As a musician who has composed, played and listened in many different genres, I sometimes find myself wondering what they have in common.
How does medieval polyphony relate to hip-hop? How does jazz relate to heavy metal? How does John Cage relate to Lutoslawski or Philip Glass? What do they all have in common? They have all been called music, but what is it that ties them together?
Some music can be defined by its emotional expression, but that definition falls short with much art music that is created with formulas and intellect. Some music can be defined by its use of pitches, tones and rhythms to structure sound, but that definition would include so much that isn't music, like sound design, poetry and oratory.
Perhaps it is beside the point to search for a cut and dried definition to such a varied and versatile art form. Perhaps music's elusiveness is fundamental to its magic. Perhaps it is elemental to art that it can not be defined or constricted, for the very moment you think you can grasp it, it changes and foils all preconceptions.
If music were definable or predictable, I imagine that it would lose its wonder.
24 January 2011
10 January 2011
Friends and Fans
One of the most frustrating aspects of the music business, and one that extends into show business in general, is the tendency to try to turn your friends into your fans.
Let me make this abundantly clear: YOUR FRIENDS ARE NOT YOUR FANS! And your fans are not your friends. Do not confuse the two.
It is especially common in young artists who have yet to create a professional identity. They are forced to use their real-life identity to represent their art. But this is a mistake on many levels. While your art and real-life are closely related, they must also be kept separate. Otherwise we become confused and lose track of who we are as people.
Fans see (or hear) a miniscule part of us. They create their own perceptions of who we are as people based on the tiny snippets that they observe. But they do not know us. And usually, they do not really want to know us. Most fans prefer artists to be figments of their imaginations.
This is also why your friends are not your fans anymore than you are your own fan. They may come to hear you play in order to support you. As wonderful and necessary as that is, they will never love your work. And they will probably never understand it. And they will certainly never look to you as a brilliant artist.
Do not try to cultivate your friends as your fans. You will probably just lose your friends without gaining any fans.
Let me make this abundantly clear: YOUR FRIENDS ARE NOT YOUR FANS! And your fans are not your friends. Do not confuse the two.
It is especially common in young artists who have yet to create a professional identity. They are forced to use their real-life identity to represent their art. But this is a mistake on many levels. While your art and real-life are closely related, they must also be kept separate. Otherwise we become confused and lose track of who we are as people.
Fans see (or hear) a miniscule part of us. They create their own perceptions of who we are as people based on the tiny snippets that they observe. But they do not know us. And usually, they do not really want to know us. Most fans prefer artists to be figments of their imaginations.
This is also why your friends are not your fans anymore than you are your own fan. They may come to hear you play in order to support you. As wonderful and necessary as that is, they will never love your work. And they will probably never understand it. And they will certainly never look to you as a brilliant artist.
Do not try to cultivate your friends as your fans. You will probably just lose your friends without gaining any fans.
09 January 2011
Earplugs
If you care about your ears as much as I do, earplugs are a must. In addition to the abusive volume of most music concerts, trains, buses, airplanes, construction, background music, even crowded conversation can be at levels that are detrimental to your hearing. If you can not have a conversation at a normal speaking volume, then the environment is loud enough to damage your ears.
There are a few ways to avoid this, and since reclusiveness can have negative effects on the career of a musician, earplugs become very important. There are two routes you can go when it comes to earplugs: expensive or simple.
Expensive:In most cities, you can go to an audiologist to get your hearing checked and molds made of your unique ear shape. Then they make custom earplugs to fit your ear perfectly. These earplugs dampen all frequencies evenly, so you do not get that muffled earplug sound when you use them. They run around $150.
I got a pair of these nice, custom earplugs a couple years back. They worked wonderfully. Comfortable and they sounded great. After about a year, I lost one of them at a gig in a city far from home. And earplugs do not work as well when there is only one of them. I think Vegas is the only other place where I could lose $75 so quickly.
Which brings me to the second type of earplugs...
Foam: You can find foam earplugs at music stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations, pretty much anywhere. And they are dirt cheap. Less than a dollar a pair. They are easy to use - you just scrunch them up and stick them in your ears. You can just throw them away after you use them and they get wax on them. And if you lose one or both of them, it is not going to break the bank.
The biggest drawback of foam earplugs is that they create a muffled sound when you use them, especially if you get the really strong ones. Also, they tend to stick out of your ears unless you shove them way in (which is bad), causing you to look pretty goofy with orange or blue foam sticking out of your ears.
The remedy that I have found for both of these issues is a scissors. I cut my foam earplugs in half so they are only half as long. This way they do not stick out of my ears, and they give a sufficient amount of dampening without muffling the sounds too much.
There are a few ways to avoid this, and since reclusiveness can have negative effects on the career of a musician, earplugs become very important. There are two routes you can go when it comes to earplugs: expensive or simple.
Expensive:In most cities, you can go to an audiologist to get your hearing checked and molds made of your unique ear shape. Then they make custom earplugs to fit your ear perfectly. These earplugs dampen all frequencies evenly, so you do not get that muffled earplug sound when you use them. They run around $150.
I got a pair of these nice, custom earplugs a couple years back. They worked wonderfully. Comfortable and they sounded great. After about a year, I lost one of them at a gig in a city far from home. And earplugs do not work as well when there is only one of them. I think Vegas is the only other place where I could lose $75 so quickly.
Which brings me to the second type of earplugs...
Foam: You can find foam earplugs at music stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations, pretty much anywhere. And they are dirt cheap. Less than a dollar a pair. They are easy to use - you just scrunch them up and stick them in your ears. You can just throw them away after you use them and they get wax on them. And if you lose one or both of them, it is not going to break the bank.
The biggest drawback of foam earplugs is that they create a muffled sound when you use them, especially if you get the really strong ones. Also, they tend to stick out of your ears unless you shove them way in (which is bad), causing you to look pretty goofy with orange or blue foam sticking out of your ears.
The remedy that I have found for both of these issues is a scissors. I cut my foam earplugs in half so they are only half as long. This way they do not stick out of my ears, and they give a sufficient amount of dampening without muffling the sounds too much.
A Slave To Process
A lot of people wonder about the process of writing music. Do you start with the melody? The lyrics? The concept? The chord progression? The rhythm?
The answer is that you start with whatever is there. Sometimes it is a bit of melody that comes first. Sometimes it is the idea for the ending. Whatever it is, that is what you must hold on to and elaborate to create the complete work.
There is no one way to write music. As disciplined as it is, there is always give and take, improvisation and even fear about where the next idea will come from.
I had a teacher who used to say: "If you only have one way of doing things, you are a slave. If you have two ways, you have a choice. Once you have three or more ways, you start to have options."
And that is what being creative is all about - giving yourself options so that you can turn a disaster into a work of art.
The answer is that you start with whatever is there. Sometimes it is a bit of melody that comes first. Sometimes it is the idea for the ending. Whatever it is, that is what you must hold on to and elaborate to create the complete work.
There is no one way to write music. As disciplined as it is, there is always give and take, improvisation and even fear about where the next idea will come from.
I had a teacher who used to say: "If you only have one way of doing things, you are a slave. If you have two ways, you have a choice. Once you have three or more ways, you start to have options."
And that is what being creative is all about - giving yourself options so that you can turn a disaster into a work of art.
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