Hi everybody,

This will be a long post so I put the idea in the title to get your attention because I really need your opinions and advice on this.

On short: I want to save some money, give up my daily job and practice about 7-8 hours a day for one year.

To me it's clear now, playing guitar is what I like to do the most and I never stopped dreaming that one day this is what I will do this for a living also. I know it is possible (even here in Eastern Europe) because I have lots of examples and I am willing to pay the price to get there, but for this, there is one essential condition: to be VERY GOOD at it. You don't need to be a guitar god but to be VERY GOOD at it. And here is the problem. I discovered this instrument (and all the related stuff) at 22 years old. Now I am 26.

It's been almost 3 years now since I have taken practice seriously which means that I invested 90% of my free time to this. I tried to get to a an average of 4 hours a day for practice but, unfortunately these are after about 6-8 hours of programming which is what I do for a living for 6 years now. All this is starting to be really toxic because a have very little time to spend with my family and fiends, read a book, watch a movie and the list can go on and beside this, I kinda feel that most of the time was just wasted because you cannot really assimilate much after working a day in front of a computer. As a result: my skills are still pretty low. (you can check out my REC takes if you like: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...p?showuser=8284 or http://www.youtube.com/alexandrugeorgescu)

So, my plan is to save some money until around March next year that should last me for about 6 months, quit my job and start practicing 7-8 hours a day after a efficient agenda which I am sure I can find on GMC. Of course, to take some private lessons from a teacher in my town and there are some local bands which I can jam with. (I don't plan to practice alone for the whole time). So this will be the main activity of the day, just as I would have gone to a music school , and this way I will progress a lot better.

I know I said 1 year in the beginning but the 6 six months will be a milestone because my fear is that I still don't know if I have real talent at this. All I know I that I like it more than anything else and I want to do this for the rest of my life. I keep blaming it on the lack of time and on tiredness but I don't want to lie to myself and figure out some stuff about me. (I am not in high school anymore, not even college so I it is about time . Anyway, if after 6 month of practicing like this I still feel that I am not too far from the level I am now, then.. maybe this isn't my thing after all, or maybe 22 years old it is just to late to start playing guitar. But if is the other way around then I will do anything I can to get another 4-6 month of practice like this. And maybe after one year I will have the necessary skills to join a let's say.. semi-professional band an develop from there on. And on. And oooooon, it's Heaven and Heeeell \m/ !!!. Ok, got a little carried away here .

Anyway, rock and blues are the styles that I want to study. Would like jazz also but I haven't tried it before and I know that one year is not enough for this. I will approach it however.

So, please tell me, am I crazy ? is this a good idea ? do you think that one year is enough to get to a decent level ? (please check my REC takes also before answering to this one so you can have an idea of where I am now).

I know there are still lots to talk about, planing, etc but his was just the spark so.. please enlighten me

if you can afford this , and you don't hurt your family or give up who you are as a person , and if it does not work out will you be able to rejoin the work place
i say -- don't do any thing to quickly
if you want to go that route, proceed with caution

i agreed with jstcrsn don't rush in, think first

I don't think that aiming at being "very good" in one year is a good idea. There is a limit of information that You can "digest" in a day/week/month. Also I would fear all those "guitar illnesses" that can develop with to much to hard practicing. Sure thing improving "a lot" in one year is possible, don't know if it is enough to be "very good". With good habits and fundamentals, You could start earning some money giving guitar lessons to beginners I suppose...

hmmm, a lot to think about there, as jstcrsn said, dont do anything too hasty, although obviously you have already given this much thought.

One thing you dont want to do is leave yourself vunerable later on.

personally I think the amount you already practice is enough, but I think you need to put some more efforts into joining a band and get gigging etc (if you havnt already) its great experience and I think it accelerated my learning no end when I joined a band.

Playing guitar for a living is certainly not a walk in the park, it may seem very attractive but I think the reality can at times be very different.

