Ira Glass (NPR) on sucking and the creative process

[Biscuit]

[nylle]

This don't apply too me.

I was making music, before I was listening to music. So I had no taste when I begined making music. I also have never been striving for a certain sound, and I don't veiw others music as better than mine, just equal.

If you do veiw things like this, then allowing yourself to "suck" seems like common sense. Unless you believe you idols where born with their skills, then you should just give up.

lol this guy is clearly infallible ^

when i begined making music i stopped learning gramor too

When I begined fucking your mum, I stopped learning produktioned!!!

[thefrim]

such great advice! I'm on year 4 or 5 and I'm only now (in my taste) becoming an artist thats less than shitty

[time nice]

This don't apply too me.

I was making music, before I was listening to music. So I had no taste when I begined making music. I also have never been striving for a certain sound, and I don't veiw others music as better than mine, just equal.

If you do veiw things like this, then allowing yourself to "suck" seems like common sense. Unless you believe you idols where born with their skills, then you should just give up.

lol... I think you may still be at that stage he was talking about where some people can't admit to themselves that there stuff isn't up to par. I have degree in audio production and work professionally as a recording engineer 6 days a week. I have been recording & mixing all types of music for 10 years. The only way to really work efficiently is to have a goal and a game plan. Those who just randomly push buttons, rather then starting with a focused goal generally waste a ton of time & tend to get lack luster results overall. From my experience, the best of the best in ANYTHING are NEVER completely satisfied with their work. That drive to constantly better one's work is how you get to be the "best." Michael Jordan had coaches & constructive criticism on his basketball game until the day he retired. I've worked sessions with grammy award winning artists & engineers & they constantly seek the opinion of others. You still have to follow you gut, however, it takes a real man to seek his own weaknesses in the name of constantly improving...

[mks]

This don't apply too me.

I was making music, before I was listening to music. So I had no taste when I begined making music. I also have never been striving for a certain sound, and I don't veiw others music as better than mine, just equal.

If you do veiw things like this, then allowing yourself to "suck" seems like common sense. Unless you believe you idols where born with their skills, then you should just give up.

lol... I think you may still be at that stage he was talking about where some people can't admit to themselves that there stuff isn't up to par. I have degree in audio production and work professionally as a recording engineer 6 days a week. I have been recording & mixing all types of music for 10 years. The only way to really work efficiently is to have a goal and a game plan. Those who just randomly push buttons, rather then starting with a focused goal generally waste a ton of time & tend to get lack luster results overall. From my experience, the best of the best in ANYTHING are NEVER completely satisfied with their work. That drive to constantly better one's work is how you get to be the "best." Michael Jordan had coaches & constructive criticism on his basketball game until the day he retired. I've worked sessions with grammy award winning artists & engineers & they constantly seek the opinion of others. You still have to follow you gut, however, it takes a real man to seek his own weaknesses in the name of constantly improving...

Word, you never stop learning and you never stop growing no matter how long you have been in the game. It's that drive that keeps pushing yourself to do better.

[3za]

[sprayyypaint]

This don't apply too me.

I was making music, before I was listening to music. So I had no taste when I begined making music. I also have never been striving for a certain sound, and I don't veiw others music as better than mine, just equal.

If you do veiw things like this, then allowing yourself to "suck" seems like common sense. Unless you believe you idols where born with their skills, then you should just give up.

how do you get into music without listening to it? im just curious.
but whether you were listening to music or not you still have a taste for certain kinds of music.

and you say you make music for yourself? i do not understand this. i feel like sharing it is a huge part of the whole process. seeing how people react to how you express yourself is super interesting (to me at least). in fact i dunno why i would express myself if i didnt want anyone to hear it. after all the basics, food, shelter, health, etc. art takes our entire lives over. art is expression! dont get me wrong doing it for yourself is valid, but to keep it exclusively to urself is just inhuman of you :p
why are you on this forum? why do you give ur opinions? im not calling you out, i just really want to know im askng because i do not understand! help me understand!
id love to hear what you make though! if you are willing to share that is hahaha


oh and awesome video!

