This is absolutely what people getting into music need to hear. The main difference between pros and amateurs is that pros never stopped when they sucked, so eventually they stopped sucking.
I think even more important: pros continue to suck. Bowie was already a veteran with a couple classics under his belt when he released some of his worst projects. Him being a legendary songwriter didn't stop him from sucking. But even then, he still kept making music, and eventually blessed us with another classic which he released on his deathbed. I think the thing is that pros understand that sucking is part of the process, because we're human, and because art is heavily subjective and personal. They allow themselves to suck, which in turn allows them to find their gold, eventually.
@@joaoassumpcao3347 Amen brother. Preach it! Most of us learn by trial and error. Occasionally lightning strikes and we're blessed with a revelation (or a realization). Ha! the rest is uphill all the way :)
@@joaoassumpcao3347 You have a point there since sometimes the best stuff emerges when you get out of your comfort zone and embrace the suck again. But something I would like to bring up is that being a pro is not necessarily about success, often times it is about making the vision you have become reality. In essence I'd say it is about being able to convey the ideas and emotions you want with your music. I'm not familiar enough with Bowies discography so can't really give my opions on that. But I think the more important question is, was Bowie happy with what he created.
I think the fears of AI replacing artists are missing why people love art to begin with. It’s made by humans and we admire the humans and the humanity in the art.
In the age of the Internet, where you need to be able to market yourself and be discovered digitally in order to have your career take off, AI is a major threat to artists since most initial discovery is just people clicking thinking “ooh, what’s that?” and people’s feeds are going to be clogged with easily generated AI content which could block out the real artists from being seen as easily.
Imo drum machines, sequencers, samplers, electronic keyboards and drums, plugins, daws, etc. have all been pointed to by groups of people as ‘ruining music’. Yet you can witness how these tools have inspired many creatively. I am hoping that AI will do the same. New sounds, ideas and creativity more easily shared. Will I personally enjoy the output more… don’t know… but hopefully:)
@@benbowland I think that’s true. It’s hard to be found. I’m just not convinced most of us are going to be as into AI as the people making it want us to be.
“Give yourself permission to be bad at things” That’s huge. A lot of us are perfectionists and sometimes we don’t even make a start if we feel like we’re not good enough. Great vid
Yup. I have been making music for a while, but I still take long breaks because I am my own worst critic. I need to work on allowing myself to be bad at things.
Summary: - Developing a unique artistic style is important to avoid being replaced by AI - Five tips for developing a personal style: develop taste, be intentional, push out of comfort zone, focus on consistency and pushing boundaries, and put in work - Making intentional choices and experimenting are key to developing a personal style
This is exactly my advice when trying to explain to people how to start creating. Just steal! And copy! The lofty dream of inventing your own style and identity from the word go is enough to squash anyone's motivation when they discover how impossible that is. But, as a beginner, there's a lot more joy to be found in making something that sounds a bit like artists you like. It's good practice, and it demystifies the whole craft a bit. Of course you won't be able to make something as great as your favourite artists straight away, but even making something say 10% as good helps reveal to you how you could reach that height, with more practice. For me at least, it gave me a lot of context as to what the road ahead looks like. And hey, if you can't even make something that someone has already done, how do you expect to be able to make something new and better?
This video is so lovely. As a seasoned pro (20+ albums) I cringe at the amount of bad advice on youtube. This video tells the beginner everything they need to know and also is a comfort to jaded old musicians like myself. Thank you
By day I am a professional visual artist by night I am a musician. In both endeavors I approach it professionally. As an artist regardless of medium, process is the foundation of creating eventual great art. It's not about a static creation, it's a liquid medium of growth and transformation that is for some called work, for others called joy. The moments of completed creations are the highlights but not the goal. Doing it continually and staying open to others needs and your internal voice manifests the 'work' of professionalism. The art bubbles up from that.
It took me 7 years to find my own sound, as if i followed my favorite artists but at some point i took a detour and found my sonic signature. The divine gift that humans have to make dissonance cannot be replicated by an empty vessel like an AI.
I was very unique in my approach to my main career. The number of hats I wore was added to as often as I could gain a new skill and volunteer to use that new talent on the job. It served me well until I retired 2 years ago. I worked in manufacturing aerospace batteries. Now I am being asked to to play music at charity concerts, three so far this year. I only ever played for fun till now anyway. My approach is that I play and sing in a style that is to me the best of the 60s to 80s. And I'm writing in that voice too. Just starting to expand into this new phase. So far I am surprized at how people react to my style. Unexpected to say the least.
This is the truth or at least it was for me. I started learning the keyboard when I was five. My teacher said I wasn't concentrating and she couldn't teach me. I played trumpet from fourth to eight grade. But I really want to play rock guitar. When I was sixteen my parents bought me a cheap acoustic guitar and I put everything I had into it, which wasn't much other than time. I learned to tune the guitar and the open chords in the key of G. I bought an electric with the help of my parents. I looked at pictures of guitarists playing electrics and slowly found the intervals I thought sounded strongest, which I now understand were the fourth and fifth. Then I learned the notes on my E and A strings. I learned tab. Tried to play Eruption. I learned the minor scale shape on the guitar. I took music classes in college. I joined a few cover bands. Wasn't very good, but got better. Joined an original band. Learned the harmonic minor scale shapes. Then formed my own original band. Kept studying and practicing. I learned the beginnings of actual music theory. I learned arpeggios. I learned simple inversions and harmony. I worked on my tone constantly. Now I'm in my 50s and I can play pretty well. I like the songs I create. I keep thinking and working on music theory and recording. It took most of my life to reach the point at which I liked my playing. But I simply did not quit. I put countless hours into practicing. If someone wants a career in music they cannot take their entire life to get there. You have to be great by the age of about 17. So in addition to constant practice on the instrument I recommend immediately learning music theory. It unlocks all the doors.
I definitely understand the ‘work’ part of it and I’m so glad to see someone else explain this I’ve talked to my friends about how writing music can be difficult and sometimes the stuff I have to do is laborious and boring, and they often respond with “why don’t you just make music you like” and I wish I knew how to explain to them that I do like and enjoy my music but to get it to a standard where I’m proud of it sometimes I have to work hard to get the sounds I want instead of just improvising everything
I drew a cartoon for my college paper, and at times, it was published five times a week. I was getting paid, and I had to do it, which meant having to come up with ideas, good or bad, regularly. This forced me through the process of what he's talking about--doing it, sucking, doing it more, sucking less, and discovering things along the way. Nothing replaces regular effort, truly.
