Musical depression

[Fetzer]

I want to know if I'm the only one that feels like that. I'm into music since 5-6 years, learning by myself from there and here and I thought I was going good since recently.

I mean, when you are learning to play and to do all your stuff alone, you are fucking happy when you "discover" or "achieve" something, and that's exactly how I felt the last year. Composing, creating and composing my own song fed me with a great sensation of pride and accomplishment but with time you just learn that there's a fuckton of people who are doing the same, recording their own songs by their own way at their house. Then, you realize that you're not good as you thought and that finally, compared to others you know absolutely nothing about music, its techniques and its science...

I don't want to have a "career", be "known", "rich" or whatever with my music, I just want to be heard, to find people who thinks like me for certain subject or people that can see the same thing as me in music. But right now it just fell very overwhelming...

I suppose it's just a phase, that I should just let it go and in 4-5 years I'll be ok, but tho even if I'm pretty confidant (maybe I shouldn't) I always have that fear that in 20 years, I'll be in front of my computer, listening to my past songs and saying to myself "ahah, that was a great one, to bad nobody ever heard it, etc". When searching, you can find so many hidden talent that was just lucky enough to be found by you, but not enough to be really heard and I find that sad... Not that they should go pop or something, but that it would have been just of a little something and they would have grown a decent underground fanbase.

Anyway, maybe I'm just too tired right now

 

[Mystique1721]

Well, I understand your desire to be heard. But if music is so precious to you, then you should mainly be doing it for yourself anyway. so what if a lot of people don't hear your songs? did you actually write them for other people or did you write it for yourself?

I've been going thru the same thing lately, except I knew that there are a fucktonne of people creating and recording music in their own homes. then seeing that everyday normal people are doing this, I decided I can do it too. So I've recorded 2 songs I've written so far and I'm going to continue with the writing process. Recently I posted the 2nd song I did on the guitar player's thread on cob-ot forum but no one really seemed to care; and I'll be honest, that pissed me off a bit. but now I feel like I don't even care anymore. I write music for myself anyway, so no one has to hear it but maybe family and friends. and whoever else is interested.

sorry to say it Fetzy, but music in its pure form is a selfish thing. love it for what it means to you, not what it is for other people.

 

[gonzoguri]

16 years playing

every single day I know someone that plays much better than me, every single day I know someone that don´t even know how to put his left hand on the neck

who cares?

I keep playing, keep learning and keep enjoying

and thats all

 

[Fetzer]

sorry to say it Fetzy, but music in its pure form is a selfish thing. love it for what it means to you, not what it is for other people.

Yeah, but we are too near a philosophical and anthropological debate for my tastes, right now

16 years playing

every single day I know someone that plays much better than me, every single day I know someone that don´t even know how to put his left hand on the neck

who cares?

I keep playing, keep learning and keep enjoying

and thats all

Yeah, I guess I'll always find people who are better than me, that's true... I shouldn't let myself be put down by things like that It's just that, we do musics because... we haven't found outside something that is really what we was looking for. We got near, but still it was missing something. So yeah, in all humility, the music I do is the best because goddamn it I'm doing it for me because I haven't heard MY perfect music yet, so I'm creating it.

It's just that sometimes it would be cool to know that there's still 2-3 persons that seems to understand what you, why you do it, and truly enjoy it. Actually, thinking of it I don't think I'll be satisfied someday. Even if someone would answer something like "OMG YOUR MUSIC IS JUST SO FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!" it would just annoy the hell out of me... tho a reaction like this would mean that he probably barely understand the titles and that's pretty much all...

Funny tho how much emotions can drive a composition, but such an emotions like "musical depression" doesn't really help

 

[viewerfromnihil]

i've been going through this shit lately, it sucks and is very depressing

 

[waif]

been struggling with this myself tbh. That's why I decided my project is just going to be a musical diary; i'll try to release and get it out there or whatever but ultimately it's for me so that in 20 years I can look back on it.

 

[Travis Johnson!]

I know exactly what you mean. It's not like you want to be famous, but then again, there are songs that come on the radio every 5 minutes that totally suck, and you think, "Hey, my songs are better than this!" So I think it is most important to do it for nobody but yourself, and if a few other people like it too, that's just icing on the cake.

 

[TheInsane]

I always feel like Im worse than I am. I have evolved tremendously, especially the last few years. I know some thinks Im really good but I am way to critical of myself most of the time. I hate when I play the wrong note and I hate that my improvising scills are lacking as well as creating bass lines (Im a bassist). Im probably pretty good at playing stuff thats already been written but creating something new and exciting seldom workd out that good for me.

The funny thing is even though I have developed alot and Im way better than I was in the year 2000 I have always felt the same thing that Im not satisfied with my performance that often. But I guess thats also a good thing because I strive to become better. However its dangerous if the negativity gets the overhand.

