When you create music, what is your purpose?

[ark]

I'm not asking why you create music in general. Rather, I'm asking this:

When you set out to create a piece of music, do you have a purpose in mind? For example, do you think "I have a gig coming up next week, and I need something that will go well with this other music I already have."

Or do you think "There is this cool melodic fragment stuck in my head; I'll start building a track around it and see where it goes."

Or do you think "I'd like to write something that will appeal to people who like X, Y, and Z"

In other words, what kinds of thoughts go through your head as you're thinking about beginning a new project? How detailed are the goals that you have in mind at the beginning? How do they change along the way?

[ashtonron]

Its my way of meditation.

[kanuck]

all of the above.

[Machinesworking]

Mostly it's a matter of tone fragments, and refining internally a structure of ideas that make up what I think of as my "sound".
The approach I use is to have a framework (albeit loose) of what exactly on an over all vibe and direction I am taking a listener through.
That concept is based on refining constantly what I like and do not like about music. IMO it's important to know what you don't like, what things are to you mediocre, it trims the fat.
Otherwise you make music that either sounds exactly like your favorite artist or sounds generic. I think any good musician should be able to name the songs of their favorite artist that they think aren't any good.

I don't completely stick to this, but another concept I came up with along with one of the few wildly successful musicians I know is to have a ratio of music for other musicians 2/3, (IE complicated and fun to play etc) to 1/3 music that incorporates elements of all your favorite pop music. This way you avoid either cliche. So I do occasionally sit down and realize my song list is lacking an aggressive or complicated song, or that I've used acoustic instruments on too many tracks and could use to get synthetic a bit etc. That goes back to cutting out elements to push creativity in different directions.

[pulsoc]

Let's write a swimming pool.

[ark]

Mostly it's a matter of tone fragments, and refining internally a structure of ideas that make up what I think of as my "sound".

This is the answer to a slightly different question than the one I am asking.

I am trying to find out about purpose, not process. In other words, I'm asking about "why," not "how."

[Machinesworking]

Mostly it's a matter of tone fragments, and refining internally a structure of ideas that make up what I think of as my "sound".

This is the answer to a slightly different question than the one I am asking.

I am trying to find out about purpose, not process. In other words, I'm asking about "why," not "how."

I do occasionally sit down and realize my song list is lacking an aggressive or complicated song, or that I've used acoustic instruments on too many tracks and could use to get synthetic a bit etc. That goes back to cutting out elements to push creativity in different directions.

This is why, it's an internal desire to have a repertoire of material that you yourself would listen to.

Why specifically? because music inspired me in times when I could think of nothing else that was uplifting or moved me. So always it's the same in the end, to give back what I was given.

[Leon Tricker]

Why?

Because I need to. I can't explain it. I just need to have a creative outlet that is totally self-indulgent.

[ark]

Why?

Because I need to. I can't explain it. I just need to have a creative outlet that is totally self-indulgent.

I'm sorry if I'm being a nuisance, but I'm still trying to get at the answer to a slightly different question.

You're explaining what drives you to create music at all. I'm trying to understand why people set out to write one particular piece of music instead of another.

As an example, I once went to a discussion by the composer Elliot Carter during which he talked about a piece he had written that we were going to hear performed later that day. Someone asked him how hard he tries to write music that he thinks the audience will like.

His answer surprised me: He said that he doesn't think at all about whether the audience will like his music. Instead, he tries to write music that will be enjoyable to play. His view is that if the performers like playing his music, they will convince the audience to like it.

So what I'm trying to get at it is what kinds of considerations shape the choices you make. What makes you decide to write something fast and energetic rather than slow and dreamy? Do you try to put yourself in your audience's mind and imagine how they will hear it? Do you have particular ideas that obsessively chase you around that you feel you must turn into sound? Something in between? Or something else entirely?

[dton]

Music has more power over my life than any person has ever had, and when I decide to start working on something, it has to be 'moving', if you know what I mean. If melodies don't 'move' me and I don't think they can 'move' anybody else, I start again from scratch.
So basically, my goal is world domination.

