The Benefits of Being Bad at Making Music
Got inspired to talk about this by Jameson Nathan Jones: • Music Producers got th... '
Will put the sounds here: / magpiestuff
"Are you someone who's always wanted to make music but feels discouraged because you don't think you're very good at it? Well, you're not alone, and in this video, we'll explore the surprising benefits of being bad at making music.
Firstly, when you're bad at making music, you're more likely to experiment and try new things. You won't be weighed down by the pressure to create something perfect, which means you'll be more open to taking risks and exploring new ideas. This can lead to unique and innovative sounds that you might not have discovered otherwise.
Secondly, being bad at making music allows you to embrace imperfection. It's okay to make mistakes, and in fact, some of the greatest musicians of all time have made mistakes and embraced them as part of their sound. By accepting your flaws, you can focus on the parts of your music that make it unique and special.
Thirdly, making bad music can be a great stress reliever. It's not about creating something perfect, but rather about having fun and enjoying the process. This can help you let go of stress and anxiety and focus on the present moment.
And finally, being bad at making music can actually help you improve. By making mistakes and experimenting, you'll learn what works and what doesn't. This will help you refine your skills and ultimately create better music.
So, don't be discouraged if you're bad at making music. Embrace your flaws, experiment, and have fun with it. Who knows, you might just create something amazing!" - ChatGPT
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MAGPIE PEDALS: www.magpiepedals.com/
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00:00 - 10:39 Talking (Recommend 1.25x)
10:39 - 17:35 Sounding
Put the sounds on patreon yeah: www.patreon.com/magpiestuff
Introduce yourself to Jack. You're talented man.
you said a pro penis instead of pro pianist
Hello Simon - first time viewer, and I love your set up and approach to music! If I may ask, what kind of acoustic bass is that,vand where can I get one? It sounds freaking amazing.
@@mf_rat thanks
@@DetroitMicroSound who's Jack?
For decades, I have been surviving any embarrassment for my music by saying, "my performance sucks, but no one sucks exactly like I do, and that's got to be worth something"
Agree!
“Wow. Your works sucks as much as Mozart.”
Well spoken
Brian i feel that conscious direct approach is just as powerful as musical genius if not more so. I have an overview of musical genius people not being able to make a song people can get down with while 4 dummies like the Ramones made the world dance . What you we posses i not jus t worth something it is Everything respect
Wow, I'm holding on to that one haha. Thanks dude. That's strangely super encouraging.
The music college I'm studying in has a whole module where we're pushed to play instruments that we're not comfortable with, and to avoid making music, just "make noise, layer it together, chop it, reverse it, and then record more noises." It's honestly the most useful thing any musician or producer can be taught.
Yeah, ok... Why? And at what point do they say to start making actual music-or at least musical noises?
@@joedarrow5422 A module. It's only one sixth of the semester. The other modules are normal music. The point of this module is to push experimentation so you have techniques to use in the other modules.
I'd say take music theory 101, it helped me with production side. Because it's basically composing music by reading and writing on the staff and translating that to instrument such as piano
@@saintpeniel I've been studying classical music theory for 16 years. This class is still far more useful to production than any music theory I've ever learned. I think you're missing the point here.
@XeroPulse guess it's different for the both of us, I tried that way that you're doing it now for about 6 years. But once I decided to take music 101 and 103 etc. It helped me in the way you have described, I think that's cool that we got a similar outcome
I just have to say thank to you. I had burnout exactly when I started studying harmony, I trashed every project I had begun and in one year I finished only a song that I didn't even like. Unfortunately, due to a health disease with my ears (I hear half) I stopped completely out of depression but this video is tempting me into restarting making music again
Damn sucks with the ears. If you do return to making you should share it on magpie pirates with that story! Super inspiring with overcoming such things
You might also be interested in stuff from our friend Accurate Beats, if you aren’t familiar. He does music with one ear not working, too. :)
i wish you all the best and specialy courage to restart again. a while ago i read about a pianist who lost one hand in one of those horrible wars. could have been ww 1. he wouldn't stop playing and asked famous composers to write one-handed music scores for him and he played them on stage. as i remember they are still played today... will say: perhaps you too may find a new approach to making music even with the limitation...