Absolutely! Thank you, JNJ :) yes yes yes. Beautiful... for security reasons online, we all now must prove that we're NOT robots. Ha! What better reason then to be unique, distinct, and not just another common thief or plagiarizer. Indeed, give yourself permission to be yourself, to trust your own instincts... rock on!
Dont let comments get to you at all bro. You are a musician, you're intelligent, you understand music differently than most people. You're extremely good at explanation. Keep up the good work. Throwing yourself out there on RUclips, where ppl are watching, interested, is gonna inspire you to make great work. Because everyone wants to succeed and make others happy. And thats what you're doing, and gonna do.
Easy tiger, he's quite possibly in the process of getting caught up on the Content Creation merry go round just like all the others. They need to keep it spinning around in endless circles without going anywhere - gripped with the fear of it slowing or worse... stopping.
@@CFox.7 yeah true. Keep is about the music. Be like Deadmau5. Start a 5 hour stream and say a few words here and there and have the same thing looping for 2 hours straight. Boring but I still watch the process. Especially when he has his monitors linked up to the video. But yeah, I think this guy has all the knowledge about music he needs. Maybe smoke a little weed for creativity spike. Whatever it takes
Last year we made a challenge with couple of my friends where each week we were selecting random genre of music and we were trying to make a track in that genre. Last year was most productive year in my life, and I learned a lot during that process. So now I know more tricks from various genres, and quality of my music was improved significantly. But I agree - you need to keep grinding and copy as much as possible. Even if you are copying, you will do that your way anyway.
The idea of "just playing" and not having a knowledge base for composition overlooks the fact that 99.9% of the people who "just play" are using common patterns and combinations of sounds. If you don't MAKE SENSE of what you're hearing, you can't really ever change it. How can I write a new sentence by never growing my vocabulary? I dig you stuff a lot, man. Thanks.
Jameson, this video was excellent! Thanks for this. Another helpful tip when it comes to making music: Find a community of somewhat likeminded individuals who are all interested in creating. Art, Music, Cooking, Writing. Find other people who inspire you and encourage you to keep pressing on. Especially when you're feeling down or in a rut. Being around art makes more art, at least in my experience.
Good words! Especially if that community is kind but also willing to push you a bit here and there - either with constructive critique or creative challenges, something that makes you explore outside your comfort zone.
100% The number one thing that has helped me push through self-criticism and self-doubt with creativity is having at least one other person who can encourage me to keep going.
That's great advice! I write fiction as well as music, and I was regularly writing short stories and working on a book for years, encouraged by my local writers' group. Then a year and a half ago I moved 600 miles up the country and could no longer meet those people. I've basically written almost nothing since. They were extremely helpful, like a second family to me!
This video, for me, gets at the question "why make music?" A few years ago, faced with an existential crisis, I discovered that the thing I wanted to do most was to play music with other people. So I built a social group around jamming and then eventually co-founded a "dad band." We had fun and did write/arrange our own (rather derivative) songs, but after some bad interactions with the band and growing boredom with the music I quit. But I think it's perfectly OK if people want to make music as a social thing, or for therapy, or just as a time pass in the evenings after work. And I don't think those people necessarily have originality as a goal, or at least not as a main goal. But now I'm interested in making music as "art" as more of the main goal, and your videos about composition really inspire. Thank you!
I think you should never stop trying to be original! Yeah everything has been done by some old dead composer or an old jazz cat but i come across something new and interesting very often when listening to music! Sure, people have been exploring the 12-notes of the western chromatic scale for ages, so you probably won't find a new chord progression, but electronic music is always evolving with every new synth or effect vst gets put out. I think sound design is the most interesting thing in music, and i think a lot of music geeks overlook electronic music and view it as lowbrow simple music for clubgoers. I also have some of the most fun and cool ideas by thinking "what if..?" But what's even more fun is just exploring and experimenting until you have an happy accident and make a cool sound or something!(:
This video literally applies to any form of art. I make videos and I think the exact same thing as you: "Give yourself permission to be bad at things" Great video
I'm so happy that after (on and off) a year of sifting through content to separate few grains of wisdom I got the invisible RUclips hand grabbing my neck and bumping my nose into your channel.
JNJ, please keep making your amazing videos. Composition related video are important to serious music creators. If all viewers want is a quick fix that appeals to their issues with GAS, they're not going to get much out of a composition video... it's not a matter of you overthinking, it's a matter of composition not being on the priorities list of those types of viewers. While creating an appealing sonic soundscape is important, I don't get much out of videos that have 10 minutes of a simple two chord vamp or worse a one chord drone that says everything it has to say in 10 second, but then goes on unchangingly for another 9 min and 50 secs . Your videos are far from that... they cover a range of topic that appeal to me. Thank you!
aaaalriiiight, y'aaaall!! let's get irreplacable up in heeeere!! ;-D your insights are always deep & clear & greatly appreciated, sir. thanks much for keeping up the good work. & I love that you cited schoenberg & bowie here. you can always reel me in with either of those fellas. now, if I may, I've got some bots to slay.....
I'm a digital artist and have recently discovered a lot of this myself lately. I think much of what is said in this video applies to all types of creatives, even if the focus here is music. Thanks for another great video, this one has such a pleasant feeling to it, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit inspired by it.
this video very closely matches what i learned while studying graphic design, though it took some years after leaving school before those lessons actually stuck. ive never seen any sort of creative endeavor called derivative if it was actually good
I absolutely adore this channel and I agree with every word you are saying! Personally, I find the more I explore different types of sounds and styles of music, the more my compositions become true to myself.
I agree with this video so much! All good things need work and we need ro stop putting pressure on us to make a song that we even like. We have to experiment and suck to get good. Great advices!
lol, when I first saw this video pop up - I rolled my eyes and thought you jumped the shark.. But then I watched it and wow - you said everything I would say. I'll just add some thoughts/quotes "It takes a long time to sound like yourself". And "Ostinato Rigore" which means stubborn & difficult to control rigor. That was Da Vinci's life quote. I Love your work man! I actually started modulating the lfo/arp clock because of what you said about the poly brute!
These new videos with insights on composition and music in general, are pure gold! I enjoy the 'Do this new thing with the Matriarch' as much as everyone else (and actually those are the videos that made me subscribe!) but these new ones are as much as important, or even more. Thanks!!!!!!
