I'm taking all the music down...

[Notes_Norton]

I make my living doing music, and nothing but music.

That involves compromises, what to play, where to play, and so on.

But to me, the ultimate compromise is to take a 5-day, 40 hour, proletarian, wage-slave job so I can play 'art music'.

I can do commercial gigs, and still play 'art music' on the side.

And I really enjoy the gigs, too.

 

Notes ♫

[57Gregy]

I don't write songs as much as I used to or drag an instrument out and play it for hours as I once did, but I still open a program and record something in an existing song, or otherwise edit them or rearrange them several times a week.
And I still enjoy it although no one else will ever hear these projects, probably.

[Notes_Norton]

I gave up trying to write songs. Why? I'm not very good at it (OK, I suck at it).

Every lyric I've ever written has sound either blatantly ripped off from someone else, or simply too trite and terrible.

Perhaps because I really don't listen to the words much when I listen to music. The lyrics are the last thing. Until then, they are just articulations, with no meaning by the soloist. How do they work with the chords? How are the countermelody and rhythm instruments supporting the melody? How are the bassist and percussionist working together? And there are so many other things, both big and nuanced little things, to analyze about what makes this song that I like work. After I digest the music completely, I'll listen to the words, and then decide if the music is supporting the mood of the song. Even then, I'm paying more attention to the expressive nuances of the vocalist. How is he/she treating that note, bending it? Changing the dynamics? Adding ornaments? And how is he/she phrasing the lines. How can I apply what I like about that to my sax, wind synth, or guitar solos. Then how is this all put together to make the whole thing work.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons I became a live player.

But not the only one. I've never had stage fright, and really enjoy performing. Plus, I really like playing the music. I like being in the place where there is no space, no time, no me, just the music feeling like it's flowing through me, instead of from me, and feeling the energy coming back from the audience. It's the most fun I can have with my clothes on.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[X-53mph]

21 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I gave up trying to write songs. Why? I'm not very good at it (OK, I suck at it).

Every lyric I've ever written has sound either blatantly ripped off from someone else, or simply too trite and terrible.

Perhaps because I really don't listen to the words much when I listen to music. The lyrics are the last thing.

That's where you and I differ. Lyrics have always been important to me. There are songs that still make me cry on the spin of a lyric. This is especially true when I know that lyric comes from a place of pain. My own lyric writing has always been painful. Sometimes laying bear your emotions or revealing a side of yourself that you usually keep hidden. It's like standing naked before the crowd.  And it's this laying bear of the soul that I've got to stop. It's self destructive and brings me no joy anymore. 

Edited April 22 by X-53mph

[John Vere]

The difference there is a musician can be a player and support the song or you can be the one delivering the song. 
The best gig I ever had was for 4 years I was an activity worker in a care home. I played my guitar every day and sang old songs.
This  is we’re I learned it’s more about the lyrics to the old songs than the music. Even though I was capable of soloing I never did. The focus was always the chorus. 
 

An example was we brought in these friends of mine who had a jazz quartet and they played old standards but no vocals. There was no reaction from the residents. 
When I did the sing alongs everybody reacted and most tried their best to sing along. We also learned lyrics sheets were a waist of time for all but the few who were still at that level.
You might not remember the name of your daughter but you can sing the chorus to Home on Range

[X-53mph]

@John Vere did you ever do a version of Will the Circle Be Unbroken for them? I love that song. I want that played at my funeral.

[Starship Krupa]

11 hours ago, X-53mph said:

And it's this laying bear of the soul that I've got to stop. It's self destructive and brings me no joy anymore. 

Follow the path of many of us aging indie rockers and get into electronica!

j/k, also n/k

I am devoted to electronica, and it moves my heart and soul in the way that good instrumental music always has, from classical to jazz to surf rock to Eno-style ambient to industrial noise to 90's Aphex Twin-ish stuff to 2000's glitch and 2010's synthwave and so on.

You can even be hella old and play live, just put on a helmet like deadmau5. Well, actually, in electronic music, the younger punters don't seem to care about the age of the artists as much as rockers seem to....

[TheSteven]

On 4/16/2024 at 7:56 AM, X-53mph said:

Do you mean instruments? Cause I am definitely thinking of selling my Dobro.

The strat and the Acoustic are staying though.

I've already listed some of my mics.

There was once a time when I would buy a new toy to try to reignite my passion for music. That seems to have passed too.

I'd park the gear away for a couple of years and then see how you feel.
Decent mics/instruments will probably gain value and get a higher selling price (probably a better return than many types of investment).
Plugins and various types of electronics probably not.

 

[Notes_Norton]

16 hours ago, X-53mph said:

That's where you and I differ. Lyrics have always been important to me.

There is more than one way to enjoy music, and there is no wrong way.

I've learned the lyrics to a few hundred songs that I sing on the gig. But when I'm singing, I'm in the place where the words don't make sense. They are annunciations, and since I know the subject of the song, I'm trying to emote the melody to agree with it. 

It's the same when I'm playing the sax, wind synth, or guitar. I'm in that wordless place where there is no space, no time and no me, just the music feeling like it's flowing through me, instead of from me, and the energy from the audience feeding back to me.

Some might think I'm weird, and I wouldn't disagree.

 

Notes ♫

[Starship Krupa]

2 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I'm in that wordless place where there is no space, no time and no me, just the music feeling like it's flowing through me, instead of from me, and the energy from the audience feeding back to me.

Some might think I'm weird, and I wouldn't disagree.

I envy you if you're able to enter and stay in that zone regularly. It's one of the best feelings there is.

With my current focus on electronic music, I've long been thinking about how to do it live. I've messed about with loop and phrase launchers and seemed to have a good instinctual feel for it, but I've not yet made a framework for it that I'd feel confident actually performing.

[PhonoBrainer]

On 4/22/2024 at 7:51 AM, John Vere said:

The best gig I ever had was for 4 years I was an activity worker in a care home. I played my guitar every day and sang old songs.

You might not remember the name of your daughter but you can sing the chorus to Home on Range

Songs I avoid when playing care homes (a curated list):

After You've Gone

Don't  Get Around Much Anymore

Feel Like Makin' Love

Dammit, Nurse, I Rang Five Minutes Ago

[Notes_Norton]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:31 AM, Starship Krupa said:

I envy you if you're able to enter and stay in that zone regularly. It's one of the best feelings there is.

It's the most fun Mrs. Notes and I can have with our clothes on