How many Alt/indie forum dwellers are musicians?

pinksoir

Just wondering.

I am, and most of the music people I've met or work(ed) with look at music in a different way than people that are just music fans. For example, I listen to a crap ton of different music because I'm always searching for interesting sounds or ideas. So I might be really in to a particular album or song because there's something really interesting sonically going on. Like, a really cool synth sequence or how the bass and drums work together to make a sweet groove. So I'm listening almost as if to work out how things are put together. Being really analytical. Sometimes I'll be listening in the car and hear something really cool in a song, it might only be a small snippet of something, and when I get home I'll play back that part over and over to try and deconstruct what's going on.

I did a writing course a while back and one of the main things we learned was to be aware of what an author was doing and how he composed what we were reading. To see what works and what doesn't. Working out what makes a good writer, and a bad writer, and how to identify both. After that, at least for a while, it was hard to read anything without analysing it. Being a good critic helps you to be a better writer.

I guess a comparison would be that I love watching movies, but I have no idea what goes in to making a movie so I can just take it as it is. I don't analyse how shots were composed or the type of grading on the film, or whatever.

I guess making music yourself colours how you view music in general. I might be put off something because I find that it took very little imagination to get there, or is too simplistic or whatever. And I really enjoy stuff that I have no idea where the artist is coming from. Acts like Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective or Julia Holter, for example. It ain't quite as straight forward as that, but anyway.

So back to the question... anyone here a musician? Do you think it affects how you hear and enjoy music?

And I guess an extended question would be if anyone who's not a musician finds that they're analytical of music, or do you just listen and enjoy it 'as is'?

mada999

yep I'm a musician in an original rock band, I do listen anayltically and sometimes its really difficult listening to muck on the radio, probably sour grapes that other acts are making it.

my major bug bear at the moment is this electro-dance-indie, I hate it....I don't really like electro-beat music or the electro-dance-pop that's on the radio, i just cant enjoy it.. acts like foals, passion pit, i just loathe..but it's what is in at the moment. i just dont dig it....

give me good guitar music with good lyrics and I'm there

bring back rock n roll circa the late 90's early 00's, and 60's rock please

SilverScreen

I think being a musician can change your perspective on music in a way. I've noticed with some guitarist friends I have that they tend to be more inclined towards guitar-based music because naturally they love playing guitar. As a result they mainly look for technically good guitar playing in music and it becomes the main focus of the music they listen to. One of the major downsides to this is that they can often ignore the point of or have negative feelings towards music where guitar isn't the main focal point or where guitar doesn't feature at all, such as purely electronic music (as mada999 makes clear to us).

I currently don't play an instrument because I feel I'm not really a natural musician, although I did take up guitar for a while in my teens and even tried my hand at electronic music a few years ago to mixed results. But even in both those phases I had a particular bias towards that type of music as I was listening out for certain elements. But I think not being a musician kind of gives you a more neutral and open perceptive on music because you're not biased towards certain instruments or a certain type of music, at least that's how I feel. You also don't have to be a musician to be a serious music nerd in the same way that you don't have to be a writer to be a bookworm, or an actor or film-maker to be a movie buff, or an artist to appreciate art.

pinksoir

Absolutely. The biggest music nerds I know are non-musicians. And to take that further, really good DJs, for example, are just really really big music nerds. And they're responsible for wider taste making. So I definitely don't think being a musician gives you any sort of special position in the nerdography department. However, the very best musicians/producers/whatever are also unbelievably big music nerds. Name a seminal music figure and you're talking about a full time music nerd.

That_Guy

I'm a drummer so to answer your question, I am not a musician.

Seriously, I listen to absolutely everything and love various styles. I used to criticise drummers for keeping things "too simple" but even the most simple of beats can be the most effective.

I'm a big fan of syncopation and so I'd listen to a lot of jazz but instead of picking the bones of music, I tend to just enjoy it and take influences from all over the place.

nlgbbbblth

Not a musician. DJ and write about music though.