Oh man. As a both Guitarist and heavy electronic music lover…I’m heavily getting into adapting my own style of Uplifting Trance mixed with Classical Guitar. I’ve been doing it a lot lately and I love it! I don’t believe I’ve seen anybody who put the 2 together. It’s a huge world out there though so I wouldn’t be surprised. Good video. I was feeling uninspired, hopeless due to AI…but I kept forgetting I’m also a traditional instrumentalist so I’ll always have that 🤣
"Write songs that you're not happy with" is very important. I was talking to a new artist once who had made one song and they weren't willing to make another. They were just endlessly tweaking that one song trying to make it what they think would be perfect. I understand tweaking/editing and stuff but this person wasn't done with that song and had been tweaking it for over a year. I am pretty sure you will slow down your ability progress in your art if you take the first thing you did and remake it over and over again until you reach a "perfect" version of it. You will progress a lot faster by just moving on an making the next song and the one after that and so on. Ten songs in you would probably have a better track than if you just had the tenth version of the first songm
Strangely enough... or maybe not strangely at all... this message can carry over to visual art. Or to all forms of art, in fact. No matter what, I approve of this video. Thanks for this 👍
I'm trying to form a band, a punk band, and I needed to see this video. If more things like this are said to the masses, and people are reminded of their own uniqueness, I don't think AI could ever replace artists. I do fear we'll have to push art beyond boundaries to keep up, whatever that may entail. Maybe that one painter might have to use his own blood to get that special pigment, y'know.
I was blown away by your presentation…fantastic video! Got my mind racing about all the art, music and videos I want to make. Time to get out those paintbrushes, dust off the video camera and fire up the synths. Cheers!
Well said. I find its only by ‘sucking less’ as time goes by, that every now and again a little solar flare of creativity jumps out that’s a hybrid, a chimera, a love child of everything I’ve learned mixed with a little bit of ‘me’ in there too…..now, the real trick, and something I’ve yet to master, is grabbing that flare of creativity when it happens and truly running with it….see where it takes you if you follow it for a while and have the balls to see it through…. I’ve went through around 10 years of not playing, a lull….where i downed instruments and focused on other things, life , family, health etc…..but have a new appetite finally forming in me to experiment once again, and i now have a room full of brand new gear (and some old) just waiting to go into my almost finished studio (yes, the kids moved out, i now have a studio room, lol)…..Can’t wait to re-embark on the journey and see where it takes me, or more importantly, where i can take it.
Finally a video about the work and patience required to acheive uniqueness! Thank you! I also want to add that many celebrated geniuses, from Schoenberg and Strawinsky to the Beatles and Miles Davis continued to dramatically develop their personal style throughout their careers!
One of the things I like best about your channel is the way you make a contrast between the kind of advice you will find on the internet, especially by people who are after clicks and interactions, and real advice based on experience and proven results. And you do this humorously, in such a way that the viewer clearly understands the difference, and why your approach is more meaningful and productive. Great video my friend, you have a new subscriber here!
Thank you for making this video. I've been stuck and daydreaming about my own creative endeavors which are unrelated to music, but this video really spoke to me. I have been really afraid of making videos and games that no one will like. I don't think that this fear will really go away, but you helped me to realize that it's okay to feel this way.
This is a great video, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts Jameson. To add: This is true for any pursuit in life, not only art. If you want to learn how to be good at any skill and make it your own, you first have to suck at it and imitate others. It doesn't matter whether it's a professional skill, an athletic pursuit or art. And that journey, from sucking at something to being decent to eventually being good or even original, is a big part of what makes life worth living.
Your channel has been the most helpful thing I’ve stumbled across on RUclips. You gave me the motivation I needed to start studying composition seriously again.
true words. I feel I began to not suck after 20 years of nonstop work. releasing the material was important for me because it made me move on to the next thing. my next big step now is not caring about organizing and releasing stuff anymore, because that has been mostly wasted work for me over the last 23 years. releasing music only produces material results if you're in the right context.
Listen around and try to understand what makes their music tick - great advice! And a fantastic way to discover what you actually are inspired to create, not just what you're able to do. Lovely advice!
I’m actually experiencing what you’re talking about. I’m loosening up and really exploring my voice these days, more so than I ever have. I don’t have the voice of Chris Cornell but I’ve discovered that I can still sing with that soul and that passion, but in my own voice. And I’ve come around to actually enjoying it and liking the sound. I still have to get my tones down better, but I’ve discovered that my timbre is unique compared to other artists. Great video!
I suck at 6am this morning. Dabbled with dubchords and complicated fx chain yesterday for 12 hrs, just to simplify and create a simple barely modulated tri wave "Rhodes-inspired sound". My intention got lost yesterday and I need to start at the core of my motivation, why I wanted to write this kind of a song. Intimate and hopefully sparse enough to leave space for the nice elements that are worth listening to. Back to the drawing board. Thank you very much for these new essays.
Awesome emotional soundtrack to the video, greatly reinforces the ideas put out and encourages to create while giving an uplifting feeling of a long journey ahead. Many thanks!
Honestly I already suck at a lot of things 😂😂 but that's fine. I have started letting some friends listen to some of our upcoming tracks, and I am often being told they someway recognize Subsonica (which is an italian electronic rock band mostly active in late 90s-2000s) and NIN (btw love the fact that you have shown Trent in the video) influences. And that's fine too. I mean, of course I play something I can resonate the most. But also, you are pointing the finger at people that call themselves "artists" while they still have to learn the basics. I think that was what you called "choices" in the video: first you know the rules, then eventually you'll break them.
I resonated with so much of this! You put words to how my taste has developed the past 6mo as I’ve studied youtube video production styles. It’s really interesting how that composer mastered several styles and then could pick and choose which to incorporate! Feels relatable.
This is a beautiful video, and it brings back to mind a couple models of dichotomy I've learned (and note that "models" are NEVER end-all-be-all definitives). A dichotomy of creation and a dichotomy of enjoyment. The first is a dichotomy of composition and performance. To construct music in a DAW to be listened to or played along to, and to play it as an active participant - jazz, practice, stage performance. They are different skills, involve different modes of practice, and demand different tools. The second is a dichotomy of enjoyment through listening and enjoyment through play - music that you want to hear, and music that you want to play. Some things you want to explore as an observer - its flow carries you and as a participant it is up to you to look, listen, think, feel, process, digest. Others are a performance art that you participate in through play and motion. To sing, to dance, to strum. Some songs you will love to hear, but may never want to play. Some songs you will love to play, but would find dissatisfying to merely listen to.
It's the journey of creating that is the reward. Or at least better be the reward! I haven't always enjoyed living, but I always enjoy having lived. Life should be lived passionately.
Someone who is clearly knowledgeable talking about composition in a 'top down' way with a slant towards electronic music is something RUclips has been missing until I found your videos. Synth reviews are ten-a-penny, but videos on aspects of composition, not focusing on music theory,are a great niche and, personally, I get a lot out of them.
