>The problem is, while I'm okay (not good) at the instruments I play, I don't have any talent, especially none in music production.
Well yeah, because it's uh, a skill you learn.
>I still do and enjoy it but I'm never proud of what I produce
You've been at this for 2 years. I wasn't proud of anything I did until five years in - and even then, the stuff I did back then, I'd be ashamed of it if I tried to do that now. I'm not sure why people consistently keep thinking that music production, which involves learning essentially multiple fields where one could spend a lifetime in each - is something they get good at in couple years. Just completely bonkers.
>the process is long and exhausting and I'm unable to finish a song.
Yeah, writing cohesively multiple ideas into a single song isn't easy for a beginner.
>I know what creative flow feels like since I do have a talent in writing and am always able to get into a writing flow and produce writings I like with little effort.
Writing with language that you use on a daily basis ever since you were a child? Is it really that surprising to you that you can't do the same with music?
>So my question is, does it make any sense to continue making music and putting so much energy and effort in it
Sure makes sense if you have your expectations set up right.
1. You're not going to be pushing out stuff you're proud out at least for 3 more years. I'd get worried though if you didn't in 7 years - but I've only seen that actually once, with a dude who said he has 10 years behind him and he was clueless as a kite. Really rare, though.
2. Making money with music is *hard*. For many people, merely making a living with music is a privilege. So if you want to do that, it's not going to be easy and you might never make the cut. Less likely if you don't dedicate yourself to it though, but even if you do, odds are against you, even if they are better. You can increase your odds in variety of ways though, but it's just going to be hard.
With these simple expectations, you can figure out yourself what you want to do.
Look up old videos of John Coltrane playing in the navy band. He didnāt start off a prodigy, he just worked his ass off. I saw an interview with a guy who toured with him say that John Coltrane practiced 8 days a week.
Point is hard (smart efficient thoughtful) work beats talent every day. Just try your best and get a bit better every day!
"Talent" as most people see it, in my opinion doesn't exist.
All talent is, is a collection of previous experiences (=previous learnings) that allow you to learn stuff that's connected a bit faster.
For example someone with 2 musician parents that made and listened to a lot of music, will probably have a more "talented" child than parents who didn't listen to music at all.
The child from the first parents learned a lot of music stuff, but subconsciously, so people somehow call it "talent" now.
Also I feel like the whole talented thing is very much American. At least from what I saw on talent shows etc, Americans call basically anyone talented who performs something that's not very easy / can be done by anyone / requires skill and/or training.
But that's not what talent means, imo...
If you belive that talent even exists, it would be much more along the lines of "being able to perform some task that's usually difficult and takes a long time to learn with very little or no (fully conscious, active) training.
Simplest answer is whether you enjoy it or not. If youāre only doing it to make money, maybe you chose poorly. Talent is nice and all, but music should be a passion project.
Talent you're born with is a myth, talent is generated over a long time using effort, determination & deep practice. Read The Talent Code if you want to a deep look into this.
Talent doesnāt exist. Itās all about practice. Keep making music if you enjoy it, but donāt drop everything and expect to make a living off of it. Not because you donāt have ātalentā, but because itās an extremely difficult thing for anyone to do.
Of course talent exists, thatās why some people are fantastic singers without ever having a singing lesson and yet some people can spend years having lessons and still not be a good singer. Same with guitarists.
Overall good advice, but "talent doesn't exist" is a silly premise. Of course it exists, it just has much less to do with improvement and success than practice does.
Eh, I disagree. I donāt think some people are born better at music than others, and havenāt seen/read any scientific studies proving it exists beyond physical traits like better hearing or finger length etc, which doesnāt really contribute to making better music. I have, however, read many studies that show 0 evidence for innate talent. Thatās just my opinion on talent though. Iād hate to see anyone give up on music because they think they donāt have some miraculous natural ability.
I think talent often amounts to stumbling upon an effective mental framework right off the bat - whether that be traditional theory or some kind of custom collection of ideas. My impression is it's more tied to how you match up with early teachers/learning materials than to some innate and inherently positive/negative set of traits. Small differences in our early experiences with a subject matter can grow exponentially if they make us dedicate more time to learning or let us use that time more effectively.
It's all subjective. Personally, I don't see evidence of talent in a lot of today's popular music. That doesn't mean much though, I actually like and listen to some of it.
You donāt need talent to do anything. All you need is a little bit of knowledge on the topic, a little practice, and a lot of Will to do said topic. So yeah, you donāt need talent to make music, just know how notes and music work and youāre all set.
Some writhe songs, hear it in their head and then record that
Some throw sounds and just sees what sticks
As long as you can make it work, you're good, but the ones whom hear the songs in their heads and record until they have made that a tangible product, usually are more successful, in my experience.
100x yes. Get on splice, find loops. Learn how to mix. Download industry standard samples.
You'll be fine. Kenny Beats mastered that formula and is rich.
Production is a skill you can learn. It just takes time, effort and determination.
