Music sets my soul alight. How do I actually make it?
June 30, 2013 12:25 AM Subscribe
I love music and I want to be a person who makes music, but I haven't been very successful with learning an instrument so far. How do I get out of this rut, or am I barking up the wrong tree? Details inside.
I have a decent job and a few outside interests but otherwise feel fairly unfulfilled. But when I listen to certain types of music, it gives me an indescribable feeling that I don't get from anything else. Specifically, traditional/blues/folk music inspires me in a way that nothing else does, especially the lyrics. This is all well and good, but I feel a need to *do* something with those feelings. The obvious thing to do is play music and sing (I play guitar poorly but enjoy singing a lot), but my technical music skills are really lacking. I get frustrated when what I play doesn't match what I want to hear. I've been "playing" guitar for ten years but haven't really made any progress (or been playing much) in the last eight. My question is two-part: 1) should I just enjoy listening to music and the feelings it gives me, and ignore the urge to do something, and 2) if I do try to make music, how do I get out of this progress rut and make music I like to hear?
I have a decent job and a few outside interests but otherwise feel fairly unfulfilled. But when I listen to certain types of music, it gives me an indescribable feeling that I don't get from anything else. Specifically, traditional/blues/folk music inspires me in a way that nothing else does, especially the lyrics. This is all well and good, but I feel a need to *do* something with those feelings. The obvious thing to do is play music and sing (I play guitar poorly but enjoy singing a lot), but my technical music skills are really lacking. I get frustrated when what I play doesn't match what I want to hear. I've been "playing" guitar for ten years but haven't really made any progress (or been playing much) in the last eight. My question is two-part: 1) should I just enjoy listening to music and the feelings it gives me, and ignore the urge to do something, and 2) if I do try to make music, how do I get out of this progress rut and make music I like to hear?
how do I get out of this progress rut and make music I like to hear?
Practice, practice, practice. But you might also consider that you don't have any talent and no amount of practice is going to change that. Practice will make you better, but it might never make you good. But so what?
I mean I can't hit a curveball - and will never be able to - but that doesn't diminish in any way the enjoyment of watching others who can and indeed all of my talentless practice helps me to appreciate people with real talent.
posted by three blind mice at 1:05 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Practice, practice, practice. But you might also consider that you don't have any talent and no amount of practice is going to change that. Practice will make you better, but it might never make you good. But so what?
I mean I can't hit a curveball - and will never be able to - but that doesn't diminish in any way the enjoyment of watching others who can and indeed all of my talentless practice helps me to appreciate people with real talent.
posted by three blind mice at 1:05 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's a perfectly valid option to enjoy listening to other people's music and yet demur from making your own. The last thing the world needs is more bad music.
For music especially, it takes a lot of time and effort to become proficient. Unless you're willing to put in this time and effort, for a long time the results are going to be painful to both your own ears and to the ears of those around you (even though they will be to polite to ever tell you so).
posted by dydecker at 1:10 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
For music especially, it takes a lot of time and effort to become proficient. Unless you're willing to put in this time and effort, for a long time the results are going to be painful to both your own ears and to the ears of those around you (even though they will be to polite to ever tell you so).
posted by dydecker at 1:10 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
From what you've written, I would suggest trying to find one or more people to play music with who are into the same style as you are. In your particular case, I don't even think you'd need to play guitar if you are struggling with it. Find someone else who enjoys playing folk/blues guitar (or several people), and you can focus on singing.
The best thing about folk/blues music is that you don't have to be amazing at your instrument in order to play it (compared to jazz or bluegrass, where you really need chops in order to get going). You just need someone to lay down a few chords, and you can play a bazzilion different songs (and there are more good songs than you could ever hope to learn). It is also a very large community, so finding other people to play with shouldn't be terribly difficult.
If you are serious about improving your guitar playing, than you will want to find a teacher who can assess your weaknesses and help you to move in a direction that is appropriate for what you want to do. Then, you'll need to practice, which is not the same as playing. Some focused practice for 30 minutes 3 times a week can do wonders for most people, assuming they are practicing the right things (which is why you want to find a teacher).
If writing music is really your goal more so than performing, you don't need to be a great guitar player at all. Just knowing how to play basic chords is enough to write songs. You may want to spend some time learning the chords of some of your favorite songs, and you might find that there are certain patterns that repeat throughout a lot of them. Once you can identify some of these patterns, it's a lot easier to start writing them yourself.