One of the best advices I knew I needed to hear as an amateur musician, who finds therapy in sound, wave in general. Pinpointed all my tendencies to do more (knowingly that it will frustrate me later, trying to cut extra tracks/ effects/ sounds). Tangerine Dream, Jarre, Vangelis, Floyd molded my musical taste in my younger age, though I never followed a musical path till recently, at a very experimental music. I just follow my muse. When muse is not around I have that tendency to throw extra sounds on my track, realizing later that my muse wants clean, simple-but deep sounds, in harmony with everything. I am curious, beside the great classical composers, which contemporary artists influenced your beginnings? Especially in electronic field. Thank you for all your great videos, they are very inspirational, intelligent and witty.
I've been thinking a lot about artistic expression as communication of one's taste. Taste being a reflection of ourselves through a given medium, like music. We need to develop our knowledge of ourselves, and it changes over time. Your perspective was timely and very helpful for me to organize some of my thoughts. Thanks! Here's to continuing to copy Trent until I find myself 😜
Good thing you mentioned Mr. Schönberg! You captured the essence very well: he was an experimentalist. That's why I like him and find him inspiring - though I'm a guitar player and have almost nothing to do with classical. His "atonal" music is clever and experimental, but edgy as hell. You can do your own experiments too
All these thoughts were ingrained in my daily thinking while attending Berklee. This was a quarter of a century ago and evolving since as an artist today I have never truly been able to recreate the music I hear in my head. But I keep trying and I am actually very satisfied, because somehow I have come to feel utter peace and tranquility. I have found an equilibrium between wanting something specific and not getting that specific something, but instead something unique. I would say that lays the grounded formation of my voice.
I think the fact that artist put in a lot of work into their art is controversial is because people hold on to the notion of genius and that it is only those who are blessed by this that indeed can make art. Just like the "oh every great artist is also a depressed, mysterious genius who is misunderstood". All the hours put into learning the craft, it makes it less mysterious, and for some maybe less meaningful? I don't know, but I hear this all the time and I think it is a crazy notion that music just appear and that great taste is something that you inherit. On another note, I really like your channel. Found it by accident when I looked for a video on the Rev2. I really dig that this feels like a video that you have made because you are interested in it, if you get what I mean? Anyway, I really like your stuff and I send some good vibes from Sweden
I love this! Putting in work, learning from others, taking risks. There’s very little of that anymore. Everyone just stays famous in their lane. How many writing credits actually go to modern artists? It bothers me that so many people can make it big off of other peoples work. Don’t get me wrong collaboration is great but when you just show up and someone says “hi here’s your song and here’s how it goes”. Where’s the soul and the expression? It’s background noise at that point. I feel in those cases that I focus on the art of production. Whether great production or very flat and non dynamic producing, there’s an art to the recording process that I feel I appreciate more in modern music than I appreciate the actual artists who the music is released by. Just my two cents. Totally agree with you though. There has to be that human element of creativity, growth, and learning over time
Thanks man, genuinely. I've played bass for 18 years, soaking up all the knowledge I could. Played guitar on and off for 15 years and I'm not nearly as good as I am at bass. Rythm guitarist at best. Now I'm working on that more, also started learning ukulele and mandolin in the past 8 months and am just this week picked up keyboard. You're right about developing a signature sound, back in the day I modeled my bass playing from John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin, now days my style has evolved into something entirely different. I still claim that he was my inspiration to pick up my very first bass.
At first I wasn’t sure where this was going, but now I appreciate that it’s actually a serious video with a real message, not just clickbait. So well done sir. Allowing myself to make mistakes, it became much easier for me to continue creating music.
Great video I really needed to hear the advice to make something that sucks and that nobody is going to listen to - definitely something that is holding back my creativity recently I realize.
A great thought provoking video . . . The topic is so intertwined into many other questions and topics. What does it mean to be a successful artist or musician? If success as a musician means numbers of products sold and money made why have so many “successful, popular and famous” musicians killed themselves by drugs, alcohol or other means of self-harm? Why are so many of these artists miserable failures at interpersonal relationships? How do we find meaning and value as human beings when we are not proficient as we would like to despite repeated practice? How do we find meaning when aging takes away our abilities, our hearing, or our sight? Is there a transcendent source of ultimate meaning?
I’m simultaneously enjoying your music, your RUclips content (valuable and hilarious), and watching your channel grow. I’ve been watching you for about a year now; I always look forward to your videos. Thank you for staying on the grind and providing so much value to other musicians.
This was very sobering to hear. I like how you emphasize how the creation of art is part of a collective and historical process. Too many folks feel that art (labor in general) is atomized.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
"Give yourself permission to be bad" is something I desperately needed to hear
It's called experimenting. :)
Cool sound bed here. 👍
Not even bad..we will need to be down right dirty!
honestly you don't have as much control as you think you do
so don't be hard on yourself
'It's all just practice'
This is absolutely what people getting into music need to hear. The main difference between pros and amateurs is that pros never stopped when they sucked, so eventually they stopped sucking.
I think even more important: pros continue to suck. Bowie was already a veteran with a couple classics under his belt when he released some of his worst projects. Him being a legendary songwriter didn't stop him from sucking. But even then, he still kept making music, and eventually blessed us with another classic which he released on his deathbed. I think the thing is that pros understand that sucking is part of the process, because we're human, and because art is heavily subjective and personal. They allow themselves to suck, which in turn allows them to find their gold, eventually.
@@joaoassumpcao3347 Amen brother. Preach it! Most of us learn by trial and error.
Occasionally lightning strikes and we're blessed with a revelation (or a realization).
Ha! the rest is uphill all the way :)
@@joaoassumpcao3347 You have a point there since sometimes the best stuff emerges when you get out of your comfort zone and embrace the suck again. But something I would like to bring up is that being a pro is not necessarily about success, often times it is about making the vision you have become reality. In essence I'd say it is about being able to convey the ideas and emotions you want with your music.
I'm not familiar enough with Bowies discography so can't really give my opions on that. But I think the more important question is, was Bowie happy with what he created.
@@seanemmettfullerton That's being struck by bleach.
@@treetopjones737 LOL... as if I'm not white enough already. Thanks.
I think the fears of AI replacing artists are missing why people love art to begin with. It’s made by humans and we admire the humans and the humanity in the art.
In the age of the Internet, where you need to be able to market yourself and be discovered digitally in order to have your career take off, AI is a major threat to artists since most initial discovery is just people clicking thinking “ooh, what’s that?” and people’s feeds are going to be clogged with easily generated AI content which could block out the real artists from being seen as easily.
