Are there any musicians on this board?

Thats a load of shit. The apeal of mastering an instrument is that you can crate music and express yourself through sound, not that you can copy someone else.

 

Maybe for you, but many start playing instruments so they can play their favorite songs. I know plenty of people like that. You don't need to know how to play an instrument to express yourself musically. Beethoven expressed himself through his symphonies, but he couldn't play a single instrument in those symphonies.

Drumminmama, I was not bitching, that's just how I write. Sorry that you don't enjoy my stylistic choice.

 

He played the piano.

 

Can you play any of the instruments in your music?

 

I write solely for the piano, so, yes.

 

Why would you start such an haughty thread? Did u need an ego boost?

I don't think that it worked.

 

If I needed an ego boost I would just play the stuff I've written around know-nothing garage bands. They eat it up, though I can't understand why.

I was just wondering if there were any musicians here.

 

correct me if I'm wrong, but did you not say that musicians who aren't well versed in theory and who do not compose are not musicians at all?

As I see it, a musician is someone who creates music from thier soul, puts passion into it, that's the sign of a good musician, not if they can read sheet music faster than anyone else. To me, music is everything in life, it's love, passion, hate, lust, anger, depression, happiness, joy, and when I sing I put all of that into it. If you know all the theory in the world, and you don't put your heart and soul into your music, you're not doing yourself of the people listening to you justice, and if you know absolutley no theory, but you put everything you are, have been, and want to be into your music, then you're a musician, no doubt about it.

 

You also missed the point. I didn't say you had abandoned your education I was castigating (look it up if you don't know the word) you for the low regard you have for education and learning.

Also regarding your other replies on the subject of literature I believe you are confusing popular autors with pulp authors. Take Stephen King, just because he sells millons of copies of his books doesn't mean to say his books are low quality, same with J.K Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams(rip) or any popular novelist. Novelists like Charles Dickens and Sir Walter Scott were both popular and successful but you wouldn't call their works inferior.

 

So, you aren't worth your fucking instrument as you put it...

People who are worth their fucking instrument would be able to play extraordinarily well, and would be more than happy to share their music.

So what is it?

Contradicting yourself makes you sound like a bit of an arse.

Anyway - many musicians play session stuff to earn money, then use that money to support their own work - I for example play in orchestras for musicals, cabarets and whatever else i can get paid for, whilst also working on being creative with my band. This requires both good technical skill and good musical knowledge. I would class myself as a musician - would you disagree???

So ya, shut it....

 

in my opinion, if you need to follow "music theory" to be a musician, then you missed the point of music. the entire point of music has always been to play what you love and just feel it. be honest about it. some of the most brilliant musicians of all time had no formal training in music. sure, it can help you learn alot more about music, but you don't necesarrily have to have it.

what i'm saying is, you don't need to go to school to be a musician. why would i pay out the ass to go to school, and let someone boss me around and tell me what to play and how to play it? and fail me if i don't follow it properly? that's not fucking music, man.

i play an instument. i write music. and i don't just write the simple 4 bar shit, either. i write more thought out, diverse music. or at least i'd like to think so. and guess what...i was self taught! took 2 days of guitar lessons in my entire life, and quit because i couldn't get it. i had to do it on my own.

 

Bit of catching up to do...

Paix - If you didn't love music then you wouldn't have any reason to study a lot of thoery because, believe me, there's a fuckload of it out there.

Blues - No, I didn't miss the point. In fact, I countered it in the post you quoted when I said, "I value education."

And, I don't mean that they're low quality works when I call them pulp. Harry Potter is a decent enough book, and The Stand was mildly entertaining. I adore Douglas Adams, but he's pulp too. What I mean when I say pulp is that their books are, while not forgettable, insignificant. There's not much you can take away from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but something by Dickens could change your outlook on life. To me, the difference between pulp and true literature is not a matter of skill but a matter of style and value.

Stoon - I still believe I am worth my fucking instrument, as I put it, because I desire to improve and get better. You have to start somewhere, no? And, hey, I'll whip up something today for you guys and post it later, if you're so curious. How's that sound?

I would class you as a musician if you were doing more than placing notes blindly and knew a bit about form and structure.

In Bloom - Music theory simply serves to expand my horizons, and communicate in universal terms with other musicians. It's a knowledge base that I can readily draw from to help me express my ideas. Beethoven continued to learn music theory until the day he died. Did he miss the point of music? Bach learned more theory than other musicians thought reasonable or necessary in his time. One of his nicknames is now the Grandfather of music. You'll have to excuse me if I don't join you in downplaying theory's importance.

Which musicians are you talking about? Because a lot of the ones that haven't have formal training, like myself, teach themselves from books.

Anywho, I'd love to hear what you've written, if you could record it, or make an MIDI out of it. I'm not quite as mean as I sound, or else I would've flamed the jackasses on the writing board when I glanced over it yesterday.

 

I'm a professional musician, that is I play in a band that gets paid...and if I find out someone I know writes music, as in the classical sense, then I bash their face in with my guitar. That writing music on paper shit needs to end NOW.


( )

 

are you saying for people who dont take it as a career that play are just bullshit? Well i play cause i like to play. I dont care if im not the best i just like to play.

peace
chickens

 

Learning to read sheet music is invaluable. It takes no time at all and it opens your doors to a plethora of music. It's so easy that there is really no excuse for refusing to do it.

Good attitude to have, Mary.

 

I play trombone and I am involved in my church orchestra. Hopefully soon I will be in my local colleges community band. My old band director once said "You will never feel more alive then when you play music live." The adrenaline rush I get sometimes when I'm playing live is amazing!! I want to learn how to play a string instrument soon. Hopefully the violin or cello. Peace and hugz!!

 

Quote: Learning to read sheet music is invaluable. It takes no time at all and it opens your doors to a plethora of music. It's so easy that there is really no excuse for refusing to do it.


I'm already as good as i want to be, any better and girls would be hanging out around my house waiting for me to come out. I have no interest inlearning anything new, or fucking up the perfection and individualtiy that i have acheived. I'm not interested in playing other peoples music, only in being myself and developing my own style.

There is no doubt in my mind that you have a terrible style and that you will always suck catfucker.

 

Catfucker? I eat them, I don't fuck them. You might want to try these losers, though. http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14014

Anywho, I took a bit of a nap, woke up, and wrote these for you guys.

 

i didn't mean that studying music theory made you miss the point of music. i just meant that if you feel you MUST take it, then you missed the point. i agree completely that music theory can help you learn to build songs better, and learn more about how stuff works in music. however, i just don't agree that it is a necessity to being a musician. many people have gotten along fine without it.

here is a great example: jimi hendrix. one of the greatest guitarist of all time (IMO) never even knew how to read sheet music. he was self taught. he just went by ear, like i do. i have more examples, but you and other people may not look at them as some of the greatest musicians, like i would.

i do have some songs available, although they're not exactly my greatest work. and they're shitty recording. my work has been kind of slow lately, due to not having a band and such. i prefer writing with a band, much more than on my own. if you do want to hear (and won't go all asshole on me about my stuff) then i can send you a link through PM.

peace

 

I'm gonna have to go with cat on this. Music theory really is invaluable. I don't think anyone here really understands the full extent of music theory. It does'nt infringe on your creativity in any way. And about the jimi hendrix thing, the man had perfect pitch(otherwise known as absolute pitch). He did'nt have to know how to read sheet music, just hear a song a few times.