Don't want to get an F......

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antispatula

antispatula

Active member
So I'm a senior in HS and I need to interview a musician. I had an interview already planned out with a friend of mine, but at the last second things didn't work out......So could someone here please answer these questions for me? Between 1-3 sentances each Q is good. I really appreciate it, this is due tommorow.....so if the first person that reads this could give me their name and where they are from, then post the answers that would be great!! :)

1. What was the first instrument you played, and when?
2. How many instruments do you play?
3. When did you start writing music?
4. Why did you start writing music?
5. Briefly describe how the writing process goes.
6. What's the hardest thing about songwriting?
7. Where do you write songs usually?
8. What inspires you to write?
9. How long does it generally take to write a song?
10. Do you finish every song you start?
11. Does pop culture influence your songwriting?
12. Who do you write songs for. Yourself? Others?
13. Do you believe music is an important part of the world?
14.What can be the most unenjoyable thing about writing?
15. What is the most rewarding part of songwriting?


Russell
 
1. My first instrument was a drum set. My parents bought me a cheap Sears drumkit when I was a kid, and it wasn't long before I pretty much destroyed it. It wasn't until I was a teen that I was given piano lessons.

2. Drums, piano (or keys), guitar, bass, clarinet. So that's 5.

3. I didn't start actually writing music until I was in my early 20's.

4. I wanted to create something akin to the stuff I enjoyed listening to.

5. Usually the tune comes first. A melody or riff will come to me, and then I try to embelish. Lyrics are much harder - good lyrics anyway.

6. Composing an entire song rather that coming up with one or two parts that sound good together.

7. It depends. Once I wrote an entire song (music AND lyrics) in my head while walking home from work. When the muse strikes, it can do so anywhere.

8. The love of music and wanting to.

9. Again, it all depends. I've written songs in the span of a few hours and in the span of weeks.

10. No. And it's annoying to me when I can't bring an idea to fruition.

11. Of course. Silly question.

12. Mostly myself. It all depends on the impetus.

13. Absofuckinglutely.

14. Writer's block. Being unable to express an idea either musically or lyrically is extremely frustrating.

15. Having someone say "I like that song because it means something to me."
 
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1. Guitar, age 15.
2. 1, Guitar
3. Age 15
4. To get the pussy
5. Make some music, write some words, put em together
6. Doing it instead of getting pussy
7. Wherever there's a guitar
8. Pussy
9. How long is a piece of string?
10. No
11. Not as much as pussy
12. Tom from myspace
13. See 11
14. Getting the pussy
15. See 14

Jack Mehoff
Adelaide, Orstraylya
 
watermelon said:
1. Guitar, age 15.
2. 1, Guitar
3. Age 15
4. To get the pussy
5. Make some music, write some words, put em together
6. Doing it instead of getting pussy
7. Wherever there's a guitar
8. Pussy
9. How long is a piece of string?
10. No
11. Not as much as pussy
12. Tom from myspace
13. See 11
14. Getting the pussy
15. See 14
Click to expand...
Somehow I think that your pussy responses will invalidate you from this HS student's options. :rolleyes:
 
MadAudio said:
Somehow I think that your pussy responses will invalidate you from this HS student's options. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Its ok, I wasn't doing it for him, I was doing it for the pussy
 
MadAudio said:
If anything I have ever posted deserves some rep, it's this. So make with the green already! :D :D :D
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to make "Absofuckinglutely" a plain old "absolutely" but either way I'm giving you some green :D
 
1. What was the first instrument you played, and when? I WOULD HAVE TO SAY GUITAR

2. How many instruments do you play? I MAKE BEATS AND WRITE RAPS, THATS SOME MUSICAL SHIT THAT TAKE SKILL


3. When did you start writing music? I WROTE MY FIRST RAP SONG IN LIKE 94'

4. Why did you start writing music? I LIKE THE WAY RAP SOUNDED SO I MADE MY OWN

5. Briefly describe how the writing process goes. I GET BLUNTED MAYBE SIP SOMTHIN, ITS USUALLY AT THE END OF THE NIGHT AFTER IVE DONE ALL THA PARTYING

6. What's the hardest thing about songwriting? NOTHING, IT COMES VERY NATURAL, I DONT KNOW HOW SOMBODY COULD EVER GET WRITERS BLOCK, MY PROBLEM IS HAVING TOO MUCH AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GET IT ALL DOWN

7. Where do you write songs usually? IN THE STUDIO, BUT I BE THINKIN OF BARS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AND I WRITE THEM DOWN IN MY SIDEKICK FOR LATER

8. What inspires you to write? EVERYTHING, I CAN WRITE ABOUT ANYTHING, ANY SITUATION AND BRING LIFE TO IT,

9. How long does it generally take to write a song? 16 BARS VERSES TAKE ME ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO THINK OF, CHORUSES ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. SO IT DEPENDS ON THE SONG.