AI can piss off. I dont want nothing to do with it. It will completely destroy art
Imo drum machines, sequencers, samplers, electronic keyboards and drums, plugins, daws, etc. have all been pointed to by groups of people as ‘ruining music’. Yet you can witness how these tools have inspired many creatively. I am hoping that AI will do the same. New sounds, ideas and creativity more easily shared. Will I personally enjoy the output more… don’t know… but hopefully:)
@@benbowland I think that’s true. It’s hard to be found. I’m just not convinced most of us are going to be as into AI as the people making it want us to be.
Ai pearlclutchers are the worst people ever, a rare case where both sides of a debate are annoying as possible
“Give yourself permission to be bad at things” That’s huge. A lot of us are perfectionists and sometimes we don’t even make a start if we feel like we’re not good enough. Great vid
Yup. I have been making music for a while, but I still take long breaks because I am my own worst critic. I need to work on allowing myself to be bad at things.
@@justanotherpxrson I feel you, I’m on one of those breaks right now. We got this and let’s keep pushing forward 💪🏼🔥
Summary:
- Developing a unique artistic style is important to avoid being replaced by AI
- Five tips for developing a personal style: develop taste, be intentional, push out of comfort zone, focus on consistency and pushing boundaries, and put in work
- Making intentional choices and experimenting are key to developing a personal style
ye, basically I like something, then I record something, then I realize that thing is just another trash
This is exactly my advice when trying to explain to people how to start creating. Just steal! And copy! The lofty dream of inventing your own style and identity from the word go is enough to squash anyone's motivation when they discover how impossible that is. But, as a beginner, there's a lot more joy to be found in making something that sounds a bit like artists you like. It's good practice, and it demystifies the whole craft a bit. Of course you won't be able to make something as great as your favourite artists straight away, but even making something say 10% as good helps reveal to you how you could reach that height, with more practice. For me at least, it gave me a lot of context as to what the road ahead looks like. And hey, if you can't even make something that someone has already done, how do you expect to be able to make something new and better?
This video is so lovely. As a seasoned pro (20+ albums) I cringe at the amount of bad advice on youtube. This video tells the beginner everything they need to know and also is a comfort to jaded old musicians like myself. Thank you
By day I am a professional visual artist by night I am a musician. In both endeavors I approach it professionally. As an artist regardless of medium, process is the foundation of creating eventual great art. It's not about a static creation, it's a liquid medium of growth and transformation that is for some called work, for others called joy. The moments of completed creations are the highlights but not the goal. Doing it continually and staying open to others needs and your internal voice manifests the 'work' of professionalism. The art bubbles up from that.
You've been nailing these lately, really good insight on this stuff. "Taste requires choice, and choice requires options" is a banger line, also
Thanks man!
@@JamesonNathanJones 🙏🫡
@@JorbLovesGear I love your videos!
It took me 7 years to find my own sound, as if i followed my favorite artists but at some point i took a detour and found my sonic signature.
The divine gift that humans have to make dissonance cannot be replicated by an empty vessel like an AI.
I was very unique in my approach to my main career. The number of hats I wore was added to as often as I could gain a new skill and volunteer to use that new talent on the job. It served me well until I retired 2 years ago. I worked in manufacturing aerospace batteries.
Now I am being asked to to play music at charity concerts, three so far this year. I only ever played for fun till now anyway. My approach is that I play and sing in a style that is to me the best of the 60s to 80s. And I'm writing in that voice too.
Just starting to expand into this new phase. So far I am surprized at how people react to my style. Unexpected to say the least.
That's great. How do people react on your style now?
This is the truth or at least it was for me. I started learning the keyboard when I was five. My teacher said I wasn't concentrating and she couldn't teach me. I played trumpet from fourth to eight grade. But I really want to play rock guitar.
When I was sixteen my parents bought me a cheap acoustic guitar and I put everything I had into it, which wasn't much other than time. I learned to tune the guitar and the open chords in the key of G. I bought an electric with the help of my parents.
I looked at pictures of guitarists playing electrics and slowly found the intervals I thought sounded strongest, which I now understand were the fourth and fifth. Then I learned the notes on my E and A strings. I learned tab. Tried to play Eruption. I learned the minor scale shape on the guitar.
I took music classes in college. I joined a few cover bands. Wasn't very good, but got better. Joined an original band. Learned the harmonic minor scale shapes. Then formed my own original band. Kept studying and practicing.
I learned the beginnings of actual music theory. I learned arpeggios. I learned simple inversions and harmony. I worked on my tone constantly. Now I'm in my 50s and I can play pretty well. I like the songs I create. I keep thinking and working on music theory and recording. It took most of my life to reach the point at which I liked my playing. But I simply did not quit. I put countless hours into practicing.
If someone wants a career in music they cannot take their entire life to get there. You have to be great by the age of about 17. So in addition to constant practice on the instrument I recommend immediately learning music theory. It unlocks all the doors.
I definitely understand the ‘work’ part of it and I’m so glad to see someone else explain this I’ve talked to my friends about how writing music can be difficult and sometimes the stuff I have to do is laborious and boring, and they often respond with “why don’t you just make music you like” and I wish I knew how to explain to them that I do like and enjoy my music but to get it to a standard where I’m proud of it sometimes I have to work hard to get the sounds I want instead of just improvising everything
I drew a cartoon for my college paper, and at times, it was published five times a week. I was getting paid, and I had to do it, which meant having to come up with ideas, good or bad, regularly. This forced me through the process of what he's talking about--doing it, sucking, doing it more, sucking less, and discovering things along the way. Nothing replaces regular effort, truly.
Absolutely! Thank you, JNJ :) yes yes yes. Beautiful... for security reasons online,
we all now must prove that we're NOT robots. Ha! What better reason then to be unique,
distinct, and not just another common thief or plagiarizer. Indeed, give yourself permission
to be yourself, to trust your own instincts... rock on!
The texture that comes in on the background music around 1:25 is so good. Love that sound.
Thank you!
Dont let comments get to you at all bro. You are a musician, you're intelligent, you understand music differently than most people. You're extremely good at explanation. Keep up the good work. Throwing yourself out there on RUclips, where ppl are watching, interested, is gonna inspire you to make great work. Because everyone wants to succeed and make others happy. And thats what you're doing, and gonna do.
I appreciate that, Lance! I actually enjoy even the salty comments, because some of them have sparked ideas for more videos :)
Very well said, Lance! ✊
Easy tiger, he's quite possibly in the process of getting caught up on the Content Creation merry go round just like all the others. They need to keep it spinning around in endless circles without going anywhere - gripped with the fear of it slowing or worse... stopping.
