it down more. You have to pinpoint exactly what you aren't liking. Problems have to be fully identified before any work can be done on them. So what is it that is troubling you? Usually when I listen back to myself, and I don't like something, I know exactly why I don't like it, and either drop it or modify it before I play it next. It's really not that big of a problem once you identify the key elements that aren't sitting right with you. So what are the key elements you don't like? Or hate even?
I don't really know for sure, but I think has to do with my expression and feel. It just doesn't sit right with me a lot of times.
 
I have only played for 5 months.. so i always hate my playing :) Sorry thats not much help though..

I could argue that you have been playing for such a short period of time you should be loving your playing. When we first start we soak up new stuff and learn things quickly cos everything is new and exciting. Make the most of it, it becomes harder and harder to improve in the leaps and bounds we do when new to drumming.
 
I could argue that you have been playing for such a short period of time you should be loving your playing. When we first start we soak up new stuff and learn things quickly cos everything is new and exciting. Make the most of it, it becomes harder and harder to improve in the leaps and bounds we do when new to drumming.

Yeah.. i fear i have passed the leaps and bounds and am starting to hit walls:) but i still enjoy it..
 
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