Core Lesson #1: You Can't Hit a Target You Can't Hear
Years ago I thought “basic” chords were holding me back.
I saw them as “beginner” - overused and boring.
I needed to make more complex chords - that’s where the secret to good music was!
So I started taking lessons with a jazz instructor - Gilbert.
He originally taught in New York University, but also gave lessons privately.
I'd drive to his house each week, ready to get my mind blown.
One of the best decisions of my life. He challenged me to think differently about music, and see it from the bigger picture.
- He would raise his arms and shout during our lessons about tonic and subdominant relationships.
- He would curse up a storm, excitedly talking about how all music is tension and release.
- He would show me noise music I didn't know existed, closing his eyes while imitating the sounds with a big smile.
- I'd show him a melody I wrote, and he'd say "It's fine. Now add 3 harmony voices to it." 🫠
- He'd give me a set of 4 notes, then tell me to fill up the page with as many different chords as I could for what those 4 notes could be.
I'll never forget one day, while struggling to understand a lesson, he paused, looked at me, and said:
"Avery, your problem is you see all these notes as separate things. You see a chord progression, a melody, a bassline. Stop fragmenting them. See it all as one thing."
This simple feedback stuck with me forever.
He helped me escape the dogma of thinking in "right and wrong" - "good and bad" - and showed me how to teach myself just by listening to music I liked.
And through my time with him I learned the exact opposite of what I thought I was looking for…
The answer isn’t in complexity. It’s in intentionality.
If a chord sounds “basic and boring”, that’s your fault, not the chord.
In one sense, I realized there are no chords at all! (But that’s a philosophical musing for another day. 😂)
Complexity can be wonderful - but if not done intentionally, you’re just making extra noise that clouds the message.
It’s all in how and why you play the notes you choose.
So that leads us to the real question: How do you create with intention?
The short answer: You set a target, and develop the skills to make it happen.
First lesson: You can’t hit a target you can’t hear.
Which brings us to…
Your homework: Reference Collection - Aim for 5-10 tracks.
- Pick a track that inspires you. Add it to a new playlist in your platform of choice. Name that playlist based on the style of the track.
- Fill the playlist with more tracks that immediately come to mind that you know you love. (Keep the style similar. We need the target to be clear.)
- Actively look for new tracks to add to this playlist.
I'm sure you've made playlists before - but this is different. It's not just for fun. It's for learning!
As you fill the playlist, your mind is already starting to listen differently - because you're thinking "Does this belong?"
Once you've got 5-10 tracks, you will begin to hear more clearly exactly what you love focused in a certain style.
This helps set the target - so we can analyze it, then develop the skills to speak in that style ourselves.
Long-term, as you make more playlists, you’ll see the overlaps of what you love across styles.
Eventually you’ll be able to make music that blends everything you love across music. Now you're cooking!
It all starts with making this first playlist. 🙂
Avery
