Taylor’s FIRE movement was having wealthy parents. Very true that the only way to do music today is to have your money figured out first. Thank you for being real about this.
I ve been on the same boat for many years, i m 42 now and only a few months ago I started recording and producing music again. My advice is make some time for music or art in general every day. Even if its 30 mins... get in the zone and stay in the zone. If you leave it for a few days the muses leave you too and then months or years go by. Great video as always. Cheers
I understand your points and I will try to follow some of the advice. I've been a student myself for the past years and currently deciding, if I should rather follow through with my entrepreneurship or go on completing my masters... anyways the financial discussion starts to become more important, especially since I want to integrate my musical goals to some extend into my future life. Fortunately I'm still in my late 20s and I can still feel that spark of creativity, so far I wasn't afraid, that it will fade. But I will try to prevent it as best as possible. Some 'techniques' that helped me stay on the edge and still get that idealistic dreamy approach to my musical ideas, I don't know if you really wanna try them out, but here they are anyways: - emotional pain and suffering, experience of dread or past trauma - doing things against social norm - riffing/improving off other peoples blueprint or rough ideas - trying to mix ideas from different fields, for example mathematics, history, science, architecture, biology, whatever, so many subjects, that were never covered by music - using limitations/boundaries - trying to imitate some of your own preferred music, without copying it - getting into different states of mind - just randomly noodling or riffing, until some idea develops (without playing learned riffs or learned licks, just try to come up with something unique, don't value it, if it's bad, don't record it ;)
Thanks for sharing. The good or bad news for me is I have an immense catalogue of music written when I was a relatively confused, slightly depressed teenager/ early tweenager. Good luck on the journey man
Interesting video. I took a slightly different path. After my "real" degree in Engineering i then got my diploma in music performance. So for the next 20 years I lived and worked as both a musician and in IT. And when I got more experience I worked contracts which allowed me to take long periods off to work as a musician. This allowed me to go on small regional tours with bands, and do theater work. I even did some cruise gigs. A couple of the bands I was in got signed or close to it, but nothing exploded! The music work is drying up now, so I have gone back to full time IT work, but now I am trying to focus on creating investments so I can play music without having to worry about paying the bills.
I'm enjoying your content and this video was great for me. Alot of what's covered here lve been thinking about recently. I just turned 34 and I don't have any money and I live with my parents, but things have fallen into place and I think I have a plan for my future, I just have to stick to it. It involves being financially secure enough to have enough time to pursue 3 different musical projects I want to do for the rest of my life. Play in a cover band, a metal band, and a synthwave band. I might be in my 50s when this happens but that's ok, I didnt have the right information and guidance in my early 20s to start then, but I can now. This video is good confirmation that I'm heading on the right path with my ideas.
It's so hard to create meaningful work when you know there's no future for that work. I find it a lot harder to write and record let alone find inspiration knowing I'll never have a career in music again.
Your situation is very similar to mine. I started writing music at 38, while before I managed to accomplish a career in science. That allowed me to switch back to my first love, music and art. Now I proudly write complex songs, with riffs, many chords, difficult parts to sing, and elaboration 😁 Of course, nobody listens to them on socials 😂, because, as you said, being viral on socials does not depend on quality of the music. I don't feel like I'm less creative than when I was 20. On the contrary, I'm much more original and creative now. But I have the right mindset, which is always trying to do something new.
Utkarsh, great thoughts. I think the big thing, when one is all wrapped up in their day job, family, etc., and conceiving of doing something creative, is just getting started or back into doing something creatively, is to just get going. You are right on. I think you don't actually have to have it "figured out" - just start with intent, get moving in a direction - playing out, writing, and recording or whatever - have some focus on that, aside from the daily responsibilities, and iterate from there. 👍
Making music entirely by yourself I think isn't a good thing, especially for rock. Also, the reality is really great rock music as you said has been largely created by young people in their 20s. Part of it is that struggle and the fact that when you're younger, emotional things weigh on you more, where as you're older, it's about financial obligations for family. If the financial issues are out of the way, you still can't recreate the emotional state of being 20 at 40. No matter what, that has a shelf life. The other thing that a lot of these "retire early" things I read have in common is basically working after "retirement". If you're still working for money, you're not retired.