[3za]

[ketamine]

Way TL, definitely DR

[3za]

[time nice]

lol... I think you may still be at that stage he was talking about where some people can't admit to themselves that there stuff isn't up to par.

LOL... I got into music production from a different angle to most. I'm not in denial, i'm just not narrow minded like you, thinking their is only one way to approach production.

lI have degree in audio production and work professionally as a recording engineer 6 days a week. I have been recording & mixing all types of music for 10 years. The only way to really work efficiently is to have a goal and a game plan.

Good for you... go pat yourself on the back. This comes back to my narrow minded statement, their is more than one road to success.

Those who just randomly push buttons, rather then starting with a focused goal generally waste a ton of time & tend to get lack luster results overall.

My view point is different to your's, and you probably find it hard to detach yourself, from your own view point, being a narrowed minded guy, but I will try... I never said, "I lacked focus, or randomly push buttons" I was saying, "that I try not take others work into account, when making my music. I don't strive to be as good as someone else, my music is normally 100% about me, im the main reason I create my music. when I started making music I was not listening to music, so this is why I have got these views. They have been weakened, when I started listening to music, but I do try to keep them"

From my experience, the best of the best in ANYTHING are NEVER completely satisfied with their work. That drive to constantly better one's work is how you get to be the "best." Michael Jordan had coaches & constructive criticism on his basketball game until the day he retired. I've worked sessions with grammy award winning artists & engineers & they constantly seek the opinion of others.

Ok music is subjective, as you probably know. So comparing it to sport is ridiculous...

Just because, you have worked with people with grammy's, don't mean their views are right, and mine must be wrong, I could not careless about other people when making music, I do this for me, not others. Thats probably why they got grammy's, they make music for others, I DON'T. Again your still being narrowed minded.

You still have to follow you gut, however, it takes a real man to seek his own weaknesses in the name of constantly improving...

Sorry, I will hand in my man card to you.


You need to open your mind to more than just your own opinions, and popular opinions. Don't call someone out on the internet for being in denial about their weaknesses, when you don't understand their mind-set. You should take your own advive, and look in the mirror, you might find out that your weakness is being narrowed minded.

When you saw that video, you related to what he was saying. You remember being in that place. You believe his views to be the truth. Then when someone says they can't relate to the video, but understands his views, you can't understand that person. So you decide that he is wrong, weak, and inferior. Most people are wired up this way, its how racism started (im not calling you racist just to get that straight). Someone is different, you can't understand them, this threatens you, so your mind tells you they are weak, and inferior, so you don't let them get the better of you.

Anyway im not the only person to think like this, or started making music, before I got in to listening to it, This guy does, and he has had success;

I'd never really listened to music. Most people get into music and then decide they want to make it, but I started making sounds, and only later got interested in listening to other people's stuff. I didn't really listen to my own stuff, either, I just liked making it, making new stuff constantly

Read the rest here (I would take it with a pinch os salt, but I do believe that quote to be true);
http://thequietus.com/articles/04483-si ... -1993-warp

Im not like most of you, SO HATE ME...

lol @ you assuming I'm narrow minded, you don't even know anything about me... I never said my road was the only road to success by any means... Trust me dude, I have always been the person who is different in just about any room & respect everyones creative processes... I don't HATE you, I just stated my viewpoint & you seem to be the one who is bent on telling me that I am wrong... Believe me, I embrace diversity... I appreciate people who are different & in no way want everyone to be the same... But for real, as far as life goes, I think that most people can gain something from this video... You are the one who is narrow minded if you think everything in this video & everything that I said in this post is worthless... Either way, I don't want to argue with anyone on the internet or real life... I definitely respect your work ethic, your tunes sound pretty good too, peace & respect to you & I honestly mean that.

[nowaysj]

1. Ira Glass is the bomb. If he was a bomb, he'd be a neutron bomb.

2. I'm at this 15 years and still suck a fatie. I wonder what Ira would say about that.

3. 3za, major thread jack, enough already. If these episodes are drug or alcohol related, I understand, but learn to hold your tongue for chirst's sake. If they're not drug or alcohol related, might want to consider treatment at some point.

