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Music: I’m almost done with another [Philistine on the Sidewalk] track – in fact, I’m listening to a near-complete product as I type! It’s a little shy of 11 minutes, so it takes a while to listen for any quirks. It’s not quite as pretty as I originally imagined, but it’s still rather entrancing. I’ll hopefully have it done tomorrow. Fitness: Yep, I’m in a loop – back to 206.6 pounds. I got there a little differently, but the end result is the same. I’m definitely going to have to watch my food intake better on the weekends and I should probably start jogging on one of the weekend days, since that seems to be what’s tightening up all the flab. On to the blog! |
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This seems like a rather relevant topic for me to talk about, since I recently put together Philistine on the Sidewalk and have put together at least 25 music projects over the years. Granted, most of them have been solo projects and not all of them had recorded output, but they were all different in one way or another. It’s not especially difficult to start up a music project, but there are a couple of important factors to know before you jump into project creation headfirst. Have a Sound in Mind The first thing to figure out in creating a music project is what you want it to sound like. If you’re thinking about doing this in the first place, it’s certain that someone’s creativity has inspired you, so go ahead and try to emulate their sound. That said, you shouldn’t stick to one artist/band to be inspired by, as you’ll likely only create a watered-down version of what they sound like. It’s better to mix the sound from a few bands that you like and I’ve heard a few different takes on how many is a good number. [Neurosis] used a list of six bands to draw influence from and as I’m rather influenced by them, that’s the number I go with as well. It should go without saying that these six bands should be a little different in their own way, and I’ll go ahead and cite Neurosis’s list – Black Sabbath, Black Flag, Pink Floyd, Joy Division, Amebix, and Rudimentary Peni. You’ve got the pioneers of metal, one of the pioneers of hardcore punk, a very creative space rock band, one of the pioneers of post-punk, one of the pioneers of crust punk, and a rather experimental anarcho-punk band. They had lofty goals and creatively speaking, I’d say they’ve met and surpassed them. Have a Solid Foundation Next, you should figure out what the staple elements of your sound are going to be. The traditional set-up of vocals, guitar, bass, and drums is a fine way to go, but you might want to consider being a bit more specific. Do you want to be more experimental with your sound or do you want to have a very streamlined specific style that you don’t stray from too much? Also, if you want to go more experimental, it’d be a good idea to have a few foundation points to work from. For example, my Philistine on the Sidewalk project has five basic staples: • One rhythmic loop that continues through the song • One drum loop slowed down for the chillout vibe • One extended guitar track drenched in reverse reverb • One noise loop that’s rendered from the picture used on the page • At least one vocal sample slowed down and reversed Other than that, the sky’s the limit! Granted, those five things have pretty much put the project into the chillout genre of electronic music, even though only one of the tracks so far ([Contemplate the Evanescence]) really sounds like electronic music. All the songs are rather trance-inducing, though that was the idea when I started the project. You could say I had a sound in mind. Conclusion The main reason I’ve started up so many projects over the years is that they’ve all encompassed a sound I wanted to explore that I couldn’t reach with a project that was already active. Once I created the concept of that sound, I decided whether or not it was worth exploring. If I let my mind wander a bit too much, I’ll usually come up with a few new sonic ideas that in times past would be developed into new projects. These can be tempered down into concept albums or even songs at this point (thanks to Philistine on the Sidewalk), but for someone starting out, it’s best to focus all of these ideas into one project to begin with (like I did with [Natthimmel]) and then begin splitting into multiple projects if you are so inclined. With that said, there’s never a better time than the present to get started, so good luck to you! Discuss this post at [The Forum of Jason Vincion]! Posted on February 1st, 2010. |
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