Post: #26

(10-22-2013 02:50 PM)FourToTheFloor Wrote:  The ability to play the piano or any other instrument is cool, no doubt, but it's not exactly rare. Have you written a classical piece?

I ask because many people play instruments. I myself can play guitar at a fairly high level, but because I find the instrument to be sonically exhausted in music, I've moved on to electronic synthesis.

What I'm saying is that playing an instrument =\= being a talented songwriter.

Yeah - I agree that guitars are getting boring now. I have heard a few people say this as well. Indeed - it may be the reason behind the decline in guitar bands over the past ten years.

Post: #27

(10-23-2013 01:17 AM)cardguy Wrote:  Yeah - I agree that guitars are getting boring now. I have heard a few people say this as well. Indeed - it may be the reason behind the decline in guitar bands over the past ten years.

The cost of entry to music is always going to drop, and basic guitar is easy to learn - one chord, two fingers, three strings, move it up and down and you've got a song.

Even women can pick that up, witness the 'riot girl' stuff from the 90's, which even produced some decent music.

When I record a track or play live, I want to make people feel something from the music. It doesn't have to be 'the best' or world-changing, and I don't care whether it's technically challenging or not, it's knowing that it means something to someone.

"I'd hate myself if I had that kind of attitude, if I were that weak." - Arnold

Post: #28

(10-21-2013 07:34 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  I'll use David Gilmore, the guitarist for Pink Floyd as an example. He's one of my favorite guitarists. He's not the most technically gifted as far as speed goes, but he's got one of the most unique and brilliant styles out of any guitarist.

David Gilmore sings with his guitar. Not a single note is extraneous or out of place. Each bend and run serves a purpose. His guitar solos on "Time" and "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" are absolutely timeless and it's hard to imagine a world where they don't exist. That's fucking musicianship right there; composing something that is timeless and perfectly captures the feeling of what they're singing about.


Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead comes to mind as well. Again, you'll never see him shred like John Petrucci or Marty Friedman, but the sounds and lyricism that comes from his guitar is something that comes along only a handful of times per generation. The focus is not on technique, although it's solid, it's on producing music, something that's becoming more and more rare.

You can't underestimate natural musical talent.

This is true. no bs, I met J Mascis yesterday and hung out with him for a little bit. Super down to earth, friendly guy, one of the greatest guitarists in our generation.

Have also been listening to Animals a lot lately, Gilmore shines there and I think its some of his heaviest melodic playing.

Greenwood is a genius and made Radiohead what it is, without him you basically have Thom Yorke solo... Greenwoods sountrack compsition for There Will Be Blood imho is some of his finest work. The Creation Records class of guitar players he came out of in the late 80's from England produced some of the best guitarists of the modern era; J Spaceman, Kevin Sheilds, Adam Franklin, etc.

Post: #29

(10-22-2013 04:58 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  But I do wholeheartedly believe in talent when it comes to musical composition. Everyone hears music differently and different music comes to different people. Some of is it better than others.

SO, so true...playing is so much "easier" than writing (well)! You rarely hear musicians talking about "playing block"...but plenty have suffered from "writer's block", myself included. The late Jerry Garcia is a perfect example - he LOVED to play the guitar; would sit for hours on end and practice, but he HATED writing music. He worried about repeating himself, being too derivative, etc. Steely Dan mastermind Donald Fagen has also been vocal about dealing with long periods of writer's block. But when it flows (for me, I write my best music when there is some sort of stress/conflict in my personal life) ~ grab your figurative muse and bone her hard before she disappears again!

The payoff to composing/recording is that you're able (particularly in this day & age of home recording) to polish your music to a fine sheen; it becomes a great DHV tool. Bring a chick back your place, put on your tracks and hopefully she'll say, "wow - this is great music, who is it?" My music is really eclectic - classical/jazz/fusion/world/EDM/etc., and I've seen it have an almost-hypnotic effect on women ("you wrote all of this???") AND because it's "done" and playing on your system - it becomes the perfect mood-setter to escalate!

My new studio space - drums, congas, vibraphone & MalletKat not shown.

Post: #30

Sick setup man. Nice lute too. I could spend hours in a space like that, esp with a J

Post: #31

(10-23-2013 05:02 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  esp with a J

Definitely...thanks!

Post: #32

(10-23-2013 07:43 PM)StudebacherHoch Wrote:  

(10-23-2013 05:02 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  esp with a J

Definitely...thanks!

massive props, thats what I call livin, care to mentor anyone here?

Post: #33

Regarding the OP's question...

I write my best music when I am just absolutely sick of all the music that is out there. However, I will hit writers block when there is a record out there that I enjoy listening to. Is my music my favorite? Yes and no. There are elements of songs that I write that I think are above all, but there are also elements that could have beed done better. The problem is, the longer you take to perfect something born from creativity, the more mediocre you will make it. There is no perfect song from start to finish. Its flaws are what give it character. When you try to write a perfect song then you just end up writing a song that sounds like everything else in the genre. Make sense?

Post: #34

(10-23-2013 10:51 AM)StudebacherHoch Wrote:  

(10-22-2013 04:58 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  But I do wholeheartedly believe in talent when it comes to musical composition. Everyone hears music differently and different music comes to different people. Some of is it better than others.

SO, so true...playing is so much "easier" than writing (well)! You rarely hear musicians talking about "playing block"...but plenty have suffered from "writer's block", myself included. The late Jerry Garcia is a perfect example - he LOVED to play the guitar; would sit for hours on end and practice, but he HATED writing music. He worried about repeating himself, being too derivative, etc. Steely Dan mastermind Donald Fagen has also been vocal about dealing with long periods of writer's block. But when it flows (for me, I write my best music when there is some sort of stress/conflict in my personal life) ~ grab your figurative muse and bone her hard before she disappears again!

The payoff to composing/recording is that you're able (particularly in this day & age of home recording) to polish your music to a fine sheen; it becomes a great DHV tool. Bring a chick back your place, put on your tracks and hopefully she'll say, "wow - this is great music, who is it?" My music is really eclectic - classical/jazz/fusion/world/EDM/etc., and I've seen it have an almost-hypnotic effect on women ("you wrote all of this???") AND because it's "done" and playing on your system - it becomes the perfect mood-setter to escalate!

My new studio space - drums, congas, vibraphone & MalletKat not shown.

I'm jealous of your home studio rig.

::drools::