Music things to focus on can be hard to find after so many months of the corona pandemic going on. Musicians feel the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown as much as everyone else in society. This is crazy, for another year, most festivals have been cancelled like Glastonbury.
However, the downside of the corona pandemic and another lockdown has been described in detail already. Important to realise, there are many things you can do even if you are stuck at home. Being a musician means that you are very creative. This can lead to increasing frustration if you can’t let your creativity free space.
As a matter of fact, there are a lot of music things you can actually do in another lockdown! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say that every crisis also presents chances. Sometimes a bad time is simply a bad time.
Since most musicians are self-employed they don’t get a set work structure from their boss, because you are at the end of the day your own boss. You can turn this to your advantage and focus on things you normally would have no time for.
#1 music things to focus on: your recording skills
By all means, most musicians have some sort of recording system going on. Even if it’s just a simple Zoom Recorder. However, it is not uncommon for musicians to even have a practice room where you can set up more professional recording.
Modern software makes it increasingly easy to record your own music. Without a doubt that is great support for anyone aspiring to release music more often. However, if you want to go the extra mile it’s worth focussing on your own skill when it comes to recording.
Most instruments require a certain technique in order to achieve the best results.
Now might be the right time to get behind your drum kit and bang the hell out of it. Not only will it release an awful lot of stress. Drums are also one of those instruments where you can’t practise enough.
Even professional drummers use the time to practise their skills. You can brilliantly see this in this IGTV from Mike Dolbear where the drum specialist talks with pros like Matt Helders about their corona routine.
This goes to show that you can always improve on your recording and instrument skills!
#2 focus on tuning your instruments
Disclaimer: I don’t want to throw any shade at anyone in these difficult times. However, one of the things that get’s neglected the most is tuning skills as well as listening comprehension. And yes, both go hand in hand.
The better your ears the better your tuning skill will become. Again, there is software that you can use as well as handy mobile apps. Nonetheless, the best tuning happens automatically in your head because you simply hear the dissonance.
It can take a long time to develop an ear for fine-tuning a drum.
*source: Recording Drums
Why is this important? As soon as normality will start again (fingers crossed) there will be myriads of bands and musicians competing for venues and bookings. Believe it or not, having an impeccable sound can make the difference and get YOU the gig!
#3 focus on music theory
This might be a tough one but so are the times we live in. Music theory is a massively underrated aspect of modern music. Hence it can always do with some updating and reassessing. Of course, your preferred music genre might not be a traditional stronghold for music theory.
However, at the end of the day, music theory is the underlining structure that supports all sorts of music. Here’s the kicker: so many musicians are self-taught nowadays, and that is brilliant. You don’t really need to study music anymore, did you really ever?
With the internet to the rescue, you can make up for missed university courses with online courses! If you haven’t heard about MOOC – Massive Open Online Courses then now’s the time!
Here are some brilliant online course you can do about music theory from some of the most famous universities. Most are even for free!
One is for certain, the current pandemic and one lockdown after the other isn’t easy. Especially if your artistic expression stems from playing music with others and in front of an audience. I hope you could pick up some clever ideas on how to best use the time you have on hand.