One exercise I find very helpful for learning how to write songs is to start with a very simple song that you already know (let's say the itsy bitsy spider). First, learn to play that. Next, write a new melody and lyrics to go over those chords. Now, take that melody and try using different chords underneath it. Experiment and see what sounds good. In this case, if you were playing in the key of C, try starting in G, or Am. The goal here is to start listening to how different chords react to the melody you've written. This is much more difficult than trying to write a melody to an established chord progression, which makes it a great way to branch out and stumble upon new sounds and textures. Once you find one or two new chords to put under your new melody, you will have a completely new song. It's a bit of work, but there's a process there, which helps to keep you from just sitting there lost in a sea of endless options.
Songwriting is a very different skill than playing music or singing, and requires time to hone your craft. I've been doing it for 15 years and I'm just now starting to feel like I've really found my voice. That doesn't mean that I haven't enjoyed it all along the way, but you have to go into this expecting things to be mediocre at best for quite some time. Working with others will help in this, since you'll have other people's experience to help elevate the level of your music. At times when you feel stuck, there will be someone else who can help to get things moving again.
Overall, try to put yourself in an environment with other people who are into the same thing, even if it's just going to a lot of local concerts. You'll feel connected to the scene, and that involvement will help you to get more out of it. It's much more fun to go to a show when you know a lot of the people there, and can discuss the music afterwards, even if it's with people you don't otherwise see in your life.
posted by markblasco at 1:43 AM on June 30, 2013 [7 favorites]
The best thing about folk/blues music is that you don't have to be amazing at your instrument in order to play it (compared to jazz or bluegrass, where you really need chops in order to get going). You just need someone to lay down a few chords, and you can play a bazzilion different songs (and there are more good songs than you could ever hope to learn). It is also a very large community, so finding other people to play with shouldn't be terribly difficult.
If you are serious about improving your guitar playing, than you will want to find a teacher who can assess your weaknesses and help you to move in a direction that is appropriate for what you want to do. Then, you'll need to practice, which is not the same as playing. Some focused practice for 30 minutes 3 times a week can do wonders for most people, assuming they are practicing the right things (which is why you want to find a teacher).
If writing music is really your goal more so than performing, you don't need to be a great guitar player at all. Just knowing how to play basic chords is enough to write songs. You may want to spend some time learning the chords of some of your favorite songs, and you might find that there are certain patterns that repeat throughout a lot of them. Once you can identify some of these patterns, it's a lot easier to start writing them yourself.
One exercise I find very helpful for learning how to write songs is to start with a very simple song that you already know (let's say the itsy bitsy spider). First, learn to play that. Next, write a new melody and lyrics to go over those chords. Now, take that melody and try using different chords underneath it. Experiment and see what sounds good. In this case, if you were playing in the key of C, try starting in G, or Am. The goal here is to start listening to how different chords react to the melody you've written. This is much more difficult than trying to write a melody to an established chord progression, which makes it a great way to branch out and stumble upon new sounds and textures. Once you find one or two new chords to put under your new melody, you will have a completely new song. It's a bit of work, but there's a process there, which helps to keep you from just sitting there lost in a sea of endless options.
Songwriting is a very different skill than playing music or singing, and requires time to hone your craft. I've been doing it for 15 years and I'm just now starting to feel like I've really found my voice. That doesn't mean that I haven't enjoyed it all along the way, but you have to go into this expecting things to be mediocre at best for quite some time. Working with others will help in this, since you'll have other people's experience to help elevate the level of your music. At times when you feel stuck, there will be someone else who can help to get things moving again.
Overall, try to put yourself in an environment with other people who are into the same thing, even if it's just going to a lot of local concerts. You'll feel connected to the scene, and that involvement will help you to get more out of it. It's much more fun to go to a show when you know a lot of the people there, and can discuss the music afterwards, even if it's with people you don't otherwise see in your life.
posted by markblasco at 1:43 AM on June 30, 2013 [7 favorites]
I respectfully disagree with the position that the world needs no more bad music and therefore it may be time to retire your guitar. The world could use more people who follow their creative impulse, unafraid of failure or looking the fool. If everyone quit the activities in which they couldn't attain perfection, all the folks who enjoy playing in the local baseball leagues would just stay home and watch the pros on TV.
My wife and I play guitar and banjo, respectively, and we play rather badly, but playing together is great fun and provides a structure and purpose to make progress. I would heartily second the idea of finding someone else of roughly equivalent skills with whom to jam. We've also found that taking music lessons is pushing us to try things outside our comfort zone and improving our skills.
posted by itstheclamsname at 3:11 AM on June 30, 2013 [15 favorites]
My wife and I play guitar and banjo, respectively, and we play rather badly, but playing together is great fun and provides a structure and purpose to make progress. I would heartily second the idea of finding someone else of roughly equivalent skills with whom to jam. We've also found that taking music lessons is pushing us to try things outside our comfort zone and improving our skills.
posted by itstheclamsname at 3:11 AM on June 30, 2013 [15 favorites]
Have you considered taking voice lessons and focusing on your voice, rather than the guitar?
