|
DreadCthulhu posted:Are there any solid resources for learning songwriting out there? I'm reasonably ok at producing, I know my way around the DAW after a few years. I can mix OK. I know some degree of theory and have taken plenty of lessons etc. My challenge is that what I write is just not that interesting, at least not to my ear. I'm a product designer, not a songwriter, so take this with a grain of salt. It seems like you're asking all the wrong questions if your goal is to create something that hasn't already been created. For example: - Things on the radio are rarely original in their structure or lyrical content, and often what makes them seem original is either an insanely talented singer with a unique voice or it's tiny little sound effects peppered through the song to keep your attention. It's like, how many Beatles songs are about a girl? - If you're thinking of your influences, it's going to make it a lot harder to make something new. - Watching a tutorial or reading a book or taking a class are all basically the same: It's somebody who has already done something telling you how to do it too. Almost by definition, the end result will be repeatable rather than original. - Brute force kills creativity. There's a time and a place for brute force, but this doesn't seem to be it. Try asking questions like.... What is missing from all the music you've heard before? What do you "get," but nobody else does? What do you want to say to the world, which hasn't been said yet? What's the most fun you could have on your instrument(s) of choice? Do you love sus chords or something, and you just want to play them all day long? What do you sound like when you make music? What can you do that nobody else can do? What is your personal aesthetic? What do you believe the world should be like? (To use myself as an example, I believe the world is full of useless crap and distractions. The things I design are therefore minimalist and it's really important to me that every single part of the product adds value.) When you're in a rut, just write down one of those questions and do some brainstorming. Something will emerge, even if you're feeling uninspired as you begin the process. Another thing you could try is being creative in some other medium like visual art. Figure out what your style is, use that as a way to learn about yourself, and then apply that new understanding to your music.
|
#
¿
Apr 3, 2020 01:10
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:24 |
|
|
It's wonderful that we disagree, and thank you for the effort post. I didn't know a lot of this, or at least I wasn't able to put the pieces together like this. I lack the musical knowledge to seriously challenge your assertions even if I wanted to, but I'd like to respond to a few things you mention: You literally cannot create something “truly original” This is soul crushing and demotivates me from even trying. If I believed that I lacked the potential to create something original, not to mention believing that "original" isn't even possible, I would quit making music today. I'm glad I don't agree with this statement. Using the same chords and writing your own melody is so common in jazz there’s a word for it: contrafact. I would describe this as "I see something that nobody else sees, and I'm going to do something original with it." It's inspiring. We might have a different definition of "original" in this context, but just for clarity I don't mean something that's 100% unique and never-before-seen. A thing can be original even if it's derivative in some way. Nothing is created in a vacuum. Minimalist design came about because of our frustrations in the 90s and 00s with careless design that was unintentionally maximalist....Music is the same: everything is either advancing or subverting the current paradigm. I would describe this feeling as identifying what's wrong, or missing, from existing works. If you're looking around, noticing a pattern and then using your energy to break from that pattern, it seems like a good process which has a high probability of making something original. (That's what I was trying to get at with the question "What is missing from all the music you've heard before?") Adele’s music sounds really different from the mainstream pop sound, but it’s not “truly original”; it’s pop with jazz harmonies. Has anybody ever sounded like Adele? She's a once-in-a-generation vocal talent, at least as far as I can tell. This is why I wrote "...what makes it seem original is either an insanely talented singer with a unique voice...." So I think in this case we basically agree -- what makes Adele's music unique is her voice, and pretty much only her voice. We've all heard pop, we've all heard jazz harmonies, but until Adele came onto the scene we had never heard Adele. This just doesn't seem very useful to the person I was originally responding to, unless they're the lead singer of the next Kings of Leon (another example of largely derivative music elevated by a unique voice). 1930s swing was an advancement of 1920s dance music. 1940s bebop was a subversion of 1930s swing The terms "advancement" and "subversion" stick out here. I would assert that the process which led to these advancements and subversions is people thinking in terms like "What's missing?" and "What's more fun?" and "What do you get that nobody else gets?" and "What hasn't been done yet?"
|
|
#
¿
Apr 4, 2020 05:32
|
|
|
You familiar with the band Beirut?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 25, 2020 19:20
|
|
|
World Drum Club on youtube would be helpful I think. Have fun making music!
|
|
#
¿
Aug 26, 2020 00:57
|
|
|
sporklift posted:I assume this is directed at me? Is there a reason for these recommendations over what I posted? Read the last several pages of this thread. There was another poster going back and forth between an Orange and a Katana, so I'm doubting the fine folks here want to re-hash everything. I don't own a Katana, but it seems pretty clear to me that the Katana is what you want. If you can put up with a tiny amount of software menus and the like, and can plug it into your computer with USB, it's virtually guaranteed to do everything you need within your budget.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 8, 2020 16:03
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:24 |
|
|
Sweaty IT Nerd posted:What is your dream piece of kit? Right now it's a Mandala drum. https://synesthesiacorp.com/mandala-mk29
|
|
#
¿
Sep 11, 2020 16:45
|
|