Competitive instruments?

I've felt like that all the time.

I think that if you feel this way, you should definitely learn to play more instruments. I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle of that journey -- I started out writing music on a computer, and then playing bass in a band, and I realized I really needed to learn to play other instruments to fully express my ideas. Even when one arranges music with the aid of computers or similar, only learning to play those instruments really gives you a feel for writing idiomatically for them.

You probably don't need to be a virtuoso on each instrument. Once you're already conversant with a group of instruments, playing basic things on a new one isn't hard. And if it becomes necessary, you can apply the same process you took to becoming a great guitarist to the new instrument. For example, I just recently I started working hard on improving my drumming so my band can record a demo. I've been playing the drums off and on for a while, but never at prog-rock/metal levels. The loss of our previous drummer made me try and step it up a notch so we can get something out there.

I think I've gone through periods of depression every so often where I feel like it's impossible to learn so many instruments, but then I make some progress, record something with a new instrument, or jam with other musicians on it (very important!), and it changes everything. Also, playing a new instrument can help you to come back to an old one with a fresh perspective. I've known a couple of guitar players who learned cello and came back to guitar refreshed.

I moved to electric and acoustic guitar from bass, then piano, viola, violin, drums, glockenspiel, clarinet, recorders (Gentle Giant worship), oud, mandolin, and more recently piano accordion and english concertina. Of all those, I only consider myself an acceptable bassist, but I have been able to demo parts with all those instruments to my satisfaction, and I'd recommend taking that path to anyone else who feels restricted working with one instrument.

In fact, I often wonder (especially because the guitarist with whom I play is like this), why more people don't learn more instruments? It has only helped me improve as a musician. The main restriction has been access to instruments, but I tend to pick up student models of new instruments whenever I can afford one and am not already in the process of learning the basics of another. I hope to get into brass at some point.

It seems to me that the most valuable instruments to learn after guitar would be piano, drums, and voice, at least for prog. But I think song-writing can be done with anything... it doesn't make too much sense to restrict yourself just because it seems like singer-songwriters all seem to use steel-string acoustics. My girlfriend writes and performs folk/singer-songwriters tunes, and she does a lot of them on classical guitar (I think there are a few at myspace.com/kylatilley but those may be older demo tunes recorded on a steel-string). The accordion is also quite conducive to self-accompaniment.

I guess that was all a bit rambling. Maybe by this time you're already feeling better about the guitar anyway. But I hope this helped.

If I ever feel like I wish I was playing some other instrument, I just make up a new way to play what I currently do (mainly guitar and tuba).  There's always chance involved on whether it'll sound good or not, but I've changed up my playing style a lot and every time there's stuff I like and stuff I don't.

Currently I enjoy plugging my acoustic guitar into my effects unit and use a mix of acoustic finger picking and deep (yet still light) distortions and other sounds normally found on the electric guitar.  I also get bored with conventional chords, so I shift chords around, even if it's dissonant and unlistenable.  I've been able to make some interesting music (to me) with odd chord changes and "bad" chords.

Another way I deal with not being able to play other instruments that I like is by writing music for them and getting other people to play it for me.  Then it's not my fault when it sounds bad (but it is my fault when it sounds good ).