Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    	composition
    	lyric writing
    	arranging
    	producing
    	patch programming/sampling
    	sequencing
    	playing keyboards (lead and rhythm)
    	playing guitar (lead and rhythm)
    	playing bass guitar    <-- can be synthed pretty well
    	playing drums and other percussion  <-- same, with proper eq.
    	playing miscellaneous useful instruments like sax, flute, violins
    	singing lead		^ sampling/subseq. re-sequencing
    	singing backup
    	engineering for master tracks
    	mixdown engineering

	
Besides that little tidbit that everyone knows, I think that people work in 
groups easier.  For instance, we (we being my unnamed group) have a drummer,
guitar, two keyboards and a bassist, and I am the one who ends up playing the
technician/engineer to put together the song (even tho I get help).  I guess
someone has to end up managing things for gigs, etc. but then we're into 
groups which isn't what len brought up in the first place.  Oh well.

s-s

    Good topic.
    
    I've been facing some decisions that center on this very topic.
    
    The basic problem is that I can NOT do it all.  And regardless of
    who you are, trying to do it all involves making some compromises.
    
    Hard though it may be, I have to constantly remind myself that what
    I want to be is a musician, not a technician.   This means, I have
    to spend more time practicing and learning, and less time reading
    manuals, fooling with stuff, reading magazines, maybe even (shudder)
    reading Commusic.   Actually, it goes beyond that.  It even means
    stuff like reading and applying Len's drumming "book".  
    
    I mean, yeah, it's nice to understand so much about drums and I'll
    never regret learning ANYTHING about music, but well...in the amount
    of time it takes me to program a drum machine I could accomplish a lot
    else, and it would take a drummer a LOT less time to do something
    much better than what I came up with.
    
    It sorta bothers me to know that the time I spent learning about my
    equipment, could've been used to write a new tune, improve my
    technique, etc.
    
    The problem in all this is really finding the right balance.
    
    	db
    

RE: .0

    I find myself being split by these very things.  About 2 months ago, I
    spent 2 hours a night (for around 6 wks) going thru my Hanon exercises
    on my piano.  At the end of the period I could play thru the first
    35-40 at around 120-140 bpm ... but my guitar and synth chops stunk. So
    I quit the piano stuff and started diddling with the guitar and synths
    again ... and realized that my patch banks were in a shambles, and that
    I wasn't comfortable with my new setup. 

    So now that I'm a bit more comfortable with my new setup, I find that
    my piano chops have gone to crap, my guitar chops have likewise
    diminished, and I STILL don't have any idea where I put the MOOG1 patch
    for my TX. 

    I've got lots of comments - and lots of things I'd like to be able to
    do well (or better) - but no time. 

    An aside about .0 ... sounds like a good "techical abilities" checklist
    for forming a band.  If you can get 5 or 6 people that have enough
    ability that you can clear the checklist, you should have a pretty hot
    band. 

-b

    
    Fascinating topic. I don't agree that you need all of those skills.
    
    You also missed "Ability to use a microphone effectively".
    
    What don't I agree with?
    
    I don't think you need to know EVERYTHING. I mean, I don't play
    guitar, and suspect I never will. I have been developing my keyboard
    chops for most of my life, however (>20 years now). I have been
    composing and arranging for 12 years or so. But I don't play drums
    as well as I can program a drumbox, especially when I can quantize
    them a track at a time. I can sing but my voice isn't particularly
    good for lead vocals (great for backups, lousy for lead. some of
    you would agree if you heard it ;^))
    
    Anyway, I think there is no difference really between a MIDI studio
    and any other studio, except for the bang for the buck. It's still
    an enabler for your productions either way.
    
    I have found that what I need the most is the following, in order
    of priority:
    
    Production ability
      - arrangement
      - time management
      - basically "knowing what I want"
      - ability to think like someone else (drummer, bass, sax, etc)
    Musicianship
      - "knowing what I want"
      - being flexible enough to understand varying styles
    keyboard technique
    People/Group management
    
    
    Notice how low the music actually shows up on this list. It doesn't
    keep me from practicing every day, but it does keep people coming
    over to help me with my songs. I do compose, and I rarely, if
    ever, play "cover tunes", and when I do, they are heavily stylized
    for whatever project I'm working on. 
    
    I consider myself a specialist, as opposed to a generalist. I really
    don't play more than keyboards, but I devote a lot of energy into
    playing them well. Sequencing allows me to play instruments I wouldn't
    otherwise play, namely drums and bass. I still find plenty of
    guitarists and vocalists and even electric violin players to get
    together with.
    
    /pjh
    
    
    

    Good topic, Len. It actually got me to write a reply.
    
    The list the Len presented was pretty robust. There aren't many
    persons I know who fit the bill. 
    
    I view Len's list as prerequisites for doing a *good* job at being
    a one-person band. A number have tried without have the necessary
    talents, and this becomes obvious upon listening to their output.
    I have tried, and have often failed due to lack of decent guitar
    chops, and lack of decent equipment.
    