Yes I know exactly what you mean and I think I did not express myself well here. I know I cannot become "very good" in one year. I am not Chuck Norris unfortunately ). What I am trying to do is to get to a decent level where I can really say that.. you know.. I can play guitar.
I can jam along in a semi-pro or pro band.

I have quite a few relations in the music business here and I can get some leads but I know (and feel) that with my current skill level (to use a programmer's expression), it is pointless to resort to their help because.. I cannot really say that "I play guitar" at this point. If you know what I mean.


And of course, I will join a band. There are actually some guys that are waiting for me. I played with them a year ago (had some small gigs) but things did not work out. My problem was that I was realizing, again, that my my level is too low to sound good and to really play (and write) decent music. Anyway this wasn't the reason why it did not work out, long story here and off topic but the idea is that even when I will join a band I will still need lots of time for individual practicing.

I agree, playing in a band is very rewarding.

I think your idea is good. If you don't dare to try something it will never happen. The economics makes easy mathetatics. Save half of your money for one year and you can manage without work for one year, give or take.
I don't know what opportunities you've got but possibly you don't have to quit your job but rather take a 1 year leave. So incase things doesn't work out.

I know a good example of a guy (20 years ago) - a guitarist, who gave up everything, set his mind to be the best guitarist and practiced for a full year - or was it two? He became a teriffic guitarist and was well known locally. I think he dropped the career and started a record company instead.

So if I was your age and had my mind set to become a great guitarist I'd give it a shot.
The only thing I think you need to concider is what you want to become. There are about 1 million youtube shredders to compete with if you plan on playing fast. Being a good musician is something else. I'd bring that into my plan aswell, how to stick out like a sore thumb.

Good luck :-)

Thank you !

I know what you mean. Honestly, I really don't care so much about shredding. It is cool indeed, but music is an art not a sport and unfortunately, I see that few tend to remember that. Anyway, one of my main objectives is to focus on the special ingredient called feeling which I know I am missing

If you're already practicing up to four hours a day right now and not seeing any progress, I don't think practicing even more hours is the solution. It seems like you're not fully utilizing those four hours and/or are not practicing efficiently.

Do you have a practice log? Do you practice with a metronome and keep track of your progress? Do you plan out your practice for the week? Do you practice with a stop watch?

I used to "practice" up to five hours a day and not make any progress. But it was aimless practice, and I wasted a lot of time in front of the computer. I also was not consistent on a day to day basis with my practice. I think out of those five hours of practice, I probably only netted about 20 minutes of actual progress. Consistency and efficiency is the key to progress. I firmly believe that three hours of efficient practice is superior to eight hours of inefficient and inconsistent practice.

After three hours of efficient practicing you will be tired, as it can be draining. Another thing you have to worry about when you practice long hours is developing Carpel Tunnel Syndrome or tendinitis. That will put a real damper on your guitar playing, and you might have to put the guitar down for six months to a year even.

At the end of the day, guitar playing and song writing are two different things. Guitar playing is a motor skill, no different than being an athlete or a gymnast. Your fingers fretting the fingerboard is where the rubber meets the road so to speak, and this is a purely physical task. Of course there is a mental aspect to it, but if you don't master the physical aspect then you can forget about mastering the mental aspect.

So before you give up your job, try practicing efficiently for two hours a day, and I promise within six months you will definitely see tangible results.

Thanks for your input.

The truth is that I do not have a practice log but I do practice with a metronome.
Not with a stop watch but I plan my practice, half an hour for scales, half for a REC take, half for some licks and all that theory.

I gave up planning he week because I cannot really respect the plan because of the work.
In the initial post I said that I tried to get to a average of 4 hours a day but.. the truth is that it was probably 3. And it was something like 5 hours today, 1 tomorrow and so on. Not to mention all the times that I am stressed out from work and the the practice session is just a waste of time.

