Does Music Length Really Matter?

[Jace-BeOS]

I struggle to make my stuff longer than 3 minutes. When I say "struggle", I should clarify that it's an arbitrary measuring point I put on myself to keep myself working at a structure I've created. Looping things is not my preference on lengthening a piece of music. Adding new and different parts to increase the variety of structures IS.

I'm not sure what my shortest piece is. Probably 2:30. My longest is 12 minutes, but that one was an attempt at ambient soundtrack that turned into a much more involved song near the last third because I couldn't stop myself... or the cue "wanted to be a song" instead.

Short pieces can be invitations to the listeners to listen again. They can bridge long pieces on albums (I still believe in making coherent albums, rather than a pile of tracks). They can be short emotional moments or statements.

To contribute to the penis innuendos in this thread: It's not about the size; it's how you use it.

[thecontrolcentre]

Doesn't matter. Unless it soundstoo long and becomes boring.

[waiting man]

depends, context may help.

[KoolKool]

looping is common technique to make a track sound longer

[NoirSuede]

looping is common technique to make a track sound longer

IMO that's the most lamest possible way

[highkoo]

Time is the medium and the canvas.

Music as an artform is completely dependent on time. Both on 'the moment', and all the moments in sequence.
The difference between a 32 bar sequence, and a 64 bar sequence that is just the 32 bars copy/pasted, is not insignificant, imo.

The only time it matters for me as a creator is utilitarian. It is either for DJs to mix, or not. If it is, there are 'rules' of timing and length that make it more useful for that purpose. That matters.
Otherwise, it is just the creative drive that dictates for me, and that also matters. But when I admit that I am just not extremely talented, and take myself out of it, I think that "time" is maybe one of the most important things to think about.

[harryupbabble]

It's subjective. Yes the song length might matter to some. Short songs/tunes tend to have fast tempos. Fast-tempo music tend to have high energy. Most short songs tend to have an urgent quality and it needs to deliver the message quickly and people with ADD might tolerate it and maybe even get what it's about. But then again who said a song has to have substance?

Anyways, I guess one can compose a 30-minute song with an abnormally fast (but steady) 1000 bpm manic tempo, for example. But then maybe only the first minute (or less) of that song might not be monotonous to some. Also, it might matter if the listener is heavily sedated or whatever, no?

On the other hand, for example, a song from Led Zeppelin's concert movie, Dazed and Confused (the name of the song), is about 30 minutes long but I believe is done at a slow blues tempo (typical of a Led Zeppelin song), but in his prime 1973 self, Jimmy Page's fast guitar-playing creates the illusion of a fast-tempo song. One guy in our little midnight-cinema-watching bunch slept through it, but the rest, and speaking for myself, was wide awake and excited and didn't find it entirely monotonous (admittedly, the part where Jimmy Page used a violin bow, to play his guitar, did get a bit like ambient music, and yes was monotonous to me).

Again, music is subjective, as the cliches goes. And so, I guess music length is also subjective? Monotony might not be monotony to some. Monotony and repetition might even be crucial. Long might not be long. Yeah yeah, this post is long. Some like it long some like it short. Anything goes, is the way. As Mad Max said... freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom. Ha ha ha. Sha sha sha. She she she. He he he.

[Stanoli]

Klaus Schulze is the master of improvise-over-your-loops-longsongs

[ontol]

[highkoo]

I like to make tracks that will never export the exact same way twice.
So whatever length of time they are capturing, it is a unique slice.

[Touch The Universe]

@ Stanoli -- Man That was brilliant! Thanks for sharing that!!

Seriously, I have a huge problem sometimes with too many ideas, often my tracks are 20 minutes long, sometimes 30 +

I've even entered a few in the OSC and I can tell you the longer ones don't score as well as ones atleast under 10 minutes.

Latest example:

https://soundcloud.com/touch_the_univer ... k-full-mix

For general purposes and everyday way fare, I think keeping a track 7-8 tops should be more than adequate to tell the story without testing a listeners patience -- discipline required

[Aleatoriac]

No.

Nothing about music matters at all anymore.

Anyone who tells you what to do is a fuckhat.

[Nano Die Katze]

Very back in the old days, radio stations would never play your song if it was longer than 3:15 no matter how good you song was. This was also probably because early vinyl records could only hold song information up to that point. I'd say it mattered back then but today, not as much anymore. Make your song as long as you feel like it should be and put it out there. In the case of making pop and "edm" style songs, it would be best to keep it around the 3-4 minute point.

[dea-man]

In order to be unique, instead of making tracks according to time length, I make mine based on how much sweat soaks through my undies, while I try to hold several iguanas between my butt cheeks.

Oh yeah, also....cash, guns and whores.

[chk071]

@ Stanoli -- Man That was brilliant! Thanks for sharing that!!

Yep. Thought i'd tune in for a couple of seconds, just to be disapointed a bit again over Schulze's music, as usual, but that one is really nice, especially considering that much of it is improvised. Definitely some of the better stuff i heard from Schulze.