how to find your voice as an artist

For me that "doesn't all your music sound the same" is the pain point that I had to get over. I know what I like - a lot of drones, some ostinatos, minor scales/chords, and if I could, more mid-eastern influence. But I always think "I might need to change this up." "I should be trying something else so it's not all just this." and so on. Sounding like someone else would be a compliment to me. I remember sharing a game track I was working on with a friend and she said it reminded her of a scene from FF7 - I was like what really?? So, sure, say I sound like Niyaz or such - I'd be ecstatic. I'd just feel like "it all shouldn't sound almost the same" but that answer "I write what I want" - weight lifted.

This has come to me at just the right time in my life, my need to be wholly unique has really restricted my compositional output and has made me doubt the master’s degree I’m currently pursuing. Thank you :)

I find creativity a misguided effort, authenticity is much more appealing. Sometimes that means outnof the box thinking, others it means attention to detail, still others it may mean abstraction. I would also add that while other people can do whatever you think "better" ultimately they are busy being themselves. The best you out there is you. That said this was a refreshing listen and healthy thing to hear as I try writing a piece I need to be able to perform this Saturday heh

Grear video! Another thing that further discredits this whole "find your own voice" notion is that inevitably, whether you like it or not, the music we listen to is going to be the core influence in our own pieces, and to come up with something entirely original is virtually impossible, especially with the amount of music put out there. Personally, I enjoy taking inspiration from other composers, and using that as a stepping stone for whatever I want to do subsequently.

There's little invention in the world, most "new" stuff comes from recombination and refinement and "I don't think music has to be clever or impressive to be good, it has to be honest and confident" (Phil Conrad in a SammyGuitar vid)

I volunteered for religious charitable service and was unable to access my normal music for two years. The music that I listened to before was all old school stuff or art rock - The Cure, Tears for Fears, Rush, Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd. When I got back, my dad and brothers introduced me to the then-new albums Pure Heroine by Lorde and 1984 by Taylor Swift. And I got hooked on “pop” music. Then in college I noticed that Mozart would have the left hand in a piano piece arpeggiate the chords and the right hand play single-note melodies. That’s very similar harmonically to the strum-guitar-and-sing style of music that I also very much enjoyed. After those experiences I realized that all music is just music, and the point is to find stuff that sounds cool and make stuff that sounds cool. Which is why nowadays I make ambient music and blues and orchestral and shoegaze….

When someone said for Serbian singer-songwriter Djordje Balasevic that all of his songs sound the same, he replied that all the Einstein formulas looks the same to him - not everything is for everyone.

Ryan, hello from Kansas City, Missouri. Great Video. When ever the subject of Originality/Style comes up, I'm reminded of the advice from Jazz Trumpet, Flugelhorn player and Music Educator Clark Terry. He said that Originality can happen in time but, first you must Imitate. Then you must Emulate. Then, you can Innovate. In other words, sounding like your Influences for a period of time is part of the process. Your own Voice will/may come, but, ordinarily you can't force it. Thanks.

This is great timing. I’ve been working on music and sending the tracks to friends. They like them! They say it sounds like something else, and it’s exciting to me that they can hear my influences. But then in the back of my mind I start to worry if my music is not original enough… I set out to write more of what I like to listen to and I think watching this right now just encourages me that that is ok. I like certain “flavors” of music, and that is what I create.

I've always wondered how to achieve your own sonic identity. Whether it's sticking to your favorite mode, arrangement, a melody lick, an orchestration technique. The nuances that have it so a listener without knowing who composed that piece can go "ah that's definitely John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman, Hiroyuki Sawano, Kevin Penkin" etc. They all have their own unique style and bring a completely different feel whether it's on the same table.

just last week my teacher asked me to find my own voice, I was shocked and began to wonder... who really decides what my pieces should sound like and what my style is? The teacher or me? Thanks for your point of view Ryan. I needed to hear everything you said in this video. (Saludos desde México)

Great, useful food for thought. Following your musical intuition is your voice I think. And thereby having the guts to follow your intuition.

At one point I thought actually writing a magical fantasy cue was a mountain I could never climb, never mind sounding like 'Harry Potter'. But I kept trying and learning and trying some more and now I know what it takes and how to make it sound that way. Developing a voice means working, every day, until taking elements from others styles develops into something that belongs to you. I don't have a unique voice, yet. I'm still learning, but it gets easier with each passing finished piece. Just write.

When I get "that sounds like Bach" or "that sounds like Stravinksy" for my tunes - I respond - "oh cool"

The analogy to the child learning words is excellent.

Gosh, what great advice, stuff I wish I'd heard as a college student. As someone in my mid-50s now, I'd add two things I've learned from experience. (1) Just keep composing. You get better at it. You get better at deciding "what works" and what doesn't. You learn what music you've composed that you want to discard, or keep, or edit into shape. Being a creator is making choices, making decisions about the final outcome, and every one of these little details is another step toward "your voice." Even if you compose something today and tomorrow look back on it with some concern, it was a positive step forward in developing your voice. (2) Listen to a lot of music that is new to you, even music you don't necessarily like — or think you won't like. When you hear something new and decide it is good (or not), you are developing your taste in music. You are enriching your vocabulary. Deciding you like something (or not) is you in the act of learning what you value in composition. This is your aesthetic being defined and sharpened, and your aesthetic helps define your voice. EDIT: How appropriate your video showed a child sitting down and coloring on a sidewalk. This is a great metaphor for "finding your voice." When you see a youngster and say, "Here a pad of paper and a bunch of crayons, go make me a picture!" you never hear a child say, "But I don't have a style yet!" No, the kid just goes about coloring a picture, having fun, enjoying the creative moment. Would that we could all compose with that same abandon!

Great advice!! Music composition is a self awareness journey. Others may have also visited the same places but is your unique experience

Really great take on this common question and concern. Writing what you want to write isn't as easy as it seems, because it demands a certain courage in your choices and that you craft and fine tune your intention with more and more skill. Sort of like specialize in yourself. You gotta let the ego lose, which can be scary for yourself, and also isn't welcomed much in modern culture.

I’ve come to understand that teachers are people, and as such have all the same human limitations as myself. As such, I’ve come to feel that they are there to spew forth ideas, and it is up to students to figure out which of their ideas are useful and which aren’t… and steal the good ideas and throw the rest in the trash. And we all need to remember, just because we are paying someone to teach us, it doesn’t mean they have a magical grip on the truth… they are humans on a journey, just as we are, and they are in search of the truth just as much as their students.

“Find your voice” is the most useless, unproductive, obvious advice. There is only one way for everyone: write, write, write until you yourself are done with the cliches (which by the way, feel great composing, hence they survived) and you there’s nothing else left to do but try your own experiments, again for fun.