General - Music Production

[daffsongwriter]

Another point I couldnt have made in my first post, I am practising in music the way I am because I want to, not because I want to get on the radio! I only said that because I wasnt sure which avenue to start at when the time comes to produce an album, first step. I wasnt sure if you could just spill out a load of albums and sell them, didnt want to start on the wrong foot.Thank you again for all your tips and advice, all of which are very useful.Music is also a tonic for me although regrettably my full time job takes over and I actually get no time in the week to do much 'quality' practise. Weekends and rare time off work are better.Have a great weekend all of you.xx

[horacejesse]

My daddy used to beat me with a knotted plow line and roll me in salt.

[hummingbird]

I really don't think that issues with believing in one's capacity to rise above past programming and find the strength and determination to pursue a dream is particularly funny. It's easy to say we should overcome the past and get on with it. It's easy to say that we should have the confidence to ignore the North American work ethic & social mores that say we are born & educated to be productive workers & good consumers, and so work & buy until you drop. After many years of buying into the myth that you have to give up your dreams to make a living, I awoke the possibility that the things keeping me back were deep inside of me. Yes, integrated when I was young, programmed into me by family, school, church, and the need to be 'good'. My shyness was, in a sense, beaten into me. It was implied I was pretty useless and even when I was useful, it was less than adequate. I grew up thinking everyone else knew how things worked, and I didn't. I felt like everyone else had the manual. But I didn't. And even if I did, I still wouldn't be more than adequate at anything. Extra-sensitive, I cringed at loud noises. Extra-sensitive, I sensed the malovent energy coming from school classmates... and (as a skinny silver haired pre-teen) from some men. Painfully shy, I went beet-red and stammered in social situations. My mind would just go blank, and I couldn't think of anything to say... and if I had any thoughts at all, it was "they think you're boring / stupid". I punctuated my sentences with nervous giggles and talked so softly & high pitched that even in my 20s when I answered the phone people would say, 'is your mommy home'?So what is my point? Well, first of all, if I could overcome all that, so can you, daffsongwriter. I think you are tremendously hard on yourself. I'm the same when I'm recording - trying to relax & be normal but feeling pressured to ''do it right''. You've got a recording system that requires you to play through a song relatively perfectly - a one-taker. How about downloading some free 16-track software and recording into the computer. That way you can do several takes & mix & match.The difficulty with the past comments about your voice is that they resonate in your mind when you go to sing, whether you are aware of them or not. So, like when you are playing with the Boss BR on, you are super sensitive & trying too hard when you sing, and you are not satisfied with the results. There is a simple solution to becoming more confident with your voice... and that's finding the time & money to take some voice lessons from the right teacher. A teacher who is going to support you in the journey of exploring & releasing your natural voice & give you some tools to understand how this very special instrument works. A teacher who specializes in working with terrified singers would be the best bet. Most people can be helped to sing more effectively.The voice(s) in your head (internal editor, internal critic, dragon) is there for a reason -- it's there for you to struggle against. If you see that voice & what it says as a stop sign, you will wake up one day and be 10 or 20 years older, regretting that you gave up on something that means so much to you. It doesn't matter what you do or how well you do it, that tape will loop itself over and over again. Talk back to it. Struggle against it. Fight it. Everytime you get knocked down, take a moment to feel what you feel... and then get back up and keep going. Because you love music, and you love being in it and of it... and it makes you feel alive... and nothing and noone can take that from you but you. Feel the fear.... and do it anyway.Hummin'bird

[johnnydean1]

Quote:I really don't think that issues with believing in one's capacity to rise above past programming and find the strength and determination to pursue a dream is particularly funny. It's easy to say we should overcome the past and get on with it. It's easy to say that we should have the confidence to ignore the North American work ethic & social mores that say we are born & educated to be productive workers & good consumers, and so work & buy until you drop. After many years of buying into the myth that you have to give up your dreams to make a living, I awoke the possibility that the things keeping me back were deep inside of me. Yes, integrated when I was young, programmed into me by family, school, church, and the need to be 'good'. My shyness was, in a sense, beaten into me. It was implied I was pretty useless and even when I was useful, it was less than adequate. I grew up thinking everyone else knew how things worked, and I didn't. I felt like everyone else had the manual. But I didn't. And even if I did, I still wouldn't be more than adequate at anything. Extra-sensitive, I cringed at loud noises. Extra-sensitive, I sensed the malovent energy coming from school classmates... and (as a skinny silver haired pre-teen) from some men. Painfully shy, I went beet-red and stammered in social situations. My mind would just go blank, and I couldn't think of anything to say... and if I had any thoughts at all, it was "they think you're boring / stupid". I punctuated my sentences with nervous giggles and talked so softly & high pitched that even in my 20s when I answered the phone people would say, 'is your mommy home'?So what is my point? Well, first of all, if I could overcome all that, so can you, daffsongwriter. I think you are tremendously hard on yourself. I'm the same when I'm recording - trying to relax & be normal but feeling pressured to ''do it right''. You've got a recording system that requires you to play through a song relatively perfectly - a one-taker. How about downloading some free 16-track software and recording into the computer. That way you can do several takes & mix & match.The difficulty with the past comments about your voice is that they resonate in your mind when you go to sing, whether you are aware of them or not. So, like when you are playing with the Boss BR on, you are super sensitive & trying too hard when you sing, and you are not satisfied with the results. There is a simple solution to becoming more confident with your voice... and that's finding the time & money to take some voice lessons from the right teacher. A teacher who is going to support you in the journey of exploring & releasing your natural voice & give you some tools to understand how this very special instrument works. A teacher who specializes in working with terrified singers would be the best bet. Most people can be helped to sing more effectively.The voice(s) in your head (internal editor, internal critic, dragon) is there for a reason -- it's there for you to struggle against. If you see that voice & what it says as a stop sign, you will wake up one day and be 10 or 20 years older, regretting that you gave up on something that means so much to you. It doesn't matter what you do or how well you do it, that tape will loop itself over and over again. Talk back to it. Struggle against it. Fight it. Everytime you get knocked down, take a moment to feel what you feel... and then get back up and keep going. Because you love music, and you love being in it and of it... and it makes you feel alive... and nothing and noone can take that from you but you. Feel the fear.... and do it anyway.Hummin'birdMiss Bird you are just so cool. Infinate Karma to you.