10. Do you finish every song you start? NO, I GOT MANY SONGS THAT ARE ONLY HALFWAY DONE, ILL EVENTUALLY GET BACK TO THEM, BUT FOR NOW THEIR INCOMPLETE

11. Does pop culture influence your songwriting? HMM WELL HIP HOP PRETTY MUCH IS THE POP CULTURE RIGHT NOW SO, YES IT DOES, BUT ITS THE SHIT I NATURALLY DO SO ITS ALL GOOD

12. Who do you write songs for. Yourself? Others? BOTH, I LIKE WRITING SONGS, BUT AS A FAN OF MUSIC MYSELF I MAKE STUFF FOR THE PEOPLE TO ENJOY AS WELL, SO ITS A GOOD BALANCE OF THE TWO...

13. Do you believe music is an important part of the world? YES, EVERYBODY RELATES TO MUSIC, MUSIC IS GONNA BE AROUND FOREVER,

14.What can be the most unenjoyable thing about writing? THAT LITTLE MUSCLE BETWEEN MY RIGHT THUMB AND INDEX FINGER STARTS TO GET SORE EVERY ONCE NA WHILE, BUT THATS ABOUT IT

15. What is the most rewarding part of songwriting? KNOWING I JUSS MADE A SONG, HOW I PRODUCED THOUGHTS AND IDEAS IN MY HEAD INTO A MARKETABLE PIECE OF MEDIA, IT MAY BE HARD TO UNDERSTAND BUT I LIKE THE IDEA OF HOW I CAN TAKE THOUGHTS FROM MY HEAD AND MAKE MONEY, ACTUAL DOLLARS.ITS LIKE, ITS LIKE I GET CASHED OUT ON MY 2 CENTS, BUT ITS NOT 2 CENTS, ITS ACTUAL MONEY, GOOD MONEY, THATS PRETTY MUCH A REWARDING FEELING I GET THROUGHOUT THE DAY BUT DONT GET ME WRONG, I LOVE MAKING MUSIC, ITS MY PASSION AND LIFE, AND I WASNT MAKIN ANY MONEY THE FIRST 8 YEARS OF IT, BUT I STILL DID IT, FEEL ME? SO IMMA DO THIS RAP SHIT REGARDLESS...





JUST INCASE YOU WANT TO GET AN A+
 
MadAudio said:
1. My first instrument was a drum set. My parents bought me a cheap Sears drumkit when I was a kid, and it wasn't long before I pretty much destroyed it. It wasn't until I was a teen that I was given piano lessons.
Click to expand...

He said "musician", not drummer. :p
 
Drummers are musicians too!

I'm a drummer, or at least that's the instrument I've played the longest (by about 5 years).

Its not that drummers are inferior, they just get rather egotistical for the abilities they have. I honestly got bored with drumming, so I started learning other instruments. Its a great skill to have, especially if you are a lone home recordist (terminology?), and don't have others to play on your albums, but by itself it just seems to get stagnant at times... no ability to create melodies, etc got annoying :)
 
I know you already have your answer, but I'm bored, so here ya go:

1. What was the first instrument you played, and when?

Started playing percussion in the fifth grade, started playing set in high school

2. How many instruments do you play?

Drumset/percussion, electric bass, guitar, mandolin (if that counts separately :)), piano

3. When did you start writing music?

A year or two ago

4. Why did you start writing music?

I got tired of only having covers to offer up during performances, and I have become very interested in recording. As such, I felt it would help to have something to actually put down on tape... covers are nice and all, but they only get ya so far.

