I'm feeling depressed and can't practice. How do people manage to actually play the blues when they are too depressed with "the blues" to play at all? :)
I cant say Ive felt that way...Not that it matters much but Ive played while I cried once before...before my nose got too stopped up to breathe right.
Often, if im down, i try to play something peppy. Try Adam's drone riff from gussow .111 on youtube. I took that and just ran with it in a 12 bar and when I was done, my heart rate wasnt consistent with that of someone idle due to depression...I felt, well.... not depressed.
when im feelin blue i play some real sad slow blues. i try to emerse my self in the feelin as much as possible an feed off that an channel it through my playing. it dont make me feel better, but i like the way it feels. its when im happy is when i feel awkward. ----------
A couple of years ago Charlie Musselwhite was touring the Uk, and gave an interview in which he said he had been depressed recently and playing the blues then and always helped him through a bad patch. What happened was, his elderly mother was murdered by a burglar in her own home, and then, quite seperately, his father died in hospital the next day. Charlie is an old professional,with his own band, and with a busy touring schedule and he acknowledged that playing the blues harmonica got him though that period. I hope you find that route Michael, I have.
Drinking usually makes me more depressed. Smoking makes my breath stink. If I'm too depressed to play, I usually mope. Moping I find works best. Also, getting mad, yelling, that helps. I was depressed for about two years after my wife had cancer, I was just about insane. Playing made it worse. Road trips help alot. But the best thing was simply time, letting time pass.
Though, learning a new instrument helped too. Here's a lyric for you: 'If my wife never had cancer I'd a never learned how to play the blues'
Trying to get out of feeling depressed can often make you feel worse I find. Best just to roll along with it knowing it's only going to be a temporary thing and will soon be gone.
Should have said that it really depends what the cause is though. ----------
Get out in some open space--a park, along a river--and walk a lot, and play harp. That always worked for me. It felt like I'd accomplished something significant.
Music is what usually keeps me from deep depression. When it fails me, which isn't very often, I leave it alone and do other things that involve movement like walking with my wife and dog, riding my bicycle, working out, flying my radio controlled sailplanes, painting/drawing, walk down to the village and sit on a bench and talk with people and things like that. I do all these things on a regular basis, but they generally fit in around my music. Once I laid off playing for a few months at home, and almost 10 years in clubs. I am still 2/3 fried on the club scene. The main thing is don't force the music. That will just get you more sad. It will come back when it is ready and be stronger and fresher than ever. Have faith in that and in the meantime, do other things that interest you. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing.
I think what adam said is the most productive. getting out into nature puts everything into perspective. for me its exercise exercise exercise. Exercise improves my appetite and sleep. If you can't play, get out and see some good blues. As phogi said, drinking is the absolute worse thing to do.
Depression is a constant part of my life. From the excellent advice posted above I can tell a few others on the board have been through it too.
Routines - positive ones - are important.
Get up early. Fresh fruit for breakfast. Get out of your house; fresh air and green space are magical mood lifters. Gentle exercise is good. Spend time with friends and family. Relax before bedtime and get to bed early.
Drink and drugs are about the worst thing for depression. Caffeine doesn't help either.
Feeling pressured into doing something - even by yourself - is not helpful. If you don't want to play then don't. Take a break from harp until you feel brighter. Listening to new music is a good alternative to playing.
Like kudzu, Walter and MrV said, just try to get out, even just for a walk.
I dare say that most on here have been really down. I have, for sure. Being down makes you inert, being inert makes you feel worse.
You just gotta keep doing stuff until the fog lifts. And, hey, if it cheers you, don't forget that very tasty 3 draw half-step bend vibrato you mastered. When I first managed that, it sure put a grin on my face. ---------- YouTube SlimHarpMick
Routine helps a lot, exercise helps, watch what you eat. I find junk food makes it worse. If you know what's making you depressed, sometimes you can fix it. Depression out of the blue is tougher. Either way, if it gets too bad make sure you get some help.
