Already motivated, vs. hoping purchase will lead to motivation?

[Explorer]

A few years ago, it was pointed out to me that many purchases are not about the potential purchased object, but about a fantasy exemplified by that object.

A new instrument may represent a new beginning, a higher level of playing or practice, performing, whatever.

I thought about it, and realized that if one has motivation, one will use whatever is already at hand to get things done.

I write music. I write it while holding instruments, I write and sing into a recorder, I write on paper. It's something which I always do. I really love seeing/hearing how music comes together out of disparate parts.

I have a fantasy about other activities, and over the years I have bought a lot of things in the belief I'd suddenly jump into those activities. At this point though, I recognize the impulse to buy a bunch of tools before the activity is even a reality.

I was talking to a hobbyist woodworker friend who recognizes the same for himself. He now buys tools only after he's established that he is performing a particular task enough to justify a specialized tool.

I guess I'm just pleased that I now usually only buy tools for which I can point to an actual likelihood that I'll use them.

Does anyone else engage in anti-purchase thinking, only getting things once one is already established in an activity?

[Ivan Kelsall]

Many folk begin their musical journey playing 'less than good' instruments,or should we say,instruments that are good,but not as suitable as they might be for a specific music. Yes,you could go on for ever playing the same instrument,but,going back 30 years or more,i'd been playing Bluegrass banjo for 20 + years on instruments that had no tone rings in them 1) A pre-war UK built Clifford Essex banjo. 2) An Asian built Antoria banjo. I'd got to the point where i decided that my playing had been sufficiently good for many years, to warrant the purchase of a top quality banjo.As it happened,a friend of mine owned a music store in Liverpool UK,& he'd had a couple of requests for Stelling banjos. He eventually imported 3 - one of which was mine. I never made so much progress ever ,as i did after buying my Stelling. I couldn't wait to play it,when i did,i couldn't put it down & i got a buzz every time i opened the case. It truly inspired me to play & to improve, simply almost to 'be worthy' of owning it. So,for me,the bottom line is that OK instruments are exactly that,OK. But if you really want to inspire yourself,play easier & sound better,both as a musician & also 'tonally',then OK's not good enough - you need the 'best' that you can afford. However,that's entirely up to the individual's choice,
Ivan

[jso]

I certainly recognise that syndrome. There should be a name for it. AAS - Aspirational acquisiton syndrome? Cure: your APT (anti-purchasing thinking)

As you say, Explorer, it applies to many facets of life...tools in the workshop, books on the shelves, musical instruments...

[Bertram Henze]

I use the idea of acquisition for training myself to forget it. The useless trash I saved myself from would fill major storage facilities by now.
When the probability for a need in the future appears, I do thorough research what to buy in case the need becomes real and put that concept on back burner. When that need comes, I just strike.

[Mandoplumb]

If you have to buy something in order to be motivated you won't be. By the same token if you are motivated a better tool or instrument will help you improve and increase your enjoyment which motivates you more if that concept exists. When I was a kid my dad had played old time fiddle since before I could remember, he wanted to move to BG banjo, couldn't afford one at that time. He had a piece of a open back banjo that he worked on and made a back for it out of one of mom's pot lids, and played that till he learned to play pretty good and till he could afford better. His motivation was such that he was going to learn.

[T.D.Nydn]

I'm like that with bass lures.i keep buying them thinking I'm going to use them all,and still buy them and still think that.ive got them in piles of unopened packages.i just ordered some last night!

[pointpergame]

This subject touches my heart. I have several acquired collections of things which now, in my retirement, are cluttering up our house. Those deep down urges were really powerful and when I look back, I can sympathize with the person who got compulsive about some subject. For one thing, that passion made it trivial to learn about it. Magic! For me, this came in very handy in the early days of microcomputers because my affection for the new-fangled digital electronics took me to the essence of computing almost overnight. Living in Silicon Valley, my love lead me blindly to the big time.

In my own defense, I realized decades ago, when a guitar instructor let me play his museum-quality Ramirez guitar, that we have it backwards about student's instruments. His super guitar was so expressive and so easy to play, I was dumb founded. He loaned it to me for a few more lessons and my skills sky-rocketed. Within months I was able to transfer the new sensibilities to any old guitar. So I have it pre-rationalized. If I can afford one of "the good ones" at the onset of some new learning adventure, I'm almost always rewarded

But to the original point. Here's one of many possible takes on this "acquisition syndrome." We buy things for the promise they hold; whatever that might be. As a general philosophy, I suspect we are a bit more driven by our lizard brains than we think. So, it's not out of the question that these "passions" for "things" are, actually, deep down inside...romance. Sometimes the new romance arrives in the mail, we take it for a date, and then start looking for the next one. Sometimes we take it on a date and for a long time afterwards we want to be with it every minute. We can't wait to get home after work to take it back into our arms.


Cheers from Silicon Valley...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

[Purdy Bear]

I've found the purchase of new instrument phase doesn't last very long, it's the habit and discipline of playing that gets you to where you want to go. The lack of space for said new instruments is another good thing as you have to control ones spending.

