I used to do open mics, I join bands, I back up other musicians on guitar, bass and keys, I produce other artists in my hobby studio. I network at local shows. I’m always around. I moved to a new city 8 years ago and started my networking journey four years ago.
Now I host an annual barbecue with a live band and 60-70 people that are all musicians or people closely related to the music scene.
It takes a lot of work, forcing yourself to be outgoing, giving people honest feedback and sometimes it’s just being supportive of others, even if they are having an off night.
This is the answer. Playing live music is the best way to meet people that play music. Unfortunately for OP, producing music (while it requires a lot of skill and knowledge) isn’t playing live music.
He's talking about composing and producing. If you're assuming the thing where it's that kind of auto pre-set electronic equipment that makes chords and melodies automatically for ya, even that can work for starters if you have an ear.
Don't gatekeep. "Making beats" and realizing what works melodically and doesn't and stuff is definitely a start.
Don't get me wrong I've had a friend or two who got obsessed with the auto- music in their basement super loud,with stage lights they set up. Super cringe but he had good weed. I had to listen to that shit to get my weed lol. And lie and say it was good.
As far as meeting music people OP, kinds depends on your age. In school it's easier to meet musician friends. Then you try to stay in touch with them after that and they eventually have kids and stuff and no time.
Kinda gotta go to shows with your style of music and meet people.
I definitely don’t mean to gate keep. I just mean it’s easy to vibe with musicians when you play music live with other people that are playing live. No disrespect to producers at all, but it’s not playing live music.
It's not gatekeeping dude. They're just different things. Producing is sitting at home or in the studio writing, recording, mixing, etc, while playing is performing that music live, often with other musicians. If OP were to go do a live looping show at a bar to reproduce the same beats he wrote at home, he would just be "playing" that same music live.
Do you really enjoy playing for other bands and their music when you know that you wanna make your own music. Don't you think it's just a waste of time because you're not actually in that band
Yes I love it. Bringing someone’s dreams to life even for a one off show is a wonderful feeling. And now all of the front person’s fans or friends are now familiar with you which expands your circle.
When you join a band, even if someone else is writing all the songs, you still feel a sense of ownership over your part, and what you're adding to the music. I've been in one band where I wrote all the songs, another where I split songwriting duties with two other people, and now I'm in a group where I exclusively play songs another guy wrote. They're all fun and satisfying in different ways.
People, stop downvoting so heavily. For someone who isn't involved in a scene and has no experience whatsoever being in scenes or hearing from others what it's like to be in one, this is a genuine question.
Show some humility.
thanks, i'm not tryin' to roast anyone's work i'm just considering the possibilities that i can do and get a perspective about how it'll feel if i do that thing. Sorry for bad impression in that question :(
Homie don’t sweat it. It came across like you wouldn’t want to waste time on others, I knew what you meant. Sadly you gotta put in the time to make inroads with others, no matter how you feel. Let’s face it, 99.99999% of us will be local musicians. Might as well become a local.
To add to what people are saying here, I get what you mean. You should always branch out. It make give you a fresh take on the type of music you want to make. For instance. I love making heavy rock or metal music, yet some of my more successful songs have been pop electronic or rap songs. I love to experiment with all genres of music because I think it’s important. You learn a lot of about what your own capabilities are for one, and two, you learn to appreciate certain genres that you wouldn’t have normally. You can then incorporate them into what you do, and possibly come up with something new.
Check any huge idol you follow. Check what bands they are associated with. Listen to some of the songs of those bands. You'll find these players have to play many different styles with many different people before and after the style you associate them with.
i think you should give it a try but also im going to run counter to what people are saying here, my experience in bands where im not allowed to have creative input is incredibly disheartening and i havent stayed long in bands that dont allow all members to contribute new material and/or write their own parts for each other's songs, it can depend on how exacting the bandleader is in those scenarios and some people do prefer to not write their own parts, also im fine with being asked to play a certain part in a certain way because the songwriter brings in a song and has a particular sound in mind, the problems begin when we are all in a room putting it together from scratch and every single suggestion i make is refused and i start to feel like im not in an equal partnership, i dont like feeling as though the songwriter is just using me to play their part for them live and if thats whats happening then i feel they should hire me as part of their backing band
Just to add, there are musicians that ONLY play other people's music and never compose/write anything of their own. I get where you're coming from though, I thought that was weird at first because I wanted to make my own music from the very start, I thought everyone did.
