Friday, August 5, 2011

Notes From A Bass Guru (Vol. 18, Jul. 11)

"Music Is An Art, Not A Sport"

After much reflection on my own music career, I remembered an earlier time where music was 100% all about how amazingly technical I can make it, and how technical aspects and music theory were the only real focus of the piece. Speed was very important, as well as technical wizardry and in a nutshell, wankery. I just simply could not understand many musicians I've met that had no desire to learn more and more theory and gain mastery over their chosen instrument. I failed to understand how artists with little to no musical intelligence can manage to release songs that became huge international pop sensations overnight, yet me and many other musicians study endlessly and practice ruthlessly and are barely noticed. All of the practicing, studying, and striving to be the top virtuoso the world's ever seen before never quite held a candle to those thumping, digitally based, theoryless, barely at all musical pieces that have been selling millions of copies out in that cold music world. I realized eventually, that music had become a sport to me, and I've totally lost the art.

I would practice the toughest kind of drills possible to make, I would seek out and read and absorb nothing but the best of books on music and bass, and was always so hard on myself during practice. Others just simply sit down at a computer one day and crank out electronic beats and sing something catchy, and they have a mega hit! Me on the other hand, the best I'd usually get were a room full of compliments about my prowess and musical knowledge, and would even be delighted at answering multitudes of other musician's questions! No hits though, I'm still waiting for that.

Another thing I'd notice, is that when I'd have the luxury of having a listener tell me they loved a particular song of mine, it would always be one of the somewhat simpler ones. Everyone always seems to love the most atmospheric and even catchy ones, yet I have many other songs that are miles ahead in terms of playing ability and complex uses of theories and techniques. So why is this?

I've used one of the words twice already, that is "catchy." What makes a song catchy is its feel, its groove. I have been keeping a tight groove, but when the piece is written in a complex time signature just for the sake of it being a tough time signature, then why do it? Most people do not listen to music for the purpose of seeing fretboard gymnastics for the entire show front to back, they want to enjoy it! They need to feel it! Now here's a question, can you write an insanely technical song that captures everyones attention, even the non-musicians in the crowd (which are the overwhelming majority)? Yes! Absolutely you can! I have done this, but only in more recent times, because I realized later that the song can be very technical and tough for you to play, but it HAS TO STICK TO A FEEL THAT THE AUDIENCE LIKES! If the audience has to pay attention very hard, like you are a professor teaching a music class, and they have no interest in learning and only for listening and letting themselves go, then you will manage to bore them anyway.

The musicians in the crowd will love you for your high skill, that is very true, but there will come a point where the musicians in the crowd will find you to be just a showoff and very vain and soulless if your music contains little more than wankery. Even the most intelligent musicians want to enjoy the art of music, not only the science. An advanced musician balances both very very well. For many years, I thought of myself as a master musician because I had all the technical aspects of my instrument that I cared about at the time very tight, and I knew very very much about music, but still I was not a master, as I had lost the art. I became more of a musical technician, moreso than a musical artist. At this point, I've come to a point in my own musical journey that many do, and that is that you should learn all there is to learn, and master it, and then just play first and foremost! Use your knowledge to make better music, not more athletic music! Use theory to create atmospheres, neat grooves, nice melodies and vamps, and to be able to tie everything together even on the spot, and remember, it only has to work, not be way over the top every single second!

Proof that this is true comes right from the very music industry we all as musicians have come to hate. The hits are released according to a formula, which is no longer a secret! That formula is easy to figure out, and most true musicians are purposely avoiding it while being in total denial that such a formula actually works. I hate to admit it, but such a simple formula as this is working to put many artists on the map that are not even really musicians, only good instruction followers. I urge all musicians to improve upon this formula, because the formula is obviously what the people want, so toss in what the true musicians want, trim it to formula, and hopefully this cranks out hits for everybody!

Heres the formula: 1) steady beat (groove) throughout. If you want to change it up, change to a similar one or really build into it, do not just jump into another time signature without setting it up or without reason to do it. 2) Establish and keep a mood/feel throughout, if you want to vary it up, gradually do it, do not choose too many moods for one piece. After all, if you make your piece sound bipolar, the crowd will just find it crazy. (bad joke..) 3) Catchiness! Tie this into the groove category, make it something even your dog can follow without too much trouble. 4) If you use lyrics, make them memorable, if you are of the instrumental nature, write memorable lines that people will be caught onto when it comes back. Repetition and the ability to predict when this catchy line will happen again are a must! Read number four again!

I am not saying that music cannot be written any other way, but if you want your next song to take off it would be wise to implement some of these hard proven formula tricks into it. Virtuosity will get you endless compliments, but only on your skill, and it will be very hard for anyone in the audience to be able to remember exactly what you played. Giving people what they like naturally will make you unforgettable. The next trick from here, is to add some of that skill to the formula, then everyone will see you as a great musician and you will be appealing to everyone. That is the art of music. The art of creating appealing sounds!

Forever grooving,

Mark McAnaney

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