Can’t think of what to play

[mcgoo]

19 hours ago, Paul Woodward said:

... As a designer, I like a brief and a deadline, its ingrained into me by now so I find that for playing I need a focus like writing a track, learning an arrangement or some new software....something with a definable target... 

😞

 

I relate. I'm to the point where I need an assignment, a budget and a deadline to be inspired. Without those 3, it's very hard to start something. A few years back, I joined Taxi, specifically so I would always have those 3 (even though the budget was $0) during the times I didn't have a lot of work coming in. I used Taxi to work on building my production library. It worked well (for that purpose) for a few years, but as business picked up, I let the membership lapse. 

[timwat]

• Pick a movie you know well. Find a 3-5 minute scene you either adore, or something surprising you'd glossed over before. Consider how that scene resonates or affects you. Compose a new 3-5 minute bed or soundtrack for that scene within two days.
• Select three songs of any genre that have a girl's name in the title. Learn each in original key. Then transpose each up a minor third, and reimagine in an entirely different genre than the original. 24 hours for each song.
• The Brian Eno challenge. Write and record a 3-4 minute pop song using only one synth in one day. Bonus points if it's a mono synth. Eno-level points if it's partially broken.

[CyberGene]

Respectfully, I don’t think Dave needed new workouts, challenges, exercise and chores. I rather got it he’s kinda looking for refreshing and relaxed new music experiences. He can clarify, I guess 🙂

[GovernorSilver]

Dave, you might this Larry Carlton collection.  My understanding of harmony on the guitar got a boost from learning Larry's arrangements of Christmas tunes.  I also got an idea for a song from the way he used harmony.  At the same time Larry's versions of these tunes not that hard to learn - imo of course.  I bet if you start now you'll be playing 2-3 of them by next Christmas.

 

https://truefire.com/larry-carlton/335-christmas/335-christmas-introduction/v26767

 

 

[Dave Bryce]

1 hour ago, CyberGene said:

Respectfully, I don’t think Dave needed new workouts, challenges, exercise and chores. I rather got it he’s kinda looking for refreshing and relaxed new music experiences. He can clarify, I guess 🙂

 

Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m looking for.  I figure maybe it’s a combination of things…

 

There’s another factor at play.  I find myself listening to the craziest amount of music these days.  Some old familiar selections, but way more stuff with which I’m not so familiar.  Not streaming services, either - mostly vinyl and CDs.  I find that I pay more attention when I make a conscious choice to hear a specific body of work by an artist or band.  Not just in passing or as background, either - I find I’m paying a lot of attention to the playing, the arranging and the production.  I frequently sit in the sweet spot of my music room and just listen. 🥰

 

I think that’s one of the things that’s affecting my difficulty in picking music to play.  Perhaps I’m in more of an input phase than an output phase at the moment. 🤔

 

Currently listening to side 2 of the John Coltrane Quartet’s “Ballads” record.  Just finished listening to Side 3 of the “Live In Montreal’ record Hiromi did with harpist Edmar Castaneda.  Chet Atkins’ ‘Hifi In Focus” record is on deck.  Maybe Electric Flag’s “The Band Kept Playing” record after that…

 

dB

 

 

[ProfD]

4 minutes ago, Dave Bryce said:

There’s another factor at play.  

 

I find I’m paying a lot of attention to the playing, the arranging and the production. 

 

I think that’s one of the things that’s affecting my difficulty in picking music to play. 

I figured as much hence my suggestion above.

 

Concentrate on picking songs you would like to play and/or using elements of songs to compose tunes. Consolidate all of the information being consumed as a listener into a solo performance. 

 

It's not about whether a solo gig materializes. However, it's great being able to sit down at an instrument or pick one up and being able to play music from top to bottom all by yourself.😎

[allan_evett]

I can well-relate to this, Dave.  I do have to keep up on Hanon, scales and arpeggios, mostly due to the church accompanying gig I fell into four years ago - when the pandemic caused the loss of my MD gig.  When I sit down to improvise, I run out of inspiration quickly; then it just becomes somewhat mindless meandering. I think it's a combination of too much technique focus/lack of fun and annoying side-effects of a temporarily-high meds dosage (i'm still in a being-monitored phase from last October's brain bleed incident - hopefully back closer to normal by the end of April, the 6-month point).

 

Found some pieces I'd written years back, but never recorded. So I started recording one of those into Logic the other day. That's helped some. 

 

But like you, I still feel off  when sitting down to improv. Thinking I need to stay put more - 'grounded' harmony and voicings, less constant motion. The attempts seem kind of frantic, at times? 