5. Briefly describe how the writing process goes.

Usually starts with a small guitar or piano part, that I eventually shape into a full piece. Lyrics usually come from the rhythm and feel of the music written, but I also have a lot of lyrics sitting around, sync'd to no music. I pull from those concepts, and maybe the occasional phrase here and there, but due to the fact that the music has a different rhythm, I usually can't just set separate lyrics to a piece of music without editing.

6. What's the hardest thing about songwriting?

Making sure that others will understand what I am trying to convey, both in terms of the music and the lyrics set to it.

7. Where do you write songs usually?

Everywhere... music pretty much only at home, but the urge to jot down a chunk of lyrics comes at all sorts of random times - at home, work, school, when Im visiting family, etc etc

8. What inspires you to write?

Pretty much anything that causes an emotional reaction inside... even sitting around doing nothing makes me feel something, so it can happen at any time

9. How long does it generally take to write a song?

I've finished a few songs in a sitting (usually the ones I don't consider the better ones), and some have taken years... it can take me a very long time to figure out the entire musical flow or the entire lyric set to a song. I've had one sittin around for a year now that I really love, and it has a chorus and two verses, but the story is open-ended still, and I want to get a good end before I record it (or finalize recording), and put it out there.

10. Do you finish every song you start?

Not even close :)

11. Does pop culture influence your songwriting?

Yes. I hear a decent number of unknown/amateur musicians that try to elevate themselves above the level of pop by writing obscure stuff that nobody is really going to want to listen to. If no one wants to hear it, what's the point? I might not model my stuff after what is popular right now, but I do like to fix things if everyone who hears a piece says "It isn't catchy" or something else... I aim to please as much as I try to express myself - there's a happy balance in there somewhere.

12. Who do you write songs for. Yourself? Others?

Apparently for myself AND others... its as much about making others feel what you feel and enjoy it along the way as it is about getting out your thoughts/feelings (in my mind, anyway)

13. Do you believe music is an important part of the world?

Definitely. Even if it is just something you put on in the background, I've never heard one person say "I hate music. All of it. Its rubbish and I won't have it".

14.What can be the most unenjoyable thing about writing?

Knowing you have a great tune (or at least one you really like), and you just can't finish it for one reason or another. Or perhaps finding out that a song you spent a lot of time and effort on, that you really like, is disliked by all who hear it.

15. What is the most rewarding part of songwriting?

Man, I am really interested in others' opinions... probably the satisfaction of knowing someone is enjoying what I've written/recorded/performed
 
Somebody else mentioned it in one of your other posts about the new album, but I also really like that album cover. Good job :)

I was also expecting to see some sort of response from ya today, but then I realised, if you're in HS, your probably at school right now. I'm an idiot :P
 
antispatula said:
1. What was the first instrument you played, and when?
2. How many instruments do you play?
3. When did you start writing music?
4. Why did you start writing music?
5. Briefly describe how the writing process goes.
6. What's the hardest thing about songwriting?
7. Where do you write songs usually?
8. What inspires you to write?
9. How long does it generally take to write a song?
10. Do you finish every song you start?
11. Does pop culture influence your songwriting?
12. Who do you write songs for. Yourself? Others?
13. Do you believe music is an important part of the world?
14.What can be the most unenjoyable thing about writing?
15. What is the most rewarding part of songwriting?
Click to expand...

Think I'm gonna join in too. Looks kinda fun

1. First instrument I played was piano. Started lessons age 5
2. 6- Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Recorder, Triangle (not sure if the last 2 count)
3. Wrote my first tune aged 15. Been doing it ever since. Only started recording so I would remember them.
4. Because I love music. I'd noodle around on guitar for hours and come up with riffs, which would turn into tunes.
5. Starts with laying down some guitar riffs in a rough structure, then programming some drums in MIDI to work out how they are going to fit with the guitars. From there tonnes of amendments happen to account for structuring, timing, and throwing the crap away. A lot of my ideas for how to improve on a tune come to me while I'm at work. For some reason I don't work on basslines until everything else in the tune is sorted.
6. Not making the tunes too long!
7. At home on the sofa with my guitar. Or in business meetings.
8. The stuff other people have written. Listening to an good album. Seeing an energetic live band. Or just anger.
9. Anything between the time it takes to play the tune and 3 months. Sometimes I will write an entire tune on the spot and then record what I have done ASAP so I don't forget. I find the tunes I put together in 30 minutes or less are the better ones. Probably because they feel more on the spot, more of a result of energy and emotion rather than cold logic and calculation. Also, if I spent 3 months on a tune, chaces are it because it sucked to start with and I'm trying to make it better.
10. Yes unless I decide it sucks, then I just leave it and butcher out the good bits for other tunes.
11. No. I am out of touch with pop culture. I don't watch TV or read magazines or any of that other crap.
12. Me and my friends and family
13. Music is an incredibly important part of the world. It can have an effect on your mood in the morning (ever woken up to the radio paying a song that sucks?). I would even go as far as to say sometimes it makes me feel invincible. It taps write into the core of our primal instincts and can make us laugh, cry, move, and all manner of other things without even the need for words.
14. Having one of those "what comes next" moments, and not being able to come up with anything good due to trying so hard.
15. When I come up with something I'm really pleased with, and I put the rough drums to it for the first time, hearing it start to come together and getting a feel for where it's going. If it makes me want to headbang, that feels awesome.
 