Thaaanks ❤️❤️❤️
Some of the best music was recorded in mono ;)
There's benefits?! Finally, some good news! I'm terrible at making music 😊
Same.
Me too but it’s fine to try!
Everybody is bad. Some are just better at hiding it (confidence) or they just suck a tiny bit less. 🤣 Haha and some are really really REALLY good.
Oh hey looks its Tyler Larsen
You’ll get better and better. Truth is, I think we all think we suck from time to time. Some days you’re king of the world, and the next you’re the ditch digger. Just enjoy the ride, and embrace it all, because in the end, it’s always fun
"I don't mind swimming against the current. 'Cause I'm not looking for the sea. No I'm more interested in what's ahead of where I'm swimming currently." Words to live by. Brother, that is an ethos. That grabbed my heart and held tight. Thank you. Fan va du är bra.
Yeah... it's fabulous.... I've been singing it to myself for a few days now.
That line literally gave my whole body shivers
First example that came to mind of personal > perfect is singing voices . A lot of the most famous singers are unique rather than just being perfect vocalists and it just makes it better
Dude that’s brilliant. Reminds me of Frank Zappa, where he said the way he solos is just having a basic understanding of the mechanics of the fretboard, and then being inspired in the moment. This is such a good way of looking at music.
My philosophy for guitar playing is: no matter where you put your fingers on the fretboard, you're either in tune, or one semitone off, and can just slide right into whatever pattern you feel appropriate
@@motionsuggests that's brilliant, thank you, kinda echoes my philosophy on tuning, i have to be able to "hear the _wrong_ notes" before i can adjust them into being "the _right_ notes"....
@@mindsigh4 and any wrong note can become a right note through repetition. If you hear an off note once its off. If it becomes part of a pattern, its just part of the music.
The 'child like appreciation' of the toys/instruments is really fascinating to me. I have several less common instruments, like a talharpa (tagelharpa), lyre, etc. on top of a collection of synths, and my students have generally never seen either. In fact with synthesizers they often ask me if "That's what I use to DJ with" despite... it sometimes having literal keys on it like a piano. Perhaps because I teach teenagers, some are already afraid to touch the instruments, get nervous just holding them, perhaps they can recognize that its special, or may cost money or whatever, but some just really dive right in and are excited to play it. They'll ask me how I learned to play any of them, and I tell them I just picked it up and started playing them until I got better, just like they can. They're surprised I was willing to buy them never having played them and I explain that's kind of the point, that's why I got it, I wanted to play it and there was no one like me I knew of that had stuff like that. I didn't even start playing until I was quite a bit older (technically I had lessons as a kid but there was a massive gap), and just doing it and giving things a shot not only boosted my confidence and made me happy even when the songs might not be that great. But even after a few years I still enjoy picking up a new instrument (my bukkehorn showed up today!) and figuring out how to use it, and how to include it into a song is always a lot of fun.
Awesome!! I wish I had all those instruments you mention 😁
@@SimonTheMagpie The feeling is mutual!
I definitely got stuck in a rut for a while trying to focus too much on perfection when recording, even on instruments that I am relatively proficient at. I found it very helpful listening to isolated tracks of musicians that inspire me. It really opened my eyes to the fact that many studio recordings have imperfections, but it doesnt matter, and it is part of their charm in a way.
Can't express how much I've missed you and totally vibing with what you are saying. Glad to see you back bro!
Most fun I had doing music was during lockdown, when a friend and I made a challenge: We'd pass a genre and a topic to sing about (like, Gospel and vacuum cleaning or sth.) to each other and had like 1-2 weeks to record and mix the song. We'd explore a lot of stuff we didn't normally do and it was beautiful. Also: That ending song brings joy to my heart.
10:58 is literally "Losing My Edge" by LCD Soundsystem . Love it!
