Your musical identity

[Chazban]

One day i'm listening to some Dibia$e and i'll think 'man i want to write a song'
Surprise surprise it sounds like one of his tracks.
The next day it's Tokimonsta. My track sounds exactly like one of hers. The list goes on.

Even when i don't listen to music and i don't have any songs in my head i always seem to somehow end up subconsciously ripping off a chord sequence or melody or drum pattern.
I think it's because i know what sounds dope and i try to translate it into my own musical language but this just always happens.

How do i escape this vicious circle of accidental rip offs and how did you come to realise your own musical identity?

[Beat Poet]

I think you just have to write so many songs that you find a formula or particular sound that works for you. Don't think that all bands have a particular sound though - sure they do when you look across their careers, but you can create a particular sound for an album by picking the tracks which all work together and are in the same vein.

[unitymusic]

Part of the art of songwriting is not wearing all your influences on your sleeve. Listen to different genres, mix and match influences; try to do something unexpected. I agree with Beat Poet, the more you write the more you develop your own approach and sound.

Taking a break from listening to your style of music helps as well IMO. If you write hip hop and that's mostly what you listen to, spend a week listening to nothing but classical music or something. Also learning the basics of music theory, like how to build chords, how they function and how they fit into a key really helps develop a more personalized approach I think.

[Kaoz]

I think people can get a little too precious about being original sometimes though (not directed at anyone here).

There's a reason you can't copyright a chord progression or drum beat. The art is in how you put all the different elements together.

As has been posted above, the more you write, the more you'll find your sound. But having said that, your sound will constantly evolve even when you think it isn't.

[HiFi Yeah]

I like the feeling of going into the unknown and not understanding entirely what I'm making. Most people don't like that, they like a known destination. But what's the fun if you already know where it's going?

[fret_burn]

I just stopped listening to music. I've hardly listened to music for the past ten years or so - aided somewhat by having those time vacuums called kids but also the magic of listening to music died somewhat for me when mp3's came on the scene. I just don't form that special relationship between music and experience that i did when i was young. Of course i still have ears and still hear stuff but it has almost no conscious effect on my songwriting.

Instead i'm totally focused on my own stuff. I'm acutely aware of my own style and the elements that form it. Some of these elements i embrace and some i'm constantly fighting against but it's mine and i like it.

But, i don't get paid for it, it's art for the sake of art... not sure i'd recommend it to everyone.

[Jose]

Originally Posted by HiFi Yeah

I like the feeling of going into the unknown and not understanding entirely what I'm making. Most people don't like that, they like a known destination. But what's the fun if you already know where it's going?

Well, some genres need to be more predictable than others.

[avengeance]

i think the best way is what unity said listen to different genres because all in all we are all a remix of all the things we love. If you listen to artists and read bout their influences you can get a sense what influenced them in their production, you just have to find out what you like about something and add your own flair. like sample the idea of the sidechain compression from house music into your production even though you might be making rock music. Nothing is original.

[Papanate]

Originally Posted by Chazban

this vicious circle of accidental rip offs and how did you come to realise your own musical identity?

First off be a little more honest with yourself - you are not 'accidentally' ripping anything. Second there is absolutely nothing wrong with ripping a tune - to me that means you understand the elements that the tune is built from.

My suggestion would be for you to listen and think about what exactly is attracting you to these songs...Key's, Production, Chord Changes, Flow etc... then using those elements write a song about something out of your normal purvey - start simple - ...say a chocolate cake or the moon rise. It helps if you have your own concept or point of reference in your mind when you start writing

IOWs if you don't have anything to say - you won't say anything new.

[HiFi Yeah]

Originally Posted by Jose

Well, some genres need to be more predictable than others.

Well yeah once people see a "genre" then it is a known destination.

[steve10358]

Originally Posted by fret_burn

I just stopped listening to music. I've hardly listened to music for the past ten years or so - aided somewhat by having those time vacuums called kids but also the magic of listening to music died somewhat for me when mp3's came on the scene. I just don't form that special relationship between music and experience that i did when i was young. Of course i still have ears and still hear stuff but it has almost no conscious effect on my songwriting.

Instead i'm totally focused on my own stuff. I'm acutely aware of my own style and the elements that form it. Some of these elements i embrace and some i'm constantly fighting against but it's mine and i like it.

But, i don't get paid for it, it's art for the sake of art... not sure i'd recommend it to everyone.

I used to be like that. Boring rock songs did it to me. They zapped all the fun out of music. Then I found other genres I like and I actually enjoy other people's music again. I actually blame rock for how I got there.

[Mihaly]

Originally Posted by Chazban

One day i'm listening to some Dibia$e and i'll think 'man i want to write a song'
Surprise surprise it sounds like one of his tracks.
The next day it's Tokimonsta. My track sounds exactly like one of hers. The list goes on.

Even when i don't listen to music and i don't have any songs in my head i always seem to somehow end up subconsciously ripping off a chord sequence or melody or drum pattern.
I think it's because i know what sounds dope and i try to translate it into my own musical language but this just always happens.

How do i escape this vicious circle of accidental rip offs and how did you come to realise your own musical identity?

Eiic Clapton says he got his identity from the bits he put in between the licks he was copying and being an imperfect copyist. Others have said they were trying to copy others and failing (U2 I at least I think).

Here's an idea take some aspects of Dibia$e and mix it with aspects of Tokimonsta. Soma aspects from Mozart and some from Chuck Berry....

[steve10358]

Originally Posted by Kaoz

I think people can get a little too precious about being original sometimes though (not directed at anyone here).

There's a reason you can't copyright a chord progression or drum beat. The art is in how you put all the different elements together.

As has been posted above, the more you write, the more you'll find your sound. But having said that, your sound will constantly evolve even when you think it isn't.

I agree. It's a real weight off your shoulders once you realize you aren't going to discover the "lost chord", so to speak.

[theblue1]

Originally Posted by Chazban

One day i'm listening to some Dibia$e and i'll think 'man i want to write a song'
Surprise surprise it sounds like one of his tracks.
The next day it's Tokimonsta. My track sounds exactly like one of hers. The list goes on.

Even when i don't listen to music and i don't have any songs in my head i always seem to somehow end up subconsciously ripping off a chord sequence or melody or drum pattern.
I think it's because i know what sounds dope and i try to translate it into my own musical language but this just always happens.

How do i escape this vicious circle of accidental rip offs and how did you come to realise your own musical identity?

When we're starting out, it's natural, and, for many, very instructive to mimic others, consciously, or unconsciously. Keeping your influences varied will clearly help.

If you're at the stage where you're also doing full productions of your songs -- but you're concerned because they're coming out sounding 'too much' like their (conscious or unconscious) models, consider doing a switch-up before recording. Take your song that you feel sounds too much like artist X but, when your perform and record it, do it in the style of artist Y. That will not only quite likely result in an interesting, hybrid sound (and might even sound good ) but will likely be good for your analytical skills and get you thinking 'above' any single style or approach.


In prose writing, they call the stage you sound like you're at finding your own voice. It's something most creatively successful writers go through.

[detente]

I find it's much easier to develop one's own style by ditching emulating others altogether. That mean's no wobbles, no hoovers, no trance arpeggios, no 4x4 rhythm, etc. All those things sound cool, but all those things = passing forms of conformity. Once you give up following trends, you are liberated to do your own thing.

Also, it helps to avoid fitting into certain genres. I've noticed that some of the best signed artists who happen to be on SoundCloud never list a genre. And that makes sense because a lot of the best signed artists don't fit into any one single genre anyhow. And if they are good enough, everyone else copies them--and then it turns into a genre.