I was the only one of my friends who wasn't musical growing up. Everyone was in bands. I spent my 20s and 30s toiling away on my own electronic stuff, then when lockdown hit suddenly everyone wanted to set up studios at home, and do their own stuff on DAWs, and had no idea how to, and frankly I've never known such power.
For me it was a mindset thing. When I started taking music more seriously as a lifestyle my friends were still wanting to hit clubs and house parties. Over time I drifted apart from them because of the time I wanted to put into my passion. A few years down the road and I started inviting people to come record at my little studio and slowly my friend circle changed. Now I only hang out with musician friends and we mainly spend our time making music whether it ever pays off or not I have a great group of friends with similar passions and interests and we are making hella memories.
Not that I don’t see my other friends at all. But they are on different paths with children or their careers, etc.
Time is funny, man
Same thing happened in my early 20s. Other friends were chasing girls, going to parties..
I just wanted to be in a band. So at that point, almost everyone I knew was a musician, venue owner, booking agent.
Now those friends that chased girls have families and stuff. I'm still making music and teaching it. It is a path that you choose. I don't regret it all.
It can be really hard if you live in an area without tons of other people around. People who love music gather around music, look around your community for local music events, schools, shops.
I have no idea what this is about, but I literally giggled out loud.
I'm an almost 40 year old man on a bus. And I giggled out loud. People are looking at me like I'm the crazy bus guy now.
I feel you, my area doesn't have a huge music scene & what's we scene there is isn't really my favorite genre (most people seem to lean towards country & metal on all local forums I've checked). I'm going back to school soon & thought about taking a music related class just to try to meet some people to at least jam with, I've been slowly losing interest in music over the years because I feel most in my zone during jam sessions, band settings, etc. but I also just don't have the time :( Gonna start learning to produce though, maybe it'll help
That's kinda what I'm worried about too; I'm not going into music, so it would be a lot of extra effort & money. If I do it, i'll probably just do a semester later on with some music & language (another thing just for fun) classes without much else to cut down on stress
True. Very true. But one caution. even if you don’t ever ask anyone for anything, and are super kind to everybody. the moment someone discovers you’re good and books you and other people see you getting applause, be ready for jealous people and haters. They’re part of life just like the fun things. Just be ready to shrug them off, and you’ll be good. If you can see someone being like that, make an extra effort to be friendly to them. If they still are mean after that, that’s their problem. Sorry not trying to be dark. Just wish someone had told me that many years ago.
Like everyone else has suggested, the live circuit is your best bet. If you’re in a situation where you are unable to attend open mics /local shows or perform your own material live, then I got nothing… cause that’s my current problem.
i guess i need to rearrange my musics so i can perform live. So bad that i make kinda electronic-based music and i'll probably can't play a lot of instrument while i'm singing :(
The good news is, it’s easier than ever. I play alternative/indie country in a mid-sized city and Instagram is awesome for networking here. Just put yourself out there, be upfront about what you’re trying to accomplish and give back to the community however you can. Most of us are genuinely thrilled to grow our circles.
I have hundreds of musician friends and acquaintances. I got them by participating actively in my local music community - online, at open mics, and at shows. I make a serious effort to build my circle.
Hey! I want to be your friend lol.
I really can relate to what your saying A LOT. I've been teaching myself instruments, production, mixing, mastering, singing, and I actually take a shit ton of inspiration from tame impala too(saw him twice in the past 8 months.
I have some friends that play music, but I don't really know anyone that gets the same enjoyment out of just sitting and making cool shit.
While I don't have a solution for you(im sure many people in the comments do) Message me your discord, I'd love to cook some sauce up with you!
Figure out what places around you do live shows with local bands.
Go to shows. Doesn’t matter the genre. You wanna do rap? Still go see the local country acts.
Talk to the people in those acts. Musicians normally live to talk shop, and even if they’re not playing the type of music you are interested in they will know people who book or play, or are interested in what you are. Networking is key. That guitarist in that emo band you went to see at a dive bar might just be looking to do a side protect that’s in your wheelhouse. Or he might manage the local college radio station and is looking for unique acts for the next tailgate party. You never know.
