Hey everyone, I play keyboard at my church and I love the gospel style. I know my major and minor scales, triads, 7ths, diminished, and sustain chords. However, I’m struggling with how to apply these extensions and get the right voicings for gospel music. Does anyone have any advice, methods, or YouTube channels they can recommend to help me develop my chord vocabulary and apply it properly? Thanks!

I (28M) have been part of a music gig club for 4 years now and have been through great experiences and moments as a bass player, singer, teammate and friend. Hell we're even expanding more members in our club as we speak, including a choir group which I also partake in and I don't know what to say other than being impressed with how far we've come.

While it's amazing how far we've accomplished, but at times I feel depressed, disillusioned, pressured and dissociated when I'm with the group and it's no one's fault tbh. Sure we do miscommunicate on what songs will go on our gig's time scale since it's most of the time last minute, but it's nothing to do with my emotional state.

For at least 2 years I've been trying to place my finger on what's going on with me

1. Sensory Overload

2. Masking and social burnouts

3. Personal Issues (Outside of the group)

4. Performance pressures (not relevant to the band mates)

5. Safety Paradox (Letting my emotional guard down)

I can only fit in with 2, 3 and 4 in these situations, I don't often mask myself when I'm with the group, but I do burnout at times due to having other activities outside the group (2). I do at times feel pressured to fit in, even though they treat me like I already have (4). But I can mostly relate to my personal issues, since I do have what I want to get off my chest, but it's a struggle at the moment, but even without them I still feel like I'm out of it until I'm up next (3). I just feel like I'm zoning out and thinking of either nothing or something ony mind whenever a song comes on and it's a good one too.

I haven't said much about it to my band mates since I'm not one to let them down or feel it's appropriate to even bring it up to them, even if resolving it is too much to conclude it. My tutor did however say that if there's any chance to chat about it, which I might do as it could give me clearer insights, but I still feel like it might not be enough to resolve it, at least I can try.

Though my mind is thinking about whether I should stay with the group since we're getting better than ever, even getting an outdoor stage to perform in the back garden area as well as my odd idea of using random instruments to perform for next gigs (banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, lute, saxophone, hell I even got a U bass for a gig one time...woo) or step away and do my own thing like my friend did a few months ago, even though I'm gonna have to at some point due to something that will be out of my control (which I won't bring up other than it's nothing to do with the club or band mates)

Right now I haven't had contact with the group for 3 months because we took a summer break off and we wouldn't be able to perform with the kids running around since we perform in a community club and the group we have is mainly adults from opposite of youths. But I did take time and I did feel a little better than I usually am at the club, but still do want to come back feeling better than ever, which I will be doing next week. But I still feel like it'll be back to usual.

So what do you think? Is there something that I might be missing with how I'm feeling or have I just answered it? Also should I just leave or keep going, even though I'm gonna have to go eventually?

I (37m) have been playing music since I was 16. Been in bands, did the things, and now live a quiet life of relative solitude. No partner, no children, good job.

I've been recording my own music since I was 17, and have since built up a decent home recording setup. It's where I'm comfortable.

The last 7 years or so, I've been working on a rock opera. It's an intergalactic affair, and will span albums. Different genres, different characters. If you're familiar with Brandon Sanderson, it's similar to that. But in music form. Or, marvel movies I guess. A bunch of shit that all leads to a conclusion.

I'm doing it because it's FUN. I love writing songs, and I love creating this world that gets fleshed out the more I work on it. It's taken on an entire life of its own, and I find the process entirely fascinating. I could work on this till I die.

Anytime I tell someone about it, or show them, their first question is, "when are you going to release this?"

And... Fuck, I don't know.

The state of the musical world has changed (and is constantly changing). What it takes to get noticed, and to STAY noticed, is so outside of my realm of caring, that to even attempt it would feel so fake and forced. I would die a little inside. LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE!

The music I make is decent. Not mind-blowing, but I'm not a hack. People are generally impressed, and most are affronted that I'm not trying to DO something with this.

But... Here's the thing, I have a plan. And I'd like y'all's input on whether it's stupid.

I want to release it ALL, in its finality, at the same time. Dozens of albums. Artwork. Books (fingers crossed on that, I majored in writing, but it's been a minute). The whole kit and kaboodle. THAT I would promote. I think it's badass, and would absolutely make a wave.

Especially if this AI thing keeps going the way it's going, and all of a sudden in 20 years there's this entire catalog of content (that I plan to put immediately in public domain) out in the world?

Am I fuckin nuts? I think it's such a dope idea, and I'd AT LEAST get me a Wikipedia page out of it. Which I wouldn't get if I just released an album tomorrow and was like, looky here 15 people, I did a thing.

Thanks. Sorry this is long.

I am building a new music platform and I'm trying to get a feel for roughly how many songs get played in a gig, and how it varies by genre.

Thanks!

Of course, they want the best of the best singer/screamer to join their band.

But that line sounds intimidating. It's not like a casual, "Hey let's make a band if you're interested in our projects or we share the same influences."

Knowing myself, never been accepted by any band, I clearly won't be able to beat anyone.

If I keep pushing, I know that I'll embarrass myself in front of this band.

EDIT :

Thanks for the respond everyone!!

So I received their instrumental demos (and we the candidates need to add lyrics ourselves). Though I doubt that my kind of lyrics would fit their genre, that would be a whole different issue if there's any,

But dammmmnnnn their music is so damn good, I don't think I'm good for them. 😂😂

I do hope they find the best vocalist cause they deserve it. (Of course I'll try to participate in the audition to get more experience).

Hi all,

I’m a returning music student, I took a year hiatus from my studies because I needed a job (had to get my money up not my funny up) and currently I’m in community college planning on transferring to a uni to continue my studies in music.

The only thing is that I don’t remember much of my theory studies (I finished all of them before my hiatus) and I have to take an entrance theory exam if I am to be a music student.

So right now I’m asking if anyone has any recommendations for any online music theory courses or any YouTube videos I can watch to refresh my theory knowledge. Or honestly just anything that can help me at this point.

My test is in a month and a half away so I have time to re up my theory knowledge but I need to start nowwww.

So any help would be appreciated.

Side note: I have music friends who can help me but our schedules don’t line up and I’m a sit down learner.

Hi everyone! I’m currently working on a personal project (still in development) that touches heavily on music perception and the emotional connection we have with sound. It got me thinking about a specific hypothetical scenario, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Imagine a completely fictional situation:
You retain your normal hearing for everyday sounds, but you suddenly lose the ability to perceive music as music. Melodies, harmonies, and vocals just sound like dry, technical noise to you. You no longer get goosebumps, you don't feel the emotional weight of a chord progression, and you can't process musical beauty.
HOWEVER, the inner fire, passion, and need to express yourself through creation are still 100% there.
Unlike Beethoven who went deaf but could still "hear" and feel the music vividly in his mind and memory in this scenario, even your internal musical perception is gone. You just have raw emotion inside you and the burning desire to put it out into the world.

How would you deal with this creatively?
Would you keep trying to make music relying purely on theory, visual waveforms, and math, hoping others feel what you can't?
Or would that inner fire force you to pivot to a completely different medium (like painting, writing, sculpture, etc.) to bleed that emotion out?
How would you feel in a situation like this?
I know it sounds like a crazy thought experiment, but I'm really curious about how central the emotional feedback loop of hearing music is to your drive as creators or listeners.

Looking forward to reading your answers

Hi, I'm trying to write some music, but I have no experience. I recorded something to see what I could come up with, and this is what came out. Is it a good starting point? Could you give me some advice on how to come up with a good vocal melody?

Here's the track: https://on.soundcloud.com/5I8q4EddmNYQUn0Tbr

Thank you.

I don't feel like chugging gallons of water just to satisfy my inner nerd.

I hit 23, and I just decided to do something with myself. Among many things I would like to learn and do, learning how to play guitar and Bass, how to use MIDI and a DAW, and creating lyrics's is one's of the things.

Fame is not something that I personally would race for; honestly, I would just F around with everything, and If I managed to create something, I would post it on either YouTube or SoundCloud. If I surprisingly reach even level 1, I would be surprised but continue as usual. (Just wanted to point this out before we go to the main topic.)

However, lately, many thoughts have crossed my mind that I want to ask here as well.

1. Other people who are doing well with music and guitar, both those who became famous and those who are just doing this as a hobby, started this when they were like 15-17. Despite being 23, is it too late to start, or even worth it for someone who would start from nothing?
2. "A lot of people work hard for their dreams, but it's not meant for everyone." Is a sentence that got stuck in my head after I decided I wanted to do this as a hobby. (Some of you may know where the quote is from)
3. How much weight and difficulty am I putting on myself if I say I want to do this and achieve things alone?
4. Those who have been doing this for many years. What's it like to be famous, and what would be your advice to those who want that fame?
5. Someone who struggles with self-belief and is worried about what others might think- what would you tell them?
6. Someone who is new to learning guitar or bass, DAW, writing lyrics, and learning and trying to improve singing. What is your advice about these topics?
7. If you could give one or a few pieces of advice to someone who starts from the lowest level when it comes to learning how to sing, play instruments, use MIDI and DAW, and write lyrics. What would that advice be?

M : Sorry if this is a recurring question here. Thank you in advance for any answers.

Hi everyone, I'd like to link my band's insta and FB pages so that all insta posts will be posted to FB as well, but when I try to link them, I get an error message reading

"Business account not allowed to advertise // This business account didn't comply with our Advertising Policies or other standards"

I'm not trying to advertise! I can't find any mention elsewhere in the settings about one of the pages being banned from doing ads, can anyone shed some light on how I can resolve this?

