Frustrated musician

[CannonFodder]

Nah, I had a pair of 1200's for the past few weeks, gave 'em back yesterday and I already miss them...

It's almost like losing a child isn't it? :-(

[bloodline]

Karlos wrote:
My problem is usually that often do imagine components of a song in my head, yet I'm usually up past my eyeballs in work.

That happens painfully often!

Later, I try to remember it and it's gone. I can sit at the keyboard for a while, play a few chords or perhaps pick a few notes on the guitar, but it never comes back.

Well, I can often recall it, but it never sounds as good as did when I though of it at an inconvienint moment...

That is why home studios are good, as soon as an idea come, get it recorded ASAP...

Probably a good reason not to buy another instrument :-/

Probably a good reason to buy another instrument!!!!!

ME WANT JUNO-G!!!!

@Moto
I always plan my peice in painful detail, before I even go near a keyboard/sequencer/sampler... just pen and paper.

If you know where you want to get to, it's much easier to achieve. Don't set your sights to high, often you'll want to write some powerful emotional peice with a very specific message... this is destined to failure unless you've got 10years of experience under your belt. Just choose a topic that interests you, then try to emulate a song you like... once you get experience you can push yourself a bit...

[motorollin]

bloodline wrote:
I always plan my peice in painful detail, before I even go near a keyboard/sequencer/sampler... just pen and paper.

I have always had a problem planning music, partly because I'm never really sure where my music is going, and also because when I do get an idea I find it almost as hard to express it in note form as I do to create the music itself. What form do your plans take? Written notes? Musical notation? Or something else?

bloodline wrote:
Don't set your sights to high, often you'll want to write some powerful emotional peice with a very specific message... this is destined to failure unless you've got 10years of experience under your belt.

Well, I started learning music when I was 4 years old, so that's 20 years experience - I would really expect to be more advanced than I am now :-(

bloodline wrote:
Just choose a topic that interests you, then try to emulate a song you like...

I do try to take little bits from other music, like synth sounds I like or drumming styles, though of course I never blatantly rip anything off :-)

Thanks for the advice - it's given me a lot to think about.

--
moto

[CannonFodder]

though of course I never blatantly rip anything off

Learn to love your sampler young Padawan!

[A4000_Mad]

motorollin wrote:
For some reason these lyrics seem to sum up how I feel.

In fences that you cannot climb
In sentences that do not rhyme
In all that you can never change
The one you're looking for

It gets you down
It gets you down

There's no spark
No light in the dark
It gets you down
It gets you down
You've travelled far
What have you have found?
That theres no time
There's no time
To analyse
To think things through
To make sense

Well these lyrics will cheer you up mate :-)

Try to keep from thinking
Thinking means remembering
Remembering means hurting
Hurting ain't so funny
Funny how it hits you
Hits you out of nowhere
Nowhere to hide from it
It will last forever

Forever is a long time
Time keeps on a-creeping
Creeping toward tomorrow
Tomorrow starts it over
Over all the loving
Loving and the good times
Good times turn to bad times
Bad times start me thinking

Thinking is remembering
Remembering starts the circle
Circle in a circle
Circle rounding circle
Circle is unbroken
Unbroken is the circle
Never ending circle
Circle without ending

[Cymric]

At the risk of getting my head bitten off, why not release the music you consider worthwhile to a select audience who can appreciate the style of your work, and have them mull things over for a bit? You might consider it 'unfinished', but if you're stuck, someone else might give you some ideas to pursue further...?

[bloodline]

motorollin wrote:

bloodline wrote:
I always plan my peice in painful detail, before I even go near a keyboard/sequencer/sampler... just pen and paper.

I have always had a problem planning music, partly because I'm never really sure where my music is going, and also because when I do get an idea I find it almost as hard to express it in note form as I do to create the music itself. What form do your plans take? Written notes? Musical notation? Or something else?

Often just notes (not musical notes :-) ), and a structure. then move onto the sequencer and record a few melodies and lead lines... then build it from there.

bloodline wrote:
Don't set your sights to high, often you'll want to write some powerful emotional peice with a very specific message... this is destined to failure unless you've got 10years of experience under your belt.

Well, I started learning music when I was 4 years old, so that's 20 years experience - I would really expect to be more advanced than I am now :-(

Often the worse thing that can happen from a creativity point of view is to much training... try to work from your feelings.

bloodline wrote:
Just choose a topic that interests you, then try to emulate a song you like...