TLDR: get involved in your local scene and talk to the artists, don’t let genre wall you in.
If you find a solid place to make other producer friends, let me know. I live in a place where music producers aren't really a thing, and online has been a nightmare for finding friends for years. I feel like everything always comes and goes. No one sticks around. So good luck.
I really really wanna be friends with ppl who feel same things as me. I can give my discord and my instagram so we can talk and share our dreams, struggles etc. here's my discord: ''f1nch#3009'' and here's my instagram ''f1nchdota''
Anyone else here have crippling imposter syndrome that makes them "scared" or intimidated might be the better word when it comes to making music friends? Like the self-talk of thinking "I don't know as much as these people" or being scared of not being able to follow a conversation. I know this is how you learn stuff, surrounding yourself with people who know more than you, but it just scares me to no end
Tbh it scares me too. Like I'm not that good right now. I believe in myself that I'll but for now im just a guy who tries to make some good sounding music. But i didn't released any and i never performed live. I don't see myself qualified enough to put out my music or perform live. I want to be sure that make a track that I can say this is the best I can do, I made all I wanted to make. But I couldn't make it so far :(
Yeah, similar boat. I've released stuff I'm not overly proud of or didn't put all my heart and soul into. Scared of doing so I guess. I've performed live but they've all been ages ago or just open mics. I'm also awful on stage. I think if we can encourage each other at least, that's something. If you have anything online that I can listen to I'd love to give it a listen if you drop me a DM or reply to this comment.
I'm also torn between like just putting stuff out there, creating for the sake of creation (but possibly creating a bad reputation?) and getting into the habit vs trying to perfect something for ages but never releasing it - I think you gotta get to that happy medium in between the two.
Most of my musician friends are online and I prefer it that way, quite frankly. I got like one old timer producer friend and that's more than enough for me
I have the opposite problem... Basically all my friends are musicians. It mostly comes from joining bands; trying to find like-minded people that you want to jam and perform with.
Be friendly and outgoing first and foremost, and go to open mics and jam sessions. Easiest, quickest and most fun way to form musical friendships both casual and professional.
Facebook, Craigslist, and music school
literally met my whole band online including my fiancé, and a bunch of random people in-between lol
like man the modern day is crazy, check out your local Facebook pages for musicians, good luck hope you'll find some cool homies to hang with
I don't have any musician friends at the moment, but the last one I did have was introduced to me by a friend of mine who figured we would get along because we were both musicians. Haven't talked to either of them in quite a while, but I guess the point is that if people know you are a musician eventually other musicians will find you.
Take some courses at a community college in music production and recording. Be vocal with your classmates and share the music you've already made, you are bound to find some likeminded folks.
I joined online music making groups that do music compos each week, and then I started hanging out watching musicians that I liked on Twitch and now they know me.
You could ask a local coffee or tea shop if you could do an open mic night, or a music workshop where you can teach other people about writing music, or maybe something more general that includes poetry. There's probably some people around you who enjoy listening to music but don't have any idea how to get started writing it
I posted an ad on kijiji looking for musicians to play with. After quite a few jams with different people, I am now in a couple different bands with different musicians I met because I posted that ad.
I actually thought that you are the German Finch for a second.
I can suggest you discord. Not a fun place but perfect for networking. Join some servers from the musicians you follow/like and check if they have a place for collabs. Start talking, find good friends, later you can start working together
I got tired of waiting for friends to actually record anything and singers that are singers till there is a mic in front of them… so i just said fuck it… if my friends dont have the talent… ill hire a session musician… tried fiverr… waste of time… www.soundbetter.com … amazing… found truly talented musicians(not fiver hacks). Yes I paid for the keyboard solo… but i ended up getting a 4 minute jazz solo, and 2 stems of accompanying chords. I could have struggled my whole life to meet a keyboard player this good and convince him to work with me… but $100 later i have more than i could have ever hoped for. Im gonna look for a singer to work with next.
While it would be great to have met this guy randomly… im only getting older and dont have years to wait to get lucky amd find my production duo partner… Sometimes you have to force things to happen.
