How Do I Get Better at Composing, Mixing, or Producing Music?

Earlier today, I was asked this simple, yet common question. "How do I get better at my music?" The person then went on to say, "I keep putting a lot of time into making my songs, but they all end up sounding the same in their horrible quality." I responded with six simple steps you should follow if you are so lost you don't know where to start, and they can probably benefit a lot of other people as well, so let me go more in-depth for you!

1) Ask questions - OK, check. That is what he was doing. Good! Don't stop. Find musicians you trust and ask them how they have gotten better at their craft, whether it be writing, arranging, mixing, editing, singing, beat-making, composing, mastering, etc.

• What you shouldn't do during this step - only find famous composers or writers or singers or producers and ask them to critique you and help you get better. Some may have articles or blogs you can read, but you are wasting everyone's time if you only go straight to the top. Especially if your trade is relatively new to you, you probably wouldn't even understand a word they said.

2) Visit forums and do research - Forums are great places to ask those questions, but two things on research to start. First, a lot of musicians tend to get lazy and want to become better or be noticed without doing the extremely hard work of learning their art themselves. That rarely works. Even the famous musicians who are uneducated traditionally still put countless hours into practice, figuring out what they are good at, and building relationships with others in the industry, and so on. Second, if you don't like something or if everything begins to sound the same, why keep doing it? If you don't understand compression, research compressors and compression techniques. If you want more exciting arrangements, research arranging and dynamics. Though there is a lot of junk online from people who know less than you do, there are still great articles and videos out there about anything you want to know. A few places I visited when I first started taking music seriously include, www.soundonsound.com, audio.tutsplus.com, and the forums at www.gearslutz.com. Pensado's Place (http://www.youtube.com/show/pensadosplace) has invaluable mixing information on YouTube.

• What not to do here - annoy people. Simply put, forums have rules, and they want them to be followed. Make sure you check to see if your question has been asked before creating a new thread, don't be surprised or hurt if no one wants to listen to all of your music, and DO NOT SPAM with unrelated talk or advertising. Follow those simple rules, and most people will be willing to help you out.

3) Get better equipment - So this is probably out of order logically, but if you are making music in one of the old versions of Fruity Loops, have a $50 USB mic, and don't own any non-factory sample libraries, your music isn't going to sound as good as you want, regardless of how good you are. However, if you are not good with what you have, learn it until you outgrow it. Then, upgrade.

• Don't? - Buy things you don't understand yet, over-upgrade, assume better equipment will fix your problems if you yourself haven't learned what you need to know.

4) TAKE CLASSES - In short, you can't know what you don't know if you don't even know it exists. Words cannot describe how much traditional theory classes will make your writing and arranging more accessible. If you play an instrument, you will probably need help to master it, unless you are a 6 year-old prodigy. Classes are even offered online if you don't live in a great area for music. If you know great musicians, however, see if you can watch them and observe how they do what they do.

• Hmm - don't limit yourself, but don't overload either. Figure out what you like the best and what you are good at. Put the most time and money into just producing or just composing or just singer/songwriting, and do everything else as a hobby.

5) Be ready to dedicate time and money - I just said upgrade equipment and take classes, didn't I? Perhaps this should have been number 3 ;) Music is incredibly expensive. Make lots of friends. They will let you borrow gear, especially if you have things they would like to borrow in return. There are costs in other places, so be prepared. Eventually, you will have to have a network of connections, and in order to meet people, you can expect a decent amount of travel if you don't live in a good area for conventions and other events.

6) Set specific goals for improvement - this is the best piece of advice for a starting point. When I first started making my own music, I only remade other people's songs to get a feel for the art. Because I had a few beats and ideas from cheap recordings, I then turned them into functioning pieces. By the time I became serious, I knew exactly what goals to set for each project: "Today, I'm going to work on making an orchestral piece with a great percussion arrangement," "Today, I will practice eq-ing the bass better," etc. Then, utilize the above resources to figure out how to accomplish those goals.

All in all, if you do the same thing over and over again, you won't grow, so, while it may be uncomfortable or even frightening, you have to step outside of the boundaries that confine you to mediocrity if you want to succeed in art. Often times, success is spelled R-I-S-K. Take risks. Try new things. Good luck!

If you haven't been there already, be sure to check out my newest website at www.natecombsmedia.com for music demos and more!

Also, a bit of shameless advertising. If you love to read, especially about fantasy, fight-clubs, dragons, mystery, action, adventure, vampires, werewolves, sirens, and more, check out my wife, Teshelle Combs, and her newest novel, "Core." It continues to rise on Amazon's best sellers lists, especially in the category of Sci-Fi/Fantasy in print, where it maintains a top 10 status, along with books like "Harry Potter" and "The Hunger Games." Visit her site at www.teshellecombs.com or the book directly on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Core-Teshelle-Combs/dp/1484115570.

Joshua Jay Espinosa - Gamer and Aspiring Designer

This past week has been extremely busy for me. Not only did I finish up my first year of my grad studies in composing, completing several great new pieces, I also was contacted by multiple people (seriously, about 5) who asked me if they could use some of my old music in their projects, such as video games they have created, or even if I could compose them custom tracks. One such inquirer was Joshua Espinosa, a young artist who is working hard to make his passion of creating games into a reality. He just released a demo of a game from his "Poet" series, which features my battle theme "Edge of Night." I interviewed him over the weekend, and here is what he had to say:

1) What, if any, musical background do you have?

I am sad to say that my musical background is not a very full one. I always wanted to take up the violin or the piano but my parents weren't able to afford the instruments or lessons. However, I used to have a cute recorder that my school supplied me with. I used to light up the house with that little guy, I did. I also used to sing in the school choir before high school but, now, I simply admire music from the pews. Its an outstanding gift these musicians have--the ability to speak to the soul without a single word.

2) You just released a demo of your game "Poet 2011."  How will this differ from your upcoming game "Poet?"

"Poet 2011" was actually just an assessment of the mechanics of game development. It was a test and that can be seen through its clichés and generality. That being said, the gameplay and story were not something I was completely comfortable with. I collaborated with a friend on the story and borrowed a lot of resources/assets from programmers in order to just focus on putting the pieces together. In the end, however, it just didn't feel like a "Joshua Jay" game. I also don't speak with my old collab partner (Sandra Carla Roffi) as much as I should, so I've decided to leave her characters designs and story ideas so she may use them in any of her independent projects. 

To fully answer the question, "Poet" will feature new characters, a new world, a new story and (hopefully) new gameplay elements. The character of Poet will be returning along with a different rendition of Camus, Snowdude and the Professor (characters seen near the end of the demo). That is about all that is returning, though. Take "Poet 2011" as Poet's training regimen for "Poet". 

3) How had music played a role in your video game experience, both as a player and creator?

Music is the game. You can have a beautifully built game but with a poor soundtrack you'll put your players to sleep.  Similarly, if you have a less than mediocre game and an intense soundtrack, you'll be able to make up for anything you are lacking. As a player, video game music has made my video game experience unforgettably memorable (excuse the redundancy). I'll hear the theremin-like sounds of Animal Crossing and be transported to a simpler time or I'll listen to the intense wails of the distressed choir from that boss battle one spends days beating  and be granted the strength to push myself to the very limits. If composed correctly, video game music stays with the player as their own personal soundtrack for the rest of their life.

The music plays in with my experience as a creator, as well. I admit to going on very long walks and listening to music (mostly pieces from video games) in order to create/cultivate my ideas. As the music plays, all becomes blank, the world melts around me and I am transported to a world in which my characters are guided into their stories by each note. 

4) What are your goals for the future in the gaming industry?

As far as genres are concerned, I intend to not only reanimate the slowly (veeery slowly) dying genre of traditional Role Playing Games, but I also want to bring together the perfect blend of Western RPGs and Japanese traditional RPGs. Although this has been done before, the blended genre is becoming increasingly scarce on the market. 

My overall goal, however, is to bring a studio from the ground up that produces "top shelf" games in order tell my stories and have them be told forever. Hence the name of my blog, "The Immortal Stories". Games, I feel, are one of the best mediums in which one can tell his or her stories because the player is allowed to walk through one's mind. I want people to take a stroll through my mind. I want them to take every symbol that reflects the pains and joys from my life and grow with it...all while engaging in an enjoyable gaming experience.
I know, that's a pretty romanticized and mushy goal for a game developer but it is my ultimate goal, in essence. 

5) Who are some of your game music heroes?