Im new here and i have to say your piano is literally the most badass piano ive ever seen. The art on it is amazing. Also to add onto what you talked about. Prince is the PERFECT example of someone who utilized this technique. The guy could play 27 instruments. I doubt he was "pro" level at all 27 instruments but this creative mindset isn't about being god tier. its about expanding on your weaknesses, pushing yourself out of your comfy zone and growing as a creative person and taking what you CAN do and maximizing it to its full potential. This skill is greatly overlooked and under utilized. Fantastic video.
I’m honestly pretty sure he was god level on all of them 😅 but probably from just playing them all so much on feeling! once in a generation type person
This was honestly really inspiring. I've been working on my first album for a while now and about to finish it up. In the process I will sometimes get this anxiety of me not being good enough or whatever and being scared of showing it to people. This kinda helps alleviating that. Thanks :) Also your new album rocks 🔥
As an example of a group that can actually combine virtuosity and personality I have to mention Dirty Loops. They manage to make absolutely wild stuff with some insane musicality that is also approachable and just enjoyable to listen to. You can nerd out about progressions, insane vocal runs and absurd precision of the rhythm section, but you can also just sit back enjoy happy music that is fun to listen to.
I think you've just minmaxed for arrangement skills. Cause even if every single part of a song sounds bad on its own, they all add together to make a whole greater than the sum of its parts. You're an inspiration for a hobby producer like me that's never sunk time into learning any instruments, but I've always focused on arrangement and composition.
you talk about the benifits of not knowing how to music, then completely knock it out of the park! so inspiring and amazing!
Well said Mr. Magpie. I tend to get bogged down with the technical side of things and forget to just have fun and lean into my weaknesses, rather than struggling with them.
This was truly inspiring. Thank you so much for posting!
Bruh!! That line/chorus is everything! Just a beautiful metaphor that completely describes the concept you just explained! ❤
I really needed to hear that. Thanks for all this wonderful stuff you put out into the wide world, Mr. Magpie.
glad you're making videos again. really appreciate this one in particular
That little song you heard is genuinely so nice, you can hear the passion that was put into it. You really proved your point with that song!
Inspiring video and awesome runthrough of the track production - especially great lyrics in the chorus as well, thanks a bunch!
So good dude!! I needed to see this, thank you
Just what I needed! Thanx Simon!
Beautifully put, thanks for saying it
Thank you! I needed this message today. Thank you!!!!
Thank you for the 1.25 recommendation I hope this type of thing is standard across KZhead
Very refreshing perspective! Thanks. ☺
Simon. You are amazing. Don't stop making music.
I appreciate what you are saying. Making things work together is in itself playing with skill, no matter what level of expertise. Jerry Garcia had only been playing with the lap steel guitar for a couple of weeks when he layed down the steel guitar on Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Teach Your Children" I get stuck on things being "great" and most skilled work... It is ego and more often than not is far from childlike and keeps me from learning even more. I play fiddle and sweet. It is what it is. I just appreciate your encouraging talking
love how the track sounds with the vocals, reminds me of early brian eno :> wonderful video as always simon
I love that topic: It is about a learning path versus exploration of something. Exploring something you are not professional at, comes with a lot of freedom. - This applies to jamming as well: Open stages that allow people to grab an instrument and be part of the experience - I have seen magical things happen with people there, fe: "Hey, that was cool what key was that in? You must be a pretty experienced bass-player"-"I picked this thing up half an hour ago". Or Professional musicians saying that it was totally wrong on a technical level, but worked and felt surprisingly good afterwards... Those Jam-Sessions, I was lucky to get into regularly some years ago, were a gateway for me to explore expressing myself with audio as well. I do not care if what I make is listenable or good by certain measures - it is merely an expression of a moment in time. A sound that felt right for my thoughts, my situation... that moment. Be it understood or misunderstood - liked or not - in this case, this is my way of exploring. - - Thinking about that more - it all, the whole topic, feels like a byproduct of the journey being the destination more and more. - Which can also be a mighty reminder for professionals as well and ties into some of the less-is-more logic. --- That was inspirational! Thanks Magpie!