[Nashville]

This is actually a complex subject. I think it works both ways and in other ways not mentioned so far.

When I was young I was inspired to learn guitar because there was one in the house and my brother played and I heard some great music that had cool guitar parts. I started learning on cheap guitars and got more and more inspired as I slowly acquired better guitars.

Same with mando. I was inspired by the music before I ever had one, but I could only afford cheap crappy mandolins so my progress was slow and halting. It wasn't until I got a really decent mandolin that my playing ability increased as well as my inspiration. So for me it was some combination of "better mandolin = better playing = more inspiration". And then what kicks in is "more inspiration = better playing". It feeds on itself.

But it helps if there is some base inspiration to begin with. A person has to be inspired by music first to want to take up any instrument. And a lot of people that are given an instrument or given music lessons just never find the inspiration. It's gotta be growing in the gut already like some intestinal flora. Sorry for the bad metaphor.

You've gotta have the right tools for the job, but you start with what you've got. Buying a really good mandolin was the best decision I have made in recent years. I guess I was already inspired about it, but now it has increased tenfold. I can barely put it down. Don't know where it's gonna take me and I don't care. Well that's my story for what it's worth.

[Tobin]

I agree with Nashville. The inspiration is a feedback loop. It has to have a start, and enough momentum to keep going, but I have been inspired by better instruments which made me a better player.

I don't see the point in trying to fool myself or create some sort of engineered strategy. If I want something, I will buy it. If it makes me happy, great. If not, then I move on. But I'm not going to make myself suffer for a pre-determined time before justifying a purchase. That's a form of self-imposed guilt that serves no positive purpose.

[Randi Gormley]

Enough people in my extended family are hooked on spending -- for whatever reason -- that I early learned to think really, really hard before letting go of my hard-earned money. So my default is always to either do without or find a cheap alternative. I was perfectly content with my sub-$500 instruments for years -- they do the job. The only reason I upgraded -- and it was a gift from my husband -- was because the instrument spoke to me, the price was about what I would be willing to spend, and I'd been playing 15 years or so at that time. If the price had been even $100 more, I wouldn't have bought it, though. I couldn't have justified it to myself. So in my case, motivation for improvement didn't figure into buying a new instrument. Most of my motivations come from internal stuff, not outside stuff like a purchase.

[UsuallyPickin]

Bottom line do we buy because we want or because we need ? Each time I have purchased an instrument of better quality & playability it has translated into excitement and a surge in my playing capabilities. Yes one can learn on a POS instrument and one can play that instrument solely and the price of that is to be limited to a level of capability. Of course having excellent instruments is no guarantee of a successful musical experience. Patience , effort , drive , talent , help and time.... Sooo ... you pays your money and you takes your chances. R/

[stevedenver]

to the OP premise, do I buy stuff before im ready....yup. But im one not inclined to waste anything.

I happen to agree that beginners should not be relegated to the puritan thought process of "youre not worthy" of a good instrument. I too think that a great instrument removes many hurdles, except, motivation and diligent practice. The latter will be the foundation for the former, in time.

Mandolins are ....finicky. Crummy ones are, imho, little fun. Intonation must be good, as must be set up, tuners, bridges and nuts too, so that the bloody little thing can sound musical. Add to that, that a fine mandolin produces a great sound. Not unlike a great guitar simply fills a room, even if only with that first open "e" chord.

I 'started' with a Gibson fern. I found it, priced way below market, and had missed my old '35 A50, stolen from me some 25 years ago-(it was a bear to play).

I loved Grisman, and was inspired that mandolin need not be exclusively BG, and simply, bit the bullet, and decided to dedicate myself to mandolin until I was almost as proficient as I am on guitar. Mandolin is strangely addictive.

I enrolled in lessons, and worked.
I then started a BG ensemble, and worked even harder.
I then began to gig, on top of my law practice, both of which are time consuming to say the least.

I would put it to you, if you love the sound of mandolin, as well as music, and are willing to create an avenue in which you can achieve your goal, despite those days when you might not have the gas, then I would say move ahead.

Worst case, with a top end mandolin, it should hold its value to other buyers, if not to you, should your interest wain, after a while.

Make the mental commitment and then feel great about getting a great instrument, and, get it set up and find a good teacher.

All those things helped me continue to grow, to the point I could 'drive the bus all' by myself. There is NOTHING like being in a band, even if only a 'practice band' to make you grow your repertoire and skills.

I got my '02 fern in 2008, I believe, and it was my only mandolin until 2014, after which I acquired 3 others.

I have gotten my moneys worth ten fold from that first jump, in never feeling I had an instrument that didn't sound and play great, and satisfaction, from that first indulgence.

[Stacey Morris]

I guess I am kind of like you, Explorer. I tend to be a little "minimalist" and have seen so many people buy things that wind up sitting somewhere in the way that I lean more the other way. I am still learning to play mandolin, but I have an inexpensive one that I set up using Rob Meldrum's e-book, and it sounds better than I do right now. Maybe one of these days I will spring for a more expensive mandolin, but for now I am content to practice with the one I have. I think my playing is more limited by my poor practice habits than the price of the mandolin.