@@CFox.7 yeah true. Keep is about the music. Be like Deadmau5. Start a 5 hour stream and say a few words here and there and have the same thing looping for 2 hours straight. Boring but I still watch the process. Especially when he has his monitors linked up to the video. But yeah, I think this guy has all the knowledge about music he needs. Maybe smoke a little weed for creativity spike. Whatever it takes
I love this guy’s voice. I love his slight southern accent but completely meditative tone. I want him to read books to me.
Last year we made a challenge with couple of my friends where each week we were selecting random genre of music and we were trying to make a track in that genre. Last year was most productive year in my life, and I learned a lot during that process.
So now I know more tricks from various genres, and quality of my music was improved significantly.
But I agree - you need to keep grinding and copy as much as possible. Even if you are copying, you will do that your way anyway.
Came here for the music, stayed for the philosophy. Brilliant advice, JNJ!
good points, I'm reminded of Hans Zimmer who stated find your won voice and stick to it, and work work work.
Choosing options...yes true but also - limiting your options also helps you be more creative...Good video.
The idea of "just playing" and not having a knowledge base for composition overlooks the fact that 99.9% of the people who "just play" are using common patterns and combinations of sounds. If you don't MAKE SENSE of what you're hearing, you can't really ever change it. How can I write a new sentence by never growing my vocabulary? I dig you stuff a lot, man. Thanks.
Jameson, this video was excellent! Thanks for this.
Another helpful tip when it comes to making music:
Find a community of somewhat likeminded individuals who are all interested in creating. Art, Music, Cooking, Writing. Find other people who inspire you and encourage you to keep pressing on. Especially when you're feeling down or in a rut. Being around art makes more art, at least in my experience.
Absolutely agree 🙏
Good words! Especially if that community is kind but also willing to push you a bit here and there - either with constructive critique or creative challenges, something that makes you explore outside your comfort zone.
100% The number one thing that has helped me push through self-criticism and self-doubt with creativity is having at least one other person who can encourage me to keep going.
That's great advice! I write fiction as well as music, and I was regularly writing short stories and working on a book for years, encouraged by my local writers' group. Then a year and a half ago I moved 600 miles up the country and could no longer meet those people. I've basically written almost nothing since. They were extremely helpful, like a second family to me!
@@macronencer I hope you are able to find another community to encourage you!
This video, for me, gets at the question "why make music?"
A few years ago, faced with an existential crisis, I discovered that the thing I wanted to do most was to play music with other people. So I built a social group around jamming and then eventually co-founded a "dad band." We had fun and did write/arrange our own (rather derivative) songs, but after some bad interactions with the band and growing boredom with the music I quit.
But I think it's perfectly OK if people want to make music as a social thing, or for therapy, or just as a time pass in the evenings after work. And I don't think those people necessarily have originality as a goal, or at least not as a main goal. But now I'm interested in making music as "art" as more of the main goal, and your videos about composition really inspire. Thank you!
Oh absolutely. Music as a hobby is a wonderful thing.
I think you should never stop trying to be original! Yeah everything has been done by some old dead composer or an old jazz cat but i come across something new and interesting very often when listening to music! Sure, people have been exploring the 12-notes of the western chromatic scale for ages, so you probably won't find a new chord progression, but electronic music is always evolving with every new synth or effect vst gets put out. I think sound design is the most interesting thing in music, and i think a lot of music geeks overlook electronic music and view it as lowbrow simple music for clubgoers. I also have some of the most fun and cool ideas by thinking "what if..?" But what's even more fun is just exploring and experimenting until you have an happy accident and make a cool sound or something!(:
This video literally applies to any form of art. I make videos and I think the exact same thing as you: "Give yourself permission to be bad at things" Great video
I'm so happy that after (on and off) a year of sifting through content to separate few grains of wisdom I got the invisible RUclips hand grabbing my neck and bumping my nose into your channel.
JNJ, please keep making your amazing videos. Composition related video are important to serious music creators. If all viewers want is a quick fix that appeals to their issues with GAS, they're not going to get much out of a composition video... it's not a matter of you overthinking, it's a matter of composition not being on the priorities list of those types of viewers. While creating an appealing sonic soundscape is important, I don't get much out of videos that have 10 minutes of a simple two chord vamp or worse a one chord drone that says everything it has to say in 10 second, but then goes on unchangingly for another 9 min and 50 secs . Your videos are far from that... they cover a range of topic that appeal to me. Thank you!
aaaalriiiight, y'aaaall!! let's get irreplacable up in heeeere!! ;-D your insights are always deep & clear & greatly appreciated, sir. thanks much for keeping up the good work. & I love that you cited schoenberg & bowie here. you can always reel me in with either of those fellas. now, if I may, I've got some bots to slay.....
😂😂
This is all comprises a very important message. I wish I had heard it (or been able/willing to understand it) 30+ years ago!
I'm a digital artist and have recently discovered a lot of this myself lately. I think much of what is said in this video applies to all types of creatives, even if the focus here is music. Thanks for another great video, this one has such a pleasant feeling to it, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit inspired by it.
this video very closely matches what i learned while studying graphic design, though it took some years after leaving school before those lessons actually stuck. ive never seen any sort of creative endeavor called derivative if it was actually good
You wrote exactly what I was going to write. 👍
I absolutely adore this channel and I agree with every word you are saying!
Personally, I find the more I explore different types of sounds and styles of music, the more my compositions become true to myself.
The best video I’ve watched all month!!
You have absolutely no idea how apt and useful this video was right at this very moment in time. Thank you so much 😂😂😂
I agree with this video so much! All good things need work and we need ro stop putting pressure on us to make a song that we even like. We have to experiment and suck to get good. Great advices!
"You don't have to apply your standards to everyone else. They're for you."
That's good. I'll be keeping and using that one. 👍
lol, when I first saw this video pop up - I rolled my eyes and thought you jumped the shark.. But then I watched it and wow - you said everything I would say. I'll just add some thoughts/quotes "It takes a long time to sound like yourself". And "Ostinato Rigore" which means stubborn & difficult to control rigor. That was Da Vinci's life quote. I Love your work man! I actually started modulating the lfo/arp clock because of what you said about the poly brute!
These new videos with insights on composition and music in general, are pure gold!
I enjoy the 'Do this new thing with the Matriarch' as much as everyone else (and actually those are the videos that made me subscribe!) but these new ones are as much as important, or even more. Thanks!!!!!!
Thank you Rodrigo!