cusebassman said:
Drummers are musicians too!

.. no ability to create melodies, etc
Click to expand...

Do you not see the contradiction?

Fortunately I was a musician, THEN I learned how to play drums. I enjoy playing the drums more than any other instrument right now, but if I want to make music I can still pick up a guitar, bass, keyboard, etc...
 
The rhythm of the drums is still part of the music... I think of music as the cohesive whole of the sound produced by a band. If there is a guy who stands there onstage with the band and screams "Yo Joey!!" every other beat, and it works? He's a musician!

So, the drummer adds to the music, making him a maker of music, or a musician. Music isn't all melody after all :)
 
cusebassman said:
So, the drummer adds to the music, making him a maker of music, or a musician. Music isn't all melody after all :)
Click to expand...

The next thing you'll tell me is that a dj is in fact a musician. :rolleyes: :D
 
antispatula said:
1. What was the first instrument you played, and when?
2. How many instruments do you play?
3. When did you start writing music?
4. Why did you start writing music?
5. Briefly describe how the writing process goes.
6. What's the hardest thing about songwriting?
7. Where do you write songs usually?
8. What inspires you to write?
9. How long does it generally take to write a song?
10. Do you finish every song you start?
11. Does pop culture influence your songwriting?
12. Who do you write songs for. Yourself? Others?
13. Do you believe music is an important part of the world?
14.What can be the most unenjoyable thing about writing?
15. What is the most rewarding part of songwriting?


Russell
Click to expand...

Also joining in for the fun.

1) I bought an electric guitar on my 14th birthday, a Yamaha EG112.
2) Guitar is my main instrument, but I also own and dabble with bass, banjo and drums.
3) I started writing properly about a year ago, so when I was 19.
4) As a means of expression and consolidation. I had alot of great ideas in my head and a few melody lines that I enjoyed to play on guitar. My songwriting was a marring of the two.
5) I come up with an idea: Usually stemming from an emotion or as a means to describe someone I know or their situation. I base the style of the music around that.
6) The hardest thing is the uncertainty. You spend hours writing something and trying to get it perfect only to realise it's just not working out. The opposite is also true; a song can come together in 30 seconds.
7) I usually write in my bedroom, as my songs are quite private until I think they're ready to be shared with a bandmate or someone else.
8) The biggest inspiration I find stems form the personal; people I know, people I read about, my own life and thoughts, struggles, achievements, aspirations, setbacks.
9) It depends. Some songs come together quite quickly: Ideas for a verse, chorus and bridge might fall into place within 15 minutes. I've spent hours trying to incorporate riffs into a song only to realise it wans't meant to be. Lyrics take me longer, but I never write them all at once.
10) God no! I don't think anyone does! I just hope the ones I finish are the good ones.
11) I sometimes find myself writing (often scathingly) about people who are motivated by trends or curent events. I prefer to write about historical events when I am not writing about the personal.
12) I write songs for myself mostly; i see the songwriting process as an extension of the artistic form. I write for the same reason that I draw. I liek to share songs with people I jam and record with, their comments can build so much confidence.
13) Absolutely. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't listen to music. It often makes me feel better about things. This is especially true about the music of Tom Petty.
14) Setbacks. Working on something and seeing it fall through, or being proud of something that others are dismissive of.
15) When you play an original composition and someone says "Thats cool, who wrote that?"
 
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