[JeffK]

I started playing guitar as a 13 year old kid, on a really crude nylon-string acoustic that my dad had sitting around. I wanted to play electric guitar, and was given a Magnum Stratocaster copy. I played it to death, and later bought a Fender Strat with my dishwashing and babysitting money. Now, did I really *need" a professional-level instrument as a 15 year old? No, but I sure appreciated how much better and easier to play it was, and that certainly did give me motivation to play more and more. And over time I played that guitar to death too, never professionally but as a serious and sometimes-paid amateur enthusiast.

Later, as I got older I found myself appreciating 12-string acoustic guitar more than electrics. I bought a garage-sale 12-string from my sister, and played that enough to appreciate it. I bought a much better but still student-level Fender 12-string later on, that I still have and that still sounds good to my ears and is enjoyable to play.

I'm a newbie on Mandolin, but it was a similar process. I saw a really cheap Rogue mando at a county fair and thought, wot the heck. I played it for a while, but knowing what a quality instrument sounds and feels like it was frustrating, and I spent most of my playing time fussing with the tuning over and over and over again and getting irritated because I could never get it intonated or get it to stay in tune. So I bought a Breedlove OF, and I'm happy as a clam with it and play it every day. Do I need a 1200 dollar mandolin as a middle-age rusty guitar player-turned mandolin newbie? Maybe not, but I'm glad I bought it and I enjoy playing it, and to me that's all that matters.

So I don't think there are any rules here, you purchase things that you enjoy and help make you happy. And with musical instruments anyways, there's something to be said for an instrument that is easy to play and sounds good, no matter what your skill level.

[JeffK]

Oh, and another thought, just to shore up my opinion on there being no rules. I've gotten really into harp guitar music lately, love it - a well-played harp guitar is a little symphony, and you can do amazing things with it. But harp guitars are famously hard to play well, and famously exotic and expensive. I'd love to learn to play one, but the entry barriers are pretty high for buying one knowing that I'd be largely on my own learning how to play it. There are some cheap import options, but my experience with the Rogue mandolin makes me leery of spending many hundreds on what might turn out to be barely-playable junk. So here's an example of something I'm going to eventually have to decide to either buy or not buy, having zero experience playing a harp guitar. If I continue to remain keen on mandolin and maintain my renewed interest in my 12-string acoustic guitar and my electric bass, maybe I'll take a plunge on it.

[soliver]

Because of the constant limit or lack of fun-money-funds, when it comes to purchase and motivation, I will typically wait until I perceive the need for the new tool. This is also typically a result of the fact that in order to purchase said new tool (using "tool" as a generalized term here), I will have to either sell a marginally used tool or something else from my "I-haven't-touched-that-in-a-while" pile, or a combination of the two. ...Note here that I used the phrase "perceive the need"... because as we all find at times, we may think we NEED something until we get it and use it and then set it aside and forget about it.

My other hobby is considered an extreme sport which involves lots of expensive equipment which I have bought, sold and traded over a span of about 4 years. For a long time now I have had to sell stuff to get new stuff and that makes it hard, especially when I fall in love with what I have. ("Kite Buggy",... google it)... The difference lies deeply in the true need to suite conditions because of the dictated limits of time,... where there is a new place in my heart for the developing MAS, the true meaning of "need" is in reality just "want" that is inflated exponentially by the new love of plucking courses of strings.

[Petrus]

Cheap, barely playable instruments will certainly blunt anyone's enthusiasm and a good quality instrument will likely increase your commitment and skill level, at least take you to the next plateau. But that doesn't mean you have to take out a second mortgage for it. A decent Eastman or Kentucky or Bovier, all sub-$1K or close to it, can carry you very far and can satisfy you for years. You may find a point of diminishing returns where the big leap between a mediocre instrument and a great mid-level instrument is not repeated when you go another level up.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From mandoplumb - "If you have to buy something in order to be motivated you won't be.".I totally agree & i'm living proof of exactly that. I've bought & sold more guitars than i've had banjos & mandolins put together & doubled !. I love every style of guitar playing going,but i can't decide 'which' style to play myself.I've bought acoustic & electric guitars to 'inspire me to play' - they did for a short while & then inertia set in once again. I'm currently contemplating buying a 'parlour' sized guitar because i ''absolutely know'' i'll really make the grade this time - but that's what i told myself the last time(s). With banjo & mandolin it was always Bluegrass.The 'music' inspired me to play & still does,the instruments are the 'tools' to play it,nothing more. However,ease of playing & the sound of a good instrument is in itself rewarding.
For me,the inspiration always has to come first,then i'll choose 'what' to buy in order for me to achieve my goal - if only i could decide what my guitar playing 'goal' is - 'all things to all men' ain't gonna cut it !!,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

[Isaac Revard]

Does anyone else engage in anti-purchase thinking, only getting things once one is already established in an activity?

In short, no. My wife considers enough "anti-purchase thinking" for the both of us. In an effort to maintain a well balanced marriage, its my spousal duty to contemplate further mandolin or music associated purchases...I believe.