Anyone else struggling to find something to say...

[Flash Harry]

I know what you mean Andy, I can noodle a bit of something onto a track and it's OK, but then someone sings over it and it comes to life.

I like the ambient stuff though, brought up on classical music, much without lyric or voice, I find it relaxing to listen to, words tend to put challenging thoughts my way and sometimes I can live without the challenge. I'm enjoying listening to all of the stuff without words.

I once listened to a great didge player, one note basically, but the expression and feeling he put into playing was transcendent. Trully ambient, I was transported and didn't really want to come back.  I'd love to be able to do that.

[Mike_S]

I love the atmospheric type of stuff. I like kind of zoning out to a good atmospheric / chill out track. I like the layering of different synth sounds or guitar backing and the way well done examples of the genre build gradually. Having said that I love good ol rock music too if it has something compelling to say like a great riff or a really strong vocal. The way my brain works I get bored with just one genre so I tend to be into 1 genre for a few months and the switch to another genre for a while and so on. I'd say the usual genres I flip between are, electric blues, chill out / ambient, prog and also just any good pop or rock stuff. Oh, and a bit of jazz from time to time.

[Mike_S]

I understand what you were saying though Andy about feeling a little awkward commenting sometimes. I can feel the same way too. I think it depends on my mood. I try to give my comment the once over before I press post so as not to come across in a way that is not intended.

But it is striking a balance really as at heart I want to comment on as many folks songs as possible out of the spirit of the great community here and participation and I do genuinely love loads and loads of artists and songs on here. But sometimes I just like a track but cant think of much to say and this is when it is possible to come across as someone just listening and commenting on auto pilot without much warmth or feeling I guess.

For this reason I will take all comments on my music in a positive light too and I genuinely like the comradeship pat on the back type comments as I take them quite literally and am very grateful. To me its like listening to a CD of a favourite group like say Dire Straits and hearing a song like Sultans of Swing and turning to your friend after and saying "Wow, that was great", and nothing else. What more is there that is needed to be said for christsakes!! Having said all that if something does absolutely zero for me I will not comment as I think its better than being disingenuous and thankfully the site seems to be big enough to cater for a variety of tastes so hopefully everbody's music will find at least a few people into similar stuff.

[chapperz66]

Personally I am really enjoying the atmosfest.  I'm obviously a bit sad because I enjoy listening to production style music – whether it is atmospheric/ambient or otherwise.  I often find myself losing concentration during tv programmes or films if I happen to find the music particularly - or even marginally - interesting.  Like Hook, I have a dream (pipedream in my case) that I might be able to produce music that someone would use in a production.  It doesn't have to be a blockbuster production – an advert for a stationery supplier in Sunderland would be fine!     I would probably accept payment in paperclips and A4 paper.
Now having said that, this doesn't mean that I find it easy to comment constructively on every piece to which I listen, but personally I find this is no more true of the atmospheric genre than many other.  Sometimes I find I like a piece – just because I like it.  I can't necessarily articulate why I like it.  So I often say things like "I really like this."  I accept that this is not particularly erudite but if I comment like this on one of your pieces please believe that it is intended to be totally genuine.

Paul

[Geir]

What Paul said !

and I really like the challenge the atmosfest is for me..... both as a composer and a listener !

[chapperz66]

The other thing that I would say - and this may be a bit contentious - is that the last thing that grabs me about a piece of music are the lyrics.  I think I read that some wag once said that lyrics are just words that singers use.  This is probably going a bit far , but as a non-singer I kind of understand the sentiment.  I remember embarrassing myself once with a folk singer friend of my wife.  She asked me to record her singing her song about the messy divorce she had just been through and the lyrics included the line "Free Now" at the beginning of each verse - and there were a lot of verses.  She sang it through to me and when she had finished like a fool I asked her what it was called.   She thought I was being sarcastic and was initially a bit upset with me.  Genuinely I was listening to the form of the song, the melody, potential for harmony, the performance and the tone of her voice.  I hadn't grasped or really even noticed the heartfelt lyrics that she had agonised over for ages.  She forgave me!

I guess we are all different and our ears home in on different things in music.  This has got to be a good thing.

Paul

 

[Geir]

again ....  what Paul said

[Geir]

That said, I do sometimes listen to and get touched by or entertained by good lyrics. And I do strive to write lyrics myself that either touches or entertains people  .......

oh well .......

[bruno]

I've read this thread with real interest. We all listen to different things in music, that's for sure. Some love lyrics, some love sounds, some love melody, some love chords, some love structure, some love simplicity, some love complexity, some love rhythm. In truth, we all love a little bit of everything. I challenge anyone to watch a film with no music - it is an integral part of it.

I grew up on classical orchestral and violin music. Classical singing (opera) never did it for me - so melody and chord progression do it for me. I've always loved Bach - and there is no one better in history at chord progressions. Lyrics were always less important to me - until I started on Rush in my teens. For me, I've always been a scientist and mathematician - I have a maths brain - poetry was really difficult for me a school - I took poetry literally - so simply did not understand imagery - its not how my brain works. Lyric writing has therefore been equally difficult, plus I really don't like exposing my feelings in lyrical format - it simply isn't me. Whenever I have attempted to write lyrics - they've always come out illiterate, awkward and cheesy (particularly in the case of my last attempt :-) ), and I marvel at some of the great lyric writings on this site (Hook as one example). Therefore I've always loved writing chords and melodies - but not lyrics.

Given this, I don't have a problem with commenting on ambient music. There are some difficulties - and I'm the worst offender for this - but most professional ambient music tends to be perhaps more complex, many more themes interwoven, slow progressions and development - whereas what we do has much less of this complexity, fewer themes and less complexity. That's a function of time, of which we all have precious little. The question is what to say - well, say what you feel. If you enjoy it, say it - if it reminds you of a place, or another piece or a style - say it, if you dig the sound, say it. I find someone simply saying "nice tune" far, far better than zero comments. It doesn't need to be different or clever, just a simple acknowledgement.

Peace.

B

[Hook]

I grew up listening to my dads big band and swing band records. While there were a lot of vocals, I remember just  bopping away to the swing bands rhythm. I got into Jazz in high school and while lyrics and vocals were a big part of what I was writing I always enjoyed instrumental music as well. Now I find I don't listen to much music at all. Perhaps it's because I play for a living but in the car I mostly listen to news and public affairs shows. Around the house it's whatever pop crap my 12 year old likes or whatever showtunes my 14 year old is obsessed with. My listening happens here & Im loving this fest. I love what I'm listening to and Im having a great time writing and creating in a new direction. Great place this here songcrafters!
Rock on!