Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Musicians, what keeps you inspired to play?

aberkok · 02-19-2007, 08:35 PM

Well dang if that isn't the million dollar question.

I'm always looking for great players to listen to. This tends to get me motivated. I want to "have" what they "have," and I do that by stealing their stuff if I can and learning to play it. Sometimes I learn the hard way that it wasn't a lick or a method of sound production that gave them what they got, rather it was the rhythm section or studio sound that day. Still....even if I can't directly steal a specific thing, I can keep the feeling in my head and try to capture it some other way....perhaps in a composition.

If you write music, there's a good chance something extra-musical can inspire you to compose. For example, I was so moved by Joe Sacco's graphic novel, Palestine, that I wrote a tune called "Through Sacco's Eyes." So that's a way to stay inspired... find a way to translate you experiences into music. This isn't necessarily easy.

Live music is probably the most potent force in keeping me inspired. These days, there's no telling what's going on in the studio as far as "improvements" to someone's sound. When you can hear them getting a great sound live, you know there's no messing about.

Increasingly I find the idea of bringing music into others lives is an inspiration to me.

02-19-2007, 08:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
aberkok “Wrong is right.” Location: toronto	Well dang if that isn't the million dollar question. I'm always looking for great players to listen to. This tends to get me motivated. I want to "have" what they "have," and I do that by stealing their stuff if I can and learning to play it. Sometimes I learn the hard way that it wasn't a lick or a method of sound production that gave them what they got, rather it was the rhythm section or studio sound that day. Still....even if I can't directly steal a specific thing, I can keep the feeling in my head and try to capture it some other way....perhaps in a composition. If you write music, there's a good chance something extra-musical can inspire you to compose. For example, I was so moved by Joe Sacco's graphic novel, Palestine, that I wrote a tune called "Through Sacco's Eyes." So that's a way to stay inspired... find a way to translate you experiences into music. This isn't necessarily easy. Live music is probably the most potent force in keeping me inspired. These days, there's no telling what's going on in the studio as far as "improvements" to someone's sound. When you can hear them getting a great sound live, you know there's no messing about. Increasingly I find the idea of bringing music into others lives is an inspiration to me. __________________ !check out my new blog! http://arkanamusic.wordpress.com Warden Gentiles: "It? Perfectly innocent. But I can see how, if our roles were reversed, I might have you beaten with a pillowcase full of batteries."