Why Do You Create Music (part 2)?

Yesterday I started an article entitled Why Do You Create Music? In it I stated that I started out this process by trying to decide what drives me to be creative, and why I keep creating music even though I don’t really have any goal of that music ever bringing me money or fame.

I ended up asking the question in a couple of forums with the intention of compiling the information and summarizing them into a blog post.  Instead I felt that everyone who responded brought something interesting to the table, and instead I decided to just quote what they said.  Yesterday I took the quotes from forum.cockos.com. Today the responses will come from homerecordingconnection.com

CptTripps (homerecordingconnection.com)

Why do I write music?

Because I hate playing cover songs!!!

Honestly though I think it applies to all things art. It is just awesome to create something from nothing, to mold something exactly the way you want it. It is also a nice release for me, If I’m down I get sappy which to me is like getting it of your chest. If I’m pissed or having a bad day I can pound out some punk and have a great release doing so.

In the end though, I write music because I love it more than most things in life. To me it’s like eating or drinking, it’s a necessity in my life and I would go into withdrawls if I avoid my instruments too long. It’s my drug of choice

I think this sums up things pretty well, and fits in with a lot of what was said yesterday, too.  It’s a way of expressing yourself, and it’s something that we often just feel like we need to do.

Deon (homerecordingconnection.com)

I ask myself that question from time to time.
I can only really say i feel i dont have a choice. I just have to do it. i feel im meant to be doing it.

Fragile (homerecordingconnection.com)

For me, writing isn’t much of a release really. Its grueling. Music is a release. letting it all just take me over and wash away whatever emotion i was feeling replacing it with the vibe of the music. Thats a release. But thats the finished product. And if i’m angry at someone, nothing relaxes me better than pounding the snot out of my mesh drum heads until i can’t move my arms. But thats more physical than mental. Actually writing a song takes too much effort to be something i can be “lost in the moment” or truly passionate about the entire time. There are definitely quite a few nice moments of passion in there. But a lot of it is just work to get to that next passionate moment. Something inside me just feels like this is something i should be doing. Like i just have to or i won’t be happy ever.

I can’t say that I feel like this all the time, but I certainly have from time to time and I understand it.  There are moments when I don’t want to be working on music, but I have to pound through it to get to that next amazing moment.

crux (homerecordingconnection.com)

Let me jump on the “I have to” wagon. I really do, not just write music, but be musical in general. Mine is the classic highschool dork story who sought refuge in music but now as an adult i cant get through a day without doing something musical.

I have so many more reasons, but their more of a case by case thing, such as the feeling i get from playing in a band, its a kind of connection and human honesty i think u cant get doing anything else, its almost supernatural as well as seeing great live bands play. I mean those kinds of bands taht transcend playing “well” and seem like their generating an energy of their own beyond music. Thats the closest thing in the world i think u can go to seeing “magic”.

But the overarching reason is music is more or less my religion

Quincysan (homerecordingconnection.com)

To communicate with an audience.

I’m not entirely sure what Quincysan meant (perhaps if he reads this he will respond in the comments), but I could take it 2 ways.  #1, it could be a more general sense meaning “whoever listens” being the audience, or it could mean that he is creating music that he performs.   When I was playing in bands, the audience was certainly a driving force in my creativity.

DeftonedRyan (homerecordingconnection.com)

I love playing music, it grows and festers in my brain until i have to let it breathe.. lol. the drive to do it for me is that i believe that i have been given a gift with the ability to play music and that i should use it for the benefit of others, as well as myself. what is art or music other than an individuals self expression in an attempt to connect with others, in music’s case, connection with the listener.

i do write fun songs, sweet songs and other stuff. most of my stuff though, its kind of like this: when you see someone walking down the street, and you know that they NEED something whether it be advice, encouragement, or maybe just an outlet to let it go; what would you say to that person and how would you use music to express and completely envelope the idea that you are trying to present to them? how would you grab their emotional and spiritual being? music is the best way to do that.. i write music because there are things i need to say and things people need to hear and music is the emotional conduit. what if the song you have playing in your head but didnt write was the song that someone else could have heard when they decided not to commit suicide? what if the song you didnt write was the one that kept someone hopeful when the were in their worst state? I love creating music, but i think that being able to create music is a powerful thing, because if you are good, people listen.. the ability to create is a gift, and for as much is given, much is required..

RockWood610 (homerecordingconnection.com)

I write music to get thoughts and feelings out, mostly anger through my metal tracks. My last band called Light the Shadow had a pretty cool song called ‘Die Alone’ witch is a whole 5+ minuets about my biological father who was no father at all.