If creating music isn't your talent, maybe you could start a blog about music or start writing about music. I just listened to NPR's "Sound Opinion" and it reminded me how much I like thinking and talking about music, and hearing other people talk about music (when it's not in a pretentious, hipster way). You could have a blog where you create different folk track lists based on a theme, or explore the history behind certain artists or songs. Writing about music would increase your knowledge about it and possibly your appreciation of it, too.
posted by shortyJBot at 3:53 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
If creating music isn't your talent, maybe you could start a blog about music or start writing about music. I just listened to NPR's "Sound Opinion" and it reminded me how much I like thinking and talking about music, and hearing other people talk about music (when it's not in a pretentious, hipster way). You could have a blog where you create different folk track lists based on a theme, or explore the history behind certain artists or songs. Writing about music would increase your knowledge about it and possibly your appreciation of it, too.
posted by shortyJBot at 3:53 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
Play and sing a lot. Do not compare yourself with the masters. If you painted as a hobby you wouldnt compare yourself with Picasso. Just by playing and singing in public you are doing something 90% of folk can't. Loving a thing you do and that feeling you describe are so rare that you must cherish the feeling. Progress at a pace you are comfy with in any way that works but most of all enjoy. I get out of my ruts by taking a few lessons, joining a new group, or investing in new kit.
posted by BenPens at 4:45 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by BenPens at 4:45 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm like you. I can't play guitar, clarinette, piano, accordion, flute, drums or violin very well. I've taken lesson in them all and my brain just can't make my hands do the right thing. It's really frustrating. I get pitchy when I sing. But I love to sing and play music and was always frustrated that I can't sing and play very well.
One day in Lahaina, I picked up a ukelele and got a lesson from the shop owner.
I downloaded Ukulele Tricks and spent no more than 3 hours watching how to play uke videos on YouTube, and I can play the uke as though I've been playing it for years.
It is incredibly easy to play. Give it a try. You learn 4 chords and can play almost anything.
(and yes...I know playing the uke has become a hipster cliche, but who cares?)
posted by kinetic at 4:45 AM on June 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
One day in Lahaina, I picked up a ukelele and got a lesson from the shop owner.
I downloaded Ukulele Tricks and spent no more than 3 hours watching how to play uke videos on YouTube, and I can play the uke as though I've been playing it for years.
It is incredibly easy to play. Give it a try. You learn 4 chords and can play almost anything.
(and yes...I know playing the uke has become a hipster cliche, but who cares?)
posted by kinetic at 4:45 AM on June 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
I also disagree with suggestions to ditch the guitar, at least until you try a couple of things to move above your current plateau.
It's really hard to become good at an instrument when you're playing it in isolation; without some kind of external pressure or goal it's easy to either plateau and keep playing those same couple of songs you know really well, or just leave the instrument in its case for months at a time. Finding a teacher wouldn't be a bad idea; a good one would be able to see the level you're currently at and work with you to set concrete things to work on; otherwise you're staring down this huge monolithic goal of "GET GOOD AT GUITAR" that's intimidating, and impossible to pin down.
There is nothing like playing with other people to improve your own playing; it helps tremendously with timing, playing chords by ear, and overall self-confidence. If you can find a beginner-friendly old-time jam in your area, definitely check it out. The nice thing about a friendly jam is that there are enough other instruments to cover up the occasional goof... and you can always sing on tunes you can't play. I've only been to one bluegrass beginner slow jam, because I quickly decided it wasn't for me; in an old-time jam, everyone just plays the tune at the same time, straight through for however many repetitions. In a bluegrass jam, everyone takes turns playing a lead, and it becomes more of a competitive thing. (YMMV... every jam is different, so it's worth checking out a few.)
Depending on where you are in L.A., you might want to check out the Blue Ridge Pickin' Parlor in Granada Hills; folk/bluegrass is their thing (I bought my first banjo & took a few lessons there) and I think they do a few sessions at different skill levels. Really nice folks.
Finally, on preview... kinetic makes a good point. If you can afford it, it's always worth trying different instruments; you never know which one is going to click.
posted by usonian at 4:58 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's really hard to become good at an instrument when you're playing it in isolation; without some kind of external pressure or goal it's easy to either plateau and keep playing those same couple of songs you know really well, or just leave the instrument in its case for months at a time. Finding a teacher wouldn't be a bad idea; a good one would be able to see the level you're currently at and work with you to set concrete things to work on; otherwise you're staring down this huge monolithic goal of "GET GOOD AT GUITAR" that's intimidating, and impossible to pin down.
