500 Bad Songs
To make anything good you first have to practice making something. During that practice you’re going to produce stuff that you’re not proud of. The idea you have in your head typically isn’t fully formed. It’s bits and pieces of something or some feeling you want to capture. And it seems most the time that feeling has nothing to do with what you are creating. It’s typically some response you want from other people.
I have been playing guitar since I was 16 years old. Making music is something I love doing. Improvisation is an important part of my playing. But I never made it a point to just create things. I think I always did what most people do and attempt to create the greatest music I can. The problem with this approach is there isn’t any great way to step by step create greatness. It’s a ghost. What typically becomes the most perfect thing is doing nothing at all because you can’t criticize nothing as well as you can some nicely laid shit song you hammered out.
I have been making these songs for the last two months. I have been mostly using presets, loops and anything I can get my hands on to get it done. They are “Bad Songs.” They are not something I would release and be proud of. But these Bad Songs have given me the ability to create something again and do it consistently. There are many out there who are way better than I am. But if I keep going the way I am to my 500th Bad Song I think I will have created an amazing foundation for making music. I have already learned so much about the ins and outs of creating, mixing and mastering music. Not to mention I have currently have 83 projects I can go back to and experiment with new techniques.
Onward and upward! Tally-Ho!