Oh man. As a both Guitarist and heavy electronic music lover…I’m heavily getting into adapting my own style of Uplifting Trance mixed with Classical Guitar. I’ve been doing it a lot lately and I love it! I don’t believe I’ve seen anybody who put the 2 together. It’s a huge world out there though so I wouldn’t be surprised. Good video. I was feeling uninspired, hopeless due to AI…but I kept forgetting I’m also a traditional instrumentalist so I’ll always have that 🤣
This is so great on so many levels. And I definitely need to buy more shorts. Thanks!
Wonderful, inspiring video that applies to so many of our not so trivial pursuits.
"Write songs that you're not happy with" is very important.
I was talking to a new artist once who had made one song and they weren't willing to make another. They were just endlessly tweaking that one song trying to make it what they think would be perfect. I understand tweaking/editing and stuff but this person wasn't done with that song and had been tweaking it for over a year.
I am pretty sure you will slow down your ability progress in your art if you take the first thing you did and remake it over and over again until you reach a "perfect" version of it. You will progress a lot faster by just moving on an making the next song and the one after that and so on. Ten songs in you would probably have a better track than if you just had the tenth version of the first songm
Strangely enough... or maybe not strangely at all... this message can carry over to visual art. Or to all forms of art, in fact.
No matter what, I approve of this video. Thanks for this 👍
I'm trying to form a band, a punk band, and I needed to see this video. If more things like this are said to the masses, and people are reminded of their own uniqueness, I don't think AI could ever replace artists. I do fear we'll have to push art beyond boundaries to keep up, whatever that may entail.
Maybe that one painter might have to use his own blood to get that special pigment, y'know.
I was blown away by your presentation…fantastic video! Got my mind racing about all the art, music and videos I want to make. Time to get out those paintbrushes, dust off the video camera and fire up the synths. Cheers!
Well said. I find its only by ‘sucking less’ as time goes by, that every now and again a little solar flare of creativity jumps out that’s a hybrid, a chimera, a love child of everything I’ve learned mixed with a little bit of ‘me’ in there too…..now, the real trick, and something I’ve yet to master, is grabbing that flare of creativity when it happens and truly running with it….see where it takes you if you follow it for a while and have the balls to see it through….
I’ve went through around 10 years of not playing, a lull….where i downed instruments and focused on other things, life , family, health etc…..but have a new appetite finally forming in me to experiment once again, and i now have a room full of brand new gear (and some old) just waiting to go into my almost finished studio (yes, the kids moved out, i now have a studio room, lol)…..Can’t wait to re-embark on the journey and see where it takes me, or more importantly, where i can take it.
my goat. this pholosphy is so applicable beyond music. thanks a lot ♥️
Finally a video about the work and patience required to acheive uniqueness! Thank you! I also want to add that many celebrated geniuses, from Schoenberg and Strawinsky to the Beatles and Miles Davis continued to dramatically develop their personal style throughout their careers!
One of the things I like best about your channel is the way you make a contrast between the kind of advice you will find on the internet, especially by people who are after clicks and interactions, and real advice based on experience and proven results. And you do this humorously, in such a way that the viewer clearly understands the difference, and why your approach is more meaningful and productive. Great video my friend, you have a new subscriber here!
Really appreciate that, Evan!
Thank you for making this video. I've been stuck and daydreaming about my own creative endeavors which are unrelated to music, but this video really spoke to me. I have been really afraid of making videos and games that no one will like. I don't think that this fear will really go away, but you helped me to realize that it's okay to feel this way.
This is a great video, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts Jameson. To add: This is true for any pursuit in life, not only art. If you want to learn how to be good at any skill and make it your own, you first have to suck at it and imitate others. It doesn't matter whether it's a professional skill, an athletic pursuit or art. And that journey, from sucking at something to being decent to eventually being good or even original, is a big part of what makes life worth living.
Your channel has been the most helpful thing I’ve stumbled across on RUclips. You gave me the motivation I needed to start studying composition seriously again.
Really appreciate that! Best wishes!
true words. I feel I began to not suck after 20 years of nonstop work. releasing the material was important for me because it made me move on to the next thing. my next big step now is not caring about organizing and releasing stuff anymore, because that has been mostly wasted work for me over the last 23 years. releasing music only produces material results if you're in the right context.
This series of videos just keeps getting better and better. Thank you!
Made me cry. Touching. Thank you.
This is the most important video that I’ve seen in a while about art and perseverance . Well done.
You should watch Brian Eno talking about art, you'd like it.
Listen around and try to understand what makes their music tick - great advice! And a fantastic way to discover what you actually are inspired to create, not just what you're able to do. Lovely advice!
Thanks Brice!
I’m actually experiencing what you’re talking about. I’m loosening up and really exploring my voice these days, more so than I ever have. I don’t have the voice of Chris Cornell but I’ve discovered that I can still sing with that soul and that passion, but in my own voice. And I’ve come around to actually enjoying it and liking the sound. I still have to get my tones down better, but I’ve discovered that my timbre is unique compared to other artists. Great video!
I suck at 6am this morning. Dabbled with dubchords and complicated fx chain yesterday for 12 hrs, just to simplify and create a simple barely modulated tri wave "Rhodes-inspired sound". My intention got lost yesterday and I need to start at the core of my motivation, why I wanted to write this kind of a song. Intimate and hopefully sparse enough to leave space for the nice elements that are worth listening to. Back to the drawing board. Thank you very much for these new essays.
Awesome emotional soundtrack to the video, greatly reinforces the ideas put out and encourages to create while giving an uplifting feeling of a long journey ahead. Many thanks!
Honestly I already suck at a lot of things 😂😂 but that's fine. I have started letting some friends listen to some of our upcoming tracks, and I am often being told they someway recognize Subsonica (which is an italian electronic rock band mostly active in late 90s-2000s) and NIN (btw love the fact that you have shown Trent in the video) influences. And that's fine too. I mean, of course I play something I can resonate the most.
But also, you are pointing the finger at people that call themselves "artists" while they still have to learn the basics. I think that was what you called "choices" in the video: first you know the rules, then eventually you'll break them.
I resonated with so much of this! You put words to how my taste has developed the past 6mo as I’ve studied youtube video production styles. It’s really interesting how that composer mastered several styles and then could pick and choose which to incorporate! Feels relatable.
I have been inspired to go fire up Ableton and completely suck today! Thank you!
Real perspective changer thanks for this genuine video🫂🌃
That last line might be the best piece of advice on the internet.
This is a beautiful video, and it brings back to mind a couple models of dichotomy I've learned (and note that "models" are NEVER end-all-be-all definitives). A dichotomy of creation and a dichotomy of enjoyment.
The first is a dichotomy of composition and performance. To construct music in a DAW to be listened to or played along to, and to play it as an active participant - jazz, practice, stage performance. They are different skills, involve different modes of practice, and demand different tools.