Agree nothing beats playing in a band for rock. I think the good point about technology today is that affordability of equipment is no longer a barrier to make good music. Seperately imho the whole point of ‘retiring early’ is to have the freedom to do what you want and there no harm if it earns money and is technically work. Not working at all is a recipe for decline
I survive only because I produce other artists😅😅😅 but I'm proud to be who I am, and I know that I'm one of those musicians people will listen to in the future! No doubts.
So tough for Young musicians. I remember When I joined my first real band 2007. I had no idea what changes were coming for the industry and looking back it's obvious it was already in free fall.
your sending me mixed signals man lol session work, local gigs, busking, are all respectable ways to make money as a musician. some people feel thats beneath them, or that its not worth it, but thats how the majority of musicians make money in 2024.
I think the fear is at least the session side of this work will disappear with ai, making the opportunities for musicians to earn a living wage even less. Live work, I agree and am hopeful will sustain as I have said in my Cranberries Zombie video
Great thoughts, Utkarsh. I started teaching myself guitar in my late 50’s. And am fortunate to have a few friends who are accomplished musicians. However, they enjoy playing bits of existing songs or noodling. Whereas I prefer to write my own melodies and tinkering with making videos. ‘Different strokes for different folks’…as the song “Everyday People” goes. Sly and the Family Stone. It appears most people simply don’t have the ‘creative artist’ gene in/for any medium. And having that ‘creative gene’ is key to producing personal and new material at any age. Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs who calls himself a ‘sometimes singer’ 🤔🤣 makes an interesting comment in this short video. ‘If you sit around waiting for inspiration to happen, you could spend a lifetime sitting there.’ Best Regards! ruclips.net/video/EZ15ypvx_rI/видео.html
I was in cover bands and jam bands for years, now I just play and sing my own songs and it's much more fulfilling...the tricky part is bring honest when I write a lousy song that needs scrapped without being so overly critical that it affects my morale going forward
For sure, writing and singing, and being self-critical is a roller coaster. But writing is sooo cathartic. If you've played in bands, you're there! More power to ya! With my late start, and at my age I’ll never have the dexterity to be really good. I’ve got a binder full of lyrics, and just work off the same chords. Expanding as I learn. Wrote maybe two dozen songs during the pandemic. A few I’m happy with and enjoy listening to them. Looking back at my videos/songs, I can see I made progress. A few friends are professional jazz musicians and they really liked one, and suggested I get it copyrighted. WHUT!? 😳 So I did. Go figure! Honest, successful musicians admit they’ve written a LOT of crappy songs. 🥴 And it’s best to record ourselves to learn where we’re good and where we need to improve. As you know, it’s a continuous process of learning. The important thing is we’re doing what we enjoy. Fortunate to be on this ride! Jackson Browne once said in an interview, when he was young his friends told him his playing was good, but to STOP singing. 🤣 Even his mom told him she couldn’t understand him. STICK-TO-ITIVENESS !!! Good discussion...🎸🎹🎤 ruclips.net/video/r2JvjqtmQTg/видео.html
Thank you for sharing. I personally think the 'young person paradigm' for great music was very much linked to the overall intertwining of the music and entertainment business when mass media happened. Great music can be produced at any age and a lot of the classical masters proved that. All the best on your journey
Taylor’s FIRE movement was having wealthy parents. Very true that the only way to do music today is to have your money figured out first. Thank you for being real about this.
I ve been on the same boat for many years, i m 42 now and only a few months ago I started recording and producing music again. My advice is make some time for music or art in general every day. Even if its 30 mins... get in the zone and stay in the zone. If you leave it for a few days the muses leave you too and then months or years go by.
Great video as always.
