Listening back to your own music *cringe*

[krispn]

I was messing about with my simple pedalboard set up as I’m want to do of an afternoon and decided to play along to some old recordings (just on band camp not the raw files) and while there’s some stuff I’m pleased with and some which I believe are ‘good tunes’ some of it does give me a bit of a cringe moment where I feel I could have been more fluid, played less, played more etc. I think part of it is also some of the tunes evolved the more we played them live and ultimately they all have little things which weren’t on the recordings as much as the energy a live performance can impart on a track.

How many folks go back and revisit old recordings when they get a new bass, new set up etc and how often does it make you cringe a little 😀

Here’s one I think i still enjoy...

 

https://tituspullo.bandcamp.com/track/like-water

[Teebs]

Yep, definitely had that

Time is a great healer though - stuff that used to make me cringe sounds okay to me now a bit of time has passed.

[Twigman]

Listening back to old LP records that had the mistakes left on makes me cringe. Knowing exactly where and what they are probably makes it a million times worse than it really is.

 

 

<Cue some smartarse trying to reassure me by stating that they're not a million times worse but bleedin' obvious to any listener>

[krispn]

I think back to some of the cool little things we as a band did on some songs and there were definitely some tunes where I didn’t feel like I’d really worked out what the bass part should be and on one or two just put something down to meet a recording deadline (some very quickly written tunes which we had a week or two to work out our parts ahead of a recording) and the songs really came to life once we’d got more comfortable as a band playing them. 

But they are what they are and it’s at least good to have them recorded! 

[fleabag]

Oh boy.  Guilty 

Left these  behind 19 years ago

Moonhowl 2.mp3 StoneFree 2.mp3 Airborne Baby 2.mp3

[BrunoBass]

I don’t cringe at anything I’ve done, even the demos my first band made back in the mid eighties, similarly my first solo recordings. I was making the kind of music I wanted to make at the time, to the best of my / our ability. I’m proud of everything I’ve ever done, even if some of the early things might sound naive now, and whilst many people might think it’s sh*t I still think it’s all great! 

[Guest oZZma]

Everything I have done at the beginnig sucks and I'm happy I haven't allowed anyone to have a listen to it. Jeeesus it really sucks HARD. Embarassing. But listening back is endearing like drawings I made when I was 5.

[EBS_freak]

Its not so much the music... it's the lyrics. Oh man.

[DJpullchord]

1 hour ago, BrunoBass said:

I don’t cringe at anything I’ve done, even the demos my first band made back in the mid eighties, similarly my first solo recordings. I was making the kind of music I wanted to make at the time, to the best of my / our ability. I’m proud of everything I’ve ever done, even if some of the early things might sound naive now, and whilst many people might think it’s sh*t I still think it’s all great! 

This.

[chris_b]

Currently the drummer in one of the bands records all the gigs. It's very interesting to listen to the set in the cold light of day. I'll usually have a few comments about the band and the set and a list as long as your arm for me to work on.

IMO you can improve so much as a player by listening to your efforts.

[Doctor J]

Why would you ever be embarrassed of not being as good at something in the past as you are now? It’s all part of your life and what makes you who you are now. Most people never bother their hole. You did something. Be proud of it all.

[ambient]

It’s a learning curve. You learn from what you’ve done in the past, some things work, so you carry those forward, tweaking them. Other things don’t work, but you should look at them, to try and find why they don’t. It’s actually good to let others listen to what you’re doing, ask them to critique your work.

Learn to critically listen to your work.

My PhD is in composition. I have monthly tutorials with my supervisor, we sit and listen to what I’m doing, I get feedback. I listen to some of the stuff I did a year ago and think, cripes, that’s awful. That’s a sign that I’ve improved though. 

[krispn]

I think we’ve all been embarrassed at one point in our lives at our lack of knowledge, ability or whatever but we learn form it and it drives us forward to do better and be more confident in how we do that thing next time. Maybe cringe was too strong a word but yeah I think it’s important to listen back and appreciate what was good and what could be improved about a gig, a rehearsal, a performance or a recording. 

Great gigs can have flaws and still be great gigs, some accidents have led to wonderful discoveries and if we enjoy it then fair enough. Im not striving for perfection or nailing the perfect passing note but I would like to be more consistent and competent in what I play and how I play it. Some may argue do the punters even notice but I like to know I’ve put in a good shift and not have the crowd thinking or worse again the band thinking “What’s this clown playing at? 

My earlier comments are more about listening back to something I knew at the time was rushed as those tunes in particular developed into good songs which we as a band really enjoyed to play- that one wee section of the tune which, once worked out, made the song sound and feel complete.

 

[Lozz196]

I’ve never listened to any of the material I’ve recorded and cringed but I have when I’ve watched live videos of the back in the day gigs when I was under the impression that I played better with a few drinks inside me. As I didn’t!!

[chris_b]

10 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Why would you ever be embarrassed of not being as good at something in the past as you are now?

+1

Always listen with a positive ear. If you were doing your best then there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Getting better results is about practice and confidence. The early stuff is all about you learning.

[Guest oZZma]

11 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Why would you ever be embarrassed of not being as good at something in the past as you are now? It’s all part of your life and what makes you who you are now. Most people never bother their hole. You did something. Be proud of it all.

I see it as a phase of learning. Even writing music is a skill you learn with practice. To me it took 2 years to only reach a "not cringeworthy" level. And 3 to write stuff I feel confident I can release on a record. 

So even the crappy early versions of my songs, of which I saved almost nothing, are a positive thing. But I'm still happy I have kept them in my drawer instead of releasing anything from that period in a rush to publish "something" and play live at all cost.

Edited September 28, 2019 by oZZma

[peted]

Sometimes I can listen to old recordings and marvel at some of the ideas I was coming up with at the time and that I'd struggle to play the same now, and other times I'll find lines that show that I have actually improved with my playing.  It's a weird mixed bag.