[davewalton]

I haven't commented so far but I thought I would because I'm involved with something that deals with this exact same thing.I'm doing the music for an animation short called "Against The Odds". The overall theme is that we shouldn't be ashamed of or hide our talents. Here's the "storyboard" synopsis made from film stills:A boy can make magical, colorful shapes in the airHis friends try and fail and so they make fun of him and he stops making shapes and hides his talentAs an adult, he feels uninspired and inadequateAccidentally, he meets another person who has been hiding their talents too, only this person creates colorful musical shapesTogether, they meet others like themselves, one creates colorful letters and words, another creates colorful numbers and equations, another creates colorful food shapesThey slowly begin to display their talents by transforming small parts of the flat, grey, city into something more colorfulThis has an unexpected effect on the flat, grey people living in that townSomehow, they become more colorful and individual themselvesThe talented friends overcome their negative past and they transform the cold, grey cityInto something colorful and magicalI'm not sure Daff... but I think there's a lesson for ALL of us in there somewhere. Dave

[arkjack]

Dave....Don't do that man..... the stuff I took back in the 70's hasn't worn off yet..... Seriously.....That story and the illustrations were cool....ArkJack

[davewalton]

Quote:That story and the illustrations were cool....ArkJackIt's pretty amazing really. The guy did everything by hand, fifteen illustrations for each second of film... thousands of illustrations that eventually were imported into Photoshop one-by-one for coloring and polish, then strung together into an eight minute animation. That's way more detail than I could handle. I posted it because it seemed to be so appropriate to the thread and was a visual version of what Vikki was saying.

[daffsongwriter]

You are all wonderful thank you. Hummingbird, your spot on and I am sorry you had all that when you were younger. You are right in what you said. I read through all of the replies and every one I have read makes me think.Dave those drawings are brilliant and the story relates to me. The bit about finding someone else and teaming up is telling me to get in contact with my vocalist friend again, she is great to jam with and is just that bit more advanced than myself so good for me to learn with.Also the mention of singing tuition is a very good one, I have a contact and I will be contacting her, she sings in churches, functions, all sorts and is a very good singing confidence builder which is what I need. You are right and hearing that from you Hummingbird has inspired me to pick the phone up and make that first appointment - she lives 5 minutes from my work also so I can even tie it in with finishing work, what could be better.Thank you all again you are all really nice, understanding, helpful and I am so glad I registered with Taxi.A big hug for all of you (not at once mind, in turn ha ha).Hugs xxx

[gitarrero]

Quote:I do also know that I have to believe in myself but when things like recording doesnt go as perfectly as I would like something inside me says maybe you just cannot do it. I wont give up mind.hey daff,I know several very talented people who had a problematic childhood but did their way anyway.in my case it was like that: no one cared if I wanted to do music SERIOUS (in fact: no one really cared what I want) but I always knew that "this thing" is what I want to do. so against all odds I just did what I feel I need to do (...and there were some serious obstacles - I was a complete outsider for about 2 years in highscool and everybody could (and did) kick me, there were heavy problems in my family, etc).as a teenager music gave me a dream, it gave me inspiration, an identity and passion - it was my straw to clutch when there were heavy storms around me.I was in the same situation as you - I didn't make it to finish a recording or cd. but I tried it again and again - and finally it started working. the first one was just a simple solo over some chordchanges on guitar. than a simple song, than a full arranged song, than a cd, then my own tracks, co-writes, cd productions for bands, paid compositions, spots, some productions even hit the charts, etc.what I want to say with that: I think you just need to start somewhere - it doesn't have to be a grammy-nominated production for the beginning, it can be something very simple.and then (..and it doesn't matter how simpel or small it is): BE PROUD THAT YOU (yes: you!) DID IT!if you think you still have to carry those problems from your childhood/teenage on your shoulder, then may be some form of therapy can be helpfull (I did that too).all the best,Martin

[nomiyah]

Nice thread, daff, I enjoyed reading the discussion. A few years ago, I saw an interview with Janet Jackson. She talked about being extremely shy and I was thinking... here's someone who is showing almost everything on the cover of Rolling Stone and she's shy... I could relate to Janet being shy and still performing, I went through that too. Maybe my performing was an unconscious response to balance the introversion. I like reading music biographies and have concluded that introversion is an intrinsic part of being an artist, having the ability to reach inside and create something original.Thanks for your honesty, daff, and the input by Vikki and the rest.Nomi