Cheers
Great advice. If you want to be a musician, it is important to self identify as a musician and spend some time on it as often as possible
I understand your points and I will try to follow some of the advice. I've been a student myself for the past years and currently deciding, if I should rather follow through with my entrepreneurship or go on completing my masters... anyways the financial discussion starts to become more important, especially since I want to integrate my musical goals to some extend into my future life.
Fortunately I'm still in my late 20s and I can still feel that spark of creativity, so far I wasn't afraid, that it will fade. But I will try to prevent it as best as possible. Some 'techniques' that helped me stay on the edge and still get that idealistic dreamy approach to my musical ideas, I don't know if you really wanna try them out, but here they are anyways:
- emotional pain and suffering, experience of dread or past trauma
- doing things against social norm
- riffing/improving off other peoples blueprint or rough ideas
- trying to mix ideas from different fields, for example mathematics, history, science, architecture, biology, whatever, so many subjects, that were never covered by music
- using limitations/boundaries
- trying to imitate some of your own preferred music, without copying it
- getting into different states of mind
- just randomly noodling or riffing, until some idea develops (without playing learned riffs or learned licks, just try to come up with something unique, don't value it, if it's bad, don't record it ;)
Thanks for sharing. The good or bad news for me is I have an immense catalogue of music written when I was a relatively confused, slightly depressed teenager/ early tweenager. Good luck on the journey man
@@ministryofguitar maybe improve on your back catalogue then? I‘m stoked to hear your ideas, since you have the resources to do them justice now!
Interesting video. I took a slightly different path. After my "real" degree in Engineering i then got my diploma in music performance. So for the next 20 years I lived and worked as both a musician and in IT. And when I got more experience I worked contracts which allowed me to take long periods off to work as a musician. This allowed me to go on small regional tours with bands, and do theater work. I even did some cruise gigs. A couple of the bands I was in got signed or close to it, but nothing exploded! The music work is drying up now, so I have gone back to full time IT work, but now I am trying to focus on creating investments so I can play music without having to worry about paying the bills.
I'm enjoying your content and this video was great for me. Alot of what's covered here lve been thinking about recently. I just turned 34 and I don't have any money and I live with my parents, but things have fallen into place and I think I have a plan for my future, I just have to stick to it.
It involves being financially secure enough to have enough time to pursue 3 different musical projects I want to do for the rest of my life. Play in a cover band, a metal band, and a synthwave band.
I might be in my 50s when this happens but that's ok, I didnt have the right information and guidance in my early 20s to start then, but I can now. This video is good confirmation that I'm heading on the right path with my ideas.
It's so hard to create meaningful work when you know there's no future for that work. I find it a lot harder to write and record let alone find inspiration knowing I'll never have a career in music again.
Yeah I know what you are talking about
Your situation is very similar to mine. I started writing music at 38, while before I managed to accomplish a career in science. That allowed me to switch back to my first love, music and art. Now I proudly write complex songs, with riffs, many chords, difficult parts to sing, and elaboration 😁 Of course, nobody listens to them on socials 😂, because, as you said, being viral on socials does not depend on quality of the music. I don't feel like I'm less creative than when I was 20. On the contrary, I'm much more original and creative now. But I have the right mindset, which is always trying to do something new.
Wonderful to hear. All the best
Utkarsh, great thoughts. I think the big thing, when one is all wrapped up in their day job, family, etc., and conceiving of doing something creative, is just getting started or back into doing something creatively, is to just get going. You are right on. I think you don't actually have to have it "figured out" - just start with intent, get moving in a direction - playing out, writing, and recording or whatever - have some focus on that, aside from the daily responsibilities, and iterate from there. 👍
Great content as always, your perspective is very unique in this space
Making music entirely by yourself I think isn't a good thing, especially for rock. Also, the reality is really great rock music as you said has been largely created by young people in their 20s. Part of it is that struggle and the fact that when you're younger, emotional things weigh on you more, where as you're older, it's about financial obligations for family. If the financial issues are out of the way, you still can't recreate the emotional state of being 20 at 40. No matter what, that has a shelf life.