[Eridu]

When I say I never listened to music before I started to make music, I mean I did not enjoy listening to music it gave me no pleasure. I did not understand why people listen to music.

When I was born my dad was a drummer in a band, and he also recorded their demo's, so I have always been surrounded by music gear, and have always had a interest in gear. I started recording stuff when I was about 8, using a few mic's, a few pedels, and a 8 track recorder. Later I got in to computers, using audacity, rubber duck, and hammer head. I have also played drums, guitar, bass, and keys along the way, also used gameboys, done some circuit bending. all before I started to listen to music. I just loved making my own sounds, it was all about the process, the finished producted was never thought about. Now I started listen to music for my own enjoyment when I was about 11, I started to listen to rock, which was followed by blues, jazz, funk ect... I just raided my parents music collection, going through record, after record. I started to listen to electronic, music when I was about 13, 5 years after I started making this stuff. Now I have listened to lots, and have learnt loads on production, and music theory, I'm no longer in my bubble, even if I want to be.

For someone that has had such an interesting upbringing into music you really don`t produce an particularly interesting sound.

You know, at first when I red your post my first thought was, "oh here`s someone who thinks he`s special..." But as I`m a bit older I don`t jump to conclusions any more so I thought I`d give you the benefit of the doubt. Turns out your soundcloud page really doesnt live up to how you presented yourself in this thread.

[nylle]

When I say I never listened to music before I started to make music, I mean I did not enjoy listening to music it gave me no pleasure. I did not understand why people listen to music.

When I was born my dad was a drummer in a band, and he also recorded their demo's, so I have always been surrounded by music gear, and have always had a interest in gear. I started recording stuff when I was about 8, using a few mic's, a few pedels, and a 8 track recorder. Later I got in to computers, using audacity, rubber duck, and hammer head. I have also played drums, guitar, bass, and keys along the way, also used gameboys, done some circuit bending. all before I started to listen to music. I just loved making my own sounds, it was all about the process, the finished producted was never thought about. Now I started listen to music for my own enjoyment when I was about 11, I started to listen to rock, which was followed by blues, jazz, funk ect... I just raided my parents music collection, going through record, after record. I started to listen to electronic, music when I was about 13, 5 years after I started making this stuff. Now I have listened to lots, and have learnt loads on production, and music theory, I'm no longer in my bubble, even if I want to be.

For someone that has had such an interesting upbringing into music you really don`t produce an particularly interesting sound.

You know, at first when I red your post my first thought was, "oh here`s someone who thinks he`s special..." But as I`m a bit older I don`t jump to conclusions any more so I thought I`d give you the benefit of the doubt. Turns out your soundcloud page really doesnt live up to how you presented yourself in this thread.

thank god somebody said it

jesus christ

[3za]

[Demian]

Thanks a bunch for this! Very inspiring.

[Phase Down]

nicely said, goes for anything creativly

[decklyn]

great advice: produce a large body of work while learning. that and having deadlines.

i think i was able to improve fairly quickly in music production, not just because I have played music since i was 8, but because i just made track after track. i gave myself deadlines by telling local promoters to start booking me for live sets instead of dj sets (this was after about a year of producing). then it was moving from being a headlining dj to an opening act live set, which allowed me to step out in front of the speakers and really get to critique my work on big systems. and being a dj with very critical "taste" as Glass says, i hated the way my music sounded on big systems. so i wrote more and learned more and worked on the sound (all this is ongoing for eternity of course) and now i'm a headlining (locally) live act with two releases and more on the way.

so don't be afraid to serve up them turds, kids. they will get better.

Yeah I always use sets to push me to finish stuff so I can play. I just started live PA and still look at the two as different - for live PA I have to put in prep work and that doesn't involve producing as much as it does taking my works and setting them up for live performance - I can't play a live set with 50 audio tracks