does anybody else ever have this problem?

so i think i've discovered something today... whatever music i listen to, i end up trying to copy that sound. its not like i try to, i guess it just happens naturally for god knows what reason...

so i've basically made it a rule now that there's certain artists that i cannot listen to... actually its pretty much everybody but devendra, cocorosie, and bob dylan.

how would someone conquer this 'problem'?

 

well i wouldnt call it much of a problem, infact i think it helps if you try to copy someone elses voice. As long as you arent trying to sound exactly like the person your listening to.


you could try to first, sing along to devendra/dylan, or whoever, and try to kind of sound like them when ever you play, and then once you think you sound enough like them and can hit all the notes just right, then try to sing normally, or even the exact opposite of whoever you think you sound like.


im still trying to figure out how to not sound so much like elliott smith or devendra banhart myself, so im probably not a whole lot of help

 

i would call it a step in finding your own voice. i wouldn't think about it, just keep on working...but what do i know?

 

Yeah, I have the same problem... and I have no solution.

 

well not just my voice, but in my lyrics, and music too. it seems as though whomever i'm listening to is what i attempt become until i go through another phase... like right now, its devendra, dylan, and led zeppelin (the acoustic folk stuff off of their 3rd and 4th albums)... could you imagine, cocorosie-ish arpeggios and devendra's lyrics with robert plant singing while playing and writing music like that?

aha... so yeah.... i think neil young does the same with bob dylan, actually. probably just a completely natural thing, it'd be impossible to be 100% original anyway. prolly even 50% nowadays, unless you're someone like devendra, or the casady sisters.

 

its not a problem, its the psychology of creativity. you cant be creative unless you experience art yourself. your creativity is based on the art you view. this is why it is good to listen to your own music a lot in order to get inspiration from your own creativity. the more you do this, the more original the sound will be.

its not a problem, it is a function of the brain, and it can be used to your advantage.

creativity doesnt come from nowhere. it is a re-manifestation of connections in your brain. these connections are made whenever you experiene music or learn about music theory or whenever you make a random sound. the more you eare exposed to these stimuli, the more the connections will manifest themselves in your creative output.

ie. the ONLY 100% original sounds youll ever make will be made by accident. anythign intentional is based on the stimulus youve been subjected to throughout your life.

 

Counter it by listening to as much music as possible, that way you can mix everything into your own unique sound!

 

I wouldn't worry about it.... I spent two or three years trying to sound like Kurt Cobain and then Neil Young. We find our own voice and style in time though. Just keep listening to a broad range of music and don't get tied down to one style. I feel if your being true to yourself what comes out of you will genuinely all be your own man.

Neil Young did say he had to force himself to not listen to Dylan because he's like a sponge and would end up stuck in a writers rut where he just writes Dylan type songs.

 

wouldn't that make everything sound the same?

 

No. Listen to whatever you hear. I like letting the music find me rather than going the other way. That way I get hit with everything. Shit, I have downloaded so much music just from hearing little things in commercial backgrounds.

 

yeah, i do that. its kind of experimentation, i dont think its a problem as long as you dont copy them completely, and sort of turn it into your own sound.