N1CO

Hey fellow musicians.. Just wanted to share a basic venture into the electronic realm with you guys. No underlying intentions here, I'm not posting this for the purpose of feedback(though very welcome!) or even getting any likes or follows. Just kind of throwing it out there for anyone that's interested and enjoys the genre. It's my first endeavor into the genre. Usually I'm riffing out stuff on the guitar, considering that's my niche. I just wanted to branch out and see what I can do. I didn't want to post this in the songwriting critique forum cause it doesn't really fit there, in my opinion. Thanks for listening, Anyone other song writers play around with stuff like this on the side? I do it because the production techniques fascinate me, such as using unrecognizable sounds in musical ways.

I understand what you're saying, and I agree. I've played plenty of shows, had great ones, and awful ones! Even had the opportunity to open for the misfits 2 years ago, which I'll never forget. I like what you said, though. It holds true to a lot of people I'm sure, and even me at one point. I'd focus more on how I was playing instead of what I was playing and actually trying to enjoy myself. But I guess the whole purpose for this thread, for me, at least, is hearing about the exploration of music and how you guys do it. Although some talk of technique made its way in, that's not where my true interest lies.

All too familiar. I've gone through this too! I think finally now with my new approach to my craft comes new confidence. To speak my mind and to play freely, without worrying too much about how I'm being perceived. It's liberating. It goes beyond being able to pull flashy things off, now. I Just feel more certain of what I'm doing, and even more so capable of what I want to achieve. I think being able to seperate ego from art is a huge accomplishment, especially since we're so vulnerable when we express ourselves. Although my discipline is still in its infancy, I feel so far that routine, paired with exploration and consistency has given me a really strong sense of control over what I want and what I can do to make it happen. We will see what the future brings.

I guess more people do this than I had originally thought! Don't get me wrong, I don't want to seem dismissive of it, it's just hard for me to imagine having a meditative focus on what you're doing when you're filling your senses with other things. Maybe I'm too simple! I suppose it's hard to tell if you've truly been to a state of mind until you get there.. And even then, how sure can you be that you're really there? What I mean by that is, how do we know we're tapping into the best of our creativity? Can we really even tell at the end of the day? I figure we can only become better versions of ourselves at what we do, but never complete versions at that.. And I personally feel that a journey like that could be best ventured with a meditative approach. Does that make sense? Regardless, even if this whole thing seems silly, I respect that you guys took the time to talk about and put in your two cents. It's always interesting to hear about uniquely individual paths leading to a similar destination.

Cheers, Hobo.

Exactly. It's funny because I've heard a few people suggesting that squeezing in consistent practice, say even when you're watching tv or something, can yield results. Honestly, I don't see how you can round yourself out practicing while focusing on something else. Personally, I've done things like that before, and in turn ended up playing the guitar in a series of patterns rather than being truly musical. In the age of information, it's a little intoxicating to see the Internet as almost a pantheon for learning instruments. Probably guitar most especially. Sweep picking lessons, tips on technique etc etc. It's easy to think everything can be explained and generalized, when I believe the reality is: we're all different and have our own journey to achieve what we want. Hence why I started this thread. I got so caught up in reading and looking for information on how to be better in everyway, that I overlooked the simplicity of making my own way and just focusing a little harder.

Hopefull this isn't already a thread.. So, I know I'm new here, but I wanted to share an experience wih you guys, as well as get some insight on your own experiences. I'm talking about personal music goals and what you do to bring them into fruition. Do you work for what you want aggressively? Organized? Casually? Do you make up routines, or "to-do" lists for your personal music goals? This can mean anything from say, improving your technique, musicianship, etc. I'm asking because I've been having an interesting experience as of late because I took an approach of creating my own "camp" for myself on the guitar. I made a list of things I think I should work on.. I gave it a lot of thought. I asked myself what I wanted out of the guitar, and what I would find fulfilling if I accomplished it. Do I want to be a guitar virtuoso and invest my time into the guitar until I can play on a world class level? No. I've played guitar for 7 or 8 years, with it being my main, and just about only specialty. With a little reflection I realized I loved the guitar because I use it to make music, not because it's a guitar. At the end of the day, it's about the art, not so much the technical proficiency. Not dismissing virtuosity, there are plenty of musicians that are brilliantly creative as they are technically advanced. I'm digressing.. In the list I made myself were a series of exercises. Most of them involved some sort of ear training or finding chord shapes around the neck in different keys as quick as possible. Since I've started my "routine" I've noticed a level of growth on the guitar that I never had when I would just mindlessly practice my technique or scale shapes.. My playing is a lot more musical, and compelling than it ever was. And I play more gracefully and fluidly now. With little tension and economic movements, which leads me to another thing. Just last night I had a strange revelation about the importance of meditative practice. By that I mean tuning everything out but what you're practicing. Clearing your head of any outside thoughts and just having absolute, almost zen focus on what you're doing. I closed my eyes while practicing a line on the guitar, and envisioned my pick striking a single note, repeatedly with alternate picking. I imagined it as a kind of target. I felt a level of control over my right hand that I never have before at that point, and when I'd open my eyes, I wouldn't be as consistent with what I had just been doing. Almost as if I was distracted by just seeing in general. So I closed my eyes again and focused on everything I felt. I focused on the control, the consistency, and what I was doing to achieve it so that when I opened my eyes again I would know how to achieve that control without feeling distracted. It was strange. But effective. I know this post is all over the place. Just sharing random ideas with you guys, and maybe some insight if you're struggling with practice, or just organizing your goals in general. Anyone else have routines they stick by to keep them moving along in their journey?