It was a huge release to get it on ‘tape’ (even though it was recorded to hard disk of course) but it was even a more release to get it out there for free online and play it out to hear the response of it.

Now, I RECORD music for a lot of reasons, some being the same as why I write music. Like Tripps said, its just amazing to take from ground 0 and build a whole project from the ground up. I think thats why so many of us come here day after day to find help and ways to do it better (and some of us like yours truly who works a crappy fast food job and goes more in debt every day getting better gear). But honestly, to me, the debt is well worth it if I know my results will be better or are constantly getting better.

When you can take 20 to 40 seperate sounds and ideas and blend them together to make one, no only is it a since of creative power, but a release. And honestly, I don’t think its something that any non-musician will 100% full understand…

I have to be honest, I’ve been blessed with a pretty good life without too many life-changing things like RockWood mentioned about his father, so it’s hard for me to really relate with getting out thoughts and emotions.  I really wish I could personally do that better.  Not only that, I’m not an overly emotional person by nature, so those emotional feelings don’t really stick with me very long.  A couple of the lyricists that I’ve been in bands with have been so good at pouring their emotions and feelings into their songs, and to be honest, I think my songs lack some of the feeling and passion that theirs had.

J-bot (homerecordingconnection.com)

Hmmm, you know, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked “why” I write music. Honestly, there’s probably more reasons than I’m aware of. I think the primary reason though, is that I like the feeling of the accomplishment of getting a song, or other piece of music done, and having people listen and enjoy the music. Now, granted I’m not a prolific writer, but the feelings are there all the same.

On the recording and mixing end. I’d say the driving force for me, is to get a studio up and going so that I can help bands get their music out there without having to go through the hell of the music labels. I mean major labels look like they make things an absolute chore. Like the artist HAS to be there so that the record label can make their money. I want to keep things on the friendly side, and show that recording, mixing, working with bands; it can all be a very fun and pleasant experience. I wouldn’t want an artist to feel like they’re chained to me, I want them to have options. Also knowing the fact that it would help bands get their tracks together and out there to distribute or take it to the next level, whatever that may be, leaves me with a very good feeling.

Granted I’m still saving up to actually build a studio, and that’s a long way off yet, my ideals and goals are very much still there.

Izzy Dutch (homerecordingconnection.com)

For me it’s a combination of different things. I’ve always had the need for a creative outlet since I was a kid, I used to draw alot and when I started playing guitar it became writing music. In my mind I’m always writing, over the years it has changed more from ’stumbling on a riff’ to hearing complete songs in my head, with vocal melody and drums. The trick is to work out the details and try to get it sound in real life as it sounds in my head. But sometimes it’s just a phrase or something that can be inspiring. Sometimes even a word, which becomes a song title and lyrics follow. It can go any way.

After I write or record I just feel good.. satisfied, proud sometimes. It just gives a kick. There’s nothing, you start something, it’s an open canvas and you build it up to whatever you want until you like it. It’s a kick when either you create something you hear in your head, or how it ended up better then expected. Some days when you play guitar nothing works and other days it’s like magic.. when you’re recording one of those magic days or moments, it’s just really awesome. When I record something I have the basic song down, but mostly never actually played that part fully before to practice or something. It’s all determined on the spot in no more then 3 takes. And since I usually record in the style of ‘rhythm guitars-left panned of 12 songs on a saturday, bass guitars of those songs the next week, rhythm guitars-right panned the week after’ it stays pretty fresh and you build it slowly each week, while it all unfolds after it’s completed.

There’s also a side about keep doing it better or going into new territory. Which for me isn’t really to try to write ‘the best song ever’ or something. Cause for me when it’s good it’s good and otherwise it sucks. But when I started out I just wanted to have atleast one song done where I could listen to it and say ‘if every other song I do from now on is crap, atleast I’ll have this song sounding good’. Then when I got to that point it changed to making sure I’d have a whole cd with good songs, sounding good instrumentally and production wise. When I was satisfied with that I started to concentrate more on vocals to get them to sound decent. There are always challenges to be found.

Like yesterday, every one of these answers makes you think.  I really appreciate the people that took the time to respond to me on these two forums.

The final part (part 3) of this article is found here:  Why Do I Create Music?

Related posts:

1. Why do I create music? (part 3)
2. Why Do You Create Music (part 1)?
3. Welcome to Creative-Music.org
4. Guitar Tune Up: Learn some alternate tunings to spark some creativity