Well today I don't feel like rambling about 'tracking tips' per se, instead I want to talk a little bit about inspiration, and where (sometimes) it can come from. Many times it seems the case that a lot of people have a fair amount of tracking skill, but apply it to some very uninspired ideas, and the resulting product isn't as well-done as it could have been. This isn't the affliction of the newbie tracker though, in fact a lot of times this happens to your 'better' trackers quite often.
What is 'inspiration' anyways? Some people think it's this sort of magical vibe that comes into you, prompting large amounts of creative randomness and semi-genius wanderings. Others think it's what happens when you listen to the same CD over and over and over and over and end up getting it so ingrained into your head that you unintentionally try to emulate the style. In truth, however, it's a bit harder to define. I like to think of it as the underlying current which drives your musical pieces, the vision which sits in your head and compels you to do something creative.
The reason inspiration is so important is a simple one. The vast majority of musical works out there simply don't have it. So many songs out there are astoundingly devoid of any sort of vaguely original idea, or even a decently groovy feel. Now, the judgement of musical value is of course a _highly_ relative system, this should be kept in mind. However, I believe it to be rather plain that you can tell, at least in some semi-subjective way, whether or not a piece has something 'inspirational', be it on the technical or the artistic end. Conversely, it's rather easy to tell when someone has taken a well-done song and has tried to 'copy' the style (and usually sounding not even half as good as the original).
Getting vibrant and 'new' ideas in your work is a very important part of the compositional process. Whether it's fresh samples, interesting hooks, or even simply a weird time signature, anything can contribute to the originality of a piece. This is all a side effect of the original composer's inspiration. If he approaches the work from a lackadaisical perspective, the work will end up sounding stale and tired. I've had this problem myself lately. There are times when I concentrate too much on the technical aspects of a piece and forget about the original reason I tracked it, the feeling, the inspiration behind it.
Learning from your mistakes though is an invaluable way to improve youself. Take an honest listen to your recent tunes. Are they up to the standard that you want to be at? Even if the work sounds 'cool', is it as cool as it could be, if you worked harder at it? And even if it's technically wonderful, is it still a _good song_? Is it catchy? Is it supposed to be catchy? Could you groove to it? Hum to it? Dance to it? Does it evoke the emotions that you wanted it to? Be honest with yourself. More often than not, there is more room for improvement than you think.
Every work comes from a kernel, some cluster o' groove, that manifests itself into a full-blown work. But where do you get this inspirational kernel from? There are many ways, but here are some of the ones that I utilize:
Finally, when everything seems to be coming out like stale borscht, take a break. Sometimes not tracking anything can be inspiration enough. If you try to force music out, the listener can usually notice. Instead, go climb a tree or something. Play with your cat. Conquer some small Eastern European countries. Whatever. :)
Anyways until next time,
Cheers,
Andy
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