The second is a dichotomy of enjoyment through listening and enjoyment through play - music that you want to hear, and music that you want to play. Some things you want to explore as an observer - its flow carries you and as a participant it is up to you to look, listen, think, feel, process, digest. Others are a performance art that you participate in through play and motion. To sing, to dance, to strum. Some songs you will love to hear, but may never want to play. Some songs you will love to play, but would find dissatisfying to merely listen to.
It's the journey of creating that is the reward. Or at least better be the reward! I haven't always enjoyed living, but I always enjoy having lived. Life should be lived passionately.
I can see your channel getting big down the line. So much wisdom and so eloquently spoken. Thanks for this; time to get back to work!
You are an incredible person! Thank you for the lessons! 🙏
Someone who is clearly knowledgeable talking about composition in a 'top down' way with a slant towards electronic music is something RUclips has been missing until I found your videos. Synth reviews are ten-a-penny, but videos on aspects of composition, not focusing on music theory,are a great niche and, personally, I get a lot out of them.
One of the best advices I knew I needed to hear as an amateur musician, who finds therapy in sound, wave in general. Pinpointed all my tendencies to do more (knowingly that it will frustrate me later, trying to cut extra tracks/ effects/ sounds). Tangerine Dream, Jarre, Vangelis, Floyd molded my musical taste in my younger age, though I never followed a musical path till recently, at a very experimental music. I just follow my muse. When muse is not around I have that tendency to throw extra sounds on my track, realizing later that my muse wants clean, simple-but deep sounds, in harmony with everything. I am curious, beside the great classical composers, which contemporary artists influenced your beginnings? Especially in electronic field. Thank you for all your great videos, they are very inspirational, intelligent and witty.
Thank you for the insight Mr. Freeman. Never knew you were also skilled in music composition
Well stated, Mr. Jones.
Great advice. Hammock are incredible, original musicians.
I've been thinking a lot about artistic expression as communication of one's taste. Taste being a reflection of ourselves through a given medium, like music. We need to develop our knowledge of ourselves, and it changes over time. Your perspective was timely and very helpful for me to organize some of my thoughts. Thanks! Here's to continuing to copy Trent until I find myself 😜
Thanks!
🙏
Good thing you mentioned Mr. Schönberg! You captured the essence very well: he was an experimentalist. That's why I like him and find him inspiring - though I'm a guitar player and have almost nothing to do with classical. His "atonal" music is clever and experimental, but edgy as hell. You can do your own experiments too
All these thoughts were ingrained in my daily thinking while attending Berklee. This was a quarter of a century ago and evolving since as an artist today I have never truly been able to recreate the music I hear in my head. But I keep trying and I am actually very satisfied, because somehow I have come to feel utter peace and tranquility. I have found an equilibrium between wanting something specific and not getting that specific something, but instead something unique. I would say that lays the grounded formation of my voice.
*THANK YOU FOR YOUR FREE SAMPLES*
I think the fact that artist put in a lot of work into their art is controversial is because people hold on to the notion of genius and that it is only those who are blessed by this that indeed can make art. Just like the "oh every great artist is also a depressed, mysterious genius who is misunderstood". All the hours put into learning the craft, it makes it less mysterious, and for some maybe less meaningful? I don't know, but I hear this all the time and I think it is a crazy notion that music just appear and that great taste is something that you inherit.
On another note, I really like your channel. Found it by accident when I looked for a video on the Rev2. I really dig that this feels like a video that you have made because you are interested in it, if you get what I mean? Anyway, I really like your stuff and I send some good vibes from Sweden
Appreciate this video
I love this! Putting in work, learning from others, taking risks. There’s very little of that anymore. Everyone just stays famous in their lane. How many writing credits actually go to modern artists? It bothers me that so many people can make it big off of other peoples work. Don’t get me wrong collaboration is great but when you just show up and someone says “hi here’s your song and here’s how it goes”. Where’s the soul and the expression? It’s background noise at that point. I feel in those cases that I focus on the art of production. Whether great production or very flat and non dynamic producing, there’s an art to the recording process that I feel I appreciate more in modern music than I appreciate the actual artists who the music is released by. Just my two cents. Totally agree with you though. There has to be that human element of creativity, growth, and learning over time
Gem of a video. I think good composers take influences and then blend it with our own and master their own uniquness. U nailed it.
Thanks!
Thank you! 🙏
Thanks man, genuinely. I've played bass for 18 years, soaking up all the knowledge I could. Played guitar on and off for 15 years and I'm not nearly as good as I am at bass. Rythm guitarist at best. Now I'm working on that more, also started learning ukulele and mandolin in the past 8 months and am just this week picked up keyboard. You're right about developing a signature sound, back in the day I modeled my bass playing from John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin, now days my style has evolved into something entirely different. I still claim that he was my inspiration to pick up my very first bass.
This one got me to subscribe. Been close a couple times, this one pished me over the edge. Agree 100% on all points here!
At first I wasn’t sure where this was going, but now I appreciate that it’s actually a serious video with a real message, not just clickbait. So well done sir. Allowing myself to make mistakes, it became much easier for me to continue creating music.
Yay! You showed Yes!
Brilliant explanations of the quandary that we're all in at some point. First vid that popped up today when I got up. Just what I needed, thanks man!
Great message bro! “Do” is the key word! IJS
Great video I really needed to hear the advice to make something that sucks and that nobody is going to listen to - definitely something that is holding back my creativity recently I realize.
Lovely thoughts. Thanks!
Seems I am not the only one who needed to hear this right now. Thank you for the push to go suck.
Very nice and helpful video. It mde me remember the book "Free play" -an awesome reading for any artist I guess-. All the best!
great advice for visual artist to for all artist should be in the front page
A great thought provoking video . . . The topic is so intertwined into many other questions and topics. What does it mean to be a successful artist or musician? If success as a musician means numbers of products sold and money made why have so many “successful, popular and famous” musicians killed themselves by drugs, alcohol or other means of self-harm? Why are so many of these artists miserable failures at interpersonal relationships? How do we find meaning and value as human beings when we are not proficient as we would like to despite repeated practice? How do we find meaning when aging takes away our abilities, our hearing, or our sight? Is there a transcendent source of ultimate meaning?
This video is really comforting
I’m simultaneously enjoying your music, your RUclips content (valuable and hilarious), and watching your channel grow. I’ve been watching you for about a year now; I always look forward to your videos. Thank you for staying on the grind and providing so much value to other musicians.
Much appreciated!
This was very sobering to hear. I like how you emphasize how the creation of art is part of a collective and historical process. Too many folks feel that art (labor in general) is atomized.