Got a quick blog for you today on why listening to all genres should be something you start doing if you haven’t already.
Not too long ago we posted this picture to our Instagram page and received an abundance of positive messages, but also messages from many musicians wanting more details / clarification.
Ask and you shall receive is our motto and so, this brief blog will go into more detail.
As always, if you would like clarification or more detail, please do not hesitate to contact us. We're here to help you succeed.
The first tip was that "inspiration can come from anywhere, especially genres you’re not familiar with."
To explain this, let's first, take a step back. When do you come up with your best ideas? When you’re stuck in a room, against a clock, desperately trying to come up with new ideas, or when you’re on a walk, letting your mind wander?
Probably the latter, us too! The point is, when you let yourself free, your imagination is able to reach new levels, which often leads to new outlooks and new discoveries.
Relating it back to music. If you listen to one genre exclusively, while you will undoubtedly be inspired, (at least we always are), the inspiration you gain from such songs may not be as unique as you would like them to be.
When you open your eyes, your ears, your mind, your spectrum, and your imagination to all genres however, you will experience new styles, new rhythms, new tracks, new beats, new effects, etc. that you might have never thought of before.
The second tip was that "one idea can spark an entire new style for you to incorporate."
The best ideas come from the unknown. Let’s explain. When you know nothing, or little about something, your imagination takes over, and the impossible, all of a sudden becomes possible.
Once again, the same applies for music. For example, if we told you, “create a song without a chorus,” as a talented artist that has been making music for a while, and knows proper song structure, you may say, “what’s the point?”
While that would certainly be a fair question, if we told someone who has never written a song before, to write a song without a chorus, they may not know a chorus typically comes after each verse, or even what a chorus is. As a result, their imagination may lead them to create more of a poem, or story style creative (or who knows what they will come up with, maybe a fun experiment to do).
Anyway, the point is that to non-songwriters, the entire idea is new and therefore, there are no limitations, by song structure, prior knowledge, etc.
Unfortunately when artists listen to one genre, they usually set limitations about what they can and cannot do, based off what has or has not been done by artists before them, or some other factor(s).
The best thing you can do is to forget those limitations (not all, as some are certainly crucial), and listening to other genres that you typically create music in allows you to expand your creative outlook.
The third tip was that "a break from the genre you’re working in allows you to come back with a fresh mind and new outlook."
Often times as musicians, you get so close to the work you’re doing, whether that’s composing, writing, recording, singing, producing (or some other aspect,) that you lose the magic of the music.
As a result, taking a well-earned “break” and listening to other genres can prove to have positive benefits. Not only will you get a mental rest from what you’re currently creating, but also gain new outlooks from other genres.
Then, upon returning to your music, you will have a fresh mind, new outlook and potential inspiration. Remember, one small tweak could be the difference between something good and something great. You’ll never know unless you experiment.
We know this was a different style blog, but we hope it made you think a little, and hopefully prompted you to listen to all genres if you do not currently. We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you would like clarification, details or have a request for a blog, tell us here.