Originality Counts Now More Then Ever
May 5th 2009 22:59
Once upon a time, a long long time ago, it used to be easy to come up with something inventive and new, to inspire the people and stand out from everyone else.
Sitting down to write a lick or two was easy and you didn't have to worry about playing something thats already been done. You could pull out four of your favorite chords, ad in some personal touches, put down words and ta da! You had a song! Fresh, new and original.
If you haven't noticed, things are not the same today. Nor have they been since at least the early 90's. It amazes me that after the advent of alternative rock that really sky rocketed in the 90's, things seemed to fall flat..
I don't just mean out of tune, but that is included. It seems that all that inspiration from the post punk and alt rock era's have led into a time of uncreative musicians. Techno is about the nearest thing to creativity, and really is not all the creative, as it is just a bunch of loops layered over each other to preference.
If your on your way to becoming a Rockstar, here's something important to think about:
**A Good Clean Original Sound Will Take You Places**
As a person who spends at least 2,016 hours a year listening to knew, old and just plain weird songs, when your songs are original, and you can clearly understand the words, it sticks out!
Its not just a matter of having a good recording, although that is worth it in the long run. Its about not sounding exactly like all the other bands in your choosen genre.
Try this exercise. Go to your favorite music site, whether it be myspace, famecast, ourstage, or another highly populated music site. Once you've gotten there, choose a genre. Say "Punk", "Metal" or "Alt Rock". Once you choose one of those genre's take your time and listen to 50 songs, if you can bear it. When your done, take notice of the songs that stuck out and the ones that didn't.
Its an easy exercise, because you won't remember the ones that didn't stick out. They won't even make a blip in your mind from one song to the next. The songs that stick out will either suck so bad that you have to notice, or they will be so original and so good that you can't help but remember the name of the band who created it.
That means that out of 100 songs in any given genre, only 4 will truly stick out from the rest. 2 will be so bad that you note them just to avoid them, and 2 will be great and you'll want to hear more from the band. 2 out of 100!
If you've been reading these posts, then you've surely got a mind to seek out ways to improve what your doing. Take head to this post, and make sure your music is original and different (in a good way).
Here's Some Tips to Get You There:
*Get to Know Your Instrument on an Intimate Level:
I don't just mean learning another cover song that 100 other people know how to play. I mean, take some time when your alone and truly get to know your instrument. Whether its guitar, bass, keys, drums or a bag pipe. Truly sit down and play every single note thats available to you. Mess around with chord structures and octaves. Be crazy, be silly, and have some fun. Just make sure that you really know your instrument, know it like you know the back of your hands.
*Through Out the Theory's:
Ok, for any talented musician, it is important to understand the basics of music theory. It helps to understand what chords and notes sound good together, and why. But it can only take you so far. Once you know what chords sound good together, it can be difficult to take that trip back to the wild side and try to play outside of acceptable patterns.
For getting back to your creative side, its time to throw out the theorys about whats sounds good and what should go after a B flat. Just string together some random chords, play them out of timing for a while, and just have fun with them. Keep trying out different chords until it sounds good to your ears and you start to hear words and phrases coming from the next pattern you are playing. Don't be afraid to let go of the 'norm', as it will help you stick out.
*Words Are Everything:
Ok, this tip is tricky. Most people will tell you that nobody will take the time to listen to the actual words until they've heard it a ton of times. This puts out the idea that it really doesn't matter if they can hear the words, as long as the music is good.
This is not so! The clarity of your vocals is everything!
Now, that doesn't mean that you have to have the words of a poet and be highly articulant (although it helps), but it does mean that its important to articulate your words. Pronouncing and annunciating your words is a skill that few musicians truly have. On top of that, learning to project the voice so that those annunciated words are heard loud and clear, is even more of a challenge that just having clear words.
Sincerely, this is important. You don't have to have long clever sentences. A Verse can consist of 4 silly words that really have no genius meaning, as long as they are clearly spoken and clearly heard. This will make your music also stick out from the rest, as it is truly a hard challenge for many.
*Genre Bending:
Who ever said that you can't play rock n roll flamenco? Or classical punk? Maybe even some funky punk rock with a touch of RnB? Genre bending is not necessarily a new practice, but few can do it well.
All over you will see bands that have marked their genre, and it is usually a three way mix of genre's that they have grouped together to explain the mess of music they have created. Not to show that they have created something new and original.
When you try to genre bend, its important to truly learn all the aspects of the genre's you want to combind, as you will want them to compliment each other, not clash. If you want to combind funk and rock, you need to take the time to learn the different structures and playing style of funk, and of rock. Then when you feel comfortable, try to combind the parts of each genre that you like the most. And have fun!
*Don't Be Afraid to Sound Bad:
Do you remember what I said about the 2 out of 100 who sound so terrible they stick out that much. Guess what, thats not always such a 'bad' thing. There are plenty of bands on this earth that have made millions of dollars by sounding horrible.
Here's the trick though, they usually don't sound bad because of a lack of talent or creativity. Most of the time, those bands that sound that bad, are either just getting a hold of their creative side, and are having a ball, or they just like they're music that way.
Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Hendrix, Amber Ruth, and many others have done this.
Now, I don't want to suggest that you purposely go out and try to make crappy music. I just don't want you to be afraid of making music that isn't award winning material. Its a musicians true stepping stone to play both good and bad songs. It helps define the difference of what you feel is good or bad, and it helps you create the music you know others will love.
