This is an excellent outlook and very useful in the long run. As a lifelong woodworker I see a lot of parallels between it and making music. A piece of advice I once got from an old woodworker which also applies to musicians was that you can’t judge a woodworker by whether or not they make mistakes because mistakes are inevitable, you judge them by how they deal with the mistakes.
One of the most difficult but important skills to develop in both disciplines is knowing when something is done. Sounds easy but it’s rarely obvious.
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Yeah, this is where I think ‘genre’ artists might have it a bit easier. It’s a bit like designing iteration after iteration of a classic chair, in a way.
My issue with music is I never really know what I’m aiming for. At least with a bookcase I know the end game.
I mean I try to have a game-plan in mind, it just never goes right. Like I’m rocking up to the studio with a set of lathe chisels to try and make a dining table out of marquetry veneer.
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Hahaha. Relatable. I’ll at least think through the basics of a building project before I start but I rarely do with music.
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It’s done when you decide it. It is the last mile to finishing any song.
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These two come to my mind:
Don‘t think too much!
Less is more!
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Absolutely, it’s not the finishing that’s the issue per se, it’s the not knowing what the finished product should look like in the first place.
I do not think that you can know such things in advance. Songwriting starts with a journey of discovery and exploration.
Once you feel you’re done exploring and have ended up with a first stable arrangement, that’s when the last mile starts. At this stage, I usually collect feedback from friends.
That last mile can be quite time consuming because you still do not know when the journey will be over. You’ll just have to trust yourself at some point. Or, as Doom developer John Cormack used to put it: “It’s done when it’s done.”
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My drum teacher taught me that 100 bpm is the tempo of you walking down the street when you’re relaxed, and 120 bpm is the tempo of you walking down the street when you’re in a hurry.
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Did they provide any useful analogies for higher BPMs?
Hrm, any tips towards developing regular friend-engagement considering our attention economy?
I’m still interested in setting up a composing lodge if I can round up enough locals but close friends (with regular hangouts and group chats) aren’t as prolific or serious.
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I rarely show up with an exact blueprint, instead I have a general concept or idea I want to explore or high light, obvious certain genre rules are applied and I measure my track against my favorites.
Rarely do I completely free-from anything, usually start with drums and bass/sub then add melodic elements. No matter what style I’m working on.
I think of the composing, recording, editing and mixing process as being handed a bag of magic seeds, planting one, nurturing it as it sprouts and grows, I’m never sure what type of plant cactus tree or animal it’s going to grow into, I’m just steering the development and pruning and editing where I see fit. Eventually it turns into a giant squid or a tiny mouse.
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I tend to ask my friends for feedback by e-mail. Even though body language is more obvious to interpret, email gives them the time to listen to your music when they feel in the mood.
From my experience, whenever a song idea is really well received, the written feedback is both enthusiastic and elaborate.
If it is not well received, the written feedback will be:
- scarce à la “nice” or “great” without further ado (-> family),
- a non-response, a diversion, change of topic or a question (-> the diplomat friend),
- an outright insult or a list of cons (-> the precious candid friend or probably not such a good friend
).
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“The music isn’t in the piano.”
“The piano is in the music.”
“Dude, get an Octatrack”
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Here’s a small tip, from BT via MylarMelodies, “make sure you can start making music in 20 seconds or less”
Ideally 1 power-switch, all templates and FX ready to go, boom.
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Stop looking for the perfect sample.
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but continue to look for the perfect beat
Don’t be a gear hoarder.
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… birds!
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