I think what's interesting about this subject about getting to the good stuff is the applications are boundless and experience only helps you utilize the philosophy. The challenge though, never goes away.
Practice
Song writing
Live performance
Recording
Sometimes we have to get through a lot of manure to get to the good stuff. What is manure anyhow? Simply something that started as a good intention that has gone as far as it's gonna go after it's processed. (Sorry for the gross out) What it yields before it gets to the end stage is a different story. Weather you get daisies in the end is only up to how you feel about it.
Here's some examples.
Practice: I'm sick of having to read this song so slowly just to get through it. I'm frustrated with having to play this exercise at a snails pace. Why am I studying this theory if I can play the notes but don't understand where it's all going half the time? I find that some folks will not attempt challenging things unless there's some pre-guarantee that they either won't fail, become embarrassed, or frustrated. Is this realistic if something is new or your headed towards a higher level on some subject than where your currently at? I don't think there's any need to answer this question because the question it's self seems a bit silly. More importantly, what's your chances of accomplishing your goal? You can practice, learn, flesh out the frustrating parts, or not get to your goal. Sadly, it can always end in the poor attitude of "naw I don't wanna learn that stuff that badly."
Songwriting: My band Artisan has this one particular song where it took us weeks to come up with an ending. We finally came up with the ending and played it for about a month. It was a pretty cool ending but it wasn't as strong as it could have been. So I suggested we try something else. One more ending for the tune was developed and it was by far the best for this song. We went through a lot of ideas, even pretty damn good ones to get to the ending that said what we wanted it to say. Sometimes, it's good to not let every angle gnaw at you when your being creative. We all want to make sure we don't slow our creative flow down or lose sight of an original thought. In the end though, sometimes you have to take a detour if you know deep down there's more or better out there. That means sifting through mediocre or only decent stuff to get to the gold.
Live Performance: Ever have a note or section you have to sing live that's always cool at practice but then always gets funky (in a bad way) at shows? Maybe it's a groove that usually doesn't feel right unless your stage volume is optimal and the monitors are right. That's not how it works in music though is it? You have your show and however that section goes down is how it's been counted for. Never mind the reasons. Nobody wants you to walk away from a gig pining over one section, but there's lessons to be learned. Your chances of coming out on top are much better if your continuing to polish these sections at rehearsal and continuing to try things out at gigs. Heed the symptoms and miscalculations and re-think your approach before you just give up and start thinking about a workaround. There's no need to ignore or be in denial of an obstacle. Have some humbleness, take a step back, see if you can't come out on top that way. Most importantly, don't beat yourself up over a show incident. Unless your completely in the wrong band, you should be enjoying and learning from every show you play.
Recording: Upon take #57 in the studio you start to ask yourself "Is this part really going to happen or do I need to come up with something else?" Good question!
With experience we can mentally endure these shenanigans a bit better. These situations only get better with a better attitude. We can learn to tell ourselves when it's time to move on to a different part of the song, or when to re-write. Maybe we're half way through that walking basslines book but it's time to go back to the first page. Your gonna hit that pitch in the vocal booth, but you may have to change your approach. Doing that may involve having to get good and used to a new approach, that could take time. Might not happen today. That's alright. As long as there's another session to be had things can still be cool. If there are no more sessions, then you gotta keep plugging away or re-evaluate your approach.
With these examples, I'm not here to tell you that unless you have experience you are up the river without a paddle. I'm actually hoping to share with folks that this is all normal stuff for players and writers of all levels. Very few things besides yourself will tell you how many takes you'll need to hit that note.
Without sounding like I'm reprimanding the entire music community, I will be very honest in saying: 50% of the performance issues are due to lack of practicing, preparedness, and confidence. Maybe that practice is gonna happen right where you stand on the stage as your band plays it's 100th gig, or in the vocal booth, or in the chair you practice in as you pull your hair out over some dotted laden rhythm with rests your trying to read. It's unnecessary to put yourself in those positions much of the time. The culprit is often again lack of preparedness and some sort of personal denial that it's going to work out or it'll just have to suck or abandon an idea.
Regarding education and practice. We all know that it's more a matter of wood shedding and making sure we aren't skipping steps. Sometimes we have to hear the same instructions 3 different ways to comprehend. That's not a horrible prospect. Eventually, we will learn how to gravitate to the best route sooner.
Much of this blog has been examples more than helpful hints. Just like our bodies, our musical ventures can get colds. We can be miserable and down for the count. Or we can slam 1000mg of practice, or good attitude, humbleness, and eventually lick the issue. The biggest thing I'd like to convey is that's all the things that come with the challenge of getting to the good stuff is OK. Everyone goes through it and very few situations are similar. In the end you have to decide if your frustration is more important or if the intended goal is. Sometimes, the stronger answer is to change the goal some. I've had that approach quite a few times and ended up very happy with the results. It's not a matter of compromise. It's a matter of asking yourself "What else is just as good?".
Hopefully you have a great support system of bandmates, musician friends, teachers, or maybe a producer or engineer around that can either be patient or hopefully guide you. In return, you must work hard to minimize these issues be it revising an approach or going home and making sure you nail it next time. On a creative level, how long or how short productivity should take is very subjective. Some of my own tunes I'm most fond of have been cultivated over the course of a few hours to many months. Some of my proudest creative outbursts have been impulsive. My best advice is experiment, experiment, experiment, and make a record of all of your ideas. If your not a recording buff or you don't own a hand held recorder, paper will do just fine.
I'd like to thank all of my readers thus far. For those of you who have worked with me in the past, if you have any suggestions as far as subjects you'd like to see me cover, feel free to contact me.
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