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musical inquisition

Started by tyrannosaurus vex, March 11, 2008, 05:13:07 AM

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tyrannosaurus vex

this is a question i've been meaning to ask somebody for a while. i don't very often IRL because people think it's a stupid question or something. but, this is the internets, and all questions here are stupid.

musicians write/perform music, usually. but do you think that sometimes, like with truly great pieces of musical art, musicians aren't writing the music so much as like accidentally stumbling across the songs?
Evil and Unfeeling Arse-Flenser From The City of the Damned.

The Littlest Ubermensch

Perhaps. A lot of the creative process isn't necessarily intentional, so much as it's stumbling across something interesting in the subconscious/collective unconscious/whatever. It's all a matter of the kind of musician. Some are very stream-of-consciousness while others prefer to be in control of every aspect of their music, and I'd imagine it's the more stream of consciousness types who stumble across their songs rather than write them.
[witticism/philosophical insight/nifty quote to prove my intelligence to the forum]

LISTEN TO MY SHOW THURSDAY 5-7 EST

THEN GO TO MY MYSPACE

AFK

Quote from: vexati0n on March 11, 2008, 05:13:07 AM
this is a question i've been meaning to ask somebody for a while. i don't very often IRL because people think it's a stupid question or something. but, this is the internets, and all questions here are stupid.

musicians write/perform music, usually. but do you think that sometimes, like with truly great pieces of musical art, musicians aren't writing the music so much as like accidentally stumbling across the songs?

I think it depends on the musician.  I think there are musicians who do sit down and note-by-note compose pieces on paper.  They'll sit down at a piano, figure out melodies and rhtymic patterns and scrawl it down.

Personally, I'm more of an "in-the-moment" musician.  I've been in a few different bands.  One where we somewhat, methodically crafted tunes, another where we just played to see what would come out. 

Of all the tunes I've written myself, most just kind of happened.  I didn't set out to write a particular riff, I just turn on my drum machine, pick a random rhythm, and see what happens.  Actually, I sometimes find it very difficult when I do work a rhytm out in this matter, to recreate it on a recording.  Because, I feel whem music is spontaneous is when it's at it's most primal and when it is most powerful.  When you then play that piece over and over again, while recording, to perfect it, I feel some of the life gets sucked out of it.  I don't know if others experience this or if I'm just thinking about it too much.
Cynicism is a blank check for failure.

LMNO

Often, my best pieces come in two ways:
1.  some sort of musical or rhythmic pattern will just pop into my head, and i have to rush to the nearest tape recorder, or quickly scrawl down some notation.
2.  I'll be fooling around on an instrument, and it will make this awesome sound that I just have to use somehow.




After that, It's just a matter of sweating blood to come up with the rest of it.






LMNO
-bloody handkerchief.

dr retard

When i make music for The Toilet i never know what the hell is gonna happen.
It´s all just based on sudden notions. And im always surprised what it sounds like afterwards.

I guess the music making process very individual, but it seems like 90% of all people making
music likes to have control, structure, follow certain musical rules, and order.
I know i dont for sure. I steal, fuck shit up and spew out new excrements. PLUNDERPHONICS.

http://www.myspace.com/toiletpower



singer

Some of my most satisfying stuff has emerged in my head almost in one piece... usually when I'm driving, or in the shower, or someplace that makes it hard to do what LMNO said and run to a tape recorder to get at least the melody line down...  there have even been a couple times when I woke up having dreamed a nice little riff.... which usually causes me to fire up the basement studio long enough to get it out of my head so I can go back to sleep.

The most unsatisfactory stuff I have ever done was bludgeoned to death with logic and theory and "resolve to a Major always happens after a dissonant Minor" kind of thinking... I have one particular tune in mind right now.... I've gone 3 out of 5 falls with it and put it down each time because I just can't get past the rules to find the right feel... meh... maybe 5 out of 7?
"Magic" is one of the fundamental properties of "Reality"

AFK

The important question is do you have any MP3s of your music to share with the rest of the class? 
Cynicism is a blank check for failure.