And again, by 8 hours of practice a day I do not mean that I will do technique stuff 8 hours in row. I know I won't last a month.
It will be probably up to 4 hours of planned (efficient) practicing and then focus on song writing, some music theory, studying different guitarists, jam session with the band, tone and recording related stuff and so on. Of and of course some vocals which I am in desperate need ). I was afraid that if I write all this down in the first post, then nobody will take the time to read it all but that is the general idea. To become good enough in a wider area of guitar playing and music in general.

I LOVE the way you think. I have news for you - You ARE crazy, and yes, it's a GREAT idea! I have lots of respect for you in deciding this, it's always a big decision.

I once read long time ago (and it turned out to be true), that all you need is around 5 years of dedicated work on the instrument in order to start playing professionally. If you spend those 5 years wisely, only practicing and practicing, you're on your way to become great player.

However, you never know how it's going to turn out, because life is very strange. But if you have iron will (and you will need it if you decide to play rock, blues and jazz), you can live your life they way you like. I must say that playing guitar very good is only part of the puzzle. You should focus on developing your own unique style of playing, be famous at it, and compose lots of songs. Good songs are your ticket to go into a good band and eventually become famous.

Also, working on your image and style as a guitar player is very important too. All these things will come in time, and you should definitely look and act as a guitar player. This way, people in the business will take you seriously. Acting as a professional, playing as one, and looking as one will get you there. So what are you waiting for, guitar in hands, and pursue yuor dreams!

Thank you Ivan !

I was waiting your reply and was a bit afraid of it. But this really means a lot. Thanks

Ok, now I can go to sleep .

Hard to say without knowing how the situation where you live is. If you were in America I would suggest not quitting your job, But if your current situation allows it to no damage to yourself or your family and their living conditions, I suppose it would be safe. It's a bold decision and (of course) don't take it lightly. I would personally suggest keep your job and gig on the sides, a lot of my family does it with their bands and whatnot with some pretty good success.

Being a musician can mean being very rich, or being very poor, or somewhere comfortably in between. But either way, It's tough, but it seems like you got the determination to do it.

Isn't there a possibility to take some time off from work and come back later?
Like here in Sweden, you have the possibility to be free from work up to one year(without pay of course) while the company hire a substitute, and then come back to work as normal... This is of course if you have a steady job now.
Many people use this opportunity to travel or try other jobs.

Anyway, you can look at guys like Yngwie who basically gave up school and everything to pursue his dream. Well, imagine how many others that did the same thing but we never heard of, because they never got famous... Maybe there are a thousand "nobodys" for one Yngwie?

But you seem to have a healthy approach to it all, when planning to save money and all that, so I'd also say you should do it. If you don't, you'll probably regret that later in life. Just remember, see this as time spent to get BETTER, not finished... You'll need a lot more time for that, even if you practice 20 hours a day.
Also practicing too hard might endanger your health, such as pain in hands and arms that can become a permanent condition...

Might be nice to start the project with a band to focus on. More motivation to write songs and get out to play live Hopefully youre bandmates will be as serious as you.
A lot of people save up money and go travel, playing guitar is a good substitute If you have a wife and family, its good to watch your steps though of course

Marek has some GREAT points here. It is very admirable of you to want to focus so intently on your craft. However, as Marek points out, playing 8 hours a day can lead to problems like Repetitive Stress Injury (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), loss of health insurance and income (from not working), and isolation from family/friends (depending on which 8 hours of the day you play).

Not to mention his other great point that you can only absorb so much at a time. Becoming a "good" player takes YEARS of steady work. In my experience, it's persistence that makes a good even great player, not binge practicing. So consider if it would be possible to play at least 2 or 3 hours a day and still keep working, keep paying your health insurance (if you don't have any get a minimal plan to cover costs if you get hit by a truck), keep moving forward in terms of career/income level, etc. For example, wake up early every day and put in an hour before work. Then after you come home and get a bite to eat, put in another hour or even two. Then on the weekends, put in up to 8 per day but space it out over the day. Not all at once. Your brain needs to process all this as you go. In short, it's the old "Slow and Steady Wins the Race" approach. If you adopted a practice schedule like this, I think you'd see HUGE progress in a year and not have to quite your job to do it.