Totally something I needed to hear. Thanks for this, Simon!😻
I really needed this video. Thank you so much
This was incredible and inspiring and hilarious and beautiful!! Thank you!!!!🙌🏻❤️
Wow. That's inspiring. Thank you, Simon!
Awesome video man. Keep it up!!!
Thanks for being you and doing what you do and sharing. This is now one of my favorite music / creativity videos.
Much Respect to you and your musical approach
I love this! You're wonderful, thank you for putting this sentiment into the world.
Thank you so much for this!!! Pure and free to the core of the heart
You have been a huge inspiration to me over the years dude. Thanks for the encouragement and creativity!
That really came together towards the end. This is exactly the motivation I needed to get back to work. Thanks for that.
Yes! I love this whole philosophy. Thank you for the inspiration!
talent is just consistency over time, you do anything consistently and constantly long term you'll get good
Excellent rant!!!!
With the power of DAW:s these days, I’ve always felt emense preassure to achieve a great sounding mix that as a beginner it just kills my spirit to work with as I never get the results i want or feel is expected working in modern environments. The creative spirit came back to me when I switched to working with a 30 year old 4-track cassette recorder and truly committing to those limitations. That also includes working only with hardware which provides a very tactile experience. Creativity came back to me when I focused more on the experience of making music in the moment rather than the finished result.
this is inspiring. thank you.
Thank you, this is so inspiring
Subscribed for the incredible energy ❤
I'm a soon to be Sound Engineer student and you are very inspiring! More doing less thinking and just going with the flow without the judgment of absurdness! That's the vibe I'm getting when I paint abstract! Keep it up!
This is just all out great this is just the video I needed bless you!💯
This is the most amazing production video I've seen yet. It's so perfect because it's so imperfect! As someone who never grew up playing any sort of instrument I've only begun my journey recently. THIS is what I need more of! Thank you Magpie! ❤
My passion for production kinda died after spending countless hours in the piano roll. A few weeks ago I picked up a bass, and being bad at it and just dorking around has really reawakened that passion. Looking forward to buying more random instruments :D
this is the most beautiful video i've ever watched in my life. That ending was pure, and beautiful, and I wanna listen to that full song!
Very inspiring thank you!
You are having so much fun. I love it 😀
Great video. Great to hear you put it into words, but I just want you to know that you already inspire people in this regard. I know watching your videos have made me "embrace the jank" and explore, play and goof around a lot more when i make music. You always look like you have so much fun when you make music, and your attitude when you discover and explore something new is really inspiring! Keep being yourself!
Wow this is great insight 🤘
Loved it!
Brilliant! All the way around. You've shown that a lack of virtuosity is absolute perfection when imbued with the personal.
Very inspiring!
sounds great ! i like it especially high vocal notes
Thanks for this unique perspective! I have often felt self conscious and discouraged by my inabilities when it comes to making music. But framing that as a creative tool is a really good way of looking at it.
Abounding love, Magpie. We all have a sound to share 🎉 the song at the end was joyous ❤
I couldn’t agree more with this video, Simon. I come from a background of playing in a lot of metal or metal adjacent bands and there couldn’t be a style of music with less character and originality. Everything is quantized or recorded slow and sped up, slip editing and vocal tuning are rampant. Drummers will record their hands and feet separately and even then their tracks are quantized to the grid. Guitarists tend to use the same plugins and modellers to get their tones… This is all in the pursuit of sounding “perfect” and in that pursuit they lose every last bit of life that may have existed in their music.
Damn that turned out dope dude. Love it!
A lot of inspiration! I really like your philosophy! The most important: Having fun by making music/sounds/bleeps & bloops!
That was really thought provoking and inspiring. The song came out so brilliantly weird, it has a visceral character that spotlights your personality. One of the things that i love about your music is nothing is ever off the table and you are make extremely experimental and avant-garde art. I tend to walk that same path where I'm constantly out of my comfort zone stylistically and strive to incorporate new sounds and techniques into my music. Its super fun to go out of your depth and see what you can create. I'm glad to see you back, your music and videos are a breath of fresh air.