I do try to take little bits from other music, like synth sounds I like or drumming styles, though of course I never blatantly rip anything off :-)

If it just for practice, then why not blatenty rip off someitnh that's good? you are not going to sell it or show it as your masterpiece! It's just to get an idea of what things work and what doesn't!

Thanks for the advice - it's given me a lot to think about.

Have fun, I love music.

[adz]

CannonFodder wrote:

Nah, I had a pair of 1200's for the past few weeks, gave 'em back yesterday and I already miss them...

It's almost like losing a child isn't it? :-(

Not quite.

[Fade]

Hey motorollin maybe you should take up Country Music, because then you could write about anything. :-D

[Karlos]

Cymric wrote:
At the risk of getting my head bitten off, why not release the music you consider worthwhile to a select audience who can appreciate the style of your work, and have them mull things over for a bit? You might consider it 'unfinished', but if you're stuck, someone else might give you some ideas to pursue further...?

I think this is generally the artists dilemma; you don't feel you can present work that is unfinished to others.

[motorollin]

@CF
No, I much prefer to create something from scratch than to "sample" other people's work.

@Cymric
Why would I bite your head off for that? It's actually a very good idea. Thanks for the suggestion! If anyone wants to hear some of my stuff, finished or not, PM me.

@Bloodline
Would you feel comfortable letting me see some of your notes? I think it would be helpful to me to see your creative workflow and maybe learn from it. I do sometimes think I'm too analytical of music and not emotional enough. That's a hard habit to break. As for practice, I did used to copy other people's stuff for practice. I once found an a capella vocal from Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" and reworked the whole track. I was really pleased with how it turned out and I learned a lot. Maybe I need to do that again!

--
moto

[bloodline]

motorollin wrote:

@Bloodline
Would you feel comfortable letting me see some of your notes? I think it would be helpful to me to see your creative workflow and maybe learn from it.

Sure, I've got pages of the damn things lying around... they probably won't make much sense to you. But should give a good idea of what I mean... I'll have to dig out my scanner...

I do sometimes think I'm too analytical of music and not emotional enough. That's a hard habit to break.

um... depends... the initial idea should be emotional (that takes special type of person, I'm lucky enough to have someone like that in my band)... then working out the rest needs to be analytical (which is more my area).

As for practice, I did used to copy other people's stuff for practice. I once found an a capella vocal from Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" and reworked the whole track. I was really pleased with how it turned out and I learned a lot. Maybe I need to do that again!

Exactly! do that with as many songs as you can. I spent my formitive years working out Depeche mode songs... the experience was invaluble to understanding how a composition should fit together both musically and tibraly.

[motorollin]

bloodline wrote:
Sure, I've got pages of the damn things lying around... they probably won't make much sense to you. But should give a good idea of what I mean... I'll have to dig out my scanner...

Great! I would really appreciate it. My email address is in my profile. Thanks mate!

bloodline wrote:
the initial idea should be emotional (that takes special type of person, I'm lucky enough to have someone like that in my band)...

Well I am a *very* emotional person. But I find it very difficult to express my emotions (because I'm a manly man :-P ) I suppose learning how to express emotion through music is a skill which has to be nurtured.

bloodline wrote:
then working out the rest needs to be analytical (which is more my area).

My years of training in music theory should hopefully come in handy here.

bloodline wrote:
Exactly! do that with as many songs as you can.

Will do :-)

I've spotted something which has changed between the time when I started composing a lot of electronic music and the time when I stopped: I have stopped listening to new music. When I first started writing electro, I had just started listening to Kid A by Radiohead. I had never heard anything like it before, and I was absolutely amazed by it. Their subsequent albums were also sources of inspiration.

Apart from a few albums, I haven't really bought much music since then since very little music is interesting to me these days. I am still listening to the same music I was back then. I think I need something new to listen to to open my mind a bit. Suggestions please :-)

--
moto

[CannonFodder]

No, I much prefer to create something from scratch than to "sample" other people's work.

I once found an a capella vocal from Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" and reworked the whole track.

Irony or Paradox? ;-)


Sampling is an art form.

What do you think about 99% hip-hop, jungle, hardcore, house, breakbeat or drum'n'bass tracks ever released being laden with samples?

[motorollin]

That doesn't count, it was practice :-P I can see the value in using samples of other people's work as a starting point. But creating a whole track from scratch is much more rewarding to me than basing something on somebody else's work.

--
moto

[CannonFodder]

motorollin wrote:
That doesn't count, it was practice :-P I can see the value in using samples of other people's work as a starting point. But creating a whole track from scratch is much more rewarding to me than basing something on somebody else's work.

--
moto

Don't knock it till you've tried it. ;-)