We have 10 percent unemployment here in the states, so giving up a Job now seems iffy at best. If you have a job of any kind, your in a lot better shape than a lot of folks. I hear horror stories of people who've been out of work for almost a year.

In the end it is your call. But as the guys are saying, consider all the angles first.

Todd

I admire your courage. Pursuing your dream is much easier if you have a safety net (like the spare money you want to get). So, at least, you are approaching it on the right way.
I may be overlooking something, but it seems your whole problem is stress. So, I´d guess you only need to slow down your rhythm.
What about working part time? If you work 4 hours a day + play guitar 4 more hours you still have a lot of time to rest and assimilate all you need.
Saving money for 1 year and then stopping for 1 year, should be equal in terms of money to work 2 years part time. And I guess you would be better at guitar if you do part time (4 hours for 2 years) than stress routine now + 8 hours next year , because a lot of things in guitar takes a loooong time to assimilate.
On top of that, you keep acquiring experience on programming, which will help you in case you decide to come back to it full time.

+1 on this advice. Its a bit tough because you never want to disuade someone from following their dreams but you are at an age that is also critical for developing your career. I have found the better programmers most often have music in their background - practice efficiently and do both if you can. You may also want to consider cutting back your work hours as opposed to just bailing out. Good luck whatever you choose.

I love your spirit man. Go for it. At last the only thing that makes any difference you can make with the crowd out there is doing just what you love to best. If you try to balance and make everyone happy you will just end up like an average joe whom nobody remembers. I have learnt that lesson from my life and while I worked my ass off after college 24/7 as a designer, now I work less hours to do things I love to do and you probably have seen my progress too within the last year or so. I mean I have improved my technics quite a bit which I thought I could never achieve in my life but one year is definitely very very short time to learn all the theory and become 'very good' at it but I am sure if you have already done it for 3 years, things might come easy and the more you practice the more you will understand.

Do remember that 'frustration' and 'demotivation' kind of comes every now and then and you just have to get past the fears of these things. You will become good. I am sure starting your work at 27 isn't too late. I just restarted at 30 after 6 years of intense work.

Also note that you will have to constantly practice and work on your guitar skills. THIS IS A MUST. If you think you cannot dedicate much time and you have more excuses for this period, don't go for it. You will have to forget everything and just do guitars for a year.

And the other alternative is to join a guitar university or something for 2 years. I am sure you will learn all the theory in there plus you will get to know more professional people.

Interesting.

Pursuing your goals and what you love in life is important. Having said that, eating is important too.

I'd make sure you can earn a living as a musician in your hometown/country, or if you will be willing to move somewhere else. I'd check with the people you know that are doing it, and think hard if what they do for a living is what you'd like for yourself. If you already have friends who earn a living as musicians maybe they can help you out in the future too, which would be a plus.

I'd also think about the possibilities of finding a new job, or getting the same one you have now, if things go wrong. If it's easy for you to find a new job like the one you have now, then the risk is inexistent, because you can always end up the way you are now. If finding a job in the future is hard, then your risk is high, and that's something you should certainly think about.

Thanks man !
It's funny that I was about to mention you in my initial post as a good example of progress. You and emirb whom I also watch on the REC takes.

Yes I also thought of an guitar university and I would like that but I cannot afford it. Unfortunately, here in Romania there is only one "rock school" but it is nothing compared to the ones in the vest which I don't afford and nobody offers scholarships for a 26 years old beginner guitarist

As I said in the initial post, I plan to start only from around March next year. Until then I cannot dedicate enough time and I am tired of doing things only half way.




