Any musicians out there feeling the effects?

 

You're lucky to have been spared the coordination problems. I get lots of joint pain, especially in my knees which is a real hot spot in w/d from what I understand.

 

Depressed, yes but I'm still recording lots, interestingly the depression inspires some good songs and lyrics, albeit a little on the blue side. Some of the best tunes out there were written by people suffering from depression. My all-time favorite singer, Brad Delp (Boston) wrote the lyrics to A Man I'll Never Be when he was at his lowest point in life. Such a shame he's no longer with us.

 

Yes, the knees.. ouch! I feel it on some days especially walking downstairs, never before this. I think there's a difference between depression that could be described as a state of sadness and melancholy, and depression that's more like a state of emotional numbness and withdrawal. I tell you, I couldn't have been bothered writing one line when feeling like this, I just wasn't up for it emotionally, almost complete aloofness and detachment. 

Guitarman made me think about the time I signed up for a band formation at my old work for the company picnic.

We practiced in my front room. We had 3 guitar players, 2 bass players, 2 drummers, keys and an electric violin.

OMG it got HOT in there with all the electronics and bodys! It was a bit odd though because of the different levels of skill.

 

It was for fun so I went along with it and we did OK at the picnic, after that I bowed out though and ended up hooking up with one of the guitar players and bass player. We ended up playing together and playing out for almost 5 years.

 

That's a nice story, you never know where you're gonna find a suitable musician for you. I always keep an open mind. 

I go though times when I can Mix and when I can't. Like, sound is 'painful" sometimes. As far as playing, I haven't really played guitar is 8 weeks, And singing, wow, my Vocal chops will need to be brought back to life again when I'm off this crap.

 

I'm finishing up a disc ( that would have been done by now , if I went going though Benzo WD's) but it's hard to work on the last remaining songs because of WD's,

 

I'll mix, for a few hours..burn what I did. Get through the night and try to listen to the mixes the next day..and some days I just can't. So, there goes a day.

 

It sucks Music is my life. And I want it back.

 

Thank you Doctors and Pharma Industry.

Yes, the knees.. ouch! I feel it on some days especially walking downstairs, never before this. I think there's a difference between depression that could be described as a state of sadness and melancholy, and depression that's more like a state of emotional numbness and withdrawal. I tell you, I couldn't have been bothered writing one line when feeling like this, I just wasn't up for it emotionally, almost complete aloofness and detachment.

 

Fire and Rain by James Taylor was a great example of depression and creativity. Position 227 on Biilboard's top 500 greatest songs of all time. From Wikipedia:

 

...the song was written in three parts:

• The first part was indeed about Taylor's friend Suzanne, who died while Taylor was in London working on his first album after being signed to Apple Records. Friends at home, concerned that it might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him, and he only found out six months later.
  
• The second part details Taylor's struggle to overcome drug addiction and depression.
  
• The third part deals with coming to grips with fame and fortune, looking back at the road that got him there. It includes a reference to James Taylor and The Flying Machine, a band he briefly worked with before his big break with Paul McCartney, Peter Asher, and Apple Records.
  

 

 

I go though times when I can Mix and when I can't. Like, sound is 'painful" sometimes. As far as playing, I haven't really played guitar is 8 weeks, And singing, wow, my Vocal chops will need to be brought back to life again when I'm off this crap.

 

I'm finishing up a disc ( that would have been done by now , if I went going though Benzo WD's) but it's hard to work on the last remaining songs because of WD's,

 

I'll mix, for a few hours..burn what I did. Get through the night and try to listen to the mixes the next day..and some days I just can't. So, there goes a day.

 

It sucks Music is my life. And I want it back.

 

Thank you Doctors and Pharma Industry.

 

I get that "painful sound" thing a lot. I have a pair of Yamaha HS80's that I run pretty much everything through and I could swear sometimes they're not working properly.

 

It took me a while to figure out what's going on but it's not the monitors at all, it's my hearing that takes a hit. Yet another wonderful w/d symptom. "Altered sense of hearing" according to the Ashton Manual.

Welcome to BB's Raymond. I am a drummer also and my balance and coordination got trashed from withdrawal. Between that and the loss of desire to even play, it really put a hurt on my time on my kits. I am just now starting to play half decent again !

 

Good healing ! 

Thank you for letting me know about your drumming experiences, it is very reassuring. Glad you're playing decent again. I see from your signature that you were on clonazepam (Klonopin) for many years and came off within a year, congratulations. I think I need to start looking at coming off of this stuff faster that I've been doing in the past. Wondering if I'm not getting more tolerance that w/d or maybe both if that's possible, like a double whammy.

Many composers wrote the most beautiful and compelling music when their lives were falling apart and bleak.  I have to speak from a classical standpoint because that is my primary emphasis in piano.  Beethoven for example wrote some amazing works when he was deaf. Mahler lost so many children and much of his music reflects his sorrow.

 

However, these people were not in benzo withdrawal. I think it would be near impossible to create anything when the brain is under so much stress and strain. I could not connect emotionally with music for such a long time, it was a huge loss for me.  When the emotions came back, they came like a flood and a welcome flood. Give it time and you will feel the joy of music again.

 

pianogirl

Give it time and you will feel the joy of music again.

 

Thank you! I come from a heavy metal background, those roots have been with me forever, even into my 'old age'. Over the past year, I've come up with some of the catchiest hook lines I've ever come up with, very dark indeed (almost Metallica-like) but nevertheless, it keeps me going. I guess each person's different. I totally agree that many composers wrote the most beautiful and compelling music when their lives were falling apart. My life feels like it's falling apart half the time right now, music is the only outlet I really have.