Personal Breakthroughs in Music

Hello all!

I was wondering if anybody had ever had a 'breakthrough' moment in music. By this, I mean an inspiration that has improved your playing or enjoyment of music by noticing little details or finding an inner confidence or ability that you didn't know you had.

I had one today. I'm also a guitarist. Those that have seen my playing in the flesh know that I'm also a bit of a hack with the guitar. I've never had the confidence to sit down and learn to play a guitar solo because I never believed I had the ability to do so. I've dabbled with a few here and there but never taken on a 'project', i.e. one that will take time to lean and expand my playing ability.

I posted a video on YouTube the other day of me playing a solo. It's not perfect and I'm not hugely proud of it. Today, I decided that I'd start learning the solo to 'Time' by Pink Floyd - out of boredom rather than anything else. I've worked on it for maybe two or three hours today and the results aren't great but in just that time I've realised that I the only thing holding me back was my own lack of confidence rather than ability.

It's been a strange one. This might be my personal breakthrough.

How about you guys? Have you ever experienced anything like this?
 
There were a few major moments that I recall with guitar.

1: Realizing that if I stayed within the safe confines of a scale, that I could improvise freely.

2: Finally getting 16th's on the right hand, which unfortunately cost me a year of my life playing in a 3 piece instrumental Funk Band. Tick-i-dah-Tick-i-dah-Tick-i-dah-Tick-i-dah-Tick-i-dah...... Kill me.

3: Learning to combine hammer-on, pull-off, pick-down, and pick-up in every permutation so that I could appear to play much faster than I was mechanically capable of (or use less effort at moderate tempos). For you drummers out there, think of any of Jimmi Page's high-paced solos.
 
I could use a breakthrough. On the other hand, nothing is degrading. And the dancing is almost non stop lately. Nothing wrong with slow and steady I guess.
 
My constant breakthrough is a lack of personal expectation. That way, I'm never disappointed, & everything that goes right, no matter how simple, is a pleasure. Not a model I would suggest for anyone else.

I'm frequently working in situations where I'm the worst drummer in the room. I've become comfortable with that. I take pleasure from excelling in areas that make others sound good. That applies both to the drums I design & my drum parts within a band context. I'm spending all next week with talented players. It's my job to ensure the drums sound great, but also to direct the talents of others to produce a result that works.
 
I'm frequently working in situations where I'm the worst drummer in the room. I've become comfortable with that.

Same here!

I could use a breakthrough.

Yeah, me too. Despite recent Herculean efforts and the investment of a considerable amount of time, my rudimental playing is appalling, to the point where it's causing me anguish.

At the same time, things are going well with the band, and the other night in rehearsal I played a really nice, different groove in a song that we had a bash at for the first time. Nobody said anything. I take that to mean that they expect me to play something a bit more interesting than the money beat so there's no point remarking on it.
 
I have two. Both have come as a result of trying to write my own music.

1. From a drum standpoint having to programme in drum beats has given me a new found understanding of beat placement and drum patterns in context with other instruments. Its also helped me be much more creative when I take programmed parts back to the kit and see if I can play them.

2. From a general music point of view, I've had to learn what notes, chords etc are and how they fit together. Playing some things in by keyboard some by guitar (all relatively badly!). But this has given me a new found love of all musical genres and the realisation that a good tune is a good tune, how its orchestrated makes it a metal song or a jazz song. As someone who has spent much of his musical life listening to only a few genres this has really opened up the world of music to me!
 
For me and drums, it was the syncopated beat from CCR's Lookin' Out My Back Door.

Maybe it wasn't "breakthrough" status, but it sure was a hurdle I couldn't get over.
 
I think I can relate to this.

I learned how to play the guitar back in the early 80's from my older brother who was in a band and could play VERY well. My guitar playing back then was pretty good, not like my brother but good.

I helped set up at most of his gigs. I always loved helping set the drums up the most.

Back in the 80's there was always a philosophy lesson to be learned. If you know what I mean.

I went into the Marines in 87 and gave up playing anything until just recently.

MY Personal Breakthrough in music is I got my first set of drums about a month ago.

Tonight I spent about an hour tuning my snare for that CRACK I was looking for.

It really doesn't matter what or how you play, it's the passion YOU have for it.

DASY
 
I can't think of any major breakthroughs in music for me. It's been a series of on going explorations and step-wise improvements. I like those mini-breakthroughs when you try to do something and can't, then focus on it for a bit and finally get the coordination down, even if it's not smooth.

When it comes to the sort of big, sudden breakthroughs I think you're talking about, I've only had those during competitive distance running. I remember when I got back into it in my early 40s (hadn't raced since my teens), that first year it was a milestone to break 18:00 for a 5k. In my mid/later 40s the next milestone was breaking 17:00 for 5k. Another was breaking 54:00 at the Boilermaker 15k (a challenging course). And winning my first race outright (not in division) was also important. Each of these changed your brain a little. There's a lot of talk about breakthroughs in distance running. It's as if you have to prove to your brain that you can do X before attempting Y. I recall reading an item from Bob Kennedy, the first non-African to break 13:00 for 5000 meters on the track (and obviously American record holder). He said that you had to convince yourself that you could run 62 seconds per lap for 12.5 laps and not die in the attempt.
 
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