Am I the only one here?

[LiquidBeats2]

Right, let's get straight to the point:
I love music, I m a professional DJ for 7 years now, I KNOW what I like and what I dont like.I started 1 year ago making my own tunes, when I joined a course for audio engineering.In fact, I ve only completed only one tune...
I always start with some drums,a nice bass, and whatever else I try to fit in just doesn't seem to be working/sounding well, and after spending a while playing with the patch of the sound module I end up getting bored already with what I have... Ok, the fact that I m not musically trained doesn't help either, but I'm convinced u dont have to be musical to write electronic music.At least I can tell really easy if 2 notes sound good together...
I don't know how to call it...
I'd like to call it lack of inspiration, instead of lack of talent.
Any help?

 

[offthebeat]

i find that using high quality samples and instruments helps to boost your insparation.

Even if piano is clear and crisp the sound can be inspiring.

 

[matt42]

I'm convinced u dont have to be musical to write electronic music

Not sure where you get that idea from. Sure you don't need to be classically trained, but perhaps if you knew a bit more you wouldn't keep getting stuck.

I'd like to call it lack of inspiration, instead of lack of talent.

If a lack of musical knowlage is holding you back, that is in no way a lack of talent.

To make beats it takes effort, practice and learning. When you can actually make beats thats when you're inspiration will be able to kick in.

Keep at it, you'll get there!

 

[FastSamurai]

i find that using high quality samples and instruments helps to boost your insparation.

Even if piano is clear and crisp the sound can be inspiring.

Yeh that's true. When i create a melody i hum it in my head and then try to lay it down in sequencer. But i have no those good sounding instrument libraries and this makes me feel that's something wrong. Even if i like the melody but i dont like the sound of instrument i get frustrated and can't finish my beat.
I know i could finish it all the same and save as midi, and maybe later when i got nice library i could change instrument but i can't go ahead coz the sound dusn't gimme an inspiration.

 

[R2B]

I reckon people who start making music should first realise what they expect from themselves in music and especially ask themseleves if they can live up to those expectations. Nobody is born a 100% complete musician, ie. composer and instrumentalist and arranger and producer and performer. Those few who get close to it - at least the public is made to believe by the media that they do - have a couple of things that many others don't have, apart from talent. That is especially persistance (and plenty of it) and a sense for proportion.

If you get easily thrown off your idea by sounds/samples -or the lack of it- there's probably a 'problem' right there. If your expectation is to be a composer you shouldn't have to worry about sounds while you're composing.

A good song is a good song no matter what sounds it's played with. I admit even a brilliant song can sound cheesy if you don't have the 'right' sounds. BUT if you worry too much about sound while you're composing the odds are high that you'll never finish it cos you get thrown off your initial inspiration. Composing and arrangement are closely related but truly two different things that require different skills. Trying to do both at the same time at an early stage of the track can easily end up in aimless tinkering.

Synth sounds programming is yet another thing requiring different skills. Sampling and audio file editing still another.

Just as a reality check, check out the credits on HipHop tracks that basically only consist of samples from other artists. Meaning not only on the HipHop track itself but the credits of the sampled tracks too. In most cases you'll end up with a long list of contributing artists - for composition, vocal arrangement, string arrangement, synth programming, drum programming, performing musicians, producers, engineers etc.....

Another thing, nearly all brand name composing/producing artists create hundreds of duds during their career. Unfinished ideas, unreleased tracks, plain stinkers....

I reckon everybody who creates music from scratch should be able to realise when it's time to move on after getting stuck but also wonder why they get stuck if it's often at the same point. And then think about what a realistic ambition in music really is for them.

easy
B#

 

[balma]

Necessary ingredients:

Focus on what you`re doing.

Never, NEVER give up. Some people, abandon music when they become pesimistic and focus only on the obstacles you find on the way.

Trust in yourself. Be always sure that you`re gonna be successful. You were born for that.

Feel comfortable when composing.

Perseverance, be stubborn.

 

[backzpace]

i spent six hours last night writing 8 bars of music for three solo instruments. it doesn't always come right away, i've got to work my ideas so every sound compliments the next one. the only way it wasn't going to work is if i left it there to rot. it takes years to begin hearing the harmonic colorations...

work each melodic line together so that every bit of sound is coordinated. it's like cooking... you're not going to throw all your favorite ingredients together to make one meal... you're going to arrange your spices to compliment your veggies and cook them together for 5 five minutes and move on to the meats.

if composing isn't your thing and you prefer mixing well then spend your time getting the hottest signal from your tracks. after spending 30-40 hours writing some of my music i then take another 50 hours just mixing (eq'ing, compressing, reverbing, ect.). in the production world these elements are all as important as the next one and so forth.

gl,
A

 

[dvyce]

Ok, the fact that I m not musically trained doesn't help either, but I'm convinced u dont have to be musical to write electronic music.

Being "musically trained" and being "musical" are 2 completely different things.


...Being "musically trained" does not necessarily mean you will be able to write music.

...A "musical" person may be able to write excellent music without being "musically trained".