Playing skills - how important?

[Jabbe]

I'm a young musician (17) and studying to be a professional producer. I've played piano since the age of 6 and at the moment I'm studying jazz piano. But I really don't want to be just a player, so I think I'm going to be a producer/keyboardist instead. I'm kinda more interested in making _music_ than just performing some old jazz standards and stuff...

 

Nowadays I've concentrated in improving my production skills (learning Pro Tools and Cubase, programming synths and doing the odd production job for my band or friends etc..), but haven't practised piano in ages. I'm worried about my playing skills; how good do I have to be to be a professional producer/keyboardist? I think I don't have to be a great jazz musician, but since I like playing a lot, I'd like to also do some playing live in addition to production and studio work. But I'm never going to be a virtuoso..

 

The problem really is, how to find a balance between practising playing and production skills?

[CP]

Your playing skills are very important. They may not be necessary (a lot of producers can't play an instrument) but they will come in handy. Producers who have a musical background have a great advantage. For instance, you can work around a singer and produce to the key they are singing in. You have the ability to compose and arrange, which is valuable as a producer. All I can say is keep on practicing. It will come in handy.

[dementia13]

You need to have the chops to be able to play what you hear in your head. (Take it from someone who's painfully aware of this fact).

[realtrance]

How to find a balance? Easy. The production skills is the lazy part. Practice and develop your musical skills above all. The rest you can do any time.

 

rt

[ksoper]

You'd be doing the entire musical community a favor by learning as much as you can about your chosen instrument, whether key-, drum- or string-based. The last thing we need is another quasi-talented "producer." Producing is not just being able to capture a performance on media. Real production (which is a dying art) begins with turning a simple guitar/vocal or keys/vocal song demo into a hit. In Nashville, we see the top "producers" doing nothing more than recreating the demo, and the song demos are completely produced by far more talented folks, usually highly skilled musicians.

 

If you can play your balls off, you'll have a better chance at hearing things in your head that lesser-skilled folks won't. Develop a personal lexicon of musical and production tricks and be able to pull them out of your hat when needed.

 

I look at it like this--yes, many of the parts played on today's music are simple. But which way would you rather approach a simple part--being able to play it fluidly with many options for change, or just being barely able to cop the part?

 

Start with a firm foundation.

 

k.

[realtrance]

Hear, hear.

 

The commercial music business has done a lot of damage to the term, "producer." It's used so loosely now that it refers to anyone who's capable of pushing a couple of buttons on a console and making a "mix" (without much in the way of ear training, sensibility for nuance or balance). There _are_ top-notch producers who are to be respected for both their mastery and talent, but they are very far and few between. These days, "producer" is just as likely to be a cop-out, interchangeable with "lazy no-talent who'd probably not even make it as a marketing manager for Walmart, but with an ego the size of a house."

 

I'd go for developing the actual skills. ;p

 

rt

[bitdump]

Well this can be somewhat true, but do not minimize the amount of work it does take to become a good producer. Not talking the hacks you mention which do abound.

 

While the ability to play something may or may not aid in producing, I find it does, but it is not a required skill nor is audio engineering.

 

I've done pretty much all in my life (play keys when forced too) and have to say that while all relate, the accual jobs are all different. Personally I prefer the role of Mix engineer if I can do that. Then I only have to deal with one or two pansy at a time

 

Anyway the point is this, learn what it takes to wear what ever hats you want by working, so play jazz gigs and study, also assist and wash toilets at the best studios you can get into. Heck even consider audio school if you like, but I've only met a few who lived though that that got an ounce of working knowledge that reading the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook wouldn't give ya. Record Record Record at home on what ever. Read listen and absorb every thing you can about a given role in music from writing to mastering and reproduction. After a few years of giving it a go at one or all of the roles, then start bitching about the quality of anyone doing a given job in recording.

 

Most important is just get along with people and having fun. Not always possible but it is what makes the job worth it.

 

 

 

Originally posted by realtrance:

Hear, hear.

 

The commercial music business has done a lot of damage to the term, "producer." It's used so loosely now that it refers to anyone who's capable of pushing a couple of buttons on a console and making a "mix" (without much in the way of ear training, sensibility for nuance or balance). There _are_ top-notch producers who are to be respected for both their mastery and talent, but they are very far and few between. These days, "producer" is just as likely to be a cop-out, interchangeable with "lazy no-talent who'd probably not even make it as a marketing manager for Walmart, but with an ego the size of a house."

 

I'd go for developing the actual skills. ;p

 

rt

[coyote]

Playing skill is important. It is one of the two legs on which musicaity stands - the other being listening skills. And musicality is required to be a good producer. It's not essential that you become the best instrumentalist on the planet, but some serious ability will serve you very well.