self taught vs music production sch

[aznj50]

so self taught vs music production school? which route did you take to be musician?

[Kaizerwolf]

Self taught, along with 3 years of piano and percussion lessons. Music schools are all about the theory, which you can gain pretty well from piano lessons. Drum lessons just give you the sense of beat. :)

[Nitrocore]

Self taught. Although I feel limited with the palette I use due to the lack of knowledge of music theory.
But I suppose if I had to go the music theory way I woudn't be making music because of the lack of enthusiasm and understanding I have for it.

[Step]

Well, I self-taught myself the direction I have to take to go to piano lessons. Does that count? :D

[Chronamut]

self-taught- and then taught others based upon my own experiences - over time I added to my experience by self-learning through various resources..

[Buoy]

Self taught about music production and basic music theory, I do get some lessons about more advanced music theory (in a jazz context mostly but I use it everywhere now, see my three latest songs). Who cares :D

[Mystery-Moon-Pie-Aud]

Self taught. 5 years of piano lessons and stopped when I was like 11. Didn't get into music until about 15, but those lessons help immensely on music. Everything felt more easily done. But now, because I am 2 years self taught, I want to go to a music college to learn audio engineering.

[DJRAV3N]

Mostly self taught but I learned alot from many top notch producer in which I took there knowledge and used/taught it to a couple of aspiring producer's who have limitless potential.

[SessileNomad]

mostly self taught with the program and whanot, about a years worth of self taught piano and six months of lessons

[Usernamemyarse]

A bit of column A and a bit of column B.

I study a lot of sound design at college so i kinda take pieces of it over to my music.

[UncleSqueezins]

I've taken music classes my whole life (and still do) but I taught myself how to use FL Studio and all the other music production stuff that I currently use.

[Gravey]

At 6/21/10 03:23 PM, aznj50 wrote: so self taught vs music production school? which route did you take to be musician?

15 years of piano lessons.
7 years of saxophone lessons.
5 years of french horn lessons.
3 years of mellophone lessons.
1 year of trumpet lessons.
1 year trombone lessons.
4 years at Ohio University to get a bachelors in music production.

Still looking for a stable job. Which is why I'm working towards my MBA.

Music production degrees are useless. Don't bother getting one.

[Nihility]

Self taught when it comes to the programs and all production. Either than that though I've taken guitar lessons for about 6 years. It helps :)

[InvisibleObserver]

Primarily self taught, I never referred to videos/tutorials/instructions of any form. Still don't by in large unless its specifically dealing with production, in which case I chat with Gravey.

I do have some piano / brass instrument teachings though.

[KgZ]

At 6/21/10 06:12 PM, Gravey wrote: Music production degrees are useless. Don't bother getting one.

Most people don't go to college in Music Production for the degree.

11 years in Piano.
7 years in Drums/Percussion.
5 years self taught in Producing.

[Gravey]

At 6/21/10 07:32 PM, KgZ wrote:

At 6/21/10 06:12 PM, Gravey wrote: Music production degrees are useless. Don't bother getting one.

Most people don't go to college in Music Production for the degree.

Which is a big reason why they are useless. It's not about what you know anymore, but rather who you know. It's far more beneficial to land an internship at a studio. Oddly enough though, I tried this while a student at OU. And they often told me I had to have a degree to be considered.

To be honest it's just a circle of bullshit that someone who doesn't have a relative or friend of a friend in the business can't ever be a part of. If you don't have a degree and they don't know you, they will tell you it's because you don't have a degree. If you have a degree and they don't know you they will tell you there isn't anything open before even talking to you. Even when they are advertising opening in their studio.

And yea, that's happened to me twice.

[KgZ]

At 6/21/10 07:43 PM, Gravey wrote:

At 6/21/10 07:32 PM, KgZ wrote:

At 6/21/10 06:12 PM, Gravey wrote: Music production degrees are useless. Don't bother getting one.

Most people don't go to college in Music Production for the degree.

Which is a big reason why they are useless. It's not about what you know anymore, but rather who you know. It's far more beneficial to land an internship at a studio. Oddly enough though, I tried this while a student at OU. And they often told me I had to have a degree to be considered.

To be honest it's just a circle of bullshit that someone who doesn't have a relative or friend of a friend in the business can't ever be a part of. If you don't have a degree and they don't know you, they will tell you it's because you don't have a degree. If you have a degree and they don't know you they will tell you there isn't anything open before even talking to you. Even when they are advertising opening in their studio.

And yea, that's happened to me twice.

Wow, that's too bad. I don't know how strong of a program is at Ohio University, but the main reason I'm going to college for that major (Berklee College of Music) is because of all the people I'm going to meet there. I met the owner of one of the famous theatres in the country called the Goodspeed, and he lectured me how degrees are shit, and the only way you'll ever become successful is through relationships. It's a sad truth, really.

[Gravey]

At 6/21/10 09:26 PM, KgZ wrote:

Wow, that's too bad. I don't know how strong of a program is at Ohio University, but the main reason I'm going to college for that major (Berklee College of Music) is because of all the people I'm going to meet there. I met the owner of one of the famous theatres in the country called the Goodspeed, and he lectured me how degrees are shit, and the only way you'll ever become successful is through relationships. It's a sad truth, really.

Yea. Ohio U was in the top ten in the country when I was there. They have changed things around a ton in terms of their undergrad structure, so I don't know anymore. But you are right in the fact that degrees are useless unless you know someone. Even getting internships is impossible it seems unless you know someone somewhere that is willing to vouch for you.

Best of luck at Berklee. You should meet plenty of fine connections there I'm sure. :-)

[Nav]

Self-taught. I've taken a year of music theory but none of it works its way into my music. Also, I have experience in band/choir at school, but once again, those were more for developing the absolute basic skills: the analytical listening and learning how to produce had to come from me and from what my ears learned over time.

