My Music SUX !!!!!

[Hink]

Dont worry about whether people like it, dont even worry about whether you like it. Simply ask yourself, "what is it doing for me?

That's good advice Hink.

I can think of many a late night sitting here with headphones on, playing guitar with an ebow through a massive delay and reverb, and being moved to the point of euphoria.

thanx GS, and even if you dont hit record you still get to enjoy the afterglow

[kenobi77]

Kevin, I have read the other posts and I like the encouragement and some of the suggestions. I am going to try something different. I am going to tell you what I did and why, and maybe that will help you create something more pleasing to your own ears.

When I first started creating music with the computer, it sucked. It was so bad, I thought there was something wrong with my equipment. I wasn't newbie to music. I had been playing piano and writing music for 20 years, so I was sure that wasn't the problem. I wasn't a newbie to technology either since I had been programming computers for nearly as long as I had been playing.

To solve this problem, I did what I always did when faced with a vexing problem. I went into full analyst mode. I read voraciously everything I could find on recording and recording technology. I analyzed the music I was producing. I analyzed music like what I wanted to produce. I actually did this for years.

Then I started reading about creativity. Finally something clicked in me. Everything I was doing to get me closer to the music I wanted was taking me farther away. Creating music wasn't about analysis and procedures and technology. It was about letting go. It was about letting my creative voice come through unimpeded by thoughts of what I should be doing. Instead of trying to record perfect tracks with all the pressure that implies, I just recorded whatever came out. Instead of constantly thinking that everything I was doing was going to be judged by posterity, I just played knowing that there was a delete button that could always be used if things went too far off the rails.

What I quickly learned is that after 3 or 4 tries, I had a track that worked. Perfect? No. But workable. I then went on to the next track and then the next. I also learned that simplicity is a virtue. I didn't 80 tracks to express an idea. I can almost always say what I want in under 10 tracks. That meant, in under 2 hours, I could have all the parts recorded and be ready to start mixing and editing. The creative work was done, and I could turn my analyst brain back on and tweak the details.

Obviously, this takes practice like anything else, but nothing else I tried got me to where I wanted to be. Think about it and see if there something here you can apply to your situation.

This post is particularly pertinent to me, although I have been able to relate more or less to what everyone has said. Along the way my mind has become quite conditioned to be analytical, so I actually give it it's "fix".

To focus/clear my mind I just work off the simple mantra of "it's ok to not sound great or even good, as long as what is done has conveyed some part of the feeling I'm looking for", even if its childishly simple. I try to keep an open mind to the fact that I can slowly chip away at the understanding to sound better, and to express my self better. Without this way of thinking I find myself tripping up over my ego, "This doesn't sound good enough, or like person x", and too embarrassed/frustrated to continue.

if I put my analytical hat back on, I guess what I'm doing is moving the reference point to one which will always be in my favour, after all who can better judge what I chose to express than me. The reason for this is not to allow to me the excuse to create "bad" music but to give space to develop in, or at least just to enjoy what I do. I can listen back to something, preferably a little later after creating it, a decide that while I can see what I tried to express it may not be so easily conveyed to others, and moving a step closer in then conveying the expression to others is perhaps where "it sounds better" comes from. Also, just to make the point, when I talk of expression I'm not thinking of anything extravagant or philosophical, just those regular feelings, even if its just to make you feel to dance or nod your head.

[stevewisnoski]

Kevin, I feel the same as the last 2 posts, that today's manufactured pop music is largely annoying noise. But I recognize that the motive is to create commerce, not please everybody. And my opinion means nothing. I am hoping that you find some peace, whether it's writing music, reading, or whatever pleases you. Your situation is dire, and I have had many people my age succumb to cancer in the last 2 years. I write, and sometimes people say what I write sucks. But their opinion has the same value as mine, nothing. I have had a professional career as a musician for more than 40 years, and I have had cancer, which I hope hasn't returned, I can't afford the yearly screenings at this point. I wish you would post a link to something you wrote. Regardless, try, that's all I can offer, try something. I am sorry .

[OzoneJunkie]

2 things:

1. Change yourself. If you don't know who you are at your deepest point, find out. Then realize that beyond THAT is still something more/better - an amazing being within a human shell. We are dualities. Enlightened beings and human beings. Let go of who you are, to become who you want.

2. Separate technique/knowledge/ego and so on from your music. Craft vs art. Better your craft, cherish your art.

[Mivo]

Kevin, I have read the other posts and I like the encouragement and some of the suggestions. I am going to try something different. I am going to tell you what I did and why, and maybe that will help you create something more pleasing to your own ears.

When I first started creating music with the computer, it sucked. It was so bad, I thought there was something wrong with my equipment. I wasn't newbie to music. I had been playing piano and writing music for 20 years, so I was sure that wasn't the problem. I wasn't a newbie to technology either since I had been programming computers for nearly as long as I had been playing.

To solve this problem, I did what I always did when faced with a vexing problem. I went into full analyst mode. I read voraciously everything I could find on recording and recording technology. I analyzed the music I was producing. I analyzed music like what I wanted to produce. I actually did this for years.

Then I started reading about creativity. Finally something clicked in me. Everything I was doing to get me closer to the music I wanted was taking me farther away. Creating music wasn't about analysis and procedures and technology. It was about letting go. It was about letting my creative voice come through unimpeded by thoughts of what I should be doing. Instead of trying to record perfect tracks with all the pressure that implies, I just recorded whatever came out. Instead of constantly thinking that everything I was doing was going to be judged by posterity, I just played knowing that there was a delete button that could always be used if things went too far off the rails.

What I quickly learned is that after 3 or 4 tries, I had a track that worked. Perfect? No. But workable. I then went on to the next track and then the next. I also learned that simplicity is a virtue. I didn't 80 tracks to express an idea. I can almost always say what I want in under 10 tracks. That meant, in under 2 hours, I could have all the parts recorded and be ready to start mixing and editing. The creative work was done, and I could turn my analyst brain back on and tweak the details.

Obviously, this takes practice like anything else, but nothing else I tried got me to where I wanted to be. Think about it and see if there something here you can apply to your situation.

Remarkable post. This, I believe, is the key not only to getting music done, but also to better relationships, more happiness, and less stress. It can be applied to essentially anything, though it takes time and patience to unlearn all the habits we have acquired.

Friedrich Schiller summed it up when he wrote: "Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays."