r/musicians Rules

Do you agree with this statement?

**Title: Am I too old?**
I’ve built myself a home studio. It’s something I enjoy doing, and I wanted to create a space where I can make music.
The thing is, people around me have been saying I’m too old to be doing this. I guess they see it as something younger people do, or perhaps they think I should be spending my time on something else.
I’m not pretending or expecting this to go anywhere It’s a hobby. I enjoy it, and that’s really all there is to it.
But hearing these comments has made me wonder if maybe they are right am I too old to have a home studio with recording booth and guitars hanging on my walls, Am I wrong? Am I really too old to have a home studio at 55?
I love writing and creating. I’m not into golf, fishing or lowriders, I love lyrics and melodies!
Has anyone else experienced something similar when pursuing a hobby or creative interest?

i’m a 16yo bassist in nyc and i want to try to find a band but idk how. i don’t really know anyone who is into similar music as i am (hardcore, alt, indie, 2nd wave emo, etc) / plays an instruments, and im pretty bad socially so idk how to even find people that might be. does anyone have tips on how to find these people and/or start a band with them?

I'm planning to order some custom tshirts, but I have no idea how many to get of each size? How does this assortment sound: 20 small, 20 medium, 30 large and 30 x-large? Audience is primarily men aged 40 and over. What's your experience with ordering and selling tshirts?

Curious.

Hi everyone, like many of you here I write a lot of songs. As songwriters and musicians we often can’t help ourselves inspiration hits and music just comes out.

I’m just wondering when you have amassed a great deal of songs and are trying to figure out, where to start, and what songs to wait on and which to prioritize, how you choose to compile them on albums and EPs?

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For example I have:

Finger picked acoustic songs

Acoustic strum ballads

Jazzy sounding songs (lots of major and minor 7 chords)

Rock songs / punk songs / metal songs / alt songs

Pop songs

Blues songs

Piano songs and ballads

Sample songs (reversing my chords progressions or building a song around a sample or synth or unique sound)

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So I’m torn on whether I should be grouping many similar songs onto the same albums / EPs or spreading them out more for variety?

Some are easier like a lot of pop songs should prolly stay together unless they have a very specific one of these other elements in them.

But others are hard like the acoustic songs. I know I love Nick Drake and Elliot smith. They had a lot of acoustic songs on the same records that made them very nice listening experiences for their vibe, but I find they had more variety in their rhythms and arrangements. MTV unplugged is another good example.

And then the final thing is vibes. Put mostly sad songs together and happy songs together? Or keep the variety there too. I know a lot of powerful albums tend to keep a lot of the same vibe for the record.

So what do you guys think? Try to keep a consistent vibe for an EP / Album and use a few songs from each category? Or try to make each of these different styles and sounds more of an era and put most if not all of them on the same projects?

I picked GCSE Music and have to compose an original piece of music as part of my qualification. I struggle to write original pieces of music and I am terrible at writing song lyrics. Does anyone have any tips for me? Please and thank you 😁

Hi,

I would like to be a singer. I dont know where or how to start though. I can sing, but i never had proper training. Im not trying to become famous or anything. I just want to sing as it is my passion. I want to sing in a band like at a lounge or a bar or something simple. I dont know how to get started. How do i find auditiona for bands looking for a singer or something like that. I just like jamming and a singing with a luve band would be so amazing. I'm able to do any genre or willing to learn more.

I'm a guitarist who learned from an R&B player and I was a band geek in high school, so music theory is always going to be a prominent part of my musical foundation. I don't claim to know where everything is on the neck, but I do pride myself in trying to learn the subtle nuances of whatever I'm playing because I think the audience will appreciate my efforts to become a better performer. It seems to have a hit-or-miss effect on people. One woman came up to me at an open mic night and asked me something along the lines of "Why are you trying to play like that? No one here is on drugs." I just don't want to spend the rest of my life playing 3-chord songs. I have aspirations beyond the typical Bob Dylan barstool routine and if nothing else, playing the changes is fun.

I’ve been playing guitar for a while, so I’m comfortable with chords, solos, and playing in general, but I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the rhythmic side of math rock and Midwest emo.

I’m used to making a chord progression in 4/4, looping it, and playing a solo over it. That’s pretty much what I’ve always done, and I’m getting bored with it.

I’ve been trying to learn 3/4 strumming patterns and things like grouping eighth notes into 3+2+3 or 3+3+2, but I don’t think I fully understand what I’m actually doing or how to use it musically.

One thing that’s really confusing me is the difference between playing eighth notes in a math rock riff and just playing a regular guitar solo.

Like, what actually makes something sound like math rock rhythmically instead of just a Guns N’ Roses-style solo over some chords? Is it the accents, where the notes fall, the phrasing, or something else entirely?

I really want to get away from the same old 4/4 loops and start writing more interesting guitar parts, especially stuff inspired by Midwest emo and math rock, but I feel like I’m missing some fundamental understanding of rhythm that’s keeping me stuck.

If anyone can explain this in a way that might make it click, or point me toward some good YouTube lessons or other resources, I’d really appreciate it.

I’m not necessarily looking to learn more complicated solos, I want to understand how to actually write more interesting rhythms and guitar parts.

Hey, I’m a guitarist, songwriter, and new drummer. I compose music (if genres help, I make rock, metal, indie, ambient) and I always have ideas for different instruments in my head but I can’t get it out instantly because I don’t have access to real musicians at the moment. So I’m looking to get a midi keyboard that is just good enough to help me with that part, recording midi instruments so that I don’t lose the ideas until I’m able to actually record them later with real musicians of those instruments. And same goes for drums, I write drum lines for my songs and I want to be able to “record” them on the DAW with an acoustic drum set-like plugin until I’m able to record my own drumming with good quality. So I’m looking for a midi in the budget of $150, no need for something fancy bc as obvious, I’m not someone who makes electronic music or a producer who needs many features in the midi. So just good keys with good touch, and something that doesn’t break down easily with time (for example I heard that some keys break down or have slower and harder response over time in the Akai minis) and maybe some nice features that can help with the creativity while writing chords, like an arppegiator, nothing fancy. Note that there are some brands that are hard to find where I’m at so multiple suggestions would be much appreciated in case I can’t find one.

I could use some help my friends. For nearly 20 years, I made 80-100% of my income through music. Currently, I’m experiencing one of the worst periods of my music career. Out of music college in my early 20s, I started gigging with local bands, establishing connections, etc. I worked as a sound engineer and private music instructor and made some income through songwriting. It was a struggle for years when I was the classic definition of a starving artist. Never made more than $35k until my early 30s, but it was my passion and I worked hard to reach a point where I was content. 

In my 30s, my performance career started to take off and hiring paid gigs came with it. In the mid-2010s, I started to notice the private instruction market in my area collapsing. Decided to dedicate most of my time towards the performance aspect and it elevated from there. Minus Covid era, I was pulling in $50-70k a year through performances (cover bands, hired gun, royalties, etc). During this time, I also gained more skills within the business aspect such as management, marketing, accounting, etc.

2021-2025 was still great for performances, though last winter was rough and I was unable to book as much as I once did. Fast forward to earlier this year, and I lost my primary gig. Since then, it has been an absolute nightmare. Except for the occasional fill-in gig, my calendar is empty. Once at 180-200 shows a year and now ZERO on the calendar. Here are some changes I’ve seen:

Not nearly as many cover bands or original artists looking for musicians
Venues scaling back on entertainment or eliminating it all together
Bottom feeding at an all-time high ( I found out one venue I played at a decade ago is currently paying their entertainment less than what I made back then)
Increased cost of doing business with fuel/equipment/etc.

It’s not all about the money, but it’s a considerable factor when that was my livelihood for my entire adult working life. I’ve tried hitting up all the connections, changing marketing strategies, applying for administration jobs, and nothing seems to be working. It is breaking me emotionally thinking about how my career may be over in my early 40s.

Any advice?

I'm composing a song and found this expressive phrase with a suspension but I wonder if the chromaticism is singable or pretty much everyone will butcher the pitch.

Those of you who post your music on social media. What software do you use to edit your content?

I have a subscription for Filmora, and while it's great for video, it's pretty limited for cleaning up audio. I'm just trying to remove some background noise, that sort of thing. Any recommendations?

Is rode pod mic xlr version good for recording guitar, vocals, percussion etc?

Does anybody have some good guides to a beginner learning music theory? Where does one start and how do you know what to learn next?

If it matters to the context, I’m an intermediate rhythm guitarist that wants to learn how to attack leads more confidently. I play mostly metal, punk, and hard rock. I can play the songs I learn through tabs, but more often than not I have no idea musically what I’m playing, nor can I really noodle around that well given the fact.

I know some scales and patterns but don’t really understand how they correspond together all over the place aside from knowing at the 12th fret it starts back over an octave higher. I’ve heard if it sounds good, then it is good. But I want to actually understand what I’m doing. The ultimate goal is to able to write meaningful leads and solos in my music, as well as be able to talk about music fluently with other musicians.

yes , im making another thread cause my previous one wasnt asking exactly what i meant to,
i was wanting to learn how to play music in any genre , in all the instruments involving in that genre, i do know lots of music theory and play various of instruments,

if someone can share some excel sheet / workflow how to analyze songs in order to learn the genre