LMNO

Quote from: singer on September 12, 2008, 12:15:54 PM
The most unsatisfactory stuff I have ever done was bludgeoned to death with logic and theory and "resolve to a Major always happens after a dissonant Minor" kind of thinking... I have one particular tune in mind right now.... I've gone 3 out of 5 falls with it and put it down each time because I just can't get past the rules to find the right feel... meh... maybe 5 out of 7?

Have you tried The Oblique Strategies?

dr retard

Will post a bunch of dis(co)order(dian)organ(disco)party(hu)tyj(do)pe()Ddk)Ssdd(assd()=AA

right

now.

http://squalorbase.com/bulldozer/bbc_skiva/toilettest/

HAPPY PLEASURE!

singer

Quote from: LMNO on September 12, 2008, 02:22:59 PM
Quote from: singer on September 12, 2008, 12:15:54 PM
The most unsatisfactory stuff I have ever done was bludgeoned to death with logic and theory and "resolve to a Major always happens after a dissonant Minor" kind of thinking... I have one particular tune in mind right now.... I've gone 3 out of 5 falls with it and put it down each time because I just can't get past the rules to find the right feel... meh... maybe 5 out of 7?

Have you tried The Oblique Strategies?
Oooh... thanks... I tried the on-line deck but couldn't get network access.... so then I went to the diary and this was the first thing that popped up.... Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance 
Now.... how cool is that?
"Magic" is one of the fundamental properties of "Reality"

LMNO

Do Never Test the Oblique Strategies.

singer

Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on September 12, 2008, 02:14:39 PM
The important question is do you have any MP3s of your music to share with the rest of the class? 

I'm lucky that (old dog that I am) I'm able to mix down in CD format.  :roll:

I've never made or shared an MP3 version of any of my stuff yet... (my purpose is primarily to get the insistent little buggers out of my head... so I can make room for more...) but, if you could point me to a simple tutorial I would be willing to give it a shot.
"Magic" is one of the fundamental properties of "Reality"

AFK

Quote from: singer on September 12, 2008, 03:47:19 PM
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on September 12, 2008, 02:14:39 PM
The important question is do you have any MP3s of your music to share with the rest of the class? 

I'm lucky that (old dog that I am) I'm able to mix down in CD format.  :roll:

I've never made or shared an MP3 version of any of my stuff yet... (my purpose is primarily to get the insistent little buggers out of my head... so I can make room for more...) but, if you could point me to a simple tutorial I would be willing to give it a shot.

LMNO is the (far) better engineer, I'd ask him. 
Cynicism is a blank check for failure.

Voodoo

Music always just flows through me.  Same with all other art type things.

I know I am slow, but I only realized this year after reading several articles that Jimmy Page REALLY does believe that the reason Zep was good was due to black magic.  

I think when the music flows through you people can believe weird things -- like Jimmy Page, like black gospel churches, etc.

for me, trying to chart out music based on theory only works for adding chord tones to jazz licks.

LMNO

Quote from: singer on September 12, 2008, 03:47:19 PM
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on September 12, 2008, 02:14:39 PM
The important question is do you have any MP3s of your music to share with the rest of the class? 

I'm lucky that (old dog that I am) I'm able to mix down in CD format.  :roll:

I've never made or shared an MP3 version of any of my stuff yet... (my purpose is primarily to get the insistent little buggers out of my head... so I can make room for more...) but, if you could point me to a simple tutorial I would be willing to give it a shot.

Step 1:

Load the CD into your computer.  (Cut a hole in the box.)

Step 2:

Use iTunes or some other music program to copy your songs on to the computer in MP3 format. (Put your junk in that box.)

Step 3:

Go to http://mihd.net and upload the MP3s from your computer. (Make her open the box.)



And that's how you doooo iiiiit.... IT'S MY DICK IN A BOX!