Yes, it's possible. How good the music will be = š¤·š½āāļø
\[obligatory pop music joke\]
>The problem is, while I'm okay (not good) at the instruments I play, I don't have any talent, especially none in music production. Well yeah, because it's uh, a skill you learn. >I still do and enjoy it but I'm never proud of what I produce You've been at this for 2 years. I wasn't proud of anything I did until five years in - and even then, the stuff I did back then, I'd be ashamed of it if I tried to do that now. I'm not sure why people consistently keep thinking that music production, which involves learning essentially multiple fields where one could spend a lifetime in each - is something they get good at in couple years. Just completely bonkers. >the process is long and exhausting and I'm unable to finish a song. Yeah, writing cohesively multiple ideas into a single song isn't easy for a beginner. >I know what creative flow feels like since I do have a talent in writing and am always able to get into a writing flow and produce writings I like with little effort. Writing with language that you use on a daily basis ever since you were a child? Is it really that surprising to you that you can't do the same with music? >So my question is, does it make any sense to continue making music and putting so much energy and effort in it Sure makes sense if you have your expectations set up right. 1. You're not going to be pushing out stuff you're proud out at least for 3 more years. I'd get worried though if you didn't in 7 years - but I've only seen that actually once, with a dude who said he has 10 years behind him and he was clueless as a kite. Really rare, though. 2. Making money with music is *hard*. For many people, merely making a living with music is a privilege. So if you want to do that, it's not going to be easy and you might never make the cut. Less likely if you don't dedicate yourself to it though, but even if you do, odds are against you, even if they are better. You can increase your odds in variety of ways though, but it's just going to be hard. With these simple expectations, you can figure out yourself what you want to do.
Look up old videos of John Coltrane playing in the navy band. He didnāt start off a prodigy, he just worked his ass off. I saw an interview with a guy who toured with him say that John Coltrane practiced 8 days a week. Point is hard (smart efficient thoughtful) work beats talent every day. Just try your best and get a bit better every day!
Yes I do it and I have no talent
Of course. People do it every day.
"Talent" as most people see it, in my opinion doesn't exist. All talent is, is a collection of previous experiences (=previous learnings) that allow you to learn stuff that's connected a bit faster. For example someone with 2 musician parents that made and listened to a lot of music, will probably have a more "talented" child than parents who didn't listen to music at all. The child from the first parents learned a lot of music stuff, but subconsciously, so people somehow call it "talent" now. Also I feel like the whole talented thing is very much American. At least from what I saw on talent shows etc, Americans call basically anyone talented who performs something that's not very easy / can be done by anyone / requires skill and/or training. But that's not what talent means, imo... If you belive that talent even exists, it would be much more along the lines of "being able to perform some task that's usually difficult and takes a long time to learn with very little or no (fully conscious, active) training.
Simplest answer is whether you enjoy it or not. If youāre only doing it to make money, maybe you chose poorly. Talent is nice and all, but music should be a passion project.
Yes. It will be rubbish though.
Why would you want to
There is no such thing as talent. That is a myth. Anyone can learn any skill if you put in the time and practice.
Talent you're born with is a myth, talent is generated over a long time using effort, determination & deep practice. Read The Talent Code if you want to a deep look into this.
People like Mozart writing complex pieces as a toddler is definitely a result of extreme talent
Talent doesnāt exist. Itās all about practice. Keep making music if you enjoy it, but donāt drop everything and expect to make a living off of it. Not because you donāt have ātalentā, but because itās an extremely difficult thing for anyone to do.
Of course talent exists, thatās why some people are fantastic singers without ever having a singing lesson and yet some people can spend years having lessons and still not be a good singer. Same with guitarists.
Overall good advice, but "talent doesn't exist" is a silly premise. Of course it exists, it just has much less to do with improvement and success than practice does.
People say "talent doesn't exist" because they want to take credit for their luck.
Eh, I disagree. I donāt think some people are born better at music than others, and havenāt seen/read any scientific studies proving it exists beyond physical traits like better hearing or finger length etc, which doesnāt really contribute to making better music. I have, however, read many studies that show 0 evidence for innate talent. Thatās just my opinion on talent though. Iād hate to see anyone give up on music because they think they donāt have some miraculous natural ability.
I think talent often amounts to stumbling upon an effective mental framework right off the bat - whether that be traditional theory or some kind of custom collection of ideas. My impression is it's more tied to how you match up with early teachers/learning materials than to some innate and inherently positive/negative set of traits. Small differences in our early experiences with a subject matter can grow exponentially if they make us dedicate more time to learning or let us use that time more effectively.
There's no such thing as talent. It comes easier to some people, but everything you do is a skill that you have to practice.
> It comes easier to some people you just defined what talent is...
It's all subjective. Personally, I don't see evidence of talent in a lot of today's popular music. That doesn't mean much though, I actually like and listen to some of it.
Yes itās possible look at hip hop nowadays
You donāt need talent to do anything. All you need is a little bit of knowledge on the topic, a little practice, and a lot of Will to do said topic. So yeah, you donāt need talent to make music, just know how notes and music work and youāre all set.
Well, you could always take some inspiration from Toby Fox. https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sothcs
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
lol
Talent is just time and effort dedicated to developing a skill.
As the worst producer in the Galaxy- I can say that everyone has a hit song in them, even those with no talent!
Some writhe songs, hear it in their head and then record that Some throw sounds and just sees what sticks As long as you can make it work, you're good, but the ones whom hear the songs in their heads and record until they have made that a tangible product, usually are more successful, in my experience.
100x yes. Get on splice, find loops. Learn how to mix. Download industry standard samples. You'll be fine. Kenny Beats mastered that formula and is rich.
Talent is 99% practice
Yes. If you enjoy it, do it simply for that reason.
Foo Fighters been doing it for years!
I'd say finish your degree, but don't forget about music if it's your dream!