Ah! That's easy. I have what might be deemed as an unhealthy bias to Japanese composers. I want to say that my video game music heroes lie within Nintendo but I am forced to side with the composers under Square Enix. Although they tie in my book, I can actually list my favorite composers under Square Enix off the top of my head, thus, leading me to believe that I favor them a tad bit more.
In no specific order:
1) Yoko Shinomura (Known for her work for Kingdom Hearts)
2) Nobuo Uematsu (Known for his music in the Final Fantasy franchise before 2007)
3) Masashi Hamauzu (Known for his work in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy)
4) Keiichi Okabe (Known for his work in NIER, along with others)
5) Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Not from Square Enix, but composed with others on the Bayonetta soundtrack)

My Thoughts on the Interview

Well, it is never too late to start learning an instrument. If you have a job or can start selling games, save up a bit, and get the instrument that is most interesting. Because violin is pretty hard if you don't know any other instruments, I'd recommend piano. However, advice I can say is very helpful regarding learning new things is that you should first follow your passions. If game design is the main thing, let it be the main thing. If you try to learn too much, you will spread yourself very thin and be less successful at what matters to you. But, hobbies are always a great thing to have... so long as they remain hobbies and don't become equal to the more important things in life.

That is a nice thing you did for your old partner. Too many people out there try to use other people's ideas from past collaborations in new projects, usually taking all of the credit for what was not even theirs.

Music definitely is what makes the game experience, I agree. I am super surprised at how many people know what a theremin is. Good reference! And yes, music that is composed correctly has stayed with me so far, and I doubt it is going anywhere any time soon. That's why I always get so excited when I talk to Grant Kirkhope, creator of all of N64's best music. What he did 15 years ago still floats around in my head all the time.

It's very interesting that you go on walks and listen to music to create characters and scenes. I create or look at characters and scenes to make better music!

Your goals aren't at all over-romanticized. In fact, they are pretty clear and steady. There are lots of people who would love to take what you have to give. The difference between you accomplishing that dream, which is very possible, will probably come down to two things. How hard you worked at it, knowing when to take breaks and care for yourself, and how well you treated those you met along the way. It will not at all be easy, but those of us who live our own dreams instead of someone else's are always the ones who forget that giving up is an option.

All great composers you mentioned, though if you are biased to Japanese composers, you can't leave out Joe Hisaishi, who replaced the Square Enix composers as my favorite composer from Japan. He does a lot of stuff for anime and is probably better known for it, but he works in the video game side of things too.

For access to Joshua's game "Poet 2011," visit his site at : The Immortal Stories (unfortunately, you must be a Windows user to play the demo).

Here is my theme that is used in his battle sequences:

Core by Teshelle Combs

Hello everyone,

Although, not music, my fantastic wife, Teshelle Combs has just released her newest novel, "Core," which already has tons of raving reviews. If you love young adult fiction, dragons, fight clubs, relationships, or mystery in the modern day, you will love this book. Teshelle paints pictures with her words, and she writes at the level of all of your favorite authors. I have composed two pieces for this book. One is simply titled "Core" and can be found in the ribbon at the top of the page or on my YouTube page. The other, "Don't Start Again" features the author herself as the vocalist and is posted below.

A quick side note. As you followers of the original music can see, there have not been as many new posts lately. I am quite busy with musical work these days, and simply cannot seek out musicians to interview. However, I am still accepting work from original artists, and you will still see a new post every once in a while.




If you love to read, especially about fantasy, fight-clubs, dragons, mystery, action, adventure, vampires, werewolves, sirens, and more, check it out! It continues to rise on Amazon's best sellers lists, especially in the category of Sci-Fi/Fantasy in print, where it maintains a top 10 status, along with books like "Harry Potter" and "The Hunger Games." Visit her site at www.teshellecombs.com or the book directly on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Core-Teshelle-Combs/dp/1484115570.

My Dearest Friend: Unique Band

My Dearest Friend is a close-knit band of guys based in Florida that loves to have fun and play music. They are constantly playing gigs and looking to expand their fan base. I chose this particular song because I feel it shows the variety of their style. They interviewed with me, and here is what they had to say:


1) Where did your band originate, and how many members does it currently have?

My Dearest Friend began as a solo acoustic act and later transformed into a five piece. After several changes in line up we ended up as a three piece. James Brinkle on guitar, Brian Young on bass and Andrew Wiggins on drums.

2) You say you have a hard time defining yourself as a band. What have other people said about you?

I suppose a lot of bands have a hard time describing themselves be it out of modesty or true confusion but we have been compared to a wide verity of genres. Vocally some say we have a Muse like sound, I think due to the melodies and falsetto. But we have been said to sound like Mars Volta, Sonic Youth, Cursive, and even sometimes Pixies. All great bands but surprisingly not any of our main influences.

3) As a musician, what are your goals for your band or your future in music?

I think if we could tour the world and not have day jobs anymore we would all be in heaven. Basically our goal is to make enough money to keep doing what we love to do.

4) Who inspires you, and who inspired your band's music?

Growing up I was very inspired by oldies, Roy Orbison, Elvis, Connie Francis, Robert Johnson. But in our teens and the really inspired times for us Andrew was listening to Ska and Hip Hop (he has actually shown me a lot of hip hop I never knew I would be able to like so much) and Brian and I both came from a more hardcore and heavier style when we got into music. We all three constantly show each other new bands and music and I think have grown as a band and maybe even musicians.

5) What advice do you have for those looking to start their own bands?

It's never easy and if it is you may get bored with it. If music is what you love and want to do then don't ever stop. It's a beautiful thing to create.

6) Random thoughts:

Our band does a lot of silly videos and a weekly podcast so if you like what you hear, see if you enjoy what else we have to offer at mydearestfriendmusic.com.

My thoughts on the interview:

That is interesting indeed. Going from solo to a more "standard" size then back to a three piece reminds me of the path I've taken through different bands.

As far as your style, I find that you aren't so undefinable, but rather blend different sounds and ideas to create what is My Dearest Friend. I couldn't really hear the Muse thing, simply because the production is so different and the vocals are back in the mix a bit. I heard a bit of ska, punk, harder interpretations of jazzy rhythms, and, of course, hardcore in your music.

The goal of touring and playing professional music full time is the dream of many, but getting there can often be a quite painful journey. That means nights and nights of practicing, writing, rewriting, getting better, being taught by those better than you, advertising, and all kinds of unexpected encounters. There are some days off where I literally wake up, eat, begin to practice or record, maybe eat again and use the bathroom during short breaks, then look at a clock that tells me it's midnight. However, when you love it, a 12-14 hr day seems like it's not even long enough.

I too have found that studying a wide variety of music helps you to grow as a musician and define your musical goals. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, but I actually study or have studied the majority of styles of music out there from rock to jazz to hardcore to reggaeton to soca to r&b to country to march to classical to experimental to gospel to solo instruments to video games/film scores and more, regardless of whether or not I like the particular style. Because I started my musical journey alone, on piano and guitar, and, when I got serious as a studio musician/producer, I had to quickly take up bass and drums as well. Again, I wouldn't recommend learning so many instruments at an advanced level, but I am constantly surprised at how much even basic knowledge or playability of one other instrument helps musicians both understand their own instruments better and communicate better with other musicians.

True, music is very difficult for a very long time, but that is when it is the most fun. I didn't push myself as a kid in music, and for like 5 years, I did not get any better at the guitar and bored myself and others playing the exact same things. I didn't really make mistakes on what I played, because I didn't leave my comfort zone, and, as I just discussed with one of my drum students today, mistakes are beautiful. The majority of my best songs come from screwing around with another song until I begin to wander in a new direction or make a mistake that would be an "on purpose" in a completely new song.

Good luck to you all.

DiElle: World Changer

This month, I had the privilege of interviewing Dielle Hannah, the lead singer and songwriter for the English band, DiElle. Their music and passion for this beautiful art have reached many parts of the world, and they have influenced the lives of fans, both young and old, through their lyrics, melodies, and even charitable tours. With the release of their new acoustic album, "Fearless," the band has only continued to grow in popularity, especially at home, where they have a steady lineup of shows when they are not on tour. Here is what Dielle had to say during her interview:

1) You have been a musician for the majority of your life, and you have also been songwriting for many years. What inspires you to create a song, and how has that changed over the years?

Today many things can create a spark that becomes a song - a turn of phrase, a lick, a story, an interesting rhythm or chord, a dripping tap.. - but really I think my urge to create is deeper than that...
Ever since I was young I have felt creative urges, and started creative writing and poetry when I was at primary school. Particularly I remember a poem I wrote about my rabbit Pippin that died, and made my Dad cry! I specifically started writing songs in my early teens when I started showing more interest in playing the guitar Dad had been trying to get me to play since I was 3, and I think to start with my songwriting was in response to the normal teenage angst most people experience. When I started to understand more about the world and the bigger picture outside my little existence, I was always flying an impassioned flag for some cause or another, be it cruelty to animals or the homeless. I felt very strongly about so many things, and some of it came out in song. Many an evening in my early teens, when I was trying to make sense of the world and how I fit into it, I spent with my Dad listening to his record collection, telling me stories about his life and talking about things that I wanted to change about the world. 'Mahogany Radio' on the Beautiful Monday album was actually about this - "those nights with mahogany radio taught me how to live." 

I fell in love with Mum and Dad's records - Graceland, Tapestry, Ladies of the Canyon, Abbey Road and so many more amazing albums. So perhaps it was no wonder that the very first thing I tried to write was a protest song - the influence of all these writers and my worry about the state of the world. It was puerile and pretentious and I don't know where it even is now, but it was my first go. As I lived more, and learned more about music I started writing more about my life experience but it was all quite contrived.

Then something really happened in my life. My oldest friend in the world who had lived next door to my family since I was two died in a car accident. I can't begin to imagine what this must have been like for his family to endure, but I didn't know what to do. I was at college, just 17, and someone I loved, who had always been there had been snatched away before he had even graduated from uni. Completely grief stricken, the only comfort I got was in the practice rooms in the music department at college, and that's when I wrote Nearby - it's still pretty simplistic but it was the first thing I'd written that I was proud of. I've never played it live, and I've never recorded it properly until now. Nearby is one of the tracks that will feature on the 'Fearless' album.

Since 'Nearby' I have written more and more from experiences I have actually had, but also from my observations of the world. Having become something of a people watcher, I create characters and tell stories now in a way that does not make me uncomfortable to share. Nearby was just so personal, there is no way I will ever get through a public performance of it, and I know everyone close to me knows exactly who it is about, and it's just too hard. As my songwriting knowledge and technique improved, I have done a little writing to spec - consciously trying to write more 'radio friendly' and 'commercially viable' songs, but the most popular of my tracks remain the most personal ones I have released, which have come straight from the heart, and didn't give the radio a moment's thought when they were created. Namely from the Beautiful Monday album, 'Shelter From The Storm' was written for my first god daughter and performed for the first time at her Christening. Due to the wonder of the internet, this song has been played in every continent at Christenings and baby naming ceremonies, both from CD and live by people who have bought the sheet music. I think it's because the sentiment is so pure and genuine it touches people "we'll show you all the love and strength and courage that arrived the day that you were born". That in itself inspired me to write. Reaching the masses was not my intention when I wrote that song, I wanted to reach one baby girl who had been entrusted to a special relationship with me, but it is a great honour to know that other people have used it to express their feelings towards their children.  'Twinkle' from the same album is also very personal, which I wrote and recorded for my grandfather during the week after he passed away. It was played for the first time at his funeral and became the B-side to my single released in 2007. Many people, known to me and strangers, have written to me to let me know that this has brought them comfort when they have lost people, and for me there is no greater celebration of my songwriting than that. As I have grown over the years, what can move me to create a song can be as simple as a tap dripping, as well as the bigger rites of passage we experience in life.

2) Some of your music has gained popularity overseas. Has your band toured to any of the places your music has reached?

DiElle toured as an acoustic trio in 2009 across UK and Ireland, and I have played a few gigs in the USA and Europe, but have not extensively toured overseas. DiElle music has enjoyed radio play across Europe, USA and Australia which has gained us fans overseas, and due to the internet and social media, we can reach fans directly all over the world. 

3) You seem to be very important at Igloo Music UK. Is that a company you founded or helped to start?

Yes, I am the director and founder of Igloo Music UK - a music recreation company for adults. I started Igloo to empower people through music, regardless of age or experience, to help people make friends with similar interests and improve their quality of life through music - whatever that means for them. I figured there are so many opportunities for kids nowadays, but so few places for adults to just learn a bit and let off steam without making a massive commitment of resources. I wanted to provide solutions for people for problems I felt were never adequately dealt with when I was starting out as a budding songwriter and training as a young singer. We have private jam nights, a songwriting festival, a songwriters' choir, gig parties, showcases and generally a wonderful musical time!

4) What is your ultimate goal in music?

I've been back and forth over the years with this, and I guess being a creative and now something of a Diva, I reserve the right to move my goal posts without prior notice. At the moment, my only goal is to be satisfied artistically, to be the best I can be, and continue to grow as a songwriter. I love the fact that people have gained comfort from my back-catalogue, and has inspired me to reach as many people as want to be reached. I'm very lucky to be working with some fantastic musicians, producers and engineers that can fulfill my visions - after the early years of frustration of not knowing how to even start bringing the noise I could hear in my mind into realisation it is incredibly liberating.

5) Who are your musical heroes?

So many, for so many reasons, but in rough chronological order....
My Mum - for playing Graceland on repeat when I was a fetus and later for enjoying singing so much herself.
My Dad - he exposed me to some fantastic music from a very young age and more intensely through my formative years, and we saw some awesome gigs together through my teens - memorably The Hollies and Finbar Fury. Dad always played in bands when he lived in London and was always so openly passionate about it - it really rubbed off on me. 

Bob Dylan - what a turn of phrase...
Joni Mitchell - such a sensitive observation of human kind
Bon Jovi - I was totally in love with him in my teens then totally ashamed of that afterwards, now I just don't care - great noise
Mark Knopfler - wonderful story teller, and has aged wonderfully with grace.
Carole King - Tapestry has been with me everywhere - all over the world, to every place I have lived, through every challenge I have lived through, every bereavement, separation and rite of passage. I also have a huge amount of respect for the musicians I am currently working with and my clients at Igloo Music UK, and two mentors who have been inspirational to me are Tom Hess and Kim Chandler.

6) What is your ideal setting for writing songs?

I like the dark... I am generally quite solitary as a writer - away in the woods and the dark brings the muse closer to me somehow. This is one of many reasons why we hold the Igloo Songwriting Festival at the Sustainability Centre where there is no mobile reception/internet and lots of woodland walks and campfires! I also love the heat, and spent significant time in my late teens in various jungles. Sitting out late at night listening to the loud rasp of crickets and geckos, watching glow-bugs and the stars, as I foof about on my guitar by an open fire, perhaps on the beach, listening to the waves.... there are some pictures of me somewhere up a tree in Sri Lanka with my guitar.... Natural landscapes where you can see the will of the gods really move me - mountain ranges, rain-forests, lakes, oceans, canyons, waterfalls, vistas... also travel... trains, planes and tuk-tuks inspire me... Mostly these days I write in soft lighting or complete darkness in my music room at home sat at the piano and letting my fingers wander across various sus chords.... my ideal would be to have my own residential studio which doubles as a venue so we can record live shows, but also I can sleep there and get up and record when the muse knocks on my imagination in the middle of the night.......

My thoughts on the interview:

This is a wonderful observation on how inspiration is gained for new music. After all, there are only so many colored T-shirts one could make or so many ways to make a pepperoni pizza, but music is continually inspired and inspiring to be original, sometimes just because of slight differences in the environment around you, such as water dripping in the background as you plan the tempo for a slow jam that somehow became a dance song.

Protest songs... I was just wondering the other day what happened to all of those. They certainly don't get written the way they used to. It makes me wonder why many of the "pop" stars write music these days. The answer is money, but does that mean they are not really enjoying the art if the things they care about don't come out in the song? That is part of the reason I love composing; you can share how you feel with others without even using words.

Writing from experiences is a wonderful thing, because there are always more people that can relate to you that you know. Sharing music with others is one of the greatest reasons to play. As my wife teaches all of her vocal students, "Your voice is a gift. When you use it, people will be blessed and inspired and perhaps even want to use their gifts."

The internet (and technology) does wonders for original musicians. While I'm not fully sure if this is a great thing, since anybody can throw a song together, call it music, and worse, get famous even when it is complete garbage but has a cool video, I know it is a great thing for me, as I could never write for orchestras or films or video games without some of the powerful tools I own and mentors I speak with over the internet. And all art is determined to be so by those who appreciate it, so if people like junk, that just makes those musicians great business people, right?

Your business is a fantastic idea. I'm glad there are musicians out there who still care about giving back. I've done all kinds of volunteer projects over the years, and have actually just started taking on students for various instruments. I may turn it into a business if I don't want to do boring, non-musical jobs in the future, but teaching is not quite a full-time passion of mine.

Networking, people, relationships - the best things a musician can possibly have, especially when starting out. I recently enrolled in a university for a master's program in composing for that express purpose, and I have found out that I am much better at composing than I thought. However, I'm still not satisfied with my network and musical relationships or my time management in that area, so I may need to move closer to the university in order to actually get face time with these people at events, since conversing online just doesn't quite do it for me.

It may not be a bad idea to get a home studio if you do not have one. That's what I have so that when the musical inspiration hits, I can just press the big red button and develop it or save it for later. Obviously, live shows can be a little challenging if you don't have the right space or location, but home studios are a great help for when you want to capture a demo of a song while still in the mood.

Thank you for your interview, Dielle. For more of DiElle's music, check them out at ReverbNation, Facebook, or their band page.