Thanks man, I know what you mean with the part time job and you are right but I tried that also. Not 4 hours a day but 5-6 for a period of time. I was the best deal I could get with the company I am working for. I think I can get also a deal for 4 hours a day but still, I feel it won't be enough time (as I said I don't plan do to technique 8 hours a day in a row, but half of the time to do focus on song writing, tone and recording stuff, practicing with the band etc). And I am also tired of doing things half way. So at least for the first 6 month I want to concentrate full time on this if you know what I mean.

Thanks again and thank you all for you opinions, advices and concern. It really means a lot. The risk of not getting a job back in case things go wrong it is not that big as probably the topic title makes it look because it is programming, and things are very flexible here. Anyway, it is risk I am willing to take. I have lots of quotes about this aspect but I guess you all know what I mean

If you can afford it financially and would say go for it!
Its your dream and why not invest 1 year trying to achieve it. In things like this you only need determination and strong will in order to achieve your goals. Why not take a change now? Maybe you won't have it in the future.

But I'm saying this ONLY if you can afford not having a job for a period of time.

This might inspire you.

I am seeing him live in 3 weeks in Bucharest.

I would say that you should check with a cold approach what are the possible revenues you may have as a guitarist, some may be: teaching, playing live, selling music

Now inside those 3 there's room for so many things to do. But the idea is to have that clear RIGHT NOW before jumping into quitting everything,

On the contrary, Daniel, that is a classic way of thinking which isn't bad at all and may be valid for 99% of the people. I would think if you are so good at anything, you can create opportunities for yourself, the paths opens up itself. I saw somewhere when Satriani was out there roaming with his instrumental rock album, nobody was really into it. But then he changed the way people took music. Its just not words. This is what is important. But if you don't have the confidence then you can go with the crowd, see the scope and then follow the path which is probably the safest path. I am not advocating this is true or this works for all. For example, I never went into guitars at first place (well I thought I could never progress or play like I can now back then). But from my life, I have a really good example which I can share although there are a lot of success stories out there on how people sacrificed and starved for years before they reached the success level!

There was a computer boom back in late 90s when I was about to join college. I wanted to study architecture (as I liked art/design) but then I failed the exam because of other subjects like chemistry/physics which I still don't understand why they are needed. Then next year, I joined computer science instead thinking working on computers and programming was growing. Thankfully after much study, I passed that year.. LoL.

As soon as I joined college, I hated it and didn't know why I joined at first place. We still had to study chemistry, physics and all those irrelevant subjects instead of just computers. We only had 1 computer subject in 2 years.. F*%#!

So, after like 2-3 months in college, I virtually gave up studies and went to library to study some web designing. We hardly had internet back then but still whenever possible I went and downloaded photoshop tutorials and saved in a floppy disk to take home and study. This was totally out of what coursework was. As a result I failed 4 times in 8 of the final exams. My focus was elsewhere and I didn't know what I will be doing since I won't have a degree and I won't be able to work on a prestigious institution for sure. But designing was what I liked. I still remember a teacher asking me why I was there when I wasn't being able to answer the 'course questions'. I remember saying - ' because my dad sent me.' It was an awkward situation. Everyone laughed of course.

Anyway, luckily I graduated. But before I graduated, I did start working on few projects here and there. A senior friend of mine was looking to work on design projects and as soon as he knew about my skills, he started a design company and I started working with him. I didn't care about what I would do or where I would be in next 5 years. I just kept working and working 24/7/365 days because that was what I enjoyed. It was fun. Of course, I starved. In fact, I moved from a 2 month high paying intern job to a low paying more enjoyable job. haha! I was crazy. But even at this level, I did save little by little for 6 months to buy my first guitar (Music was always what I did when I had some free time). Anyway, then started blooming the 'outsourcing' thing. It was a blessing but hard as well since trust was really hard to build. We won many projects only because of our work rather than 'low price' that usually dominates the outsourcing world. I worked full time / overtime (usually stayed in office 90% of 24/7/365) for 6 years. Of course we had plans and we imagined to really become a huge company. We started 2 and we reached upto 40 people at one time.