    If I'm not mistaken, Jens Moller (sp?) wows them in Colorado with
    a 1 person MIDI act. Any comments on this, Jens?
    
    dp

    You forgot to say that such an individual should be independently
    wealthy.
    Tom

    I find that its not difficult to do a farly good job if your goal is
    live performance (I play most all of the instruments that Len Mentions
    & Have spent countless hundreds of hours with my gear). I find that
    I can play pretty much anything that needs to be done on a sequencer
    by simply breaking up the parts & merging them together when they are
    the way I want them. I also try to focus on the essense of the music
    that I work on, and never really shoot for equivalence of the original
    music. I'm irritated that I can't sequence a Bass line that sounds a
    nice I can on a real bass guitar, nor grab the inflections that I often
    put in. I always do the guitar parts live (my weakest point is my
    improvisational skills on the guitar, so I often put together a start
    point solo), and the vocals. I find that because of the technology, I
    can try things that I never was able to (I'm big on tunes of the 40's,
    and orchesration), but, I also believe in a minimal approach (don't
    bury the music with unneeded things, or too many layers). Len won't
    agree, but, I like to keep the drums locked into very specific
    patterns, and I use the changes to key myself for when changes are
    about to occur. Subtle variations are not as necessary to me as others
    (I used to play drums about 15 years ago, so, I do have some concept
    of what a drummer can do you). Forgive me, but, I play only for my
    own needs & that involves a requirement that all of my musical gear
    pay for itself. I don't like to spend a lot of time fudging with
    patches, and find that the factory patches on my MT-32 are great for
    what I need, almost all of the time, as well as what I can do on my 
    CZ-101 (is anyone else still using these live?? - Mine hits the road
    almost every weekend). I find that the audiences that I play for are
    not music critics, but are out to have a good time & so am I. Maybe
    that attitude, and how it gets projected is where my success is.

    I spend around 4 to 6 hours per song (sequenced, or on my
    Porta-Studio). When I ain't working on my music, I'm out hiking (20
    miles last Sunday at 10,000 to 11,5000 ft, or doing things with my
    family). The only thing that I don't do much of anymore is watch TV.
    No real loss there. I like music, but I wish technology would slow
    down a bit & let me get more comfortable with what I already have.

    One of these days, I might even come up with a COMMUSIC submission,
    but, at the moment, styles, and concepts appear to be attacked for
    little valid reason, and in general, I like what I do, as I suspect
    that the other COMMUSIC participants do also & I'd rather spend my
    time building up for a DAT or CD (depending on when the Radio Shack
    CD writer is available) distribution. Copyright issues are my
    biggest concern at the moment, as well as lack of time.

							   Jens
							   

    re .7
    
    Jens,
    
    My CZ101 hits the road almost every weekend too! I use it for flute
    sounds, as well as midi-ing it to one of my other keyboards for
    some fatter pad textures/layers. I actually do *solos* on it sometimes
    too (using a killer lead guitar patch I got out of Keyboard mag)!
    Send me mail -- let's trade some patches!
    
    Mike D

Len - 

just some thoughts...

>    	composition
>    	lyric writing

I'm hoping there is still/will be a market for instrumental music with very
unusual sound f/x and synthetic timbres. This would not be pop/rock. More
like "Symphony for the Stars" in some strange alternate tuning.

 >   	arranging
 >   	producing
 >   	patch programming/sampling
 >   	sequencing
 >   	playing keyboards (lead and rhythm)
 >   	engineering for master tracks
 >   	mixdown engineering
 >   	etc.

These I think are what COMMUSICians are all about. These skills can be
developed to a high degree thru self-study. Read the mags, talk to other
musicians, visit the stores, attend the clinics and seminars, ask lots
of questions, r/w COMMUSIC, etc.

>    	playing guitar (lead and rhythm)
>    	playing bass guitar
>    	playing drums and other percussion
>    	playing miscellaneous useful instruments like sax, flute, violins

Buy an S550 or EPS. 8^))

>    	singing lead
>    	singing backup

The 1000PX and S550 have OOOZE and AAHHHS. Ain't that enuff?
    
>    (By "playing", I mean understanding the performance idiom for the
>    instrument.  This may not require "real time chops" on the instrument.)
>    Adjust the list suitably if you're into something other than pop/rock.

Yes, you can't play a guitar patch like an organ, or a string patch like a
piano. This requires listening carefully to the instruments on various types
of music; orchestral, symphonic, jazz, pop, etc. It is good to try your
hand, even briefly, on at least a guitar, horn (incl sax), keys, and maybe
drums. The bowed string instruments have a special range of expressive
techniques that require careful listening and a technical understanding
of what is producing the sounds (that almighty vibratin' string thing).
    	
>    How many of us are really good at all of these things?  Is it possible
>    to "succeed", or even just do something meaningful, if you aren't
>    good at all of these?   Note that most succesful professionals make
>    a lifetime commitment to *one*, or at most a few, of the above.
>    A few truly exceptional individuals may be good at more than a few
>    of these things.
 
You may have to specialize in certain types of music, like the pro-artists
do. The combination of a strong electronics/computer technical background
and music training/study seems like a winner to me. Buying that studio
gear definitely does not guarantee instant success. It takes real
dedication and constant study.

dave

    Len's original list is almost exactly why music continues to be my
    hobby of choice.  I've always liked all aspects of making music. In
    grade school through high school, I learned about various aspects of
    music via piano lessons, playing drums in marching band, flute in
    concert band, baritone sax in jazz band, and guitar/bass/drums from fun
    at home. 
    
    In college (once summer jobs created some income) I added a 4-track
    deck.  My brother was in a band playing keyboards so we got a variety
    of keys.  I took up songwriting (lyrics) to pass the time at Friendly's
    and as a result of organizing what I played at home, not to mention
    the emotional release of writing.
    
    Now, with hardly any time to use what I've learned, I've got a neat
    little studio in my basement and some songs that I'd like to record
    (including the dreaded "covers" that I want to do).
    
    The point I'm trying to make is that the list isn't intimidating
    to me.  I'd love to be passable at all of those things.  Since there's
    nothing on the list that doesn't interest me, this stuff can keep
    my attention and use different skills while pursuing the same end.
    (And reconfiguring my studio even gives me some exercise!)
    
    Thanks, Len, for reminding me why I like this stuff.
    
    - John -