Just play. Love what your playing, and don't be afraid to try something knew.
Sitting down to write a lick or two was easy and you didn't have to worry about playing something thats already been done. You could pull out four of your favorite chords, ad in some personal touches, put down words and ta da! You had a song! Fresh, new and original.
If you haven't noticed, things are not the same today. Nor have they been since at least the early 90's. It amazes me that after the advent of alternative rock that really sky rocketed in the 90's, things seemed to fall flat..
I don't just mean out of tune, but that is included. It seems that all that inspiration from the post punk and alt rock era's have led into a time of uncreative musicians. Techno is about the nearest thing to creativity, and really is not all the creative, as it is just a bunch of loops layered over each other to preference.
If your on your way to becoming a Rockstar, here's something important to think about:
**A Good Clean Original Sound Will Take You Places**
As a person who spends at least 2,016 hours a year listening to knew, old and just plain weird songs, when your songs are original, and you can clearly understand the words, it sticks out!
Its not just a matter of having a good recording, although that is worth it in the long run. Its about not sounding exactly like all the other bands in your choosen genre.
Try this exercise. Go to your favorite music site, whether it be myspace, famecast, ourstage, or another highly populated music site. Once you've gotten there, choose a genre. Say "Punk", "Metal" or "Alt Rock". Once you choose one of those genre's take your time and listen to 50 songs, if you can bear it. When your done, take notice of the songs that stuck out and the ones that didn't.
Its an easy exercise, because you won't remember the ones that didn't stick out. They won't even make a blip in your mind from one song to the next. The songs that stick out will either suck so bad that you have to notice, or they will be so original and so good that you can't help but remember the name of the band who created it.
That means that out of 100 songs in any given genre, only 4 will truly stick out from the rest. 2 will be so bad that you note them just to avoid them, and 2 will be great and you'll want to hear more from the band. 2 out of 100!
If you've been reading these posts, then you've surely got a mind to seek out ways to improve what your doing. Take head to this post, and make sure your music is original and different (in a good way).
Here's Some Tips to Get You There:
*Get to Know Your Instrument on an Intimate Level:
I don't just mean learning another cover song that 100 other people know how to play. I mean, take some time when your alone and truly get to know your instrument. Whether its guitar, bass, keys, drums or a bag pipe. Truly sit down and play every single note thats available to you. Mess around with chord structures and octaves. Be crazy, be silly, and have some fun. Just make sure that you really know your instrument, know it like you know the back of your hands.
*Through Out the Theory's:
Ok, for any talented musician, it is important to understand the basics of music theory. It helps to understand what chords and notes sound good together, and why. But it can only take you so far. Once you know what chords sound good together, it can be difficult to take that trip back to the wild side and try to play outside of acceptable patterns.
For getting back to your creative side, its time to throw out the theorys about whats sounds good and what should go after a B flat. Just string together some random chords, play them out of timing for a while, and just have fun with them. Keep trying out different chords until it sounds good to your ears and you start to hear words and phrases coming from the next pattern you are playing. Don't be afraid to let go of the 'norm', as it will help you stick out.
*Words Are Everything:
Ok, this tip is tricky. Most people will tell you that nobody will take the time to listen to the actual words until they've heard it a ton of times. This puts out the idea that it really doesn't matter if they can hear the words, as long as the music is good.
This is not so! The clarity of your vocals is everything!
Now, that doesn't mean that you have to have the words of a poet and be highly articulant (although it helps), but it does mean that its important to articulate your words. Pronouncing and annunciating your words is a skill that few musicians truly have. On top of that, learning to project the voice so that those annunciated words are heard loud and clear, is even more of a challenge that just having clear words.
Sincerely, this is important. You don't have to have long clever sentences. A Verse can consist of 4 silly words that really have no genius meaning, as long as they are clearly spoken and clearly heard. This will make your music also stick out from the rest, as it is truly a hard challenge for many.
*Genre Bending:
Who ever said that you can't play rock n roll flamenco? Or classical punk? Maybe even some funky punk rock with a touch of RnB? Genre bending is not necessarily a new practice, but few can do it well.
All over you will see bands that have marked their genre, and it is usually a three way mix of genre's that they have grouped together to explain the mess of music they have created. Not to show that they have created something new and original.
When you try to genre bend, its important to truly learn all the aspects of the genre's you want to combind, as you will want them to compliment each other, not clash. If you want to combind funk and rock, you need to take the time to learn the different structures and playing style of funk, and of rock. Then when you feel comfortable, try to combind the parts of each genre that you like the most. And have fun!
*Don't Be Afraid to Sound Bad:
Do you remember what I said about the 2 out of 100 who sound so terrible they stick out that much. Guess what, thats not always such a 'bad' thing. There are plenty of bands on this earth that have made millions of dollars by sounding horrible.
Here's the trick though, they usually don't sound bad because of a lack of talent or creativity. Most of the time, those bands that sound that bad, are either just getting a hold of their creative side, and are having a ball, or they just like they're music that way.
Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Hendrix, Amber Ruth, and many others have done this.
Now, I don't want to suggest that you purposely go out and try to make crappy music. I just don't want you to be afraid of making music that isn't award winning material. Its a musicians true stepping stone to play both good and bad songs. It helps define the difference of what you feel is good or bad, and it helps you create the music you know others will love.
Just play. Love what your playing, and don't be afraid to try something knew.
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