Finally, since I loved to work rather than become the boss to manage senseless people (again the thing I don't like) I had to depart from the company to seek peace rather than trying to fix everyones problems. But the best thing was I gathered so much experience all these years that I can now work less and earn more. I have known what works on the market and what doesn't. I can really create my own opportunities! I have learnt what college courses or any degree could never offer.

So, in summary, despite knowing what will work or what the market was into, I just wanted to work on what I liked the most and what made learning mysterious and fun. Staying in lectures were really boring and many time sleepy! I don't claim to have been successful yet but I am pretty happy with where I am right now rather than where I could have been if I followed the path others took, take degrees, go abroad and work like a horse and trying to save my job because of some depression. I now stay at home not worrying about office time and still manage to earn so I can focus on my next most liked hobby, i.e music! I am actually encouraged with my own experience to now focus on learning guitar and was the primary reason I wanted to improve my playing since last 1.5 years.

Well I know I is not going to be selling music

I plan on a combination of the other 2. I have lots of examples that do the same.
Also like transcribing music but I guess I will keep that just as a personal hobby. I think this is from the programmer side of me that really likes how music looks on paper. Was really enthusiastic when I saw in that interview that Steve Vai said the same words . But lets get back to reality.

For now, I just know that this is the right way and it has to lead somewhere decent. Or at least it is going to answer me a lots of questions. There were a few times when I thought of quitting the whole guitar stuff and just go the safe road but, to be honest, the most important thing that is holding be back is the fact that I haven't even come to a point where I can see at least half o the big picture in the music business. Not because I cannot read about it on the internet or ask lots of people but because of my current skill level. First you have to be able to really play the guitar before you can worry about the other aspects. If I don't do it then I will not even have time to see why the whole guitar/music stuff could not work. What I am most afraid of is the fact that I started playing guitar a quite late. At least I will know that and I can make peace with myself.

My story is somehow similar to what maharzan said in the last post (I hear you man ) just that I am in the programming business not design. I like that also but it is nothing compared to music and I cannot imagine myself working in front of a computer from 8hrs a day for the rest of my life. As I wrote on a previous post, in this business things are quite flexible. What I mean is that in the worst case scenario if I cannot get my old job back I can start doing projects taken from the internet. The whole outsourcing stuff. Of course I will starve for a while because the prices are pretty low but I will get back on track at some point.

I can't believe I am saying this, but fortunately I don't live in the vest and here you are not so screwed if you are jobless for a while (from rent, health insurance, social security point of view and all that but I don't want to get in detail here).

you dont have to be that good, if you can play perfectly your favorite songs than you can perform with them that means your good enough, in adition there are ways like gabriel where you can work in guitar and guitar related areas. many people get caught up in mastering crazy solos, which is fun and self improving but its a very niche crowd whos even that interested. try to look back when you didnt play guitar if the solos were even interesting, better yet, let a non guitarist friend hear a 2 minute solo, he will die of boredem usually.
oh and try to ask a random friend from facebook who are the following- steve vai, paul gilbert, yngwi, michael angelo or satriani. best case scenario they know satch from guitar hero.

I was in the similar place as you some years ago. I was deciding wetter I would work for IT company (and one of the best here in the country), as a coder, or to play guitar. Everybody thought I was crazy for choosing guitar, but I'm so glad I'm doing something I love

Good choice

Thumbs up Ivan. Is it just coincidence that most guitar players are computer savvy?

I wish I could afford quitting my job, and fully concentrate on music

If you have the drive, and you can afford to do it you should at least seriously consider it.
BUT do think it through before you make the step, it's a big sacrifice

If you can afford it and you feel confident that you will be able to dedicate that much time to your playing each day, then i say go for it.
Life is too short to not take chances, especially when it comes to your dreams.
Best of luck mate!

Thanks man !

Happy New Year everybody !

Just want to bring an update to the whole story if you're interested. So, as it was probably obvious that the decision was pretty much taken before I even started the thread, I just want to tell you all that I started implementing it.

