blinddrew wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:09 am
I came to terms, a while back, that the reason I never got beyond my brief recording deal was that as a musician i'm simply not good enough.
So for me it's all about trying to write songs that are as good as I can get them
I took nearly a decade breather from making music (late 2010 to late 2019 although I widdled on ipad in between, brought some gear) after I realised how limited I am.
It was liberating, brought a sense of peace inside me this realisation.
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awjoe wrote: ↑Wed Sep 15, 2021 3:02 pm
When I listen to Bach or Vivaldi (or Aldous Harding or Hank Williams), I'm lost in admiration, appreciation, and love for the beauty of their music. But I'm not responsible for their music. It's their music, not mine. But my attitude to my own music is different - I'm responsible for it. The danger of harsh self-judgement is so present that I simply don't go there. I can't afford it. Or rather, the creative process can't afford it. It thrives on being nurtured, not being attacked.
I totally agree with this. Others music is others. Ours is our.
This why I wrote we can hold up our music to any music in history of music because it is personal to us same as famous musicians music is personal to them.
We can't hold it up in terms of theory, compositional musical ability yet that is different from the personal belief in our music.
It's this personal belief that should help us nurture our musical self.
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John Stafford wrote: ↑Wed Sep 15, 2021 4:25 pm
I always have ideas for music I want to write,
...
I'm not going to rival the late Beethoven quartets, but so what? I'm not going to win 100m at the Olympics either. It's still fun to watch.
Exactly. Music in its Source is never about comparing, rivalry (some musicians have made it so).
Music in its Source is about the personal impact it has upon us.
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RichardT wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 3:34 pm
For me it’s important that I think my music is ‘good’ rather than just ‘mine’ before I release it. I guess I mean it has a good architecture, and sense of flow, and that it gets me emotionally. If it doesn’t ‘work’ I won’t release it.
This judgement is an essential aspect of making music.
What to keep and polish, to cut and cull, to alter improve.
I would never put on an album any of my doodlings. As they are pants. Yet I still belive in my doodlings to keep on doodling lol.
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RichardT wrote: ↑
I think Tea For Two means something different by ‘believe’ than ‘believe in the existence of’ but that’s just my interpretation. I interpret them to mean ‘believe it’s worthwhile’. So I think you’re right.
Maybe this
I'm finishing an album working on final track it's 5th on the album.
In myself I have belief in the melodic music for this album.
It is this belief that makes me make music for this album.
Yet if anyone anywhere, excluding family, said let's have a listen I'd shrug blow a raspberry eurrrggghh it's just doodling : no confidence.
I gave an album to a Grammy winning Mastering Engineer last year to be mastered yet I never released the album even though I believe in the album.
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Arpangel wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:29 am
I have a friend who is a song writer,
I’ve been on a recording session with him, he knows "exactly"what he wants, he’s 150% confident that was he is doing is right, and it will work, and it does.
... he always works to a formula, everything is pre-planned, to the last detail
...
I just wish, I had his confidence, and certainty about what I do.
He sounds like Hitchcock lol. Hitchcok said he pre-planned everything to the last detail before filming. Then it was just following through.
As a teen to mid 20s I was brimming with confidence. Then as with most of us life hits, knocked the stuffing outta me / us.
I don't think I will ever be confident and I'm grateful because in return it has brought several other things that's been enriching.
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Eddy Deegan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 11:37 pm
Having completed two SOS forum album projects, being in the process of preparing the 3rd for release, having heard the works submitted to Dave B's several epic One Synth Challenges and having bought more albums than I care to mention from forum members with Bandcamp offerings it's clear that there is a wide variety of
excellent music being produced by people in our own Sound On Sound community.
Many folks here massively undersell themselves IMHO.
I 'believe' in the music I create but I'm equally aware my weaknesses mainly lie in the engineering, though I continually work on it
For sure.
I mentioned in Musicians Lounge if I had the connections I would given SoS forum album to the Cohen Brothers, Wes Anderson, to be included in their Movies. This is the confidence I have in the music on those SoS forum albums.
Belief in our music is essential to keep on making music. We need not have confidence in our music.
At the same time awareness of our weaknesses to improve where we can without beating up ourself.
Humbleness Humility in our compositional, musical ability is preferable to confidence I would say. Yet to become a musical *star* somehow have to blag being confident "fake it till you make it" kinda.