Do you have any formal training in playing an instrument or music theory? Any self-teaching?

When you were growing up, did your parents encourage you to play or create music? What sort of music did you grow up around?

Have you tried to compose, write songs, or produce your own tracks?

Curious about the musical backgrounds and activities of the posters in MD.

No. No. Yes. Rock. Yes.

I have almost 10 years of formal piano training. My mum encouraged me to learn an instrument when I was about 6, and I chose the piano. I grew up (pre-teen) listening to mostly classical music, and then started listening to grunge and prog-rock in my early teens, then electronica in my mid-late teens through to now.

I've dabbled a bit in producing, mostly trance and breaks, but I haven't had a lot of time to devote to it in the last few years. And the stuff I made wasn't very good lol

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I was taught music for three years at school: mostly theory although there was some piano stuff in there. Very little really, and my knowledge of music theory has mostly come about from learning what I needed to to DJ (time signatures, phrases, keys, etc.) and making music with my friend at university in the last two years.

My parents never really encouraged me with regards music: I was never forced to take lessons or anything. My Mum bought me a keyboard once after I expressed interest, but I didn't take any lessons.

My parents have fairly diverse tastes: my Dad likes prog rock (as all Dad's do), my Mum likes Motown and they both loved 80s new-wave and synth-pop. A lot of what they played when I was growing up was early 90s pop/rock like REM, Beautiful South, the Cranberries etc. A pretty inauspicious launch-pad for my love of electronic music, really.

As I mentioned in another thread, I've made some tracks with my friend at university, but we have musical differences that have prevented a strong collaboration forming. He has all the talent and no ideas or direction: I have loads of knowledge and ideas for great music but no compositional talent with which to realise it.

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Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24

Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Do you have any formal training in playing an instrument

Yes

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or music theory?

Yes

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Any self-teaching?

Yes

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When you were growing up, did your parents encourage you to play or create music?

No

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What sort of music did you grow up around?

Prog-rock - ELP, King Crimson and the likes

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Have you tried to compose, write songs, or produce your own tracks?

Yes

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When bread becomes toast, it can never go back to being bread again.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Do you have any formal training in playing an instrument or music theory? Any self-teaching?

Yep. Recorder (), clarinet, piano (self taught), mixing (self taught), and some production dabbling, self taught as well.

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When you were growing up, did your parents encourage you to play or create music? What sort of music did you grow up around?

Yes. I grew up with old rock from the 60's era on my father's side and then 60's era pop-oldies on my mom's side.

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Have you tried to compose, write songs, or produce your own tracks?

indeed.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Do you have any formal training in playing an instrument or music theory? Any self-teaching? -haha no.... When you were growing up, did your parents encourage you to play or create music? What sort of music did you grow up around? -Rock (AC/DA, zepplin, Jimmy Barnes etc). I use to watch video hits/rage, but stopped just before the whole RnB/hip hop thing took off. Have you tried to compose, write songs, or produce your own tracks? -I made a 30 second loop on FL that failed horribly

Used to play guitar/ukulele here and there...gave it up though.

When I have children, I'm really going to encourage them to take piano. Think it builds really good muusical understanding and discipline.

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Alex English - Tech House Mixes

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Originally posted by siastyle Okay iv hurd the Album and lemmi tell you guyz.... Tiesto is gono make it back to the top again with these hits. The thing about it is that hes trying 2 bring a new style tho just like he did with Just be and it worked. they songs areunt TOO HIGHT up. but the vocals acaully are the best thing in 2007. The Track Carpe Noctum is like traffic but it hink he could of prefected the shit ouf it. but generalllyy its an amazing album...oh and Ten Seconds Before Sunrise is like Forever today TIMES 12

Violinist
Church choral repertoire

Some composing, but mainly for exams and the suchlike.

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Originally posted by DJ Mikey Mike Social outcasts are often of the opinion that they must have a drink before being able to loosen up with their inhibitions, thus being able to have a good time. There's a word that sums up this sort of behaviour, and that word is 'reject.'

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Do you have any formal training in playing an instrument or music theory?

no. i wish i had though. we did have to play the recorder at school though. i learned one song with it and i think it had like 2 or 3 notes. after that i just pretended to play as we never had to play solo.
also later on in school i've tried playing drums and piano and some other instruments as well and i couldn't play any of them at all. i also can't sing worth crap. if i had the time and the money i'd learn to play piano and drums at least.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Any self-teaching?

not really. i've studied some music theory, but not well enough to actually mention it in a conversation. most of what i've studied has something to do with djing.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles When you were growing up, did your parents encourage you to play or create music?

i don't think they did, at least i can't remember. altho my dad played the guitar

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles What sort of music did you grow up around?

crap "parents'" music. mainly finnish iskelmä. dunno what the english equivalent of iskelmä would be, but i can assure you that most of it is really bad. pop music for adults, but worse.
which is funny though as my dad is really enthusiastic about music, like me, but he has the worst taste.
my mom isn't so into music, but she has a lot better taste than my dad, even though i don't like most of the stuff she likes and vice versa.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Have you tried to compose, write songs, or produce your own tracks?

no i haven't. i don't think i'm creative enough musically to do it and also i wouldn't know how to, so i've decided to spare everyone from hearing more crap.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Curious about the musical backgrounds and activities of the posters in MD.

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Get Dropbox, with 250 MB extra space!

I grew up in a home where there was music playing just about all the time. My dad is a music enthusiast and owns a ridiculous amount of records. In fact, he was the one to even introduce me to EDM via Kraftwerk, Yello and others.

I never had any musical training but being around all that music all the time really had an impact on me and my brother - we both started producing and my brother's also a drummer in a punk/rock band. I chose the electronic/DJ path because I always found that stuff fascinating. I used to toy around with tape loops and whatnot as a kid.

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Latest releases:
Endless Cycles [Capital Heaven]
The Charlatan [Morphosis]

my dad was into his music, i got bought a half sized electric guitar at the age of 6 but failed to learn it, played voilin for 2 years in primary school, quit that lol

later on in my teens i met a friend who played guitar and got back into it, played for a few years and still playing since but now playing bass and learning scales/progressions. got into mixing at the age of 15, producing came a little later at the age of 16-17. most of my knowledge was done by ear and simple theory (i did have half a year of music theory in college but it was just pointess words to me) guitar helped with figuring out tunings of certain songs etc

now i dabble in producing rock/punk songs with friends and the 4 track lol

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Found Atlantis - Mixography [mix archive/mokumentary/my soul]?
i writed a song.