Re: Liking/Disliking your own music

[kkissinger@kevinkissinger.com]

Quoting Ricky Graham <rickygrahammusic@gmail.com>:
> Take up golf. You'll like looping by comparison.

LOL!  There is truth to this and I can think of some parallels between  
golfing and music-making.

1) Golf: Not every hole goes well but the good ones keep you coming back.
   Looping: Not every moment goes well but the great moments keep you  
coming back.

2) Golf: there are plateaus.  One becomes stuck on a plateau if one  
makes no changes in one's approach.
   Looping: A single approach to looping can be developed and refined  
however the law of diminishing returns sets in.  If things don't  
improve, then it may be time to change something.

3) Golf: Manufacturers advertise that the latest club, ball, etc...  
will improve your game.
   Looping: Manufacturers advertise that the latest gear will make  
you sound like (fill-in-the-blank-with-celebrity-performer).

4) Golf: the ball flies further with a relaxed swing.
   Looping: a loop that evolves over time in a relaxed manner can go  
further and gain drive and intensity over time -- a loop that starts  
at 100% energy can only go downhill from there.

5) Golf: Is good exercise.
   Looping: not so much.  :(

6) Golf: It is usually possible to shoot from the rough.
   Looping:  Though the first iteration of a loop may not go as  
planned you may be able to develop it into something great.  (i.e.,  
play the hand that you've been dealt)

7) Golf: The source of frustration is ego.  The ego generates anger  
when I don't par every hole.  The ego fully expects the game to go as  
well for me as it goes for a pro (who practices for hours every day  
and likely has natural golfing ability).
   Looping: The ego tells me that I must prove to everyone within  
earshot that I am a hot-shit musician OR ELSE!  If I fall short, the  
ego tells me that I've FAILED!

8) Golf: A 150 yard shot that lands in the fairway is better than a  
250 yard shot that lands in the woods.
   Looping: A thoughtful, communicative performance is better than a  
perfunctory display of physical prowess (i.e. "dazzling technique").

I could likely go on with comparisons.  However, I believe that we  
have conflicting voices that speak to us: the ego and the "inner voice".

The ego is the taskmaster that expects one to project an inflated  
self-image.  The inner voice is the voice that says, "You are ok just  
as you are."

The ego tells me that I've "already arrived", thus closing off  
opportunities to learn, grow, and experiment.  The inner voice tells  
me that I am a growing human being -- a work in progress.  The inner  
voice enables me to have a "beginner's mind".

We all have egos and we all have an inner voice.  To distinguish them  
is useful.

This is a great thread and I've enjoyed reading all the comments.

-- Kevin