Does writing music scare you?

[Fishy]

I have been putting off writing original music for years now. I really have trouble and it's mostly because I don't want to write something bad. Also I don't feel good enough at guitar to be able to play what I want to write, which is also lame.

[WillRock]

Also I don't feel good enough at guitar to be able to play what I want to write, which is also lame.

I got over this hurdle by doing sequenced synth stuff. you're not limited by playing ability with sequencing!

If you can't do something, approach it from a different, easier angle while you figure out how get what you want. your style will change and adapt to these changes and thus become more unique.

[ectogemia]

I have been putting off writing original music for years now. I really have trouble and it's mostly because I don't want to write something bad. Also I don't feel good enough at guitar to be able to play what I want to write, which is also lame.

I know dat feel. That's part of why I quit playing guitar. I spent a year or so practicing maybe 6ish hours per day trying to become an awesome shredder/prog rock guitarist. I got decently good, but yeah, what I *really* wanted to accomplish was still years of practice away, and I decided it was just too much work.

I got over this hurdle by doing sequenced synth stuff. your not limited by playing ability with sequencing!

If you can't do something, approach it from a different, easier angle while you figure out how get what you want. your style will change and adapt to these changes and thus become more unique.

Will is right. All that guitar-playing made solo-writing come fairly naturally, even if it's something I couldn't have performed. Writing such solos has only made it easier to conceive of increasingly wankeriffic riffs, again, even if it's something I could never, ever, ever perform. And the more I fudge genres I'm not that knowledgeable of, like jazz and funk, the better I get in general and the more "ecto-style" (read: unique) my iteration of that genre sounds.

Plus, writing original music is more fun than writing remixes. Yeah, I said it. So shrug off the fear of "bad" and just go write shit, Fishy it gets easier the less you think about what you're writing and the more you just wing it.

[jnWake]

Plus, writing original music is more fun than writing remixes. Yeah, I said it. So shrug off the fear of "bad" and just go write shit, Fishy it gets easier the less you think about what you're writing and the more you just wing it.

Unless you approach remixing as writing original music. If you just grab a source and change it slightly, it'll be boring, but if you try to compose a new song while using a source, then it is as fun as writing original music!

Well, to me at least

[ectogemia]

Unless you approach remixing as writing original music. If you just grab a source and change it slightly, it'll be boring, but if you try to compose a new song while using a source, then it is as fun as writing original music!

Well, to me at least

That's what I do, and then the judges tell me to resub it because it's too interpretive bunch of doodooheads.

[theshaggyfreak]

As a musician/composer, NOT writing music should scare you. You can't progress if you're not actively honing your skills. Writing absolute crap is better than writing nothing at all.

[WillRock]

As a musician/composer, NOT writing music should scare you. You can't progress if you're not actively honing your skills. Writing absolute crap is better than writing nothing at all.

Would just like to second this, having been in this situation before

[HoboKa]

Would just like to second this, having been in this situation before

Also, don't let the panel make you give up. You should see my rejections track record =D I only have 1 track that will is to-be-posted and that's a collaboration ...been here for years too lol. But I can definitely say that I have learned a lot.

[SnappleMan]

Writing definitely scares me cuz it shows me how bad a musician I really am.

[Garrett Williamson]

In no way does writing music scare me. I do it all the time. I have a record out for sale on the internet and some people actually have me write music for them.

Writing music is one of my favorite things when it comes to my musical abilities.

[timaeus222]

I'm not scared of writing music, but it's still difficult for me to get good ideas out. If I can't get ideas out on a notepad or something, then I wait until a better idea comes along. Still waiting.

[Final Kingdom]

In a way, I'm more intimidated than scared when it comes to writing music. There are lot of people who write great music and I feel like I can't make something great for myself. I used to psyche myself out of writing music, but now I'm just going to go for it. There's nothing physically stopping me and it's a lot of fun, so why not?

[AngelCityOutlaw]

Writing does not scare me but i know a lot of people (I found them on my university course) who are seeking some sort of validation before they can show music to someone or finish something. A friend of mine who is an amazing composer... he got the highest mark on my course for composition and his stuff is really well thought-out and intelligently written. I love his music. BUT he's great at finding excuses. He'd say things like "I don't know about the internet like you do" to me as an excuse as to why he hasn't put himself out there as a composer. Or "i'll never be John Williams" (he loves John Williams). Turns out he doesn't write a lot, or perhaps he scraps a lot.