[Mystery-Moon-Pie-Aud]

Everyone here is pretty much rocking it out with the self-taught, which is why this forum is so damn great.

KgZ, should I be hoping to see you in Berklee? I am a senior now.

And Gravey, so, Music Production and Engineering is a hardly appreciable degree aka not worth getting for a music producer?

[KgZ]

At 6/21/10 11:14 PM, Mystery-Moon-Pie-Aud wrote: Everyone here is pretty much rocking it out with the self-taught, which is why this forum is so damn great.

KgZ, should I be hoping to see you in Berklee? I am a senior now.

And Gravey, so, Music Production and Engineering is a hardly appreciable degree aka not worth getting for a music producer?

You go to berklee too? Neato, I'm interested in meeting up at some point. MrMilkCarton is also going as a freshmen this year.

[Gravey]

At 6/21/10 11:14 PM, Mystery-Moon-Pie-Aud wrote:

And Gravey, so, Music Production and Engineering is a hardly appreciable degree aka not worth getting for a music producer?

Like KgZ mentioned earlier it's more about networking. Sadly, I didn't realize this when I was still in school. So I spent all my time in the studio instead of with my classmates. Several of my classmates had connections that I didn't know about and I heard through the grapevine are working for pretty kickass studios in LA and Chicago. So if I had spent more time with my classmates than on my schoolwork I would have been better off oddly enough.

Networking is the key. Find people in the business that are successful and are a good examples as to the type of person you would like to become. Then go and talk to them. Ask for advice. Ask to sit in on sessions, or to help them out as an intern at their studio or whatever.

Like my grades were decent. I had a 3.0 overall at OU, but like a 3.7 in my audio production classes. I got perfect marks on all the hands on assignments in the studio, and even have several albums with my name on them as the producer that were released on indie labels. But it doesn't matter. Because I don't have someone who is respected in the industry to give me that vote of confidence when looking for a job.

So in that sense degrees are useless in this field. But going to school for one is not, because if you go to the right place you can make very good connections to help you later on in finding a job.

[djInTheDark]

Best simple method I think:
Get trained in theory and get a classical background and self teach yourself when pursuing your desired field (production, playing, arranging, ect.) and seek moderate professional advice and tutoring (private lessons, classes, ect).

[stratkat]

Self taught, I played guitar for six years, my dad taught me tell I knew everything he did, they I read music theory over and over until it clicked.

I can read scales, music, tabs, produce techno/trance/dance, play everything from punk to modern death metal on guitar. I don't know what learning more about music theory would help, I know enough to know what notes sound good together and what make what chords.

I do think it would've helped me greatly to have been taught, and it would help a lot if I got a teacher forsure.

[S3C]

Everyone is self-taught. Teachers just help speed up the process.

At 6/21/10 07:43 PM, Gravey wrote:

At 6/21/10 07:32 PM, KgZ wrote:

At 6/21/10 06:12 PM, Gravey wrote: Music production degrees are useless. Don't bother getting one.

Most people don't go to college in Music Production for the degree.

Which is a big reason why they are useless. It's not about what you know anymore, but rather who you know. It's far more beneficial to land an internship at a studio. Oddly enough though, I tried this while a student at OU. And they often told me I had to have a degree to be considered.

They are only useless in context of landing jobs. Same goes for any music degree, except for music education. But some people just go for the sake of learning and being in the atmosphere with other musicians.

At 6/21/10 10:13 PM, Nav wrote: Self-taught. I've taken a year of music theory but none of it works its way into my music.

I'm sure it seeps it's way in just not on an intellectual or entirely conscious basis. Besides, music theory courses in high school really only teach fundamentals and don't delve into the actual applicable areas such as counterpoint, functional chord progressions, harmonic rhythm, phrase structures, etc.

[Pure-Metal-UTA]

Both
Depending on which instrument
Bagpipes - lessons
Piano - Mostly self-taught
Guitar - 3 months of lessons, then self taught
Harmonica - Self taught
Euphonium - lessons
Violin - self-taught
Drums - Self taught
Theory - It was mostly self-taught, but if I misunderstood something, I asked my teacher. Now that I'm out of high school, it'll be completely self-taught until I go to college for music!

[Calamaistr]

I admit i have a aversion against the word 'production'. (and people that call themself a 'producer' wich to my ears sounds the same as being a 'raging attentionwhore')

I am a self taught composer with only minor lessons from a mentor quite recently, nothing officially schooled. Just a musical mind and always busy with it, eventually i did study masters of classical styles on my own aswell and the rest is just easy peasy, i take it in like a sponge to the ruin of my nights rest.

[Chronamut]

one thing I always found useful in learning and evolving was to take a song rom an artist that I felt was their best work - opening it up - and seeing how it worked - I didn't necessarily do anything with the file in and of itself - it was just useful to see how OTHER people were evolving in the same program I was using. Nowadays if I do that I seem to find lots of flaws that I will offer to fix for the individual.

[xxDjShockxx]

At 6/21/10 06:12 PM, Gravey wrote:

At 6/21/10 03:23 PM, aznj50 wrote: so self taught vs music production school? which route did you take to be musician?

15 years of piano lessons.
7 years of saxophone lessons.
5 years of french horn lessons.
3 years of mellophone lessons.
1 year of trumpet lessons.
1 year trombone lessons.
4 years at Ohio University to get a bachelors in music production.

Still looking for a stable job. Which is why I'm working towards my MBA.

Music production degrees are useless. Don't bother getting one.

...And your music still sucks...

So does my music, but I didnt take a single lesson.

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[KgZ]

Hahaha djshock is such a tryhard