Making music for your own self only vs making music for a target audience

[motuscott]

Guitfnky wrote
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the thing that always comes to mind is just a simple 4-on-the-floor drum beat. we’ve had trouble getting our drummers to want to play something that bare-bones, because they like to show off their creativity, but sometimes a given part would require a simple, straightforward beat, in order for the rest of the music to work properly. now I’m no drummer, but I can play a basic pattern like that without too much trouble. the thing is though, that I can’t add the FEEL it needs.
[/quote]

Thanks from those who also serve (behind the drumkit).

[selig]

I’m guessing the better session players have mastered this art. they’ve risen to such a level they’re able to find joy in the complexity of the simple.

I remember learning a bit about African drumming traditions, and thinking it was the older drummers that played the solos and the young drummers that kept the beat. Turns out, or so I was told, it's the elders that keep the beat because they are able to find the challenge in holding the entire ensemble together. The young bucks just want to show off, so they're the ones playing the "solos"!

And that fits with most musicians I've worked with, it's with age that you realize what a huge challenge (and responsibility) it is to hold the ensemble together, and the joy of doing that to perfection. It's harder than you think, especially if you believe it's the easiest thing to do.

I was lucky to play drums in a top 40 band in the late 70s while still in high school after a few years of playing drums in jazz band. I thought the disco songs would be super easy, but they became a huge challenge for me - there were no click tracks for small time bands in small towns, so I had to learn how to "groove" - turns out it's a life long quest, something I'm still working on but getting better with time and practice.

If anyone's interested in hearing stuff from a lesser known side of my life, here's one of my recent "studio musician" projects (drums/keys from last year), which I'm proud of for it's simplicity (but qualifies as music I'm unlikely to listen to on my own):
[String/horn/wind arrangements by Lester Snell, who worked on Issac Hayes records in the 1970s among others - classic!]

[fullforce]

Making music for your own self only vs making music for a target audience.
Well, my updated thoughts on this for me simply are, that I should make music that I can accomplish, and also making music for a target audience, that could also like it.

The chances are that you will make better music as there's a good hook in the visioned up audience thing.
I kinda know that what could be liked by some people. And as I could add a bit of my own flavor too, that's a perfect hook to go for it.

+ well, that there's no limits in the creativity.

For me, it just has to sound good. If it sounds good for me, that's great. If other people like it, that's bonus.

[Heigen5]

Making music for your own self only vs making music for a target audience.
Well, my updated thoughts on this for me simply are, that I should make music that I can accomplish, and also making music for a target audience, that could also like it.

The chances are that you will make better music as there's a good hook in the visioned up audience thing.
I kinda know that what could be liked by some people. And as I could add a bit of my own flavor too, that's a perfect hook to go for it.

+ well, that there's no limits in the creativity.

For me, it just has to sound good. If it sounds good for me, that's great. If other people like it, that's bonus.

Yeah, a good sound is very important for me too. By the way, people could always release stuff under different artist names. So if you make a mediocre tune you release it under alias 1 and the good ones under alias 2. etc.