How many of you “make” “music”, and why?

[Undertoad]

Limey, I lived in England for a year because katkeeper - mom, to me - got married to a gent who had a fellowship grant to live there and compose music for brass bands. He worked with the Grimethorpe Colliery, which I guess is the band everyone knows.

[limey]

Originally posted by Undertoad
[snip] ...Grimethorpe Colliery, which I guess is the band everyone knows.

Yup, that and the Black Dyke Mills Band. I've only fallen into brass banding by default and don't know much more than the ordinary joe about the whole scene.

[Griff]

Originally posted by smoothmoniker


The first is that it’s something I’m good at, and I love doing things that I’m good at. It’s deeply satisfying. The second reason is this – it’s no secret that I believe in a creator. When we imitate that act of creation by making our own artistic works, we participate in an act that, in some ways, is sacred. I’m not talking about religious art, or things that are meant to be morally uplifting. All creative acts are an homage to the first creative act, and we participate in that when we make music.


-sm

Righteous.
Mandolin. I've been too busy to play with my Masters courses and all. I need to make time. For me, its about being an integrated human being. life, love, work, learning, creation, play, art, spirit, family... That's an incomplete thought that I need to work on when I don't have four assignments due in class.

[wolf]

I am a maker of music rather than a musician ...

Before anyone gets any ideas about my playing only something like a "chicago typewriter" ...

Lemme see ...

Piano
Organ
Guitar
Clarinet
Tenor Saxophone
Trumpet
Recorder (soprano and tenor)
Xylophone (and other melodic percussion, including vibraphone and marimba)
Asst Hand drums (frame drums and bodhran)
Native American Flute
Bamboo flute

I have played a digeridoo several times, but don't yet own one.

Oh, and I sing too.

I don't have access to a lot of the above instruments, so "formerly played" is more correct. My clarinet is badly in need of repadding, but I can get it to make noise. I have my guitars (one folk one classical) in a closet, lovingly stored away, probably warping as we speak.

I do find a lot of joy in musical expression, however, given my work schedule, I don't think my neighbors have the same understanding of the need to bust out in some drumming at 3am as I do ...

[smoothmoniker]

Originally posted by limey
Practising, with others or not, gives me the experience of effortlessly “living in the moment” which it would be nice to be able to do all the time – shutting out the brain

Practicing is a huge part of enjoying the music for me. If you think of ability and technique on the instrument as a scale from 1 to 100, I try not to take anything “public” that’s any higher that about a 60. That’s means I have to practice my ass off to have another 40 percent in reserve over anything I’m trying to perform. For me, that’s the comfort zone – where I have complete control over the music, and am free to use it expressively.

It used to be a bitch, but I switched to a new teacher about 3 years ago, and gained a whole new perspective on practicing. It used to be a grind to do 2 hours a day – now it’s a breeze to do 3-4 as time allows.

-sm

[Catwoman]

I was first introduced to the magic and power of music when I was 5 and sat at my first piano. I remember watching a man play and admiring the way his fingers danced across the keys; it was amazing to my bewildered child's eyes. I copied the basic exercise he was performing and discovered I had an ear for it, never had any lessons just taught myself to play - I still have that same piano at my mum's house. The enjoyment was in 'catching up' to a melody - I believe they are there to be found and the best musicians are those that can hear them. It gives me pleasure to hear a song I like and reproduce it, I also write my own songs when I have the time and you just know when a tune feels right, like you've found it. Or it's found you.

I am also learning to play guitar. I am learning from a friend who plays in a band, so not a teacher as such but nevertheless I am under instruction. It annoys me to say that as I wanted to think I could pick it up with the ease with which I mastered the piano. But my 21 year old mind is clearly not as agile as 16 years ago, and understanding the structure of the guitar is taking some time to master, although my 'ear' remains untouched - which my friend says is the only thing that cannot be taught.

'Making' 'music' is an immensely satisfying process of discovery, and the high production values that surround music these days kind of spoils that self-taught, musical flair that is so inspirational. It feels contrived and modelled and detracts from the real sound of the music - a real voice, real instruments, just real. Just a reflection of everything else in this world that is remastered, reproduced, regurgitated, whatever. Where are beginnings, originality, flaws? There is a Japanese word 'wabi' that refers to a beautiful, distinctive flaw in something which is otherwise perfect. It needs to be there. It's part of the whole. With constant retouching and editing, I can't help feeling that modern music has begun to lose its wabi.

[cowhead]

oh well I play guitar and a little bass (and have taken shots at both the banjo and mandolin... unsucsessful.. so far anyway.. i'll try again in a few months.. an on going battle ) )

but I started when I was around 15-16 as some sort of attempt to express the emotions my hormonally wracked body was going thru.. and there just weren't words to explain it.. it's still kinda the same, but throughout the years it has become both a.) a relaxing thing to do and b.) since i KNOW i will never master the instrument it's kind of like a parable for life.. the journey not the destination and all that... and also there's something about writing a new song... it's just... I don't know if I could explain it, it's creating something.

and it's good for free beer!

heh and in all the bands i've been in, i never managed to get laid from that alone.. (usually too wound up after a show to be anything close to charming )

if you get really bored, the last band I was in (three years ago?) some of our stuff can be found at

http://www.garageband.com/slurry

(and yeah the singer isn't so good.. heh nor is the music really)

[Undertoad]

I re-read the thread just now and I have to say that sm's point about creation is striking to me even though I DON'T believe in a creator. I've been thinking about that point since he made it and I ALSO believe that CREATING is the most important thing we can do as people. Bringing new things to the world is the greatest thing we can do for it.

I thought about that a lot when I started my business, which is a whole different creation process; my dream has always been to bring something new to the world and guide it along in such a way that it winds up, net, improving all our lots in life somehow. Business creation shares something with artistic creation in that way.

It's also why I'm not personally interested in playing in a cover band. It's still meaningful, but not as meaningful as if you create something from scratch.

[Catwoman]

Does anyone else see music as a process of discovery rather than creation? As in the music, melodies, rhythms already exist, it is just a matter of finding them?

[smoothmoniker]

Originally posted by Catwoman
Does anyone else see music as a process of discovery rather than creation? As in the music, melodies, rhythms already exist, it is just a matter of finding them?

Well, there's nothing new under the sun. The relationships, harmonic functions, rhythmic structures, they already exist and are in operation. We create new ways to thread them together.

The colors already exist. The painter just decides where to put them on the canvas, but that's certainly a creative act.

-sm

[Catwoman]

That answered my question perfectly.

[smoothmoniker]

kick ass. That means I'm 1 for 375 and gaining ...

-sm