Last week when I was in Memphis, I heard some new music that I got really excited about. I bought the _____ album and immediately started getting new ideas for how to process/record drums, harp, strings etc. As soon as I got home I started putting these new ideas into practice by starting a new song for my project with Stacy and Darren. I spent an entire day tracking drums and bass. The next day I recorded 70 tracks of strings, then piano. This idea was carrying all of my momentum forward and I had impressed myself with how much I was getting done in such a short time-span. I bounced a copy of it down, and emailed it to Darren and Stacy. Then I went through my usual routine of refreshing my inbox every few minutes to see if they loved it.
I know that they could tell that I had worked hard on this idea. I know they could tell that I had just gone through a marathon of tracking to get it to them. But the reality was this- It was all wrong. It sounded nothing like the rest of the songs on the album. It had abandoned all of the principles we laid out in the beginning. Darren was very gentle in letting me down, but he was firm. This is one of the most important parts of collaboration- the proper letdown.
That was a long winded intro, so I'll try to keep this next part straight to the point.
Bad:
The most frustrating part of collaboration with someone, is not the example above- that example is your saving grace. The worst, is when you work on an idea that's no good, but everyone tells you it's "good" and "it just needs a little work". When this happens, it's all hands on deck working on an idea that's a 2 out of 10, trying to bring it up to a 5 out of 10. In the end, the idea's gonna get thrown away anyway. Get tough (but kind) with yourself and your peers. Letting someone take a wrong turn while driving is not "polite", it prolongs and increases conflict.
Good:
On the other hand, the BEST part of collaboration in my experience, is when you have checks and balances. Left to my own devices, I will record layer after layer of instruments, until the vocal disappears. A big part of my process working with other people, is having them chop through all the weeds. I may write an idea with 10 things going on during the chorus. It usually becomes the duty of my peers to narrow that down to a simple two or three, and improve on those ideas.
Most bands are a collaboration of some kind. It's a big part of growing up to learn to speak honestly and gently with each other. Musicians can be emotional people, and it's easy to respond emotionally to criticism. When someone says, "that drum part is too busy for that section" your brain will run it through a filter, and it gets interpreted as "that drum part is too busy, and you're looking chubby". Be mindful of this emotional filter. Learn to be the one that looks to his/her peers for improvement, not just validation.
Thanks for reading.
Jeremy
PS. I know I've been talking about this project with Darren and Stacy for quite a while now. It may even seem as though it's simply a "hobby" that will never be completed. But we are close! We WILL finish this, and we WILL release something in the near future!
This is great, the way we should adjust our own attitudes! You are wise beyond your years ..... and I admire your staring this with us.
Posted by: LoFiDad | October 21, 2011 at 05:18 AM
i can't wait for it to come out! thanks for sharing your experience/process. it's always an interesting read!
Posted by: Mary-Beth | October 22, 2011 at 07:21 PM
I've had two recent projects where I fell in love with musical ideas that were beautiful in their own right- but not right for the true stories they were suppose to contribute to, in these cases, in short films. Springfield, MO musician (and sometime English prof) Jody Bilyeu gave me the right insight for dealing with these things once in a creative writing class: If it doesn't contribute to the story, you have to murder your darlings.
My poor darlings.
On the bright side, once I give up projecting an unfit idea onto something, I start to understand what the bigger project is about. And I save those poor orphan ideas for another day.
(In the next day or two, I'll be finishing a project that started with an orphan idea- it was just waiting for the right project : )
Posted by: Will Chiles | October 24, 2011 at 01:26 AM
I am really really excited to hear this project. It's so cool getting to read through the process here on your blog!
My husband is currently working on a collaboration with 3 other guys - a jazz/rnb/hiphop project. They recorded it at Saint Ida's Studio in Lafayette, CO (you said that you had been there). Anyway, if you want to check it out, they released their first single on Bandcamp today:
https://www.facebook.com/thethoughtprocess?ref=ts
http://thethoughtprocess.bandcamp.com/track/movin
My husband, Tristan is the drummer. If you get a chance to listen, let me know what you think!
Posted by: Stephanie May* | October 25, 2011 at 01:28 PM