So, I talked to the management and told them what are my plans. I will stop working from April and start my journey from then. You may find this funny, (considering also the GMC Funny that I got) but I work for them for 6 years now and we know each other well enough to talk freely about this stuff. They know about this "hobby" of mine because it is not the first time we discussed about future plans, commitment to the IT business etc etc. Anyway, this time they actually encouraged me saying that it is the right decision and they are happy that I finally made up my mind and stopped lying to myself. Didn't see this coming to be honest, but it all good.

So.. Alea iacta est I guess. If nothing (too) unexpected happens, the financial aspects will be covered until April (as presented in the whole thread) and I can start.

Wish me good luck and thanks again for all your advices and encouragements.

Bring the thunder!;)

All the best, man! And please keep us updated once you start your journey, I'm sure it will be inspiring to read about it.

Hard work will always pay off, man!

Yep.. hard work will pay off.. but you will have to go through a LOT of obstacles and hardship. Don't give up. yeah, would love to know how its going...

good luck! Enjoy the last few months of working at the job

I'm glad you've taken a decision that convinces you! You know we are here to help you in anything.

Hi again,

Does anybody know what happens if I cancel my subscription for a period and then start again. Will I still be able to have back my forum user and everything that I gathered ? Especially the REC status.

The thing is that for the following 3 month that are left I literary won't have any time for GMC activities other that just visiting the website.
I tried to do another REC the last month but did not succeed and I know it will be the same for the next three month.
So.. no point of wasting 90 bucks. In April I am thinking of purchasing a 12 month subscription to save some money. I know I'll need it, both the money and the subscription

Anyways I want to know If I don't loose the forum user and everything.

Also I thing is the right thing to write this down in case anybody posts anything here. So he/she will know why I don't respond anymore. (Until April).

Thanks,

As far as I know, you don't lose your forum profile, as you can always enter the forum or register for it without having an active membership.
I don't have a clue about Rec, though...

You definately don't lose your forum access, but I can't be 100% sure on REC.

My subscription was cancelled since I didn't have any money for a while. However, I still had access to the forum and even to the tabulatures in the videos (couldn't download GP files tho, which I found quite silly). And I got my old user back with no problems at all, so I think you'll be fine too.

Good news in this case

One more month to go

I am a programmer here in the states. Have you considered going down to a 3 or 4 day work week? I try to get in an hour a day during the week then several hours over the weekends. It was harder when I was in a band, but it broke up so I have more time to dedicate becoming a musician and not just a guitar player.

I would love do the same as what you are thinking about. Mudbone made good points about efficiency of your practicing. Sometimes I think that my routine is tight, but you can always get into a rut that slows progress. (GMC is awesome for breaking that)

If you can financially do it and still take care of yourself and family, it would be worth a shot. It will take me longer, I have 4 kids to support so I can not financially take the risk.

Keep us posted on what you decide! Wish you well! Do we get discounts on your CD's when they come out? LOL!

I tried that, for almost three years. I worked only 6 hours a day and the rest of the day for practicing. The conclusion is that you just exhaust yourself and loose all your social connections . The weekend or the the evening/night is not meant for practicing. Well it can be and it was for me but if you want to go pro (or have any change of becoming a pro, and this is what I want) you need to go all the way. All great guitar players did that.

If you practice guitar after 6-8 hours of work you don't assimilate much and it is just frustrating because there is always small things to do after work that will just reduce your practice time.

Of course I will practice in the weekends also but what I was trying to say is that you cannot base on those.

I know the feeling of being in a band and not having time to practice for yourself and feeling that you still have lots to learn individually before you can really play in a band. The truth is that you need both. You need (A LOT) of individual practicing but also a band who you can jam play with. Also it is good to go two workshops or whatever is available near you so you can interact with real people.

I am single and don't have much obligations and of course this is one of the reasons I afford it

If I will release a record I will make a discount for GMC members .

P.S. Two more weeks to go

Wish you best of luck
Great to see so dedicated players!