 

[cannibal corpse]

I am going through the same thing, I posted my songs on some other forum and when this dude heard them he was like dude this isn't really that good sorry and I'm like whoa he's right it sucks, shattered my ego lol, it sucks, but I guess keep on writing.

 

[nocturnus6]

Hey join the crowd. The thing is, once you realize how much music is on the internet, and that everyone else is doing what you are doing, it makes you feel like a spec in the ocean. I didn't feel this kind of frustration when there was no internet, and I recorded at home on just a 4 track cassete tape deck. There's such an explosion of music on the internet, your music is most likely going to get lost.

The old shcool ways are still the best, and most satisfying. Get in a band, or get on a label. If you want people to hear your music that is. I do my black metal music for myself. It's therapeutic for me. I would like people to hear it, but I'm not so concerned about that right now. One day I'd like to submit a demo to label. Not to make money of course, just to get my music out there.

I also produce progressive trance and house, and I'm finally having some success with that. I got a few remixes signed to a major label, and some originals signed to smaller labels. Electronic music is a lot easier to break through, since they expect you to be a solo artist sitting in your bedroom. If you have talent, hang in there, and find the right channels, you can get your music heard. Metal is a lot tougher to get out there, because if you aren't in a band, it's very hard to promote. The only solo artist that ever made it, that I know of, was Quorthon of bathory. I admire him so much, may he R.I.P.

Keep hope alive. Make music for fun, for yourself, most importantly. In the meantime, keep looking for avenues to get your music into the mainstream, if you truly want to get heard. The internet is a great place to promote music, so long as you have the backing from live gigs or a label. If you are brilliant at promoting yourself (which most of us aren't), you might even be able to make this internet thing work for you. I'm not going to say it's impossible, but it's very rare.

 

[Blind Guardian]

I think my music is awesome, i really do. I always get happy when i listen to my own music. When i was in a band i wanted as many people as possibly to hear our music, but now i dont really care for some reason.

 

[waif]

Fear of being shot down by random people on the internet has made me a better musician. Basically, the only people who will be listening to it are my close friends (who are the only people around here into metal and will accept it automatically) and internet people. So I want to write stuff I won't be ashamed to present to the interwebz.

 

[tagradh]

kikoooooooooooooooo

 

[wandering_taco]

I've been playing guitar for like two months but I have some riffs and stuff made. I was just messing around on a bass before I got my guitar and I had made some little riffs on that that translated nicely on the guitar, and I have since made more. I think I'm close to getting a song done, it would sound better if I had an acoustic though. Its mainly bar chords so its simple. But yeah, to learn guitar I've just been learning parts of songs that sound cool that I am able to play, gradually getting faster and better, thus able to gradually play more things.

 

[nocturnus6]

Have you all ever considered sending your music to underground radio shows? I don't mean internet radio, I'm talking FM radio stations around the world. Lots of college radio stations have a few hours set aside for an underground metal show. I listen to a show on sunday nights, it can be heard all over the Houston Texas area. It's broadcast from a college radio station. I'm a little too far from the station to get great reception, so I listen to the internet stream. I plan on one day sending them a CD. They will play demos and CDs from local bands, and international ones too.

I'm an 41 yr old metalhead, and that radio show is the only place I hear new black metal, death metal, thrash, ect. The guy who does the show is older than me. I met him back in the late 80's when I used to go to metal shows. I love his taste in music, and enjoy listening to whatever he throws at us listeners. To sum it up, I think FM radio shows are still the best place to get exposure, if you're doing only solo projects. A lot of those radio stations stream on the internet too, so you get even more exposure.

So get some CD's printed up, with cover art, ect, and send them out to FM radio shows. The more you put into production, the better. Putting a little bit of money into it sure won't hurt, professional mastering and so forth, artwork. This is my long term plan. It would be nice to have a professional looking CD in my hands. I tend to think it would make me feel like I've really accomplished something.

Musical depression, and frustration, come from stagnating, and not taking your music to the next level. The internet is a nice way to let friends and family hear your music, but normally it never goes beyond that. If you expect any more from it, you'll end up depressed and frustrated.

 

[waif]

So I just kicked my musical depression in a pretty awesome way. I got my guitar set up (heavier strings, d tuning), and as my friend and I were walking home we fell into a conversation about European power metal and decided to write some together. most of the stuff I'd been writing recently was death/melodic death metal and I'd totally hit a wall, so this was a great change of pace for me. Anyhow, we just had a lengthy and extremely productive session and got some songs written. now I just need to find a fucking drummer...

 

[DEFIED]

Haha I know exactly what you mean! Most of what you write or record at home just doesnt hit you, or make sense until you got drums going with it! So I finally got a drum program (Addictive Drums) and its helping with the creative process sooo much more. And just listening to lots of different types of music helps get you out of that rut too. And if you are into theory or anything, learning new stuff like that too can help with getting you out of that depressive rut. Thats what Ive been doing lately and it's helped me tons!