Is there such a thing as "original" sound?

[MetalManCPA]

Kind of a stupid question, but not being a writer, I'm curious:

With all of the music out there, do writers block out all they've heard and create their own sound which is then seemingly always compared to other bands, or..

Do you consciously (or unconsciously) take pieces of others music (like a puzzle) and use these pieces to create your own sound (which again, gets compared to other bands anyways)?

Honestly, most people I discuss music with always want to compare a band to something else they've heard, and I'm not sure it's fair to do that. It takes away from the artistic talent of the band you are listening to.

 

[Confessor]

Well im sure ur talking about influence.
I have a little trick im going to share with you.
Or at least thats how I draw my influence from bands i guess.

Lets say I have 3 or 4 bass riffs/lines that I just made up.
And i dont know how to put them together and such.
Now lets say im going to listen to Opeth for some influences.
What I do, is that I listen to how Johan or Martin did their own bass lines. Now, remember I just said 'how' they did it, not 'what they did'. Then, lets take the exemple of To Bid You Farewell. Johan varies alot with his bass lines on the 1st 3 minutes of the song. Now I take my bass lines, and I try to vary them.

Thats an exemple of how I personally draw my influences to try to make my own music.

Another exemple is to use a higher key on your guitar or bass and try to alternate between the lower and higher one like alot of musicians do.

Anyways, a fine way to really get an original sound is to know how to draw an influence and not do it wrong.

NP: Darkthrone - Skald Av Satans Sol

 

[Russell]

I don't know. I've always thought that the more music there is out there the less melodie there must be left. Then someone always come up with another one that I think - wow, why has noone ever written that before. Same with genre. I constantly think, right there can't be that many more mixtures, but then I find bands like Leftfield who mix so many genres they are basically one of their own. So I think it is possible to be original, tho u will always b compared to other bands as thats the best way to describe music.

 

[Soul Forlorn]

With all the thousands of bands out there I think it is quite difficult to find somethind that I consider completely original. It's not something I really strive to find anyway though. It upsets me when I hear folks say that a particular band sounds exactly like another when in most cases the band's style may be similar, and you may hear the direct influence, but there's almost always something unique that the band offers. Take Opeth for example. I've heard some people disrespect bands that have adopted a somewhat similar style to Opeth. Why is this bad? No, I don't want to hear a complete copy but I consider Opeth almost the start of a new metal genre. I love to hear bands that have a definite Opeth influence. Do we want Opeth to be the only band that writes in this particular style or do we want it to be the start of something really special in metal?

Personally, in terms of the way I write music, I really don't care to be absolutely original. I write music in the style in which I like best and I feel if I like it then I have succeeded. It's always nice when others like it too though. Basically this is how I use my influences: I have a select few favorite bands that I use to basically study their writing style. I use these bands because first and foremost they're my favorites, and they write in a style that I can relate to and I feel it is within my competence and resources to use them as an influence. I look at the scales used, the chords used, the effects, the techniques, the tones, the harmony, how the band starts, ends, changes from riff to riff, and most importantly how each instrument relates to one another as a whole to create a particular "mood". I mix elements of each of these bands' styles with my own style that I've unconsciously developed over the years to create something that feel is my own but the influences of these bands can be heard.

 

[warsofwinter]

I've never even thought of takin someone else's music and using it , not even my own band member/s .

 

[nyleve]

I think there are cases (might be my case), where a musician listens to a huge number of bands ... I'm talking in the thousands really and draws influences. Your best bet would be to listen to MANY prog bands and then make something out of a little piece of each. When you have 20 different influences in one piece, you are sure to come up with something original while blending all of them.

 

[hibernal_dream]

What chu talkin' bout Warsofwinter? I've heard your music, and while i admit its pretty good, its 100% unoriginal. Originality in music these days is extremely rare, and all drawn from outside influences. Especially in metal where everything from the instruments to the hooks to the vocals. Or is it just a coincidence that all metal bands have guitar drums and bass?

I guarantee you that if you give me a song, i'll be able to pick out at least 20 aspects of unoriginality....

 

[MetalManCPA]

Originally posted by hibernal_dream
What chu talkin' bout Warsofwinter? I've heard your music, and while i admit its pretty good, its 100% unoriginal. Originality in music these days is extremely rare, and all drawn from outside influences. Especially in metal where everything from the instruments to the hooks to the vocals. Or is it just a coincidence that all metal bands have guitar drums and bass?

I guarantee you that if you give me a song, i'll be able to pick out at least 20 aspects of unoriginality....

Actually, this is one of the reasons I started this thread. Like you, I always "think" I can extract influences from other bands in any song I'm listening to. Personally, I think it's impossible to be totally original, because how can your unconscious not draw upon something you've heard before when creating music? As I said, I don't write, but I find it hard to listen to anything which I can call original - maybe only because my mind is full of so much music, I think I've heard it before.

 

[D Mullholand]

Originality in pure form does not exist, like any absolute concept. Everything can be traced back in time through a chain of influences. What makes new music worthwhile and not redundant (not derivative), is a true feeling for the musical roots filtered through a prism of the musicians' personality. The result may be simply a good combination of the roots, but pictured from a different angle; or the same with an added unique personality (like the vocalist from Radiohead) or a few original personalities using musical tools already invented (like Tool).

In the post-modern age, almost all musical tools have been already invented. Everything can be music. Rock and metal do not introduce lots of new musical tools since the 70's, but thanks to distinctive personalities in rock music, and bands with a true passion, we have masterpieces like "Blackwater Park".


D Mullholand, a dead composer
-----------------------------
NP: Berg - Violin Concerto

 

[Orchid]

In Finland we have one group of "musicians" I'd definately call original. They don't play any instruments, but create an array of sounds (just like D Mullholland said, anything can be 'music') by means of mundane domestic tools, anything you can come up with which produces a sound of some kind when you hit it with something. Bang on a clothesline with hanger, for example.

 

[Lina]

Sounds like Stomp, which originated in England and now tours everywhere. I've seen them 6 times. But see? Even that isn't unique.

 

[Prometheus]

In Finland we have one group of "musicians" I'd definately call original. They don't play any instruments, but create an array of sounds (just like D Mullholland said, anything can be 'music') by means of mundane domestic tools, anything you can come up with which produces a sound of some kind when you hit it with something. Bang on a clothesline with hanger, for example.

But is that original? Einstürzende Neubauten was doing that back in the 80s.

 

[MarigoldInBloom]

There is no original creation, everyone is influenced by someone or something musically or not. You cant expect any different, bands can create new styles of music that differ from their old albums but there will always be ties back to their begginings.

 

[warsofwinter]

An original sound . i bit you don't know the sound of your own throat being cut .

 

[Demonspell]

Nothing is entirely original, nothing is without influences...that does not necessarily mean that the origins have to clearly manifest themselves and be completely reconfigured...

 

[Orchid]

Originally posted by Lina
Sounds like Stomp, which originated in England and now tours everywhere. I've seen them 6 times. But see? Even that isn't unique.

Yeah, I can see now it's not original or unique.. but hey, we're such a distant, backwards country that everything comes to us like eons after its invention; I had no idea. Like electricity we got only ten years ago..