quote: | Originally posted by Lira
I don't know. Sure, no one can be (or have) fun 24-7. But if you take music too seriously, you may end up thinking that music matters or that it is somehow important. I'm afraid that's the most effective way to stifle creativity. |
Music is as important to me as things like friendship or laughter. I can't begin to list all the things in my life that have been turned from mind-numbingly intolerable to enjoyable with the addition of music. Whether it's keeping fit or commuting to work or cleaning up the house. There's the endless list of people I've met, good times I've had and unforgettable memories that all happened because of music. And there are the times I've felt unimaginably shitty and it's kept me borderline sane.
True, being po-faced and actively regarding your music as "important" is just as bad as thinking of it as "fun", with the opposite effect. I'm not saying that thinking that music is essential to people's lives while making a track is going to guarantee that that track ends up being important to someone.
But it's like a comedian laughing at his own jokes - it's rarely as effective as when he keeps a straight face. It's why Arnie's stone-faced non-acting enlivened many a shitty '80s action movie. I remember reading a Chekhov quote advising writers to render their work in a tone that is opposite the intended effect. If you're being serious, render it in an offhand way. If you're being light, play it straight.
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