emulation .

It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But sometimes, it may just be a bit much. I remember when I first got involved in music... at least in writing and recording my own. I was originally inspired by the sort of things that I listened to, and so that sort of set the boundaries that would define how I wrote, what I wrote, and what I used to make it all. I would be like a sponge, trying to soak up what the artists did, what their methods were, what their thought processes were. It's kind of like the media obsessing over celebrities, or kids wanting to know the warmup routines and nuances of professional athletes, except that I had my own little list of 'celebrities' to follow.


As I began to develop my own sound (and then proceeded to lose it again) I tried to emulate the processes of my artistic idols and heroes. Some people write the music, then write the words. Some write the words, then develop the music around it. Some have little riffs all over the place in their heads, and some have couplets spattered all over a page that they eventually put together (Eminem, or Adam Young). Some people have thousands of names of titles, and others just stick a line of the song up there.

There are really endless possibilities these days when it comes to music. Technology has advanced so much, and even people who can't sing can be made into a pop star that is then revered nationwide. Programs allow people to do all of their own tracks and editing and mixing all in one station. The DAW age has truly begun, and it's amazing what you can do with it. (For those of you who are not big into the music scene, DAW is Digital Audio Workstation, programs like Pro Tools, Logic Pro, FL Studio/Fruity Loops, etc.) I've dabbled in a lot of things... trying to learn to play piano a bit, or using workstations to achieve a certain sound, and sometimes just doing a 2 track recording; once through with my guitar and once through on the vocals.

I kinda like that crude raw audio, the stuff that you know is 100% real. Emulation is fun... and it really provides a nice jumping off point. I can't even imagine how people could just decide that they wanted to do something totally different  and then do it. Look at the Beatles, or some of the initial guys in hip hop and rap. They are the pioneers of the music industry. There's so much out there now and so many types and genres, you can't even name them all. It's not as simple as it all was, and new material is being created every day.

I may or may not be a part of that musical evolution one day. But I'd like to find my sound, style, and process. And once I do? Well. I guess after that, all that's left is to turn up the volume and project.