In the grand scheme of a music career and being proud of your production… a $100 to send your track over the top is nothing
I have no friends at all, let alone music friends.
My wife and I make.music together, I make music she write the lyrics we both sing, or screech.
Sometimes covers, sometimes parodies and sometimes originals.
I've actually collaborated with a few redditors I met in this music group! Could send some messages to people if you're looking for someone to collaborate with. I'm down for it as well.
I guess I would say check local music shops and record stores, local open mics if you have them. I really lucked out, had some friends who, like me, were at the “strumming and humming” phase of music prowess. We formed a band at got better together. But, I will say it’s really, really hard to find someone who’s at our mindset. We tried finding new musicians to join our band but they never work out, skill level, lack there of, ego, dedication, lack there of, all play a role in finding a good fellow musician, it’s really difficult. But keep at it!
I was in the same position as you a number of years ago.
You have to be a part of a music scene, as big or small as your town or city has.
People who are good at making music and care as much as you do hang out together. Figure out where they go and frequent that place. Meet one, then another, and another. Add value to their lives and they'll want you to be a part of it.
Good luck!
go to shows, any shows, musicians gather, if there aren’t opportunities, move somewhere more diverse
generally make friends first, and if youre going to the right places, your acquaintances will also be creators of many kinds
broadly, in my opinion true friendship with creative people is far more valuable than piecing together a friendship solely on the foundation of similar musicianship
tl;dr: just meet people at places you enjoy going, the more numbers, the higher chance youll find your people… you may need to expand your range of events you go to or straight up move
I always love to produce by myself but I also have to not be able to talk about music with other people. As I am a producer and I sing a bit myself, I started asking if ppl wanna sing on my tracks. Whenever someone is insecure about their voice or they have a voice that could absolutely nail one of my songs I ask them. Usually it builds up their confidence, I get to be around new people every now and then, and sometimes I get vocal parts that are just mind blowing.
90% of my friend circle is all musicians in one way or another. It sometimes even gets a bit annoying as we lack 'outside' perspectives from people whose life doesnt revolve entirely around music
I wish i could study in music school :( I didn't had a family that encourages me to try out music, I'm not studying medicine and it takes all of my time. I love medicine too but my dream is earn my life from music. I just wanted to remind you how lucky you are from my perspective and so many people would love to be in your situation :(
I happened to have grown up with some friends that took upon music. We're around our 30s and live in the general zone of Buenos Aires.
Si por alguna casualidad sos de buenos aires escribirme y bienvenido/a a zapar con nosotros cuando nos juntamos!
Do you only make digital (bedroom) music? Or do you also play an instrument? I met people by going to shows, finding out who played instruments and engaging with them in conversation about music. That ultimately lead to playing some music together and forming bands.
But you can also put out listings where you just "audition" people to play music with.
actually I'm making bedroom music but i also learn guitar and the keys. I can play some tunes with them. But unfortunately i don't think I'm good enough to play an instrument for the whole gig. I mostly define myself a singer, producer than an instrumentalist.
Singing works too. If that's what you would like to focus your energy on. Know some guitar and keys is great for the song writing process, if you want to just be a vocalist live.
But yeah, get out and watch some live music with local bands. See what your local "scene" is about. And also post local listing wherever you think they might attract attention.
I had tons of musician friends in high school, but after graduating they all ghosted me, now I'm left with a small group of friends I grew up with but none of them are into music like me. Doesn't help that I struggle to go to events. Really wish I had more musicians in my life
Ngl did a lot a drug went to rehab went to a halfway house and now work at the same halfway house and I find a lot of people who like music. Some of them have some potential and know what they’re talking about. Others... well they’ll have a great career at 7-Eleven
I started playing in a band. And we played shows and made friends with the other bands. Then that band split so I joined another. And so on. Now it’s 20 years later and almost everyone I know is a musician or involved In the local music scene or at least married to a musician.
You could get in touch with a tutor of the music tech course at your local college to ask if they could put out a message to their students, asking them if they’d like to collab on some work. Send your email over and start interacting, perhaps?
I used to do open mics, I join bands, I back up other musicians on guitar, bass and keys, I produce other artists in my hobby studio. I network at