There is nothing like playing with other people to improve your own playing; it helps tremendously with timing, playing chords by ear, and overall self-confidence. If you can find a beginner-friendly old-time jam in your area, definitely check it out. The nice thing about a friendly jam is that there are enough other instruments to cover up the occasional goof... and you can always sing on tunes you can't play. I've only been to one bluegrass beginner slow jam, because I quickly decided it wasn't for me; in an old-time jam, everyone just plays the tune at the same time, straight through for however many repetitions. In a bluegrass jam, everyone takes turns playing a lead, and it becomes more of a competitive thing. (YMMV... every jam is different, so it's worth checking out a few.)
Depending on where you are in L.A., you might want to check out the Blue Ridge Pickin' Parlor in Granada Hills; folk/bluegrass is their thing (I bought my first banjo & took a few lessons there) and I think they do a few sessions at different skill levels. Really nice folks.
Finally, on preview... kinetic makes a good point. If you can afford it, it's always worth trying different instruments; you never know which one is going to click.
posted by usonian at 4:58 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Banjo. It's really hard to get the basics of banjo down, but once you do, you're an asset to any group. Either that or buy a bass guitar and amp. Which is the opposite- really Hard to play well, easy to pick Up ans be basic at. You're already probably a good enough bass player to be in a garage punk band!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:05 AM on June 30, 2013
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:05 AM on June 30, 2013
I've been playing guitar for 17 years, but was never really that good at it (to be fair, I've been a pretty decent bass player in that time). I had trouble playing open chords, or playing anything other than power chords. A few things happened in the last year that actually made me feel like I had gotten good at guitar.
I learned to play the mandolin. I have smaller hands, and it was easier to play chords on the mandolin, this made it easier, eventually, to fret chords on the guitar. I re-read the book "Zen Guitar." It didn't help with any technique or anything, but put me in the right mindset to really learn to play. I found a guitar I loved to play, and then hung it up in the living room, so I end up playing nearly every day. Now, I can play open chords, things up the neck, and some cool songs.
posted by drezdn at 5:20 AM on June 30, 2013
I learned to play the mandolin. I have smaller hands, and it was easier to play chords on the mandolin, this made it easier, eventually, to fret chords on the guitar. I re-read the book "Zen Guitar." It didn't help with any technique or anything, but put me in the right mindset to really learn to play. I found a guitar I loved to play, and then hung it up in the living room, so I end up playing nearly every day. Now, I can play open chords, things up the neck, and some cool songs.
posted by drezdn at 5:20 AM on June 30, 2013
Banjo. It's really hard to get the basics of banjo down(A bit of a derail here but hopefully still relevant insofar as it give the OP more info to consider RE: checking out other instruments)
Clawhammer/frailing style banjo is much easier (IMO) than bluegrass banjo; I came to it from guitar, and already having the left hand mechanics down was a huge head start. The right hand takes some getting used to when you're used to platpicking, but after my first lesson I was already able to tab-read my way through 'Cripple Creek' - within a week I was able to play it smoothly at a modest tempo. Clawhammer is much better suited to solo playing, too.
posted by usonian at 5:37 AM on June 30, 2013
Nthing the "just keep practicing", because even if you only get good enough to play for your own self, you'll be happy. Right now I only play the Irish bodhran drum "well" enough to just make random banging noises along to "Solsbury Hill", but I feel really good when I do it, and that's the point.
But another idea for "what can I do with my love of music" is - have you looked into becoming a DJ or starting a music-fans' podcast?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:12 AM on June 30, 2013
But another idea for "what can I do with my love of music" is - have you looked into becoming a DJ or starting a music-fans' podcast?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:12 AM on June 30, 2013
You really need community to lift you. I can play guitar and piano a bit and I write lyrics and melodies, but I can sing way better than I can play and I totally understand your frustration - I hate not being able to make the instruments do what I hear in my head. However, playing at home to myself (or only with very old and forgiving friends) was making things worse because, as usonian says, it's too easy to stick to the stuff I know and just ignore the bits I get stuck on. Like you I'd totally plateaued.
A few months ago I found a local open mic night that is small and friendly and I've been going along just to listen. Some of the participants are killer guitarists, others rap to backing tracks, others sing acapella, there are a lot of different styles and approaches and it's totally inspired me. It's really, really great to be around people who also love making music and better still, even though the hardcore are technically very good, it's been brilliant to see how all the performers slip up and recover, and how they support each other.
Last week in a tipsy moment of abandon I finally got up and had a go - I was AWFUL! I didn't even finish the song - I was so surprised at hearing myself through a mic I completely froze, and then the thorny guitar bits I'd been handwaving away in the privacy of my own home became insurmountable and off the stage I came. However, after ten minutes of total shame and about two hours of gentle ribbing (but also encouragement) from the other performers I determined to go home and practise and do it better next time. Already I've started improving because I'm forcing myself to be selective about what might work best for my (limited!) capabilities, actually play songs through, isolate the hard bits and practise them and to listen back to myself singing. I'm definitely getting back up, but in the meantime I'm happy to sit in front and support the group from there - the audience is a key part of the dynamic and the players love to get direct feedback, good and bad.
