Entry #10: Thoughts on Getting Back Into Music

While something I haven't discussed on this blog as of yet, music is actually one of many rotating interests that I've taken to over the years. Back when I was in middle school, I downloaded FL Studio, a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that can be downloaded here. For the sake of simplicity, your DAW is the place where you put your music together. I made a lot of really basic, stock-sounding garbage all through middle school and at many points during the time I was in high school. When I first opened FL Studio, however, I would honestly say that it was treated as a bit of a joke by the music community, at least from where I saw it, and it wasn't until I really started using it consistently in high school that I found people were starting to take it seriously, as a legitimate tool for artists and producers in the industry.

[Source: Cristian Benavides]

 

One of the greatest concerns I had with making music was the fact that I never actually learned an instrument; as I expected, I was not able to make it far with making music on my own time without any knowledge of music itself. As a young and unmotivated to-be artist, I also refused to learn music theory or properly learn an instrument over the idea that I would sound too "mainstream" and "formulaic" and uninspired, ironic because the "beats" I made were horrific, with few exceptions.

To clarify my interest, regardless of talent, I was actually inspired - first and foremost - by DJ Premier, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Samiyam, Mac Miller, Earl Sweatshirt, Erick Arc Elliot, and countless others. I really have to remind my audience here the context behind the situation here, especially as I saw it in high school. My time in high school overlapped with the 2015-2017 era of Soundcloud; before I even started listening to music regularly, exploring it on my own, I was already primed with names like Raider Klan, BONES, $uicideboy$, Yung Lean, Pro Era, and Goldlink to top it off, all gaining relative popularity in the underground around 2013-2014, give or take some time. These names/groups, as I later found out, were not nobodies, and several still maintain popularity or notoriety to this day.

What I mean by stating this, in general, is that this was a time of birth of a new era of music, where people were actively creating music, many times in their own homes or with the help of other local artists. I get the impression that this was my generation's watered-down version of the glamorized garage band.

Others associate this time as the death of rap, and I remember a lot of energy people expended on the internet talking about "mumble rap" and "trash," pointing to people like Lil Pump, Lil Uzi Vert, Smokepurpp, and others to make a point about how the golden age of rap was dead. I see this from a different angle, where I instead saw a broader movement of sometimes very talented artists coming to a certain level of fame where people were consistently making music they loved without the pressure of the mainstream. For the sake of what I have to say about making music, I'd like to toss the main criticisms that we've been hearing since growing up in the 2000s about some slow death of "real music." The point here is the point of motivation for making music like no one is really listening, the idea that anyone could make music in the comfort of their own homes and release it whenever they like, to their own enjoyment.

I reflect on this period of music with a lot of nostalgia, and listening to old tracks brings back a lot of those positive feelings. Since I've been looking back towards learning guitar and/or piano again, and with some creativity starting to flow, I came to the conclusion that I should really give this another shot. This isn't about money or streams. This isn't about trying to reinvent the wheel. This isn't about trying to smear other artists who make mumble rap or become "industry plants" to make a cash grab.

For this reason, I'm bringing out the MIDI keyboard, corny stock synths and plugins, multi-gigabyte packs of loops and drums, and FL Studio. I think it's time to redo this: no posting, no telling, just raw creativity put into folders to evaluate and work on over the years. I might even consider getting in touch with artists in the futue to get to work on some projects. This time, I don't think I'll pump out garbage or think about a beat sell. I think, at this point, I'm really ready to be serious about making music for me and me only. All inspiration and creativity to myself.

I don't think I'll ever fully quit music. The field is too diverse and interesting to ever let go of, especially with the multi-decade history of creative talent coming and going with so much to offer; there is never enough music in the world and never will be. Music is one of the most fulfilling hobbies I've ever had the chance to try, no matter how many times I "messed up" doing it.

[Source: Pixabay]