YOU are the music maker.

[Gstring]

As I hang up the phone with another bitchy admissions department representative from an music school I just sit and wonder, "what the hell". Are these schools and these people really trying to help musicians out or take their money. I am finding this out. Interaction with musicians is such a pleasure, however interaction with people associated with musicians is not. It comes to the point of, why in the hell do we even bother with these people. Do we really need them around. Schools, institutions, companies, bla bla bla. Absolutely not. Why in the hell should we even bother with these people. Get them the hell out of the way. We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams. (thanks Willy Wonka) Not them. They just want to steal a piece of our pie. Pie being, songs, ideas, money, whatever. Yes, steal. And if they were the music makers then they'd be out there doing it, not trying to just stay close to the real music makers. I admire all the independent labels out there. I think that is real smart if you got the money and power. I think what Steve Vai is doing with Favored Nations is very cool. None of these other cheese dicks out there are in the position to tell Steve what he is to do or not to do. The only reason any of us should ever feel pressured by the outside industry is if we are thrown into their playing fields, and that in itself is an abomination to artists. All in all, remember, YOU are the music maker, perfection is already in you, you don't need anything else. You are the tool. You sculpt the image, not schools, not record executives, not even peers, YOU.

 

Sorry, just had to get that out. Ok, on with the day!

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

 

Originally posted by Gstring As I hang up the phone with another bitchy admissions department representative from an music school I just sit and wonder, "what the hell". Are these schools and these people really trying to help musicians out or take their money. I am finding this out. Interaction with musicians is such a pleasure, however interaction with people associated with musicians is not. It comes to the point of, why in the hell do we even bother with these people. Do we really need them around. Schools, institutions, companies, bla bla bla. Absolutely not. Why in the hell should we even bother with these people. Get them the hell out of the way. We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams. (thanks Willy Wonka) Not them. They just want to steal a piece of our pie. Pie being, songs, ideas, money, whatever. Yes, steal. And if they were the music makers then they'd be out there doing it, not trying to just stay close to the real music makers. I admire all the independent labels out there. I think that is real smart if you got the money and power. I think what Steve Vai is doing with Favored Nations is very cool. None of these other cheese dicks out there are in the position to tell Steve what he is to do or not to do. The only reason any of us should ever feel pressured by the outside industry is if we are thrown into their playing fields, and that in itself is an abomination to artists. All in all, remember, YOU are the music maker, perfection is already in you, you don't need anything else. You are the tool. You sculpt the image, not schools, not record executives, not even peers, YOU. Sorry, just had to get that out. Ok, on with the day!

 

 

While I agree with what you say for the most part, you have to understand that they don't call it the recording industry because it's a clever name.

[Kingnome]

Slugworth really worked for Mr. Wonka.

 

Sometimes there are tests and challenges, but only the true and faithful get a ride in the Wonkavator !

[BlueStrat]

You must understand something: Music schools are so far removed from the realities of your musical culture, about the only thing they have in common is the frequent use of middle C. My friend (and fellow musician) has his doctorate and is the band director at a prestigious local private university. He draws the distinction of the purpose of music schools, as opposed to learning the biz. Music schools exist to teach you to become a good mechanic with your instrument and to understand the schematics of music itself. It is more a scientific venture, and a mental discipline. Emotion has little to do with it. They by and large churn out players of varying degrees of skill who can read almost anything but improvise little if at all, because only reading is "legit". They exist to turn out musicians who are the ultimate "cover" players, guys who can join an orchestra or show group and sit right down and play what's put in front of them the way the conductor wants it played. There's nothing wrong with that, but just be aware that it has little if anything to do with pursuit of a career in popular music. There is a reason the vast majority of music majors become music teachers. It's about the only job you can get with a degree in music.

[juheimbu]

hehehe. I've got a music degree, and I'm not teaching. I'm a systems administrator!

 

-juheimbu

[pigman]

 

Originally posted by Gstring As I hang up the phone with another bitchy admissions department representative from an music school I just sit and wonder, "what the hell". Are these schools and these people really trying to help musicians out or take their money. I am finding this out. Interaction with musicians is such a pleasure, however interaction with people associated with musicians is not. It comes to the point of, why in the hell do we even bother with these people. Do we really need them around. Schools, institutions, companies, bla bla bla. Absolutely not. Why in the hell should we even bother with these people. Get them the hell out of the way. We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams. (thanks Willy Wonka) Not them. They just want to steal a piece of our pie. Pie being, songs, ideas, money, whatever. Yes, steal. And if they were the music makers then they'd be out there doing it, not trying to just stay close to the real music makers. I admire all the independent labels out there. I think that is real smart if you got the money and power. I think what Steve Vai is doing with Favored Nations is very cool. None of these other cheese dicks out there are in the position to tell Steve what he is to do or not to do. The only reason any of us should ever feel pressured by the outside industry is if we are thrown into their playing fields, and that in itself is an abomination to artists. All in all, remember, YOU are the music maker, perfection is already in you, you don't need anything else. You are the tool. You sculpt the image, not schools, not record executives, not even peers, YOU. Sorry, just had to get that out. Ok, on with the day!

 

 

Unfortunately, the example you provide of music schools is typical of life in general. There will always be a certain amount of snobbishness associated with the gatekeepers who decide which candidates are worthy and which are not in any given context. More subtlely, they are justifying their own existence by keeping the bar raised high. [in some ways, we all do this....] When you speak of relating to other musicians, I read this as relating to equals; your piers. And this will always be easier since there's a common level of understanding and sympathetic goals.

 

In the specific, I've never thought much of music schools. Their cookie-cutter mentality is brought about by the machine which must constantly feed on ever-growing enrollment and expansion of the physical plant. I went to school in Boston and jammed with many a musican from Berklee, and my consistent impression was "I'd know those chords anywhere!" The fact remains (and you are right on the mark), to be noticed you must come up with something from left field - far apart from the forms that have been codified. I'd much rather play with a musician who threw in a quirky note because it sounded funky, than a player who was working from a tone-row.

 

Musicianship is about learning to fly. Every music school I've seen is located on the ground.

 

P.

[incubass]

see that's the paradox. music schools can train and produce the finest musicians in the world, but they can't create artists. the best situation is that you have an artist who can learn all those disciplines and lessons in a music school and then twist them and turn them to fit his artistic vision. the problem today is that we have illiterate musicians using the "its art, i cant be taught it"

cop-out to justify not learning the fundamentals and we have lots of super technical people that are snobby and have a huge superiority complex because they can play 30 notes a second with no mistakes, but yet lack any kind of creativity and soul. if these groups would learn from each other, the state of music would greatly increase. as for the industry, i think that if you truly love the music and can find some other financial source it can set you free from all the things major labels willl use to manipulate you into doing what they want. then you can make music for more pure reasons and hopefully strike a chord with a group of people and become a huge phenomenon and all the big wigs and your favorite major label are scratching their heads trying to replicate you!! now tell me that's not a great feeling, seeing alot of musically deficient exec.'s looking high and low just trying to find someone that can copy you!! at least that's the best case scenario

[pigman]

I would consider myself to be somewhat "trained." I've studied the Renaissance lute, wrote a paper on post-Schoenbergian theory, and produced a CD of computer music using direct digital synthesis. But to most audiences, the instrument was a novelty, the theory was too far removed, and the music was too abstract.

 

While I've spent a lot of time immersed in the art of music, I'm now focused in its ability to communicate. I simply want to relate to people. I'm now trying to do something new with the blues - one of the simplest forms to play. However, as someone once said; easy to play, but extremely difficult to play it well.

 

P.