How do I learn to love music again?

Question

I'm a singer/guitarist in my late 20's. I've written and recorded my share of songs, the score of a short film, and done some live performance. I know my theory and both write and improvise well. My problem is this - after ten years, the magic is gone. I've come to see music as pure math. A graph of pitch vs. time. A set number of notes the human ear can differentiate that we musicians combine in an unlimited number of ways to influence human emotion. We play a major chord progression with a fast beat and people feel happy. Minor chords to make you feel sad. Maybe some suspended chords for that open, airy feel. Yes it's more complex than that, but any musician who knows what he's doing can create other emotive patterns - nostalgia, frustration, loneliness. It's all just an equation for manipulating feelings. I'm addicted to it, but it feels fake. I don't even enjoy listening to music anymore. I just see patterns. There's no divinity or joy in it anymore, just numbers. What should I do?

Answer 1

I am also guitar player, but much older then you. Your problem is that you are satiate with this modern equipments that can produce any rhytam, sound, melody e.t.c. and it have to be so loud. And there is your problem. With this equipments that can construct and arrange any type of song or sound you are lose feelin for TONES wich are the spring of the creative ideas. My advice, fill in the glass with water, firstly at the bottom, then to the middle, the to the top, and always hit with tea-spoon the glass. You'll hear different tones, think about him, use few glasses, use mouth organ or similar...try to listen the tones, quiet tones...and new ideas will springing. If you want to discuss this theme you can contact me via [e-mail]. You're welcome! Veradisca & Best Regards, Neven.

Answer 2

Listen to the Beatles ;-).





Seriously though, I LOVE film, absolutely live and breath it. But, the more you learn about something, anything, the less magical it feels. You see patterns, you understand how it's put together, and you learn to do it yourself. Now that I am beginning to understand film, watching movies is not fun. It's almost work. I love it and am addicted, but I don't watch movies to relax anymore. The magic is gone.



I don't think there's much you can do besides use it to the max now. There's really not much going back.



You know those picture (there's a technical term, I just don't know it) that are a picture within a picture? You look at it and see a bunch of rocks, but when you look closer you realize that the artist has hidden horses and birds and maybe even fish in the rocks? But as soon as you see all the other things, the picture will not ever look like just rocks to you anymore. The mystery is gone and the 'magic' of the moment is gone. You know too much. You can still enjoy the beauty and complexity of the picture, but it can't ever look like rocks again.



You understand music very well obviously and it won't ever just look like rocks again.



I guess what I would do is go and find something else that still has magic. Don't give up your music at all, keep going full speed, but find something new to do on the side. Painting? Sculpting? Film? Theatre? Writing? Just ideas.



Hope I helped.

Answer 3

As far as musicianship goes I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I have been a singer/guitarist/songwriter for a little over ten years. I have recorded many songs and written many more, as well as played my share of live performances. I also understand theory very well. I love math, therefore I love theory. Everything you described about theory with patterns and numbers combined to make up pitch and time to provoke human emotion is very true. So I understand how it seems very formulaic, more like figuring out a math problem then pure passion. Fortunately I have not come to the point where listening to music is not enjoyable or where writing music seems passionless. To me the the mathematical thoery side of it makes the passion I put into writing (as well as get out of listening) so much more fascinating. It maybe formulaic, but it's formula's with a purpose - to provoke different emotions. To me understanding what formulas create which emotions fills it with that much more passion. I don't know how because I am not at that point, but you need to find a way to reconcile the math with the passion.



Maybe you need to begin looking into eastern music where they have notes in between our notes. They have something like 20 notes to a key rather than 12. Their rhythms are way more complicated if you can really even call some of it rhythmic. If I'm not mistaken much of eastern music has no time or meter.



But remember that as formulative mathematically as western music is, it is still infinite in it's formula's. Lastly, the best thing you can do is talk to someone who feels this way too, or even better someone who felt this way and overcame it.



Best of luck!

Answer 4

Try writing or playing with your heart, not in front of an audience but for yourself, the kind of music you want to play, get lost in it, it's hard not to let things corrupt what you love the most, but don't let it change the way you think about and play music, view it as the beautiful magic it is and not just a means to make people clap.

Answer 5

You can do nothing but seek inspiration. The best thing to do in your situation is to think of music as a love not a job..something you do cos you wanna do it. You don't have to do anything..you sound like an obsessive compulsive when it comes to music. Just relax and feel it..forget minor expectations.

Answer 6

I used to play bass guitar. I too became bored with music, stopped listening to new songs and just left it behind. Maybe you need to pick a totally new instrument, and just teach yourself by ear, and forget the technical side. Or maybe it'll take a few years for you to have a "reunion" with your music. Good luck. I guess it's a spiritual thing that you just have to work through.



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Answer 7

Perhaps you should take a page from Andy Warhol and redefine the meaning of music at the fundamental level. Always push the envelope of what music "ought to be." Look at music through several different lenses and perhaps you will find what you are looking for.

Answer 8

Maybe you could try putting on the classics, softly, and going to sleep. Maybe in your sleep you could feel it again. One thing that gives me the good chills is thinking of beethoven playing by vibration. How his fingers could fly and fly but he couldn't enjoy any of it because he was deaf. What an amazing yet terrible thing. See music was in his heart and thats where you need to look to find your love of music again.

Answer 9

Whatever was your type, switch it up. Even if you don’t care for it at first give it a shot. People like all type of music find why they like the type your not use to.

Answer 10

Maybe you should find some original music.

Answer 11

If you do not have the.. joie-de-verve of life.. living.. and can't "feel" that.. then how can you love.. anything..??



We should all have joie-de-verve.. too bad our country isn't geared that way..