I can hear the music in my head and now when I play it it just no longer lines up in my DAW and it sounds like trash. Why did I do this?
Real, I did the exact same thing and it's ass. Easier to pick up than the first time tho
Your muscles are not used to it but don't worry you will be back! 🤟
Just keep at it and you’ll be shocked how fast you get back to where you were.
I’m basically at the same position OP. I quit playing when I moved continents (hard to bring a guitar, and I had other priorities). I planned on buying a guitar as soon as possible, but the pandemic and life made it so “as soon as possible” was only a couple of months ago.
In any case, in two months after picking up the guitar again I honestly feel like I’m playing better than ever lmao.
Don’t give up OP, I believe in you.
You just gotta trgger the muscle memory again. A couple of months of daily practice and it'll come rushing back
Maybe I'm just up my own ass, but I think being bad at an instrument while still knowing the basics can be a good limitation to have. I have barely any idea how to play guitar, but I still record it in songs I make. Usually I try to write something way too complex I have to repeatedly simplify until it works, or I just make it as weird as possible.
Do that, make something really avant garde. Limitations are fun.
I know the feeling, but there is a bright side to it.
Usually when I take a long break, coming back I forget my old brainless patterns that I always went for when improvising, so it forces me to be creative and come up with melodies that I wouldn't come up with otherwise.
Each time I take a break I feel like I change a little in my style.