Love your name..lol
@@loficathedral4584 Thanks, I think it fits my style and music well. I go by the same name on SoundCloud, where I put most of my stuff if you're interested.
@SimonTheMagpie ... The "braveness" to be VULNERABLE is an amazing quality, my friend! You are amazing. As a long-time studio musician, I thoroughly ENJOYED this! BIG THANK YOU MAN.
I absolutely LOVE my wall of instruments that I can’t play but do! I similarly find that the more of them I’ve managed to pull down and mess with during a project, the happier I am, with the music and otherwise.
This was a beautiful video man I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. It reminded me to just have fun with it more and relax. Music's beautiful and as someone getting into making mine at 30 and stresses myself out all the time this helps me I will watch this everytime I get down on playing music because it truelly is uplifting seeing someone enjoying music like this. Your cool man keep playing and enjoying. Thats a cool song too no joke vibes 1000 percent
Tack som fan för denna video! Jag har också samlat på mig massor av instrument men har ofta bashat mig själv för att jag inte lär mig att spela dom. Jag vill bara ha kul men lagt för mycket press istället. Jag älskar hur din låt blev och jag är riktigt inspirerad till att sampla det lilla jag kan och se vart det leder. Skitkul att följa dig och tack igen! ❤
Bravo magpiestro!
I can't be the only one that noticed that at 10:54 the beat that plays is almost exactly the same as Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsytem. I have a feeling james murphy was playing around with that same casio when he made that lmao
Yeah I looked it up after another comment! And all points in the pt-30 direction. Which is cool! 😄
Ever since I got on medication for my overwhelming anxiety disorder I've been finding discarded pieces that once thought were trash.. and they're really good?? Just need some minor polish on the production to my present standards. We are so unfair to ourselves. I still struggle with judging my own music but it was a very enlightening moment. I also cant deny that I was far more prolific when I didn't know what I was doing at all but also wasn't super worried about it being perfect because who would ever hear my Sony acid no midi no vst all sample manipulation beats? Forever struggling to recapture that freedom and spontaneous writing. It's definitely my most interesting music
Beautiful, man! I'm glad you're back and appreciate your viewpoint. I totally agree, especially in making music as solo composers working in our own studios. I don't think an AI will ever match the sheer, maniacal and frenetic creativity of a human being.
Agree!
Duuuuuude, I love this. So amazing. The music you made is wonderful. And that conversation about A.I. is so real.
Thank you for this video, i put a lot of pressure on myself because i have high expectations and i want to learn everything at once and get super frustrated when i feel stuck. I am starting to realise that this approach kills the joy that originally motivated me to learn instruments and produce music. I still want to learn and improve, but i dont want to be spiraling down into depressive, intrusive thoughts that make music more of chore then a passion. Your playing in at the end of the video gave me so much, it reminded me so much of what i love and why i love it. As cheesy as this sounds, thank you man. Ps: Also very inspiring how you just try it and dont give a fuck how it may sound a little funny, you just keep going and embrace it until you get it right. And you have all the fun in the world while doing so. I will 100% rewatch this when my head gets too loud.
ya ur right, the song u made felt very alive and full of life (weird but also reminded me of "dont hug me im scared"), keep up the good work ty
I always feel like my music's never going to catch on but I personally love it so I continue. Love your video thank you!
I've been producing for over 15 years and my friend's and I have really taken to teaching the kids how to produce. My 16yo cousin just started and I LOVE the amaturish sound of the music he makes. It inspires me so much.
