How far do you stray from your "Style"

[tapper mike]

About a week ago I started working on some syncopated 16th note playing. Stuff that was easy for me in my 20's but I didn't keep up with so atrophy set in. Usually by simply listening and listening again and listening some more to get the feel into my head followed by starting slow and building myself up something clicks and within two days I'm in the zone. Not happening for me now, no matter how hard I try and force it.

Through the years I've considered myself more of a chameleon when it comes to playing rather than an altruist. I'm starting to think that I should concentrate on what I'm best at rather than trying to rebuild myself from scratch. I still can cover a lot of ground with what I have already but there is always something "out there" I want to explore.

[wagtunes]

I'm assuming there's a question in there somewhere.

How far do I stray from my "style"?

I don't have a style. In 40 plus years I've written everything from show tunes to goth metal. Maybe one day I'll actually develop a style. Until then, I'm just going to have fun doing what I'm doing.

As for yourself, do what makes you happy. That's all that matters.

[mevla]

I never thought about creating something in a style so far. It simply happens. In retrospect the creations can be grouped by some style and maybe this is what I will use if I ever thing of making so-called 'brand'. I do acknowledge that it can be off-putting for some who like a certain piece for the atmosphere it had to find a new piece that's pretty much different in its envelope.

[harryupbabble]

I'm trying to make classic rock music. In vain, so far. But I will stick to that.

To me, classic rock music meets all these four requirements of mine: distorted electric guitar, electric bass guitar, in your face drums, lyrics.

But adding keyboard instruments like piano, organ, rhodes, and maybe certain synths... is okay too.
Furthermore, a guy named Ian thought flute is okay too. And a guy named Jeff dabbled with classical music instruments. And that lightning bolt guy used sax.

But maybe style is secondary. The ability to create appealing melodies and sticky lyrics and make them work together well, is primary.
Since it's Sunday here, here's a sappy (according to some) but I hope illustrative example (country style, I think):

[jancivil]

If there is a style associated with me, it would need to be a perception someone else has, like they hear something and know it's me by some marker. I don't have that distance from it. OTOH I believe I have a 'sound'. It isn't an album in any narrative sense but '2017' has a number of tracks which are consistent to a fault, soundwise.

I was listening to Touch Me There by Shankar, produced by Frank Zappa; and FZ def. put his mark on it in certain places, albeit the tracks themselves are Shankar.

I do not think of creating music in terms of is there something I have to contort to do.
In my most formative period, living with a band and improvising freely - focused, goal-oriented free improvisation - whenever possible, I wrote some music that didn't sound like that, or sound like what I was doing. We formed an entertainment-oriented act which was all covers after I wrote and we performed a show at the MOMA, the Airport Lounge Band. Then I formed a C&W sort of version of it which probably did have markers of my style _at that time_. Before this period, 1980, is when I started to write in earnest. It might be that I formed my Urtext in terms of 'my harmonic language' as they say in the trade, but I have pushed past what I knew then. But the first track of my digital oeuvre uses - takes its fundamental theme - from a thing I made in 1981.

But it wouldn't be for me to have a retrospective on my own work.

[lfm]

I targeted poptype songs a good while, verse+chorus+vers etc.
So collecting stuff on dictaphone everytime I practise an instrument - some stuff does not fit a song format.

Then I started doing a little video, and got some more freedom doing that - it's very different and fun too.
A little half foley artist as well, seing to that wind noise and stuff fits a scene and similar.

But also thinking just doing music, Mike Oldfield kind, just 20 minutes music going with the flow or so - that is probably total freedom, or as close to as you can get.

So yes, I "stray" between these at least.

[mevla]

Whichever form it may take it could be possible, depending on the persistence of character to say that a piece was created by a certain person. Despite the drastic shift in the form. That would apply to someone who is not versed in music theory and can compose in any style whatsoever, but rather to someone who creates mostly instinctively.

[jancivil]

I would certainly not limit persistence of character to being a property of the unschooled. Whatever that means.

[Proxima4]

Some of the answer ‘for me’ depends on wether or not the music I create is for an exsisting audience, and if there is already something in the style of music that I like enough to explore for myself, “raw style is always a question because often the people best associated with that style or genre are normally slightly divergent of it as well”.

Most of us are trying to create something new and I feel that’s only possible by trying new styles and techniques even if they stretch your musicianship or production techniques.

This is something close to my productions at the moment, as I have a D&B track awaiting some detail, mixing and mastering for soundcloud upload #Experiemntal#1st#D&B which is new territory for me as well.

[pljones]

I wish I'd started drumming younger but had, at the time, had the wider musical interest I have now. I tend to end up sounding like me - and it's regardless of which sampled kit I'm playing, so that's not what it is. It's definitely my playing style I can hear. I like to think that, slowly, I am managing to do more... Mmm...

[mevla]

I would certainly not limit persistence of character to being a property of the unschooled. Whatever that means.

It has more to do with highly technical people who can compose on demand in any style and not really pursing an imprint of their own.

[mevla]

Most of us are trying to create something new and I feel that’s only possible by trying new styles and techniques even if they stretch your musicianship or production techniques.

He he... I don't even think about that. I don't even know what are all the styles and genres out there.

[jancivil]

I would certainly not limit persistence of character to being a property of the unschooled. Whatever that means.

It has more to do with highly technical people who can compose on demand in any style and not really pursing an imprint of their own.

So is that supposed to be a product of having the chops or a choice they make.
Because it sounds like you have a disposition against technique there.

Albeit 'highly technical' does not really clarify meaning very much IME.

[mevla]

So is that supposed to be a product of having the chops or a choice they make. Because it sounds like you have a disposition against technique there. Albeit 'highly technical' does not really clarify meaning very much IME.

It will depend. A highly technical (trained extensively in music theory) can also create their own personal compositions, like so many did before. They can develop their musical personality, their style, create their imprint. Of course. But not all do so. Many compose 'great' incidental music that will never leave any trace past their limited purpose, for instance.

Whereas as the other end of the knowledge spectrum there are people who are music from their guts. They do not have so much the flexibility of taking the personality of one style and then another: they just create. And as such can have more of a character imprint, if only by the abilities put forth. This is certainly my case, for instance.

[Proxima4]

This is the eternal debate around the balance between music theory, it’s application and in music composition the practice of a ‘good ear ‘ and ‘a good idea’ for me I keep pushing my knowledge of music theory and my artistic experiments because it yields exceptable results and is fun to do without ‘for me’ drowning in technical correctness. However there are those much much much more experienced in both ‘musicianship’ and music theory to produce both technically balanced and artistically fluid results.

I’m intrigued by outstanding works of technical skill and writing, as I am by real world recordings of tribes,cultures and religions for around the world on self made instruments. And of course these musical worlds fold in on themselves and re seed to produce new music.

This is probably one of the most important factors in today’s musical network, that seems to demand a higher quantity of good music for ‘limited life’ for that there often has to be a framework to work in and a realistic idea about the end result.

You have to consider what you want to achieve, what the goal of your music is.