If I've learned anything over the past 6 months, it's that we all hold onto life by a string, and that anything can happen to diminish our skills. I've always wanted to make an electronic music record, because I've been into synths for a long time. I like the genre. I've liked it ever since I first heard "Switched On Bach," by Walter/Wendy Carlos, and the electronic scores by composers like Carlos, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, etc.
But for the past 25 years, I found excuses not to do it. "There's no purchase order, I only go to the studio for my professional work." "I'm in the studio all day to make a living, I need to relax when I'm not working."
And most lately, "I'm too old. Who's going to take my music seriously?" Etc
And all these excuses have their truths. But they have their drawbacks. As a result, the only record I've released in the past umpteen years is a rock record I produced for a young singer-songwriter, where I played most of the parts. That's it.
Everything else? A TV ad, or on occasion, a TV documentary. That's kind of nuts, isn't it? What kind of creative legacy is that? Music for hire is different from music from the heart!
Well, with the nerve damage to the hand, I've spent more time with my synths again, and I've decided to write some material, not for sale, but for me. For the art of it. For the fun. If and when the hand recovers, I'll be able to do more on guitar.
So I've decided, I'm just going to do it. If it's not good, so be it. Some of it will be better than other parts of it. So in the past few weeks, I've recorded three pieces I kinda like. They're simple, they're utterly electronic, they're no big deal, but they're reflective of what I feel like doing when I do them. They're my own music - by that I mean, there's no client saying, "could you make that part louder, and we want to hear a guitar in there and I don't like that part could you take that out?"
That's big! It's all about me! Yours could be all about you!
And I thought, I have so many friends here who have the ability to write and record music. Some of them are doing it, some are waiting for god only knows what to get started.
Here's the thing. One day you might wake up with issues relating to your ability to do the work at all. One day, you won't wake up. Don't wait for that to happen.
Do your thing. Allow yourself to release your music to the world. It might be well received, it might be ignored, it might criticized, or be just a fun thing for you and your family. But it feels really, really good to do it. And if someone doesn't like it, well, that's their business. All you can control is what you create, you can't control how the world responds to it.
Though you may surprise yourself...
I sent my 3 pieces to my kids to get feedback. Well, I'm their Dad, so maybe they just wanted to make me feel good, but...guess what - they DID make me feel good. They said they loved it. I'm on Cloud 9. Don't wait. Do it. Do it before you find yourself unable to do it. I will tell you, that happens all too soon.
But for the past 25 years, I found excuses not to do it. "There's no purchase order, I only go to the studio for my professional work." "I'm in the studio all day to make a living, I need to relax when I'm not working."
And most lately, "I'm too old. Who's going to take my music seriously?" Etc
And all these excuses have their truths. But they have their drawbacks. As a result, the only record I've released in the past umpteen years is a rock record I produced for a young singer-songwriter, where I played most of the parts. That's it.
Everything else? A TV ad, or on occasion, a TV documentary. That's kind of nuts, isn't it? What kind of creative legacy is that? Music for hire is different from music from the heart!
Well, with the nerve damage to the hand, I've spent more time with my synths again, and I've decided to write some material, not for sale, but for me. For the art of it. For the fun. If and when the hand recovers, I'll be able to do more on guitar.
So I've decided, I'm just going to do it. If it's not good, so be it. Some of it will be better than other parts of it. So in the past few weeks, I've recorded three pieces I kinda like. They're simple, they're utterly electronic, they're no big deal, but they're reflective of what I feel like doing when I do them. They're my own music - by that I mean, there's no client saying, "could you make that part louder, and we want to hear a guitar in there and I don't like that part could you take that out?"
That's big! It's all about me! Yours could be all about you!
And I thought, I have so many friends here who have the ability to write and record music. Some of them are doing it, some are waiting for god only knows what to get started.
Here's the thing. One day you might wake up with issues relating to your ability to do the work at all. One day, you won't wake up. Don't wait for that to happen.
Do your thing. Allow yourself to release your music to the world. It might be well received, it might be ignored, it might criticized, or be just a fun thing for you and your family. But it feels really, really good to do it. And if someone doesn't like it, well, that's their business. All you can control is what you create, you can't control how the world responds to it.
Though you may surprise yourself...
I sent my 3 pieces to my kids to get feedback. Well, I'm their Dad, so maybe they just wanted to make me feel good, but...guess what - they DID make me feel good. They said they loved it. I'm on Cloud 9. Don't wait. Do it. Do it before you find yourself unable to do it. I will tell you, that happens all too soon.
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