Originally Posted on TheArtOfADE.WordPress.com
I pride myself as being an active music listener. It is just a fancy way of saying that I listen to music with intent. I listen to discover and i listen to learn. Every musician, in my opinion, should actively listen always.
Over the years, one of the many cool things that I have learned about music is the simple fact that less is more. You cannot create quality music without knowing this. Music is an art form and like other art forms, it requires care. You don’t see painters dipping their canvases into paint and displaying them at galleries. As a musician, the same applies to you.
Beautiful music is made when everyone, the instrumentalists and vocalists alike, play their part in moderation. The problem with amateur live performances is that each performer gets so engulfed with the prospect of showing how good he or she is, to the point of playing loud noise. Balance and minimalism can make or mar a song, no matter how brilliant.
Even when it comes to listening to music, listening at the loudest volume is actually not ideal. If you really want to appreciate any song, the key is to keep reducing the volume until it is just right. Until balance meets art.
This was a lesson I learned when I started mixing my own songs. I would turn the volume of the strings and the vocals all the way up because I wanted my audience to hear how good each instrument was. I wanted them to “feel” the sound. Thank goodness for my supervisor who showed me differently.
Although the phrase “less is more” is trite and tired, it is evident that it is overused because it is true. Let us remember that true art happens when moderation meets balance.
Stay Crowned,
ADEOLUWA
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