I want to hear it from the aspie musicians themselves

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How do you motivate yourself to play an instrument for hours upon hours a day? I'm struggling to do this and would like some real advice on how to do this.

At times when I do this (which is only on occasion), I just want to. At these times I can compose music and sing and play piano all day every day for several days straight.

But I don't want to do this all the time. So I don't practice voice (my main instrument) for hours every day like I should. In fact, sometimes I only practiced a few hours a week in total when I was doing grades - but I got by fine because I have a really good sense of pitch and musical memory.

What I'm trying to say is don't force yourself to do something you don't want to do. Although music has always been one of my main interests, I do not intend to pursue it as a career because I don't want to practice it for hours every day. So I'm pursuing psychology as a main career, and doing music on the side as a hobby and part time job (I get paid to sing already part time anyway).

Just do it because you enjoy doing it! I guess enjoying to make music is a musician best help.

I myself also play music (keyboard) to deal with stuff that happens to me, it's just like some people write stuff of their chest, I play it of my chest.

Its all heart. Mostly that when I am lucky enough to hear a piece of music that gives me chills and even brings tears to my eyes, or if I'm constructing something that powerful in my mind even to evoke that kind of feeling - its almost a spiritual-level need to turn around and express it through music in a way that as authentically me as possible. While I wouldn't consider myself as taking music to a religious level it seems like its something that can really, on an emotional level, connect me with the transcendental and its why I think my fixation on music or making it will never go away.

<-- Oddly enough, I was just playing my sax...

My qualifications to answer are this: I play professionally in downtown PDX (last time at Dante's, next time at Ash Street Saloon), so let me counter-question you: Do you really want an honest answer to this? You won't like it. It's an honest answer, but it is also a "jackass" answer. Here it is, man: You just do.

I know... that sucks. I hate answers like that. So let me try to put this differently: If you see this as "hours upon hours a day" of practice or chore or routine, you're not playing from your heart. You're playing because you have to. Maybe for Band practice (yuck). Maybe to memorize a tune to impress someone. This kind of playing will get you a grade or get you to what you need at the moment. But it's not like a Snickers(TM). It's not Really Satisfying.

For the satisfying playing, the playing that reaches down to your toes and back up to your nose, you'll find yourself doing it because you must do it. It doesn't matter if it's on a sax or a flute or a bunch of overturned pots and pans. When you experience this, you'll probably be unable to stop yourself and you'll most likely be crying. That's just how this works. Even when you play in public, you're still crying inside, but you've learned to stifle it outside for that particular piece.

It took me about 27 years to figure that one out.

Frankly, having to practice for hours and hours on end just to get to actually perform a piece once (maybe twice or more if you are lucky) was one of the reasons I stopped playing classical music. My freshman year of college, I practiced 4 hours or so a day, and a couple of times I'd pull a 7 hour day. I could never do 7 hours a day consistently, though. And towards the end of my college career, I practiced an embarrasingly little amount. I'm surprised they even let me graduate.

When I did practice a lot, I would focus on perfection and just polishing the places that really needed it over and over. Or I would do something fun like turn out the lights and practice (this would freak out other musicians looking for practice rooms, though!). I couldn't intentionally memorize music, though. I simply had to play it enough to absorb it. My piano teacher told me this was a bad idea, but it was the only way I could do it.

Yes, this is very right - and if you don't feel this there's no point playing. It took me time to figure this out too, and I figured out that this craving for playing, these transcendal feelings, only happen to me when I'm not in a stressed out state (which, sadly, is a minority of the time - but when I was younger happened more often). So when it does happen, I make the most of these times and compose and play and sing to my heart's content.

But I will never study a music degree, or rely on music to make a living. I do do a few specific chorale based music courses as an optional thing to acquire particular skills I'm after though, and I did do voice grades and intend to do grade 7 and grade 8 at some point in the future (in the next few years) - I've only done up to grade 6 because I started AMEB voice grades quite late. It's a bit unfortunate though, because grades in voice are all classical music - and I'm not a huge fan as I'm more into modern, avant garde, and musical theatre styles. I'll suck it up and practice opera for the grades though, they can be useful documentation to have.

Thanks for the tips people.

Sometimes I feel paranoid about being who I am because of the higher powers and press telling people how to live and how to always conform and be a sheep etc etc.

I suffer from paranoia, and to understand that the press are just a bunch of morons who want a story, and Rupert Murdoch and other such figures will never be as rich in the soul as I am, I don't fear this right now - I feel so much more free being who I am.

I think from now on I'll find it much easier to do this stuff.

Thanks for the tips people.