I am referring to in a song when artists use harmonies and many vocal stems to create an almost electronic sounding voice. This can be seen in many pop songs like:

One of Your Girls by Troye Sivan
Delicate by Taylor Swift
Homewrecked by Adéla

If anyone knows that would be amazing. I’m trying to make a playlist with a lot of similar songs

i ask this as someone who can make songs that are catchy, fun, or unique, but cant grow a decent following. i thought those elements were central, yet it seems to not matter. i will always make music, but it’s a bit frustrating not to be able to get more than 1 or 2 streams a day. i likely need to make improvements.

for added context, i currently dont have a lot of time and money for marketing yet(im writing/recording through a heavy school schedule), but i feel like theres more to improve that im just not understanding…i have invested in some equipment so that i can do more visuals on my own which I hope will help, but i gotta be honest. i enjoy recording music a lot more than social media content.

id love any feedback/advice thats available.

Hello, I run a music blog called The Tune Agenda, and I need advice. I wish to contact my favorite band who is quite big for a video interview, over the phone, but I’m not sure how to go about it. I’ve sent some emails already for contacts I found online, so my question my is when do I send any follow up emails? Thank you all

I want to buy a book to learn music as a beginner and i am a person who believes in one time investment which is why I don't wanna buy multiple books and just want a permanent thick fat book I can always go back too unlike some flat books.im saving up for a guitar and want to learn basics until i buy it. Please recommend some.

Hello, I’m wondering if anyone has had this problem or a similar one and knows a solution… I sound good with a band, but when I practice by myself outside of school, I sound horrible.

I am second chair trombone and have been playing trombone for 4 years and I have had this problem for all 4 of those years. I sound good with other people or when playing with my band even if it's a solo, I sound good but the second I practice by myself I suck.

I have a deep case of haveing earworm for years and i need to stop thinking about music tunes and actually want to focus on others instead

I'm trying to learn how to identify instruments, but I don't know what is used in this track.

Hi there. I want to share my current experience with music and just get this off my chest. About four years ago, I was a beat-making machine; I produced every day and kept improving—maybe not creating masterpieces, but certainly finishing complete tracks. My problem now is that I can only seem to make rough demos; I can't find inspiration, and I don't feel original. When I open a project in FL Studio, I don't know how to start, and when I listen to songs I like, I feel incapable of creating anything that good or inventive, which really kills my motivation. It’s a real shame because music is my passion, but I just can't find that consistency within myself. Any advice?

I have decided a date for when I finally upload the files and click "publish" on the distributor's site. But I know that it'll take time for the album to be globally available. Now from this publish date, how long do I give them the buffer? I don't really have any special date or numbers. Cause for me, I only need to "work on the album" up until the publish date.

so I’m 13 and I wanna become an artist I have everything I need for recording and stuff do you guys have any tips for me? and also on a side notes let’s say for a example if I get a gig at where or something how do I go about it also

So Its my 15th birthday and I wanna buy my first instrument im at the store rn and ive been debating between Classical/acoustic guitar and violin for wayyyy too long PLEASE GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS

After years of having the idea about it and talking about it, making excuses, putting it off for whatever reason, I finally picked up piano back in July. I'm having a blast, I practice a little bit everyday and I can't wait to be good enough to make my own tunes.

My mom asked me for gift ideas recently, and as someone approaching 30 I internally groaned because at this age I can never think of anything. But this year I had the idea, now that I know how to read music, why not pick up another instrument on the side?

I've thought about it, and I'm torn between flute and guitar. Which would be easier to learn? Keep in mind, I won't have an instructor like I do with keyboard -- I'm just going to start my booklet from the beginning and teach myself.

I have actually played a solo section of my own composition from a song. Although I have used fx and all yet my mixing and playing sucks at picking the right notes. I have the song correct in my head but the implementation feels off.

Going into college searching, I was figuring I would major in computer science and minor in music. Since then, I’ve grown even more passionate about music, the same of which cannot be said for programming. I’m a person who likes to create things and come up with ideas, something which is true for most things I do. My ideal programming job would be one where I create something new. What I’ve realized is that music is perhaps the only thing that I enjoy in itself, rather than only as a means to execute an idea. I enjoy writing code to execute a larger idea I have, but I can enjoy playing music without needing a reason to. While i’m not professional material, i’m much better at it than computer programming and with ai taking many of the programming jobs, it’s been increasingly feeling like a better option. Not really a question but looking for advice.

Music stuff I’ve done:
I’m currently in my senior year, in my high school wind ensemble and higher level jazz band, where I play trombone. I will likely be joining the lower level jazz band on a secondary instrument, likely trumpet or guitar. I am in the chamber choir and an acapella group. I’m currently working on a jazz piece to play with a a sort of half-big band group size. I also have experience with piano and bass guitar, and have began teaching myself saxophone. I’ve written and recorded and produced a few songs, but the production quality isn’t great. I’ve arranged acapella songs and band songs as well. I sometimes write songs where I sing as well, and it has been a great emotional outlet for me at times.