Sometimes when I'm having a hard time thinking of something to play I just play along with easy stuff I know. The mechanical repetition can be a good distraction and get you active again.
i've been realy depressed 2 times in my life.once when i had a major operation. once when i was about 17 years old.a girl that i was smitten with just treated me like $hit,the more $hit,the more smitten. anyway,to cut this short,after i'd had my nose rubbed in it one time too many,i made one resolve and have followed it all my life. never again let my happiness depend on someone else. thats it. people can make you happy,but don't depend on it. i have to agree with the others that recomended Adam's recipe. i would add,consider whether whats depressing you is worth the misery,most times it isn't.
Micheal, drink some coffee before practicing. It can help.
And when you play don't play for others. Play for yourself. Playing what you like and what makes YOU feel good when you are all alone can be great therapy. I guess that's probably what Adam meant by playing out in the park.
Also, check for mold in your house. An excessive amount of mold not only attacks the immune system but in the process it makes people feel lethargic, fatigued and horribly depressed. Indoor mold is no joke and can release neurotoxins which causes the depression. Check behind furniture, beneath carpets, and inside vents and air-conditioning units.
A cluttered home can also have a heavy psychological effect. Our homes are our sanctuary's. If it's a mess, it's no wonder you feel like crap at home.
Make sure you are eating right and getting enough light/sunlight during the day time. You'd be amaze by how much light and nutrition can have an effect on our moods.
I sincerely hope this helps in some way. Depression is just not a good thing at all. Be kind to yourself and love your own self.
Aussie- Depression meds won't make you happy, but they raise the baseline. They have some nasty side effects, but if you're really depressed they can make a real difference. Your right though, there are a lot of other things that you can do that will help your mood. The problem is when your depressed it's hard to do those things, and even when you do, they don't always help.
I'm pulling out of the worst depression I've ever suffered, and if it weren't for my harps, I don't know if I could have made it. When things got really rough, I'd drop on my favorite Stevie Ray Vaughan album and try to play along. If I couldn't even play, I'd open up some harps and just customize, spending hours making sure the reed gapping was just perfect, arcing...anything I could do to keep my head busy.
Honestly, though, the best thing you can do therapeutically speaking is play what you feel. Tell a story through the harp of the rough times. Talk to the world with the music, because you start talking to yourself as well. It lets me embrace and be at peace with whatever bad headspace I'm in and sometimes helps me find a new way of looking at things. I wish you the best of luck, friend, and may the winds always be at your back.
I've dealt with clinical depression for a long time. All the meds seem to have the same side effects and they almost destroyed my marriage; being separated made my depression much worse! I agree with nacoran that meds do raise the base line when the depression is at its worst.
What helps me the most is avoiding all emotional situations, not just the sad ones, as any strong emotion can make my depression worse: weddings, romantic movies, arguments, worship in church, mellow music. Ironically Slow blues is the only mellow music I can play/listen to without making my depression worse.
Hmmm I've just come through the worst depression of my relatively short life, perhaps thanks to alcohol :/
No drinking for 8weeks and I couldn't pull myslf out of the dumps, took lots of time off work. Then it came to christmas and I said 'fuck it'. Why keep stressing myself by keeping off the drink? It's probably not a good thing, but I've been drinking nearly every night since and I feel better for it. Crazy fucking moodswings holding me back from my musical advancement. GAH!
Keep in mind that for every door that closes another opens... eventually. You can't always get what you want but sometimes you'll find you get what you need. Depression sucks, I know Ive delt with all kinds of hurt, loss, failure, disappointment, etc. Seems it'll never end so I try to adapt and deal. I got to believe even though my cards are down that someday they'll be right. Sometimes I take a day off but really I find myself picking up more hobbies & staying busy with things I enjoy like playing harp, learning piano, starting to build myself a website that hopefully Ill put up this time. I dunno, if you're too depressed to play, take a day or two off, come back, & you'll get right back into enjoying it. Am I babbling? Crap.
---------- ~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
