[Mac User #001]

I've always tried working with GarageBand, but I guess I just don't have the creative mind required to complete a song. I usually start, get 15-30 seconds in, and then I'm at a total loss at where to go with it next. Anyone have any completed projects I could listen to, for ideas? It doesn't seem like it would be that hard, but those 15 to 30 seconds seem to use up all of my ideas.

[analogika]

Writers Block?

I've always tried working with Word, but I guess I just don't have the creative mind required to complete a novel. I usually start, get 15-30 words in, and then I'm at a total loss at where to go with it next. Anyone have any completed books I could read, for ideas? It doesn't seem like it would be that hard, but those 15 to 30 words seem to use up all of my ideas.

[analogika]

^ Seriously, that's pretty much exactly the same question, and makes as much sense.

#1: Learn to play something.

Browse through the iTunes store if you like.

Most of that stuff started off as a demo sometime. Whether in GarageBand or anything else is quite irrelevant.

http://www.macjams.com/
GarageBand.com : GarageBand.com

Have a selection of stuff others have done, much of it atrocious, some of it okay.

If you need a basic file to fiddle with to see what does what, load the demo songs iLife installed in your Shared folder in the /Users folder and play with effects, assigning different sounds, etc - that's what they're there for.

Lack of talent and complete ignorance of what music is and how to make it can be made up for by diligent fiddling.

(Seriously: go play around.)

[besson3c]

The biggest trap to fall into with apps like GarageBand is to develop material that is lacking any real structure, shape, or form.

A good composition (including an improvisation) has a shape to it, a climatic moment, a more subdued moment where playing is usually much more sparse and simple. A good piece must have a recognizable form to it, you don't just shift to a different set of ideas randomly. If you are vamping over a single chord change or set of changes, it needs to have some sort of purpose - be it tension and release into a new set of ideas, or whatever.

If you want to produce good original music, you need to learn as much as you can about composition. Garageband does not provide any shortcuts to avoiding learning about composition, it just makes it easier to produce dreck. Study song form, composition, voice leading, theory, whatever you are weakest at or don't know anything about. This is your best way around your musician's block.

Think of writing or improvising music as like having an empty canvas. A good painter has many different colors he/she can use, many different brushes, painting techniques, paints, etc. he/she can draw from. If you are having musician's block, it may be a passing thing, but it may also be because you don't have enough tools. Don't look for the tools in technology, look for them in your understanding of music.

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by analogika 

^ Seriously, that's pretty much exactly the same question, and makes as much sense.

#1: Learn to play something.

Browse through the iTunes store if you like.

Most of that stuff started off as a demo sometime. Whether in GarageBand or anything else is quite irrelevant.

MacJams.com - Mac music community. Free musician web hosting, music downloads, forums, loops, chat, and more!
GarageBand.com : GarageBand.com

Have a selection of stuff others have done, much of it atrocious, some of it okay.

If you need a basic file to fiddle with to see what does what, load the demo songs iLife installed in your Shared folder in the /Users folder and play with effects, assigning different sounds, etc - that's what they're there for.

Lack of talent and complete ignorance of what music is and how to make it can be made up for by diligent fiddling.

(Seriously: go play around.)

Thanks.

I do play an instrument. I don't have many years of practice; only a few months, but I can play.

Diligent fiddling, eh? Alright. I can do that pretty well.

Originally Posted by besson3c 

The biggest trap to fall into with apps like GarageBand is to develop material that is lacking any real structure, shape, or form.

A good composition (including an improvisation) has a shape to it, a climatic moment, a more subdued moment where playing is usually much more sparse and simple. A good piece must have a recognizable form to it, you don't just shift to a different set of ideas randomly. If you are vamping over a single chord change or set of changes, it needs to have some sort of purpose - be it tension and release into a new set of ideas, or whatever.

If you want to produce good original music, you need to learn as much as you can about composition. Garageband does not provide any shortcuts to avoiding learning about composition, it just makes it easier to produce dreck. Study song form, composition, voice leading, theory, whatever you are weakest at or don't know anything about. This is your best way around your musician's block.

Think of writing or improvising music as like having an empty canvas. A good painter has many different colors he/she can use, many different brushes, painting techniques, paints, etc. he/she can draw from. If you are having musician's block, it may be a passing thing, but it may also be because you don't have enough tools. Don't look for the tools in technology, look for them in your understanding of music.

Wow. Now there's someone who knows a lot about music.

So I've got to understand music more. Hmm... Not as fun as creating random songs on GarageBand, but thanks. It should pay off in time, and be well worth it. I don't plan on doing much with music, so this is a bit much compared to what I was hoping on doing, but if thats what it takes, then I'll "fiddle".

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Mac User #001 

Wow. Now there's someone who knows a lot about music.

So I've got to understand music more. Hmm... Not as fun as creating random songs on GarageBand, but thanks. It should pay off in time, and be well worth it. I don't plan on doing much with music, so this is a bit much compared to what I was hoping on doing, but if thats what it takes, then I'll "fiddle".

It's many years of music school and years of study and performance of jazz talking here. However, I don't mean to discourage your experimentation or enjoyment. Enjoyment is key, but at the same time if your intention is to become really good, this will require a lot of hard work. This is attainable to anybody who wants it though, as long as they are willing to put in the work. Music is not magic. Being the next innovative musical genius is one thing, but simply becoming good at doing what you want to do is within anybodies grasp.

Have you thought about studying with another musician? This mentorship and private instruction is the way musicians learn, and always have since the beginnings of music as we know it. There was a time where musicians got together and jammed, but unfortunately this seems to happen less and less. One thing that is learned by playing with other musicians is the idea of musical collaboration. I think it was Elton John or somebody like him who recently made some controversial remarks about how the internet is ruining this. In a way, he is absolutely right.

What each instrument and style of music seems to share in common is that they mimic the ultimate musical instrument - the human voice. Various tempos and rhythms also mimic the most natural human rhythm machine, and that is the human heart. This is why music at 120 bpm is the most relaxing to us, it approximately equals the average heart rate. The point of all of this (and I may not have been completely accurate here) is that good music needs to sound like a human being created it. It has to breath, the sense of time and groove cannot be too stifled, it has to be expressive. This can be very hard to reproduce with computer generated music, so I would encourage you to study more organic forms of music as much as you can in addition to electronic music.

I've heard about musicians being absolutely flabbergasted by the fact that little kids in some countries are able to sing songs and beat rhythms that adults in the Western world struggle with. When you grow up hearing a set of sounds, they become a part of you and second nature to reproduce with a variable amount of practice. As an adult, just like it is difficult to learn a new language, it is difficult to assimilate new sounds which are not a part of the Western pallette. However, that Western pallette includes centuries and centuries of music (and I include in this classical music that originated in Europe). In order to understand the sounds today and what makes us human beings, you must immerse yourself and have an understanding of the musical history of your genre. People don't simply wake up one day and invent a new style, it all comes from somewhere, and discovering where these things come from and getting a sense of musical history is very useful.

I could talk about this stuff for hours, but I better stop or I might do just that!

[Rorzabal]

If you want to experiment with some professional quality GarageBand compositions, check out the links on the lower left-hand corner of this page on the Nine Inch Nails web site.

nine inch nails: year zero

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

I could talk about this stuff for hours, but I better stop or I might do just that!

I see that. And I really do thank you for all of this, but it's not THAT interesting to me. If I were to start seriously researching and learning about music because of my interest, it would have been now (really), but unfortunately, nothing is sparking. I like listening to music, and I sing, maybe not great, or in front of anyone, but its what I like to do. I also want to roll out a few songs with a bit of my own playing in it and show it to my friends. But I don't want to make an entire hobby of it. I'm really sorry, and I feel bad, because I feel as though I've wasted your time. It's just not what I want to do.

[Mac User #001]

Originally Posted by analogika 

Writers Block?

I've always tried working with Word, but I guess I just don't have the creative mind required to complete a novel. I usually start, get 15-30 words in, and then I'm at a total loss at where to go with it next. Anyone have any completed books I could read, for ideas? It doesn't seem like it would be that hard, but those 15 to 30 words seem to use up all of my ideas.

This was great, by the way

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Mac User #001 

I see that. And I really do thank you for all of this, but it's not THAT interesting to me. If I were to start seriously researching and learning about music because of my interest, it would have been now (really), but unfortunately, nothing is sparking. I like listening to music, and I sing, maybe not great, or in front of anyone, but its what I like to do. I also want to roll out a few songs with a bit of my own playing in it and show it to my friends. But I don't want to make an entire hobby of it. I'm really sorry, and I feel bad, because I feel as though I've wasted your time. It's just not what I want to do.

No problem. I enjoyed writing those posts anyway