|
Can you really "learn" to write *great* music just by working hard at it? (pg. 2)
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Subtle |
| quote: | Originally posted by Mr.Mystery
Most of the time it is.
Sure, you can learn to be your average (or slightly better) songwriter/producer/movie director/author/whatever but to truly shine and excel you need to have that something within you.
Edit:
Just to clarify, I'm mostly talking about creativity, not so much technical skill. |
I agree with that.
But you also need the skills to actually go through with the ideas you got, so what it really means is that you have to work very hard at music to unleash your potential.
Some has more potential than others, but can only be shown by actually reaching it.. which can take ALOT of time. |
|
|
| cryophonik |
I think the notion that people are "born with it" is complete BS. Allow me to blow my own horn (no pun intended) for a moment. I've been a musician since I could talk, went to college on a music scholarship and got a degree in Music Theory/Composition, and made a very successful career as a performer and session player for about 18 years of my life, but it didn't come easy. I had to practice my a$$ off and study the hell out of music theory to make all that happen. One thing that would piss me off more than just about anything was people saying things like "oh, you were born with such great talent", or "you're so gifted". That's complete BS and makes it seem like I didn't have to lift a finger to become an accomplished musician. Worse yet, I hear other people use "I guess I wasn't born with it" as an excuse for their dissatisfaction with their musical abilities, when the simple truth is obvious: they're just not working at it as hard as they need to.
Now, that said, I do believe that the ability to become a successful musician is something that is largely nurtured from an early age. Infants and children are the most highly influential life stage and that is the period in which we all learn lessons, values, and motor skills that play a hugely important role in our technical, cognitive, and creative abilities later in life. As a father, I see it in my 19-month old son on a daily basis. I give him pretty much free roam (supervised, of course) of the studio and he is free to strum guitars, bang on the piano and synths, turn knobs on preamps, sing into the microphone, etc. There is music playing constantly in our home and cars, and we buy him music toys regularly (bongos, drums, keyboard, etc.) The teachers at his daycare are amazed at his musical abilities. There's no doubt in my mind that he is going to be a far better musician than I could ever hope to be, simply because he started years ahead of me and has access to musical resources that I was still dreaming of when I was in my twenties. But, he wasn't born with it. He is learning the same way we all did. And, yes, he practices:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5DajzJa89w
:) |
|
|
| Zild |
| I think people can learn to play anything given enough hard work, but writing something great is totally different. |
|
|
| MOK |
Bwahaha! That makes me want to have a kid. |
|
|
| flutlicht junky |
Anyone can do anything, it's just your meta programs and filters that prevent you from achieving. Positive thinking can achieve much more than you think.
Having said that I do find it hard putting chords/melody into actual notes so I use THIS BEAST. Essential
One of reason why having mixed feelings moving over to a mac when a decent mini comes out. |
|
|
| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by cryophonik
Now, that said, I do believe that the ability to become a successful musician is something that is largely nurtured from an early age. Infants and children are the most highly influential life stage and that is the period in which we all learn lessons, values, and motor skills that play a hugely important role in our technical, cognitive, and creative abilities later in life. |
^ I think this might be the truth. Maybe music is like language -- it's all about learning it and working hard at it from the start. But poor learning (or no learning) in your early years will mean you can only be mediocre at best for the rest of your life. Nowhere near the people who had lots of early training and exposure. |
|
|
| pwnage1 |
When i was in 4th grade i started playing violin. I played until i was in 7th grade when i quit. Spending all that time playing other peoples music helped develop my ear quiet a bit. I didn't really think so until rather recently i was able to play the chord progression on a vocal track without having heard it before or without seeing the midi. When i was learning how to play violin i learned almost no music theory. I learned how to read notes that is it.
I don't think creativity can be taught, and i think everyone has it. People just don't use it. I think most people when they started off had worse melodies than they do now. Just learning some basic theory helped me develop new melodies.
A good melody to me is more about the phrasing. you can pick apart any good trance melody and put it into eighth notes and chances are you would come up with a melody that would make deadmau5 himself roll over in his grave. This is why i think when i am lacking inspiration developing a percussive track can help develop a melody.
Edit: If you take the time to try and make a good melody you can do it. I until recently would bash random notes on my keyboard and be like it i dont know music theory i am not going to bother with this anymore. But the couple times i have really sat there and worked at it for sometimes even 20 minutes for a four bar melody i came out with something i was actually satisfied with... then it was ruined with sub par production quality :p |
|
|
| parafrNalia |
| "You can do anything you put your mind to," is such bull. |
|
|
| hundred |
| quote: | Originally posted by parafrNalia
"You can do anything you put your mind to," is such bull. |
no you.
lsd. |
|
|
| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by parafrNalia
"You can do anything you put your mind to," is such bull. |
Maybe. There are two sides to this I guess...
1. Maybe the people who think they can "do anything" are just deluding themselves and wasting their time.
2. Maybe the people who think they're crippled by "lack of talent" or "lack of early training" are just using that as an excuse not to work harder. |
|
|
| pwnage1 |
| Those who think that you either can do it or can't i would like to hear sound examples of your songs when you first started producing and now. I am willing to bet that your melodies improved. Unless you had a background in music or something. |
|
|
|
|
