What is the Best Musical Advice You've Ever Gotten?

Never buy a drum machine without a good clap.
-me

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I can’t say I’ve gotten good musical advice, but I’ve gotten good advice delivered musically.

For example, I was told I got to blame it on something, so now I blame it on the rain.

I blame it on the boogie

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Andres Segovia said, I think, that if he only had 20 minutes to practice in a day, he would spend that time practicing scales.

My college conductor told the orchestra that ensemble could be achieved through fear or love. Then he pointed out how effective fear was at motivating ensembles to play well. But, he added, love was still better.

Not sure where I heard these:

When practicing, focus on technique; when performing forget about the technique.

Practice like you’re the worst musician. Perform like you’re the best musician.

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Everyone’s wrong, except you _Hugo Centric

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When playing live, remember to enjoy yourself. If you are not enjoying yourself, pretend that you are.

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General advice for this community…

takeittothebridge

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Best musical advice: There are no rules.
I sometimes forget about it though. Back in the days it was easier because there was no internet. Nowadays i’m reading reviews, watching tutorials, hang out at Elektronauts :)… Even though i explored a lot of stuff myself i still tend to rely on other people’s opinions. It’s a bit like brain washing. When i read, watch, hear a 100 times that i have to put sidechain on my bass i slowly start to think that i should do it. Even though i was happy without it for 2 decades. :slight_smile:

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Is this advice about what to do with your DT since it doesn’t have slicing?

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For playing an instrument, being relaxed is possibly the most important thing when playing live. You gain so much stamina and precision if you can manage to keep your arms relaxed while playing. If your arms are stiff and you’re squeezing too hard with your hands (as often happens for amateur musicians), your playing will suffer.

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The number of people making dance music who have no connection to the dance scene, have never gone out and danced to the kind of music they make, have never DJ’d at a party baffles me. Like…please at least have done one of those things a couple times before you start spouting off about what makes good house/techno? edit: maybe that isn’t what you are getting at but it is early and I’ve not had coffee yet lol

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My wife is a professional violinist. She would agree with you that relaxing is the #1 most important thing. She starts her lessons with beginners on exercises designed to promote relaxation. If you have to play fast, which violinists do, any extra tension is going to slow you down or cause stress, pain and eventual injury.

I think this also applies to other instruments. For example (though I personally can’t do it), the left hand technique for sweep picking on the guitar requires a relaxed motion.

One way to achieve relaxation is to practice for practice-sake, rather that for a particular outcome. You will be more “in the moment”, more able to feel yourself relaxing.

Also, avoid the death-spiral of physically trying harder when things get tough. This will just produce more tension.

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‘‘Do it your way!’’

Music is culture and YouTubes are a bright red herring

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this one got me thinking that sometimes they do, but those folks aren’t always the right people to try to connect with or take advice from. Like you and others say, do what works.

On the other side of it, when you are the audience, let yourself be a curious and open listener instead of hyper critical. it’s easy to bring unsolicited musician advice/critiques even when we aren’t meaning to be that way.

with all this said, i do think it is important to share your music or at least the fact that you make music with people outside of music scenes sometimes. it helps me at least keep from sounding like a lunatic when i explain what i’m making. as my defense attorney said, ‘don’t say something with 20 words you can say with 3.’ no need to tell your kind aunt about your hyper-specific IDM production when you can just say its like ‘weird dance music’ and be done with it.

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Play that shit again and you lose your fingers.(School of Whiplash). :slight_smile:

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The mix happens in the mids… game changer for me

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“Music (music) makes the people (makes the people)
Come together, yeah
Music (music) makes the bourgeoisie (makes the bourgeoisie)
And the rebel“
The wise words ov some dentist

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