@drez said:
I make it a life rule not to get involved with music competitions. My life is competitive enough that when I write music, it’s just for the joy of it. When people post music, I’m just super stoked that they put their stuff out for others to hear. If I felt like my music had to be judged all the time, it would suck the joy out of the one real creative outlet I have.
I’m sympathetic to this perspective.
I’m looking at the battles not as competitions so much as opportunities to:
Encourage me to get stuff finished, instead of just started.
Help me to find BM3 workflows that I’m comfortable in.
Provide a little critique/perspective on what I’m doing. I don’t really care if everybody dislikes it so long as I like it, but there’s still value in feedback from outside my comfortable cocoon.
Learn how other people go about creating, from a common starting point (eg. Battle 2) or within a common set of constraints (Battle 1).
The last point is a big one for me. Learning is a primary motivator for almost all my hobbies. Battle participants can expect to be pestered with plenty of ‘how?’ from me.
1. Strong encouragement and incentive to actually finish a track (rather than let it languish as yet another undeveloped 8-bar loop in my sessions folder!)
2. Forces me to approach composition from a different perspective, or with unusual restrictions, unlocking new workflows that help me get out of my regular comfortable styles/tropes.
3. An eager audience who are excited and keen to hear what I've made and, ideally, give constructive feedback that helps make me a better producer. Getting a few votes always feels pretty good too.
4. Battles provide a safer, less brutal, way for users to experience the act of sharing their creations. It's a bit like showing people your private sketchbook, or writing a blog. Building the confidence to 'publish' your (very personal) music in a public arena is a really difficult, yet important step in the road to becoming a better musician.
Comments
I’m sympathetic to this perspective.
I’m looking at the battles not as competitions so much as opportunities to:
The last point is a big one for me. Learning is a primary motivator for almost all my hobbies. Battle participants can expect to be pestered with plenty of ‘how?’ from me.
1. Strong encouragement and incentive to actually finish a track (rather than let it languish as yet another undeveloped 8-bar loop in my sessions folder!)
2. Forces me to approach composition from a different perspective, or with unusual restrictions, unlocking new workflows that help me get out of my regular comfortable styles/tropes.
3. An eager audience who are excited and keen to hear what I've made and, ideally, give constructive feedback that helps make me a better producer. Getting a few votes always feels pretty good too.
4. Battles provide a safer, less brutal, way for users to experience the act of sharing their creations. It's a bit like showing people your private sketchbook, or writing a blog. Building the confidence to 'publish' your (very personal) music in a public arena is a really difficult, yet important step in the road to becoming a better musician.