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Boo-f'n-hoo! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Just kidding.
Seriously, my band is entering a more serious phase. Everyone else wants more frequent practices to wrap up some final tunes/sets for a lot of (expected) gigging later this summer. And they wanted a time committment from all to do this consistently.
Well, hello? Everyone else in the band is a teacher, so they all have the rest of the summer off. Easy for them to do! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
I'm the "odd man out" in this group. I have a demanding time-intensive career, have a wife with a job that's just as demanding as my own, and we share raising a little one. Bottom-line: I have little spare time for my musical interests.
It was stressful enough learning new tunes, preparing for weekly practices, and just plain trying to get the heck out of work to make it there. To the others in the group, it's already their career and the band was basically an extension their musical interests.
This week it has finally become apparent that - with the others' now-increased expectations - I'm holding them back. So I was upfront with them, and said I can't reasonably commit to doing what they want this summer. I would love to have been able to. But, realistically, I would've been making promises I couldn't keep.
So I gave them the choice... "I'd like to keep playing with you guys and gig, but I can't do it as intensively as you'd like. We can do this thing on terms all of the band members can meet. Or you can find another guitarist. I'm cool either way, because I don't want to be the one holding the rest of you back. And if that's what's in the band's collective interests, than so be it."
It'll be a very amicable parting. No hurt feelings, personality clashes, or anything like that. I really do enjoy playing with them all and they're basically cool folks. Heck, I enjoy playing at all. And I would've loved gigging some this summer.
Nonetheless, it's very disappointing. An opportunity lost, and months of work up until now somewhat wasted. It's further frustrating because I laid this very issue out in detail before we even started playing together several months ago. Everyone seemed cool and flexible with it then - before a single note was played. Now that's changed.
Anyway, that's a long explanation that I'm bummed on the whole deal. [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] How do you guys deal with this? Two-fold, I mean.
- First, the disappointment of having to bow out? (Yeah, I know. I'm not really being "dumped", per se. ...Nonetheless...)
- Second, for those of you who are PT "hobbyist-like" musicians like me, how do you balance career, home and music?
Seriously, my band is entering a more serious phase. Everyone else wants more frequent practices to wrap up some final tunes/sets for a lot of (expected) gigging later this summer. And they wanted a time committment from all to do this consistently.
Well, hello? Everyone else in the band is a teacher, so they all have the rest of the summer off. Easy for them to do! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
I'm the "odd man out" in this group. I have a demanding time-intensive career, have a wife with a job that's just as demanding as my own, and we share raising a little one. Bottom-line: I have little spare time for my musical interests.
It was stressful enough learning new tunes, preparing for weekly practices, and just plain trying to get the heck out of work to make it there. To the others in the group, it's already their career and the band was basically an extension their musical interests.
This week it has finally become apparent that - with the others' now-increased expectations - I'm holding them back. So I was upfront with them, and said I can't reasonably commit to doing what they want this summer. I would love to have been able to. But, realistically, I would've been making promises I couldn't keep.
So I gave them the choice... "I'd like to keep playing with you guys and gig, but I can't do it as intensively as you'd like. We can do this thing on terms all of the band members can meet. Or you can find another guitarist. I'm cool either way, because I don't want to be the one holding the rest of you back. And if that's what's in the band's collective interests, than so be it."
It'll be a very amicable parting. No hurt feelings, personality clashes, or anything like that. I really do enjoy playing with them all and they're basically cool folks. Heck, I enjoy playing at all. And I would've loved gigging some this summer.
Nonetheless, it's very disappointing. An opportunity lost, and months of work up until now somewhat wasted. It's further frustrating because I laid this very issue out in detail before we even started playing together several months ago. Everyone seemed cool and flexible with it then - before a single note was played. Now that's changed.
Anyway, that's a long explanation that I'm bummed on the whole deal. [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] How do you guys deal with this? Two-fold, I mean.
- First, the disappointment of having to bow out? (Yeah, I know. I'm not really being "dumped", per se. ...Nonetheless...)
- Second, for those of you who are PT "hobbyist-like" musicians like me, how do you balance career, home and music?
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