He's waiting until he has the validation of a masters course from the royal college of music before he's "allowed" to write music. It's sad because he'll have missed out on so much by restricting himself before that point, if he gets there.

A lot of people are like that - even if they are VERY VERY WELL qualified like my friend, many people get intimidated out of writing music and they shouldn't!

Getting over a fear of failure or an inferiority complex is vital to improving!

Said it before, will say it a thousand more times:

"No matter how good or bad you think you are with music, there is always someone out there who is no more than half as good as you, making no less than twice as much money at it. Therefore, you have no excuse not to try."

In a way, I'm more intimidated than scared when it comes to writing music. There are lot of people who write great music and I feel like I can't make something great for myself. I used to psyche myself out of writing music, but now I'm just going to go for it. There's nothing physically stopping me and it's a lot of fun, so why not?

Indeed

[SgtYayap]

I've had a fear of pretty much everything in my life, and music is no different. Sometimes I feel like my original music could be so much better, and the fact that virtually no one will even listen to my music, let alone buy it, doesn't help the matter.

[Vivi22]

I'm not scared of writing music. However, I do feel very outclassed by many composers because I rarely hear melodies or arrangements in my head. 99% of what I write comes from pure improvisation. This makes me feel inferior to people who can have an entire song in their head.

I actually find it quite interesting to know this. I know whenever I sit down to try and write some music I have absolutely nothing in my head as far as melody or even the rhythm. I always kind of wondered if that was common or not, or if it was just something that comes in time with more experience since my experience actually learning to play a melodic instrument is limited to about two years of piano lessons. Usually when I sit down I'll just mess about with some scales or chord structures until I start to hit on a sound or feel that I like and think I can build off of. From there I'm just really methodical and usually explore every avenue I can think of along the way. But I always wondered if it was common for many musicians/composers/artists to simply have something in mind before they started. It's nice to know an artist I enjoy listening to and have a lot of respect for is somewhat similar in that regard.

I'm not really afraid of writing music though. Afraid of the time it takes maybe because I'm usually quite obsessive about not committing to an idea until I've tried every variation or permutation I can think of. And I can understand nervousness when showing people stuff. I'm generally a pretty shy person so putting myself out there at all is difficult for me, and opening oneself up to criticism, constructive or otherwise, is a hard thing to do for most people.

[LuIzA]

Damn right I'm scared. I'm scared I'll hate it, I'm scared I'll end up unknowingly plagiarize someone, scared I won't finish it (usually right about that), scared I won't be satisfied with it ever, etc etc.

it doesn't stop me from doing it anyway, I just wish I finished songs more than I start.

[ad.mixx]

Something that has actually been bothering me for the past couple of weeks - figured it'd fit right in this thread:

I've been trying to learn how to compose/produce j-pop/chiptune influenced music (those songs you'd hear from anime OP's, or maybe stuff from Protodome or any similar artists on OCR) for the past year or so and I can never seem to get it right.

Why? Because apparently I don't have the musical brain of some people who are able to create insanely catchy and cool melodies/chord progressions, not to mention the stuff out there is just too good and in turn it's just too intimidating (scary).

For some reason I haven't manned up and let people criticize these works either, I just let them go unfinished because I don't like them and I know that they can be better, but they won't really get better until I can get some feedback, will they? What a bind.

[SgtYayap]

Something that has actually been bothering me for the past couple of weeks - figured it'd fit right in this thread:

I've been trying to learn how to compose/produce j-pop/chiptune influenced music (those songs you'd hear from anime OP's, or maybe stuff from Protodome or any similar artists on OCR) for the past year or so and I can never seem to get it right.

Why? Because apparently I don't have the musical brain of some people who are able to create insanely catchy and cool melodies/chord progressions, not to mention the stuff out there is just too good and in turn it's just too intimidating (scary).

For some reason I haven't manned up and let people criticize these works either, I just let them go unfinished because I don't like them and I know that they can be better, but they won't really get better until I can get some feedback, will they? What a bind.

Sounds like we're sort of in the same boat: I also question why my most original material seems to sound not as good as the original material by someone else. And when I say my most original work, I also have the fear of risking musical plagiarism, even despite I'm trying to make my own stuff.