Ableton Forum

I often ask my self if I am just deceiving my self with delusions of grandeur in music production or do I actually have a tinge of talent. Some days I embarrass my self when I listen to my music and then say drop a track of somebody who s really inspiring.

SO I ask you in return, do you think in the long run you have any real talent?
do you actually add something to pop culture or are you the center of your universe when everybody else around you could not be bothered with the horrific garbage you call music that you produce?

food for thought......

aisling wrote: SO I ask you in return, do you think in the long run you have any real talent?

In the short, middle and long runs I know it like I know how to breathe. And no-one else I have ever played my recorded music to or have played live in front of has ever dissuaded me from this.

If that sounds egomaniacal, it's not meant to.

You asked

it's totally subjective. some guys can shred on guitar but who gives a fuck? some guys can't play for shit but can lay down a fun, good groove. on top of that not one band/song/genre of music is liked by everyone.

most of all I think we're hardest on ourselves, then there's the occasional twat who thinks he's a god, it's a fine line.

I just try to have fun and not care what people (including me) think.

Tone Deft wrote:I just try to have fun and not care what people (including me) think.

Yep. I do it for myself.

Not a day goes by that I don't question my "talent". This is largely due to the thousands of artists and songs I love and I don't sound like any of them and this is more specifically an issue or production quality. Can you put your tracks between 2 other well produced tracks and have it stand up without doing huge EQ and level changes?

As far as actually playing an instrument, I can and have but am probably a little rusty. This is also a result of not being in a band or doing live shows in forever. Honestly, if I am just producing music at home who cares how I went about getting the composition together.

aisling wrote:I often ask my self if I am just deceiving my self with delusions of grandeur in music production or do I actually have a tinge of talent. Some days I embarrass my self when I listen to my music and then say drop a track of somebody who s really inspiring.

SO I ask you in return, do you think in the long run you have any real talent?
do you actually add something to pop culture or are you the center of your universe when everybody else around you could not be bothered with the horrific garbage you call music that you produce?

food for thought......

that's really your call - only you know how much drive you have to be the best you can be

talent helps but theres nothing like the will to succeed - I know people who aren't necessarily book smart but work so damn hard at what they do they're at the top of the class (no what I mean)

labels, people, fans etc see the whole picture - how hard is this guy willing to work or how hard has he worked to do what he does?

you can't rely on talent alone - it's so subjective and rare (real Stevie Wonder talent that is) all yu can do is do what you do and put 110% in everytime you do it - never give up and remember when one door closes another door opens

seriously


like this shirt I'm wearing - it's a t-shirt and I really feel like wearing a collared shirt - but none of my collared's match the pants I have on!

do I relax and not take my clothing situation so seriously, or change my pants so I can wear a collared shirt?

only true talent can solve this problem (insert emoticon of choice)

Tone Deft wrote: I just try to have fun and not care what people (including me) think.

Yeah, I never get involved in that stuff. If I'd let people like me have a say in
my music, I'd never get anything done.

I was just having a very emotional moment, and afterwards thought about how I know of some music that could do justice to such a moment, but I've never produced that before...don't even know if I ever could. But then I realized that I'm just glad such music exists, and I don't necessarily have to do that to be successful or talented...I do my own thing, and get better at it all the time.

One thing to remember is that you will probably never ever get to experience your own music the way you experience other people's music.

Talent, like wealth, is relative: there is always someone with more than you and always someone with less.

It is also many-faceted; pop-culture talent is one thing. Then I look at the masters of one's instrument, maybe new-school jazz, or Indian classical music. Are they talented? Of course. Do they "say" anything or have anything new to offer? Most of them - no. Then I look at shamanistic talent. People who can take up a big space and project themselves into it - with a simple drum or simple folk song or didge. Then i look at the innovators - people who are doing crazy-wild shit, but again, may not be saying anything or projecting anything energetically or shamanically...then you've got the producers and technicians - people who are talented at what THEY do....and you've got the songsmiths/craftsmen..there's so many ways to look at it. And ALWAYS there is someone ahead of you and behind you and next to you.

nowtime wrote:Talent, like wealth, is relative: there is always someone with more than you and always someone with less.

It is also many-faceted; pop-culture talent is one thing. Then I look at the masters of one's instrument, maybe new-school jazz, or Indian classical music. Are they talented? Of course. Do they "say" anything or have anything new to offer? Most of them - no. Then I look at shamanistic talent. People who can take up a big space and project themselves into it - with a simple drum or simple folk song or didge. Then i look at the innovators - people who are doing crazy-wild shit, but again, may not be saying anything or projecting anything energetically or shamanically...then you've got the producers and technicians - people who are talented at what THEY do....and you've got the songsmiths/craftsmen..there's so many ways to look at it. And ALWAYS there is someone ahead of you and behind you and next to you.

+1.

Well articulated.

by objective measures of talent, many folk here have it. that is, there are many successful musicians here, whether seriously touring, signed to major labels, etc. as for metaphysical talent, who knows (that's for history to decide i suppose). put another way, other than certain objective measures (that may not capture all real talent, but sweep in a large chucnk), you're just arguing about what you like.

I know I suck and I am at peace with that. Especially since I don't have any agenda. I sure would like to be better, though...lol.

Nope.

aisling wrote: SO I ask you in return, do you think in the long run you have any real talent?
do you actually add something to pop culture or are you the center of your universe when everybody else around you could not be bothered with the horrific garbage you call music that you produce?

I can state indisputably that I have talent, and equally indisputably that I have added not one iota of anything appreciable to pop culture.

Does talent matter, and in what way? How many of us can say with 100% confidence "William Hung has sold more records than I?"

Nope but, I rock at making feedback!