[gjm]

I have 3 Y's

1. Why? To fill in a specific gap in a students repertoire or to challenge their skill base. Narrow set of limitations of tempo, fingering and length. I try to make it sound pleasing as well. ie. someone else in mind.

2. Why? To personally explore something. Could be a key sig, scale, stroke etc. Self learning. ie. personal exploration and skill development.

3. Why? To just let it out, you know, "I'm just the messenger shit..." ie. probably working more from a subconscious level, watching and listening, following where it goes, kill the critique etc. I'm just there to document it.

Each of these can be a chore or the opposite. No matter what though, you just got to show up!

[ark]

I have 3 Y's

1. Why? To fill in a specific gap in a students repertoire or to challenge their skill base. Narrow set of limitations of tempo, fingering and length. I try to make it sound pleasing as well. ie. someone else in mind.

2. Why? To personally explore something. Could be a key sig, scale, stroke etc. Self learning. ie. personal exploration and skill development.

3. Why? To just let it out, you know, "I'm just the messenger shit..." ie. probably working more from a subconscious level, watching and listening, following where it goes, kill the critique etc. I'm just there to document it.

Each of these can be a chore or the opposite. No matter what though, you just got to show up!

This actually is an answer to the question I'm asking In particular, (1) and (2) are circumstances that limit what you do. For example, if you're writing music for a violin student to play, you had better write music that it is physically possible to play on the violin.

I often find that the fewer constraints I have on what I'm doing, the harder it is to do.

[JuanSOLO]

Seems like you are looking for a specific answer. All the previous answers seem relative to the questions to me.

Personally I try to make music I would like, not just because I made it, but something I would hear and go, "FUCK yeah I need to hear that again!" The guys I play with share a loosely specific idea in mind that we are always chasing. Not for just one song or a particular sound, but a journey from start to end. We have some basic stuff we want to include. For example we have been working on a show that is at the most 40 minutes long. The first 15 or 20 minutes is a slow build up of total spontaneity of sounds we like, sounds that "FEEL" pleasing to us, like when the low end finally cuts through on key to ground and stabilize all the noise we've been making. It's like putting on a warm blanket when it's cold. Then we kind of build up into a structured song. That song is like a prog extravaganza that morphs into 2 of the best pop songs we can write. Then the show is over.

I think we all agree that if we can separate ourselves enough from our creation we can judge it and say, YES this part is good, it makes me want to dance, it has the perfect pop elements, I would like it if someone played it for me. If we agree we have done that, then essentially we agree an audience will like it. But we are not trying to make music for an audience as much as we are trying to fill a gap within ourselves.

This is an idea we have been after for a couple of years. For the most part we have it nailed, however we still have yet to write pop tunes we are %100 about.

I think the why is mostly about how much fun it is to turn on a bunch of speakers and amps and not just hear cool sound, but manipulate them, telecommunicate with each other, and watch everyone giggle when we get something right. Listening to music and playing are so different, I think we are addicted to playing it and the amplification of our creative dance. So addiction to the feelings, experience, and challenge of meeting our goal is why.

[JuanSOLO]

"doing more with less" so to speak.

Agreed! I get more complete music done, when I establish myself parameters. For years I use to try and configure Live to do EVERYTHING at once. Fuck that, now I have set some small limits, and I have more fun and actually make music.

[gjm]

I often find that the fewer constraints I have on what I'm doing, the harder it is to do.

A small exercise I do with my beginner students when they reach a certain level of proficiency is to set them a song writing task with heavy restrictions:

1. Use only the C Major scale to the 5th (because of the the proximity on the guitar neck starting 2nd string fret 1). Must include every note.
2. Can start on any note of the scale but must end on the tonic.
3. Must be 8 or more measures long.
4. Must use a variety of note lengths ie. 1/8th, 1/4, 1/2 (including dotted) and whole.
5. Must be 4/4 time.

It is AMAZING how many variations come back to me from kids as young as 8. Most of the time I help them edit the tune for things like lift and resolution, often just swapping measures around or lengthening a note or two. From such restricted and simplistic rules you can start to fill in around passages with some neat results.