How to get really good at Music/Art

[3dot...]

I like how this thread is full of good practical advice...
.................................................................... NOT!!!

like what you did there with the spacebar..NOT
yeah...
the short useful answer is :
quit your day-job and practice and learn..
do some 'networking' .. develop ties..
then prey for "good luck"..

[acidpenguin]

I like how this thread is full of good practical advice...










.................................................................... NOT!!!

The good practical advice was dealt with in the first post, been downhill since there

[gjm]

I like how this thread is full of good practical advice...
.................................................................... NOT!!!

The good practical advice was dealt with in the first post, been downhill since there

I was actually thinking about this yesterday. I actually don't think the first post dealt with the issue of the thread title. What I thought about doing was starting another thread with the same title and invite people to contribute to a list of activities/habits/advice etc with a short explanation, making sure that nothing got repeated. It would be interesting to see how long the list actually got. There is a boat load of quality folks here that can offer super tight hard earned advice for us commoners. Then I thought twice about it because it would have to start with and involve an ongoing discussion about what is 'good' and I am not sure there is enough poise here to stay on on topic...

[3dot...]

this thread is from october...
I assume a lot of repetition...

[Tone Deft]

Then I thought twice about it because it would have to start with and involve an ongoing discussion about what is 'good' and I am not sure there is enough poise here to stay on on topic...

you're questioning this forum's poise??

HOW DARE YOU?!?!?

[crumhorn]

I like how this thread is full of good practical advice...
.................................................................... NOT!!!

like what you did there with the spacebar..NOT

yeah...
the short useful answer is :
quit your day-job and practice and learn..
do some 'networking' .. develop ties..
then prey for "good luck"..

exactly

but the long answer is interesting too

I was actually thinking about this yesterday. I actually don't think the first post dealt with the issue of the thread title. What I thought about doing was starting another thread with the same title and invite people to contribute to a list of activities/habits/advice etc with a short explanation, making sure that nothing got repeated. It would be interesting to see how long the list actually got. There is a boat load of quality folks here that can offer super tight hard earned advice for us commoners. Then I thought twice about it because it would have to start with and involve an ongoing discussion about what is 'good' and I am not sure there is enough poise here to stay on on topic...

interesting questions to me are about how to make most effective use of your practice time, how to stay focussed and goal directed. Where to look for inspiration when you just can't get started, How to make sure that it's a rewarding and self reinforcing experience...

I'm going to think hard on these things and see if I can't post something useful on the topic myself (and a bit less flippant)

[simmerdown]

this whole forum is about how to get better at music

Poise is/are for old people on long car rides

[oddstep]

innit, tho' its nice that a forum devoted to a software tapedeck/drum machine combo can generate a heated discussion about the role of genetics in human society.

[regretfullySaid]

[simmerdown]

...Poise, for those outside the US, are adult diapers

and we made it to page 9 without gifs, theres frikkn poise if there ever was!

(nice find shadx)

[Tone Deft]

poised is what I can be at work because I can blow off steam here.

back on topic, in cycling we say that the best thing to do to be a better cyclist is riding the bike, or Time In The Saddle, which makes for an interesting acronym. cycling is all about huge T.I.T.S.

for those that want to get better at Live, I'd say
- go through the Tips n Tricks sticky (the original one) and DO the suggestions.

- take a shot at answering questions. there's no better way to vet what you know than to put it in writing in front of people ready to pick it apart.

- leave the Help box open in the lower left of the GUI and actually read what ALL the interface controls do.

- even if it doesn't apply to your style of music, try the techniques people post here. things like making different types of drops. playing with the Utility plug in to do the phase inversion/signal cancellation 'trick.' dummy clips. regenerative ambient sets. if you read it here, try it.


if you play an instrument, make a list of all the stupid little songs you know. leave the list out. when you want to chip away at those 10,000 hours but aren't inspired, take that list out, pick a song and go through the list. wanna up the ante, record your playing and give it a critical listen (ouch.)

[Machinesworking]

this whole forum is about how to get better at music

Poise is/are for old people on long car rides

Acid Penguin, there's a big difference between suggesting that you're espousing a viewpoint that was held by fascists and calling you a fascist.
I definitely wouldn't bother responding with and keeping civil with someone who was actually a fascist, not worth the effort.
The main contention I had with your reasoning was statements like this:

While it's true that physically based technical skills do not relate directly to creative ability I think the point is that people are not equal and it's somewhat naive or blinkered to simply say 'we can all be awesome if we try hard enough'. That doesn't in any way mean people shouldn't try if they want to ('cos you can't tell until you've tried, right?), nor does it mean that those who are not the very best are totally devalued, either in creative or more technical performance fields.

There is however an interesting article in New Scientist (28 Jan '012) called The Orchid Children which references the work of Elaine and Arthur Aron in relation to genetic studies into the SERT gene. This suggests that what they call 'highly sensitive persons' perceive life at a finer and more nuanced scale than others and that this is a genetic trait. It'd be interesting to see how this relates to people of a creative nature (ie how many artists carry this gene varient), maybe that increased sensitivity is actually one of the prerequisites for higher creative thinking. If that were true then it would totally blow the 'anybody can be Mozart' argument out of the water.

You've stated this entire thread that there is a top tier that is to you obviously a result of a genetic predisposition, and as we all know nothing has been proven in this field. You're convinced already. Eugenics isn't in itself evil, that wasn't the point. It has a massively positive impact on animal and plant breeding, and getting rid of diseased strains etc. Where it fails IMO is in terms of human potential and development. It wasn't just about the breeding or purifying of a superior race etc. It was about trying to isolate positive and negative genetic traits. This is IMO beyond dangerous for people to speculate about, and at this time I see nothing but speculation about the impact of genes on intelligence etc. Great for scientific research for sure, but not so great to base a theory on.

[Machinesworking]

On topic.
IMO the main things are to have a rational goal in mind, and a good sense of self worth.
Too many times on this forum does this subject come up and the person has no idea what they want besides being a musician.


Do you have a favorite type of music that you want to play, or an idea in your head of a couple favorites you would love to hear blended?

Are you able to play melodies you like on an instrument? If not learn how to. There are people who make music with only a computer and a mouse, but it's rare that it's any good.

Are you capable of having some of your friends and audience not like what you're doing? This IMO is the key to truly being creative, you have to be willing to take risks, and that almost ensures that some people will not like what you're doing.

Lastly I think practice and time devoted to learning everything you can about music, and how to make an impact with people who can help you gain some notoriety is vastly important. There are thousands of good musicians and bands that never got anywhere because they had no business skills or manager, and tens of thousands of mediocre bands with a good PR guy.

[Tone Deft]

what about breeding people so they're not assholes?

"no business skills or manager, and tens of thousands of mediocre bands with a good PR guy."

to that I'd say people should lighten the fuck up, not take themselves too seriously, don't go into this thinking you're some shit hot 'artist' with a voice and a vision that will enamor everyone that gets to see you on stage because you're awesome and will impress people.

no, you're just another monkey with ears and an instrument. shut up and play. enjoy the process, not the bullshit end goal.


I knew this guy that insisted we rent a studio space to jam in. then he got into his head we were a band. he would tell anyone at work that would listen that he was in a band, when we'd go to bars he'd ask about booking a gig, on and on. he never wrote a single goddamn song but damnit, he was in a band. I just ignored it and let him have his fantasy, his ego needed it.

[3dot...]

I'm a +1 for humility....