So basically, if you have that feeling, you need to share it with sympathetic others. If you're musically inclined towards making sound (and not some kind of prodigious genius) you will benefit massively from testing and pushing yourself by joining in.
posted by freya_lamb at 6:42 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
A few months ago I found a local open mic night that is small and friendly and I've been going along just to listen. Some of the participants are killer guitarists, others rap to backing tracks, others sing acapella, there are a lot of different styles and approaches and it's totally inspired me. It's really, really great to be around people who also love making music and better still, even though the hardcore are technically very good, it's been brilliant to see how all the performers slip up and recover, and how they support each other.
Last week in a tipsy moment of abandon I finally got up and had a go - I was AWFUL! I didn't even finish the song - I was so surprised at hearing myself through a mic I completely froze, and then the thorny guitar bits I'd been handwaving away in the privacy of my own home became insurmountable and off the stage I came. However, after ten minutes of total shame and about two hours of gentle ribbing (but also encouragement) from the other performers I determined to go home and practise and do it better next time. Already I've started improving because I'm forcing myself to be selective about what might work best for my (limited!) capabilities, actually play songs through, isolate the hard bits and practise them and to listen back to myself singing. I'm definitely getting back up, but in the meantime I'm happy to sit in front and support the group from there - the audience is a key part of the dynamic and the players love to get direct feedback, good and bad.
So basically, if you have that feeling, you need to share it with sympathetic others. If you're musically inclined towards making sound (and not some kind of prodigious genius) you will benefit massively from testing and pushing yourself by joining in.
posted by freya_lamb at 6:42 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Professional musician here.
The feeling you get from music as a listener has absolutely nothing to do with the feeling you get from music as a musician. And that's in best case scenario, where you become a highly skilled musician (until you reach that point, it feels mostly like the grind and frustration of any learning process).
Which is not to say playing music isn't pleasurable in its own way. Though it's not pure pleasure, as performance is, in some ways, a titanic drag, because, just for one thing, even if you're really really good, you are anything but assured of having anyone give a damn. And even if you're popular, good luck making a living at it in an age where everyone indignantly believes your stock in trade ought to be free.
But the worst is this: after many years of hard work, if you do finally reach the point of fluency and seasoned experience, you will never be able to appreciate music like a "civilian" again, because you'll always listen with an overly insider-ish ear. You'll be hypercritical, you'll catch flaws you currently are oblivious to, and you will be immune to cheap tricks and cliches. You will hear process, not music. You will appreciate technical stuff, not errant magic. When puppeteers attend puppet shows, they watch the strings, y'know?
Let me make you feel better about this. I bet you like food, too. And it's certainly fun to cook. But on the eating side, isn't it nicer when someone who really cares whips up something for you, and you just eat and enjoy? Cooking pleasure and eating pleasure are separate things, and the latter's more fun by itself. And if you love to read, do you need to WRITE what you read? And, for that matter, is masturbation your top choice?
Leave the production of the music you want to enjoy listening to to specialists (and, re: the above-mentioned problem of lack of appreciation, really dig down and find great under-appreciated artists, and give them your support.....spread the word and actually BUY their stuff! Go to their gigs and be unhip enough to applaud with enthusiasm!).
But don't stop playing! Just let yourself off the hook of having to be any good at it. Find some of that soul light just in the pure doing, without judging how you actually sound. Trust me, having to be all worried about how you sound all the time is not a pleasant part of a musician's life! The ability to simply play for the joy of it (ala Bill Murray's karaoke in Lost in Translation....if you haven't seen the film, see it!) is a heady, heady pleasure.....but only if you allow yourself it.
posted by Quisp Lover at 7:21 AM on June 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
The feeling you get from music as a listener has absolutely nothing to do with the feeling you get from music as a musician. And that's in best case scenario, where you become a highly skilled musician (until you reach that point, it feels mostly like the grind and frustration of any learning process).
Which is not to say playing music isn't pleasurable in its own way. Though it's not pure pleasure, as performance is, in some ways, a titanic drag, because, just for one thing, even if you're really really good, you are anything but assured of having anyone give a damn. And even if you're popular, good luck making a living at it in an age where everyone indignantly believes your stock in trade ought to be free.