The other thing that a lot of these "retire early" things I read have in common is basically working after "retirement". If you're still working for money, you're not retired.
Agree nothing beats playing in a band for rock. I think the good point about technology today is that affordability of equipment is no longer a barrier to make good music. Seperately imho the whole point of ‘retiring early’ is to have the freedom to do what you want and there no harm if it earns money and is technically work. Not working at all is a recipe for decline
I survive only because I produce other artists😅😅😅 but I'm proud to be who I am, and I know that I'm one of those musicians people will listen to in the future! No doubts.
Wonderful to hear. Keep rocking man!
@@ministryofguitar thanks a lot🙏 Osho helps me)) I'm from Uzbekistan btw
Looks interesting... but to be honestly... you can also choose to have a regular day job as well.
So tough for Young musicians.
I remember When I joined my first real band 2007. I had no idea what changes were coming for the industry and looking back it's obvious it was already in free fall.
Yes the writing was on the wall by the late 90s I think, though difficult to see
Play live.
your sending me mixed signals man lol session work, local gigs, busking, are all respectable ways to make money as a musician. some people feel thats beneath them, or that its not worth it, but thats how the majority of musicians make money in 2024.
I think the fear is at least the session side of this work will disappear with ai, making the opportunities for musicians to earn a living wage even less. Live work, I agree and am hopeful will sustain as I have said in my Cranberries Zombie video
@@ministryofguitarThere's still a need for session players...but as ai gets more user-friendly that need will indeed decrease
Great thoughts, Utkarsh. I started teaching myself guitar in my late 50’s. And am fortunate to have a few friends who are accomplished musicians. However, they enjoy playing bits of existing songs or noodling. Whereas I prefer to write my own melodies and tinkering with making videos. ‘Different strokes for different folks’…as the song “Everyday People” goes. Sly and the Family Stone.
It appears most people simply don’t have the ‘creative artist’ gene in/for any medium. And having that ‘creative gene’ is key to producing personal and new material at any age. Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs who calls himself a ‘sometimes singer’ 🤔🤣 makes an interesting comment in this short video. ‘If you sit around waiting for inspiration to happen, you could spend a lifetime sitting there.’
Best Regards!
ruclips.net/video/EZ15ypvx_rI/видео.html
I was in cover bands and jam bands for years, now I just play and sing my own songs and it's much more fulfilling...the tricky part is bring honest when I write a lousy song that needs scrapped without being so overly critical that it affects my morale going forward
For sure, writing and singing, and being self-critical is a roller coaster. But writing is sooo cathartic. If you've played in bands, you're there! More power to ya! With my late start, and at my age I’ll never have the dexterity to be really good. I’ve got a binder full of lyrics, and just work off the same chords. Expanding as I learn. Wrote maybe two dozen songs during the pandemic. A few I’m happy with and enjoy listening to them. Looking back at my videos/songs, I can see I made progress. A few friends are professional jazz musicians and they really liked one, and suggested I get it copyrighted. WHUT!? 😳 So I did. Go figure!
Honest, successful musicians admit they’ve written a LOT of crappy songs. 🥴 And it’s best to record ourselves to learn where we’re good and where we need to improve. As you know, it’s a continuous process of learning. The important thing is we’re doing what we enjoy. Fortunate to be on this ride! Jackson Browne once said in an interview, when he was young his friends told him his playing was good, but to STOP singing. 🤣 Even his mom told him she couldn’t understand him.
STICK-TO-ITIVENESS !!! Good discussion...🎸🎹🎤
ruclips.net/video/r2JvjqtmQTg/видео.html
Thank you for sharing. I personally think the 'young person paradigm' for great music was very much linked to the overall intertwining of the music and entertainment business when mass media happened. Great music can be produced at any age and a lot of the classical masters proved that. All the best on your journey