Every musicians should know what they are good at and what they are not. The ability to judge this for yourself, accurately is indispensable.
If there is an area that you would really like to be good at, but always seem to mess up – heed the hint! It’s something you’ll need to research, learn and practice.
The hard work is an investment though – as your creative efforts will be enriched.
If, like me, you have a bit long list of things that you suck at, then you might need to prioritise and make a list, to keep yourself organised (being organised is one of the things I suck at).
A constant, gentle learning curve is good, it keeps you challenged, fresh and always interested in something new.
Make Better Music is updated every Tuesday. To catch up on the series search for ‘Dave Graham’.
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David Learnt composition (harmony, counterpoint and orchestration) to degree level through studying Schoenbergs Fundamentals of Musical Composition, the classic text on twentieth century harmony by Vincent Persichetti, Henry Mancini’s Sounds and Scores, Rimsky-Korsakov’s excellent books on orchestration as well as studying any scores that intrigued me. He is a founder member of two bands, avant pop duo Cnut, and orchestral doombience outfit Regolith, and have performed across Europe with them.