But the worst is this: after many years of hard work, if you do finally reach the point of fluency and seasoned experience, you will never be able to appreciate music like a "civilian" again, because you'll always listen with an overly insider-ish ear. You'll be hypercritical, you'll catch flaws you currently are oblivious to, and you will be immune to cheap tricks and cliches. You will hear process, not music. You will appreciate technical stuff, not errant magic. When puppeteers attend puppet shows, they watch the strings, y'know?
Let me make you feel better about this. I bet you like food, too. And it's certainly fun to cook. But on the eating side, isn't it nicer when someone who really cares whips up something for you, and you just eat and enjoy? Cooking pleasure and eating pleasure are separate things, and the latter's more fun by itself. And if you love to read, do you need to WRITE what you read? And, for that matter, is masturbation your top choice?
Leave the production of the music you want to enjoy listening to to specialists (and, re: the above-mentioned problem of lack of appreciation, really dig down and find great under-appreciated artists, and give them your support.....spread the word and actually BUY their stuff! Go to their gigs and be unhip enough to applaud with enthusiasm!).
But don't stop playing! Just let yourself off the hook of having to be any good at it. Find some of that soul light just in the pure doing, without judging how you actually sound. Trust me, having to be all worried about how you sound all the time is not a pleasant part of a musician's life! The ability to simply play for the joy of it (ala Bill Murray's karaoke in Lost in Translation....if you haven't seen the film, see it!) is a heady, heady pleasure.....but only if you allow yourself it.
posted by Quisp Lover at 7:21 AM on June 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
How much do you practice? If the answer is "less than an hour a day," then up your practice time to an hour a day. You WILL get better.
posted by KathrynT at 7:47 AM on June 30, 2013
posted by KathrynT at 7:47 AM on June 30, 2013
Please don't stop playing. itstheclamsname said it a lot better and more diplomatically than I would, but please don't stop playing. I recommend finding both a teacher and a community to play with, either of which should be available in the listings/calendar here. I have a long background in dealing with the L.A. Irish music scene and I can tell you that they would welcome you with open arms. It's a huge spectrum from new beginners to world-class professionals, but they all play because they love it. Stop by a session sometime to listen and see if it strikes you, then talk to one of the musicians. They tend to be extremely friendly.
But for the love of all that is good, do not stop playing. The one thing the world does need is more music, whether anyone else deems it "good" or not.
MeMail me if you want more L.A.-specific details.
posted by corey flood at 7:50 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
But for the love of all that is good, do not stop playing. The one thing the world does need is more music, whether anyone else deems it "good" or not.
MeMail me if you want more L.A.-specific details.
posted by corey flood at 7:50 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'd agree that it is better, all things being equal, to practice an hour a day than half that. But what do you do when you practice? Many people just play over stuff they already know. To improve, you have to identify things you are bad at or can't do, and focus on those. Example! Suppose you have problems changing chords smoothly on guitar. You know who else had trouble with this? Everyone. They got past it, and so can you. Find a slow tempo where you CAN change chords without dropping the beat, and work on slowly increasing it.
30 minutes of this kind of focused practice is better than an hour of kind of noodling around or of playing things you already can do. That's for fun, not for work.
The other piece of practice wisdom that I have been told, and that stuck with me, is to strive to make everything you practice sound musical. Don't turn off your brain and run up and down scales, concentrate and make going up and down the scale for the millionth time sound like a nice little piece of music. Try different dynamics and accents, concentrate on your time feel.
posted by thelonius at 8:03 AM on June 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
30 minutes of this kind of focused practice is better than an hour of kind of noodling around or of playing things you already can do. That's for fun, not for work.
The other piece of practice wisdom that I have been told, and that stuck with me, is to strive to make everything you practice sound musical. Don't turn off your brain and run up and down scales, concentrate and make going up and down the scale for the millionth time sound like a nice little piece of music. Try different dynamics and accents, concentrate on your time feel.
posted by thelonius at 8:03 AM on June 30, 2013 [5 favorites]
I'd consider getting professional guitar lessons. I've been "playing" guitar for years without any progress as well. I think that comes from not actually practicing or pushing myself. A teacher will probably do two things 1) Show you the right technique to play the songs you want. 2) Give you homework and force you to actually practice, instead of just dick around.
There's nothing wrong with simply enjoying listening to music and becoming an audiophile whose great at finding new music to enjoy. However, I totally understand the desire to make music too. For me, I let go of the idea of being able to cover other artist's songs. I let those stand on their own. They were too hard to play and learn. Instead, I just made up my own music in my style. It was about expressing myself.
Write songs and then record them so they will sound good and last. When the music I came up with was beyond what I could easily play, I used editing software to have my final recording reflect what I wanted the song to sound like and so I didn't need to record one perfect take. (I use Cool Edit Pro, I believe it's called Adobe Soundbooth now.) I also bought a synthesizer -- it doesn't take a lot of skill or know-how to produce great-sounding stuff. And you can multitrack to layer takes and create a full-sounding composition with more synth and guitar. So, I'd recommend you try to write your own music. It will start for you with little riffs and little one-minute songs, but it'll grow from you. You'll eventually write a song you think it really catchy, or that expressing the way you feel really well, and it'll feel good. I've been able to record hundreds of songs with free software and equipment entirely on my computer. Maybe they aren't masterpieces or anything, but it's not the point, I do it for me. I have posted some on a music sharing website. The feedback is nice, and so is meeting other amateur musicians who just do it for no other reason than the hell of it.
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:01 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
There's nothing wrong with simply enjoying listening to music and becoming an audiophile whose great at finding new music to enjoy. However, I totally understand the desire to make music too. For me, I let go of the idea of being able to cover other artist's songs. I let those stand on their own. They were too hard to play and learn. Instead, I just made up my own music in my style. It was about expressing myself.
Write songs and then record them so they will sound good and last. When the music I came up with was beyond what I could easily play, I used editing software to have my final recording reflect what I wanted the song to sound like and so I didn't need to record one perfect take. (I use Cool Edit Pro, I believe it's called Adobe Soundbooth now.) I also bought a synthesizer -- it doesn't take a lot of skill or know-how to produce great-sounding stuff. And you can multitrack to layer takes and create a full-sounding composition with more synth and guitar. So, I'd recommend you try to write your own music. It will start for you with little riffs and little one-minute songs, but it'll grow from you. You'll eventually write a song you think it really catchy, or that expressing the way you feel really well, and it'll feel good. I've been able to record hundreds of songs with free software and equipment entirely on my computer. Maybe they aren't masterpieces or anything, but it's not the point, I do it for me. I have posted some on a music sharing website. The feedback is nice, and so is meeting other amateur musicians who just do it for no other reason than the hell of it.
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:01 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Wow, typos galore. I hope what I wrote made sense. :)
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:10 AM on June 30, 2013
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:10 AM on June 30, 2013
Read Piano Lessons by Noah Adams. Take lessons and practice regularly. Find other amateur musicians, and play together for fun. Music is excellent, and shared music is even more so.
posted by theora55 at 10:31 AM on June 30, 2013
posted by theora55 at 10:31 AM on June 30, 2013
but my technical music skills are really lacking.
Unfortunately, technical skills really only develop over time, with lots of playing and with lots of fairly repetitive practicing of some fairly boring stuff, like scales, or changing chords smoothly. There are some people who seem to enjoy practicing fairly early in the process of learning an instrument, but I think for a lot of the rest of us we need to reach a certain level of skill before the "boring" stuff starts to become interesting in its' own right. Playing scales can be interesting if you've got the skills and ear to know the difference between, "Well, I went up and down the scale, so what?" and "Whoah, every note almost had the same duration and articulation and volume level and I almost didn't have to think about it! Lemme try that a few dozen more times and see if I can get it better!" But it can take a while to get to that point.
I get frustrated when what I play doesn't match what I want to hear.
Well, sure - we all feel that way. The question is what we can do about it, and again, the more developed your skills are, the easier it'll be to make what's in your head match what coming out of your mouth or through your fingers.
Just those two statements of yours make me Nth the suggestion of "Lessons." Because I'll bet what happened is that you picked up a guitar, fooled around with it on your own for a couple of years, and then basically dropped it because you weren't getting where you wanted to go fast enough.
A good teacher will be able to select material for you to learn that will strike a good balance between "possible" and "challenging", and provide immensely valuable feedback on whatever progress you're making (especially positive feedback - I think in learning anything creative it's hugely important to be told what you're doing right, so you can learn to repeat it.) The early period of learning an instrument can be kind of a hard, boring slog, but a good teacher can keep you interested and encouraged and enthusiastic about working on the basic, "minor" stuff, and you will hear yourself making progress. IOW, they'll be able to keep you focused on the trees, not the forest, and you won't be so frustrated that you can't play what you hear, and you'll kinda lose track of time, until one day - voila! You're actually playing a song you wanted to learn, and it sounds good, and you sort of didn't really notice how you got to that point.
I'll pretty much second what Quisp Lover says, though - "The feeling you get from music as a listener has absolutely nothing to do with the feeling you get from music as a musician." Which is not to say that you shouldn't get back to working on learning an instrument or improving your singing - you absolutely should go for it - but just a heads up that even getting pretty good at one or both might still not scratch that particular itch. So blogging or podcasting or something might be the way to go to satisfy that particular urge - and of course there's no reason you can't both learn and blog.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:34 AM on June 30, 2013
Unfortunately, technical skills really only develop over time, with lots of playing and with lots of fairly repetitive practicing of some fairly boring stuff, like scales, or changing chords smoothly. There are some people who seem to enjoy practicing fairly early in the process of learning an instrument, but I think for a lot of the rest of us we need to reach a certain level of skill before the "boring" stuff starts to become interesting in its' own right. Playing scales can be interesting if you've got the skills and ear to know the difference between, "Well, I went up and down the scale, so what?" and "Whoah, every note almost had the same duration and articulation and volume level and I almost didn't have to think about it! Lemme try that a few dozen more times and see if I can get it better!" But it can take a while to get to that point.
I get frustrated when what I play doesn't match what I want to hear.
Well, sure - we all feel that way. The question is what we can do about it, and again, the more developed your skills are, the easier it'll be to make what's in your head match what coming out of your mouth or through your fingers.
Just those two statements of yours make me Nth the suggestion of "Lessons." Because I'll bet what happened is that you picked up a guitar, fooled around with it on your own for a couple of years, and then basically dropped it because you weren't getting where you wanted to go fast enough.
A good teacher will be able to select material for you to learn that will strike a good balance between "possible" and "challenging", and provide immensely valuable feedback on whatever progress you're making (especially positive feedback - I think in learning anything creative it's hugely important to be told what you're doing right, so you can learn to repeat it.) The early period of learning an instrument can be kind of a hard, boring slog, but a good teacher can keep you interested and encouraged and enthusiastic about working on the basic, "minor" stuff, and you will hear yourself making progress. IOW, they'll be able to keep you focused on the trees, not the forest, and you won't be so frustrated that you can't play what you hear, and you'll kinda lose track of time, until one day - voila! You're actually playing a song you wanted to learn, and it sounds good, and you sort of didn't really notice how you got to that point.
I'll pretty much second what Quisp Lover says, though - "The feeling you get from music as a listener has absolutely nothing to do with the feeling you get from music as a musician." Which is not to say that you shouldn't get back to working on learning an instrument or improving your singing - you absolutely should go for it - but just a heads up that even getting pretty good at one or both might still not scratch that particular itch. So blogging or podcasting or something might be the way to go to satisfy that particular urge - and of course there's no reason you can't both learn and blog.
posted by soundguy99 at 10:34 AM on June 30, 2013
Find a buddy. It's like having an exercise buddy - someone to inspire you to practice and set deadlines/goals, and congratulate you on progress, and remind you that everybody's got a lot to learn - but better, since a large part of the joy of making music is making it with other people. To find a buddy, go out to a few jams, meet people who are also beginning, who are playing the kinds of songs you like, and chat with them afterwards. Swap phone numbers or facebook info, and see about getting together before the next jam; offer that they can teach you the thing they've been working on, and you can help back them, or you're happy to teach them that thing you know. A lot of learning comes from collaboration, and there's a lot of positive feedback in learning the same songs as a friend.
posted by aimedwander at 10:58 AM on June 30, 2013
posted by aimedwander at 10:58 AM on June 30, 2013
Just chiming in to say I have this exact same problem. I've been "playing" various instruments for years, but really what I do is practice for a week and then give up because practicing frustrates me.
What I did - which isn't necessarily what you should do - is tell myself that as passionate as I am about music, maybe the actual playing part isn't for me. I ended up taking up a different hobby where I enjoyed the process as much as the end result.
Also - I find that dancing to music helps me feel connected to it in a way that just listening to it doesn't.
posted by Autumn at 1:03 PM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
What I did - which isn't necessarily what you should do - is tell myself that as passionate as I am about music, maybe the actual playing part isn't for me. I ended up taking up a different hobby where I enjoyed the process as much as the end result.
Also - I find that dancing to music helps me feel connected to it in a way that just listening to it doesn't.
posted by Autumn at 1:03 PM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
You practice to hone your skills, but you need some kind of education as far as how music works. If you just play tabs and rhythm, you really don't learn why the composer chose those notes and that key.
posted by gjc at 5:24 PM on June 30, 2013
posted by gjc at 5:24 PM on June 30, 2013
nthing LESSONS.
posted by DMelanogaster at 7:33 PM on June 30, 2013
posted by DMelanogaster at 7:33 PM on June 30, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
how do I get out of this progress rut and make music I like to hear?
Ira speaks.
With trad-ish genres like BG and Celtic, there are lots of 'open' jams where old-hands can help bring newcomers along. I'd start showing up. Often.
Open Mics: wear out your welcome (ok, not really - but play out as much as you can). And don't judge yourself - just keep playing.
Also, you may need a teacher who can help you establish goals and milestones - then gently nudge you along. You'll have to shop around. Even as a pretty seasoned player, getting a teacher last year helped break a seven-year rut for me.
posted by j_curiouser at 12:55 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]