Fascinating discussion. Ur limitations are ur greatest strength
This is a great video. I love your song too. It's funny bc I had just watched Jameson's video yesterday.
i enjoyed this, thank you
i have been looking for this type of advice for a decade now, and i recently found it in a discord community unrelated to this but i'm glad this sentiment is shared by more people. it's the type of thing that has led me to actually create things after years and years of wanting to
I struggle so much with this. Not only with instrument playing or vocals, but with everything music related (recording, mixing, theory and more). It's been a long journey of trying to accept my limitations, my incapacity of playing any instrument and my lack of theory. I just been trying to focus on having fun. But despite having that approach to things, there are some things that are still a big struggle for me. Not knowing how to sing/hating my voice is a big one for me, I've relegated myself to just to instrumental stuff but it frustrates me a lot that feeling of shame of anyone listening to my attempts of singing or playing an instrument. I don't know how to get rid of that feeling.
Interesting in regards to mixing and all as well. I think I might talk about that in a future video cause I think it might be very relatable!
@@SimonTheMagpie oh yes, I see mixing as one of the most asked kind of feedback on the discord, people are always worried it's too muddy or things like that. Please do a "fuck mixing" video.
I used to hate theory as if it was some kind of hard to learn boogieman that was complicated and very difficult to learn, but it's really not and you learn a lot of the neat little patterns that theory teaches you just by playing. Theory is just a structure you can chop up and manipulate as you please, in all honesty I see it as a way to organize the notes and as a map to go where I want whenever I feel it. Because in the end all you are trying to do is get the music out of your head and into the world. And if you just keep on doing that over and over again, you'll learn little pieces of it and after some time things will begin to click. I had to learn to ease up and let myself be weird and that helped a lot. Every artist makes a lot of stuff that isn't great before they make that one masterpiece and honestly the more you're making the more you're improving and the more of a chance you have to find that one hidden gem. I tell my friends this all the time, don't whoop the baby. Your art is just a child right now. Maybe it can barely even walk. Babies technically suck at walking but they keep on doing all sorts of crap that isn't really walking until they walk. But they do it because they don't even know that it's bad. Nobody is beating them every time they fall or shouting at them for not being able to walk yet. So I have to treat my art like it's a baby. And I had to let go of the mindset that my art isn't worth making unless I'm aiming to monetize it and make it into a product. It's not! It's something I enjoy and it's good for my mental and emotional health and it's fun. I don't know if any of that helps you or if you feel you can apply any of these concepts. Everyone is different and learns the same things differently. Nevertheless it changed my creative life to realize these things.
I've been working on my electronic album with Swedish lyrics since 2014 (ish) on my spare time, and the production is based on sounds from Caustic (mobile daw), synthesizers, old home computers, vsts and rhythm instruments and other weird stuff, like a home made spring reverb. It's finished now (not released, working on videos and art for it), but it will be heard by very few people, being an independent artist/composer/producer singing in a language very few people understand. But I've had a good time making it :D What I want to say is that I like the way you think. Just quit putting pressure on yourself on what other might think of your music, just make music however you want!
this was amazing thank you. I discovered this in lockdown. otherwise you get nothing finished or released so i just keeep creating and move on to the next thing
Everything about this is awesome. It's a really fun sounding song your were making there.
"The benefits of being bad at making music". Finally! A video for me \o/. Im in constant struggle to find the good melody, or the good harmony, or the good rythm; but there's always something that demotivates me and ends up in me abandoning a half idea. Funny enough, I'm stubborn and get back, although with a different idea. I think music teaches me a lot in life by being a strict and demanding mistress, yet a inspiring life guide. There are things that I find easier to do, yet I choose to stick with the one I try hard to do; i feel like it is something worth the hard times.
I love music for the joy it brings me, in making and listening. Thats all I want for me and for you. I've learned so much about my mental health, outlook, self worth all by creating music. I hear so many wonderful creators who are talking about moving yourself from making music to impress and make music that makes you happy. Thank you Simon and all the creators dropping some philosophical nugggets around when it comes to music being a joy not a burned.
Seriously love these videos wish I found you sooner. Totally buying some stuff soon
Love it.😊
Love how the second part of the vid is called sounding.
i think one of the best things we can do to combat algorithms ripping away our drive, ability, and opportunities to create on an individual level is to create without shame. create without shame, and show off how fucking human you are with the soul put into your creations. that's what makes art and music interesting, shameless humanity.
Loving the lofi vibe ❤