Quote:
Originally Posted by
thehellgate911 
I started it to draw some attention to my new music video.
I guess I had hoped to push people's buttons. Keep in mind that I started this thread months ago, and i'd never start a thread like this now. I'm kind of a different person now. That's what i've been trying to explain to everybody.
If true, good for you! Live and learn! Better to take risks and have them backfire and grow from that than to live a boring and safe existence! Seriously. Also, I think when you presented yourself and your video, you misjudged the responders and therefore the response. This is not a hotel lobby full of tipsy ladies pocketing your card. That certainly doesn’t describe me.
I’m a musician. I wish I could disclose more about my background in this forum, but I can’t. For the moment, please give me the benefit of the doubt (although you’re free to believe whatever you like… I have no stake in convincing anyone of anything, but just want to give the following comments context). By the way, I’d also be happy to discuss any musical issue that you like.
I’m very familiar with the sort of things young talented musicians do as part of their advancement and I have a pretty good basis to compare you with others. Also, I often work with and hire other musicians and sometimes unpaid interns as assistants. I get requests from high school dropouts to graduates of prestigious universities, to musicians with established careers.
Without question, you’re not at the level that I would accept even as an unpaid intern. You’re not advanced enough, musically or technically.
Technologically (since this is a tech forum after all), I’m not sure how familiar you are with music software (Logic, ProTools, Sibelius, Finale), but there is always a need for musical elves fluent in them. I think you’ll find that in the film world of L.A., for example, there are a variety of opportunities for aspiring composers to work in the stables of experienced composers, and work with these applications… arranging and preparing scores and parts, proofreading, recording, etc. This isn’t a bad way to go, and many assistants work their way up from these positions. You don’t sound easy to work with in this thread, but as you said, that may not represent who you are. If you are genuinely charming and humble, finding these kind of opportunities in L.A. is not a bad way to begin. You might want to start getting proficient with these tools… really proficient, whether for your own music production or for assisting others.
Beyond the tools – which anyone can learn and are ultimately not all that important – I also look for people with a more developed musical skill set than you have. Whether it’s someone who produces music in popular styles, or creates notated scores for acoustic ensembles, your music is not (yet) at the level that makes you musically interesting to me or helpful in my work.
There are many talented young composers who can ape classical styles like you do (and better) and impress friends, relatives, and crowds in hotel lobbies. But beyond that, while it shows you have a good ear, it's just the beginning. That’s why I’ve repeatedly advocated you consider the type of environments that would allow you to develop your talent. This is where your mother’s philosophy, as attractive as it may be, and ingrained in your very being to the core, can work against your self-interest. If you are happy doing what you are doing, then there is no need to change a thing. But if you want to gain access to higher level projects, work with great musicians, ensembles, recording artists, directors… you have to improve, and there are places that exist to help you do just that. Many are called "schools."
Your brother, for example, is studying with exactly the right teacher. But I’m not sure if the same is true with you. It doesn’t sound like you have an equivalent champion helping you advance. I get that your parents are nurturing and supportive, but if you are serious about a musical career, you need an environment in which you interact with other talented young musicians (at higher levels than you're used to), great teachers, and get involved in interesting projects. You shouldn’t be playing schlock in a hotel lobby or fooled by the response. There's just something about you that sounds like you're slipping through the cracks.
Finally, there’s the whole genius complex. Please loose that once and for all! I swear it gets in your way more than you can imagine. I know some musicians with genius complexes who deserve it (musicians who are truly world-renowned), and even with them it’s like an ugly wart on their face. On the other hand, almost every musician I know who I would consider a genius, musicians who have won the top accolades the field has to offer and are truly extraordinary, would never in a million years present themselves with the sort of braggadocio that you have. Again, as MarkUK said, perhaps that’s youthful exuberance. But someone who presents themselves as a genius is more often than not telling others that they are not. Apple Store "Genius Bars" notwithstanding, even the word has ugly overtones!
And... you're not a genius! You're not! But who cares? You're talented and if you develop your talent and work hard, you have a shot at the kind of career you want and maybe, just maybe, create something that others find worthwhile. Often less talented artists surpass their more talented peers by virtue of hard work. But without perspective, training, and hard work, impeded by the self-inflicted wound of a genius complex, you may find yourself handing out cards in hotel lobbies more than you anticipated.
Again, good luck. All of this is meant to be helpful, not harsh!