[Dave Bryce]

6 minutes ago, ProfD said:

It's not about whether a solo gig materializes. However, it's great being able to sit down at an instrument or pick one up and being able to play music from top to bottom all by yourself.😎

 

Totally with you.  That’s always been one of my favorite things to do…and then mess with the style and arrangement of the tune.  Similar to the way I cook. 😁

 

dB

[Steve Nathan]

I sometimes find that doing non-musical work (recently I built my daughter a horizontal fence), takes over my brain and gives my musical grey matter a little break. Pretty soon, I've got the fence figured out and the music starts flowing again.  I also like to take simple common tunes (Over the Rainbow, Twinkle Twinkle, etc) and doing re-harms.  

[Delaware Dave]

I owned an Ensoniq VFX back in early 90's and decided I wanted an SD1-32 voice for three reasons: more polyphony than the VFX; an improved piano and the 24 track sequencer.  I was in a band but wanted to start to write and record music.  I purchased the SD1, set it up in my basement and went down there to record music.  I stared at the keyboard for a couple of hours and nothing came into my mind, no beat that i could lay down, no music creativity, nothing.  At that point I decided that writing and recording music wasn't for me.  I used the SD1 for gigging but never actually used the sequencer to record anything.  I've never looked back.  I'd suggest having some people over (host a jam), you'll probably have much more fun that way .....   my two cents.

[AROIOS]

On 2/9/2024 at 7:46 AM, Dave Bryce said:

I’m having an odd situation occur.  Hoping I can get some help/suggestions from y’all.

 

I’m not really playing in a band right now so I don’t really have any tunes to learn or practice, and I’m not working on any recording projects.  Consequently, when I sit down to play keyboards or pick up a guitar, I’m having difficulty choosing what to play.  I don’t feel like doing scales or exercises, and I’m not really inspired to sit and improvise (which is what I usually do when I sit down to play with no immediate goals).  I’ve even tried working with newer instruments to try and learn more about them…but I’m having trouble coming up with material to play while I’m exploring.

 

Is this a problem any of you come across?  If so, what do you do to move past it?

 

dB

Photography, reading, computer programming, gardening, crafting/tickering... These have all been excellent for recharging my musical brain.

[ProfD]

6 hours ago, Dave Bryce said:

…and then mess with the style and arrangement of the tune.  Similar to the way I cook. 😁

Same here.

 

There's a parallel somewhere between music and cooking. I'm not going to over-analyze it though. Just dig and enjoy.😁😎

[PianoMan51]

Dave, 

 

If you ever come to doubt the work that you and the forum team do…

 

Consider the amazing responses in the posts above. 
 

Jack

[16251]

Transcribe, without writing down, something you've listened to so well you can already sing along with it. Can be slow and tedious but works all core muscles.

[uhoh7]

How are your montunos? Seriously. 

 

They are alot of fun, many variations, and great for tempo. Is it 2-3 or 3-2? Son or Rhumba? At your level, you can injest a montuno in C at 220, and take it to all the keys in an afternoon. Look up Rick Dior if you have percussion around...I'm sure you do. 

 

This stuff:

 

Any style, genre gets stale for mortals with the time it takes to master. There are now a million montuno vids on YT and a great book 101 Montunos. 

 

Also totally different you could explore the "new" classical improvisation movement, started after 2007 and a bunch of scholarship. Modern Music theory....is a made-up thing. Hanon...was not a remarkable musician. Beethoven, Mozart, Scarlatti they learned a different system which is not at all unapproachable, and has a better track record in results, arguably. Alot of older players are learning it. Here is the leading professor in Bach's teaching method showing his cheap translation of the most popular music method in about 1830. 

 

He's at the Schola Cantorem in Basil....the Julliard of genuine historical practice of music, which is nothing like Glenn Gould, though Gould was certainly a great 20th century player. But his playing is alot more Glenn than Bach, many don't realise- myself either until recently. Nobody knew different at the time. 

 

Here's an interview with him:

 

I'm not close to qualified to give any player advice, but I can share what's inspired me after 30 years of Blues, Folk, Pop and Jazz Standards on the Keyboard. First I found Barry Harris, and some of his longtime students lead me to the interview above...there are a bunch more with serious talent on the same channel. Somebody here complained: "what are these friggin harpsichord presets on my nord?" LOL It's because there is a big-time harpsichord revival in Europe based on new studies of the instrument and it's music. The guy below is an Italian Professor who knows more about Scarlatti than any man alive..in word and deed. In Scarlatti's day, you did not write down all the notes, not even close. A score was an outline. How to interpet that outline was very nearly lost in the 20th century. Enrico immersed from childhood in Naples does "get it" (watch on youtube takes you there) 

For many reasons the USA and UK are behind the curve in this regard, with some exceptions:

He started with Prog...

[Jose EB5AGV]

2 hours ago, uhoh7 said:

For many reasons the USA and UK are behind the curve in this regard, with some exceptions:

He started with Prog...

 

John Mortensen YT channel is a great inspiration and knowledge source 👍🏻