Do Musicians Listen To Their Own Music? (Explained!)
Every musician is unique, and each one has a different approach to interacting with their music during the recording process. But what about once the music has been recorded and released? Do musicians listen to their own music once it’s public?
Most musicians will listen to their own music, at least on occasion. Some musicians might think it is weird to listen to their own music, while others enjoy listening to a song they worked so hard on. Also, musicians will listen to their music to improve their talents and prepare for live performances.
Now that we know that some musicians do, in fact, listen to their own music, you may be wondering why they listen to their own music? Are they just trying to look for mistakes, or is there something else to it? Let us find out.
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Is It Normal For Musicians To Listen To Their Own Music
Every musician is different, but generally, it is normal for musicians to listen to their own music as they find it quite helpful; this can be for a number of reasons, and every musician will listen to their music for their own unique purposes.
Some musicians, however, do not listen to their own music as they find themselves to be their own worst critics. So, instead of enjoying and appreciating their music, they are constantly looking for mistakes and aspects of their music that they do not like, or think that they could improve on, and then they focus on those aspects in a very unhealthy way.
While it is very easy for some musicians to become over-analytical about their own musical creations, other musicians enjoy listening to their music as they find that it can help them improve their craft.
So, some musicians do listen to their own music, and they find it quite helpful, and some musicians do not listen to their own music; it just depends on the artist.
Why Do Musicians Listen To Their Own Music
There are many different reasons why some artists will listen to their own music, and why they find that doing so can help them improve their craft.
Let’s see what some of these reasons are, but keep in mind that these are very general reasons, and some artists may agree or disagree with them as they have their own unique experiences regarding their music.
To Learn From Their Mistakes
Some musicians will listen to their own music for the same reason that other musicians refuse to listen to their own music; to find mistakes.
Certain musicians will listen to their music carefully to see if they pick up on any mistakes or a part of the song they do not like and think they could improve upon. Finding these mistakes and parts they do not like can help the professional musician prepare better for future music projects.
This is because it gives the musician knowledge about what to look out for and what to avoid in their next recording session, and helps them to not repeat these mistakes. This allows them to make better music according to their own standards.
This is important in the growth of the successful musician and their music; even though it can be a challenging exercise for some artists, it can help them to grow as musicians and create the type of music they want.
Helps Them Prepare For Live Performances
Live performances are a big part of every musician’s life, and being a live performer is an entirely different skill from recording a song in the studio, so it requires a very different approach when preparing for a live performance.
Some musicians find that listening to their own music before a live performance helps them to memorize their songs better. It also assists them in knowing when and how to change the song a bit to create the ‘live version” for more engaging performances.
This also helps ‘cover bands‘ to learn and memorize their rendition of certain songs as every cover band will perform the covers differently by adding their own unique take on the song. Listening to their own rendition will help them pick up the subtle difference in their cover song compared to the original, which will help them to translate their cover more effectively on stage.
Let’s Them Understand Their Unique Sound
Some musicians will listen to their own music to help them develop their own unique style of music.
As musicians grow, their music and style tends to change. This can be because of changing experiences or new influences in their lives. Some musicians will listen to their own music to reflect on how their music has changed over the years and how it developed into the style that they currently have.
Having a clear understanding of their own unique sound and style helps the artist to understand their own identity as a singer or musician. Listening to music they’ve created and figuring out their own style can help them know what their strength and weaknesses are as a musician, which can then help them make their work better in the future.
Listening to their own music can give a singer or musician more control over their sound, and helps them evolve it over time.
Can Inspire New Songs
Some musicians find that listening to their older music can help inspire new music, or help them to revisit older songs and give them a revamp. All musicians have their own writing style too, and listening to their previous music can help them analyze their style and figure out ways to improve it.
This can help musicians to create and write better songs, which will have a significant impact on their growth as a musician. When a musician analyses their songwriting they can then compare their style to other artists, and find ways to differentiate themselves.
Looking back on an older song they’ve written can not only help inspire new songs, but it can also show an artist just how far they have come in their music career and just how much their style has changed. To some musicians this is a fascinating and nostalgic experience. Which gives certain musical performers a sense of accomplishment and something that they can be proud of.
Let’s Them Appreciate Their Own Work
Listening to one’s own music can give the artist a chance to appreciate their own work. Many hours of effort go into their music, and sometimes it’s just nice to listen to the result.
So, when they get a chance to listen to a song they worked hard on, it can be very rewarding to hear the finished product. They get to appreciate the outcome of all their hard work, time, effort, and dedication that went into it.
Some artists find that this can be very motivating, and can push them to continue to work hard to improve their skills as a singer or musician. They understand that their musical journey is going to be a long one, which is why it’s important to them to acknowledge their accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem to someone else.
The way they see it, is if you create a song that you’re proud of, whether it’s your biggest hit or not, you should take the time to recognize it.
Conclusion
Some musicians will listen to their own music as it helps them to better their craft and gives them a sense of accomplishment and motivation, while others refuse to listen to their own music as they cannot stop criticizing it and being knit-picky about every single detail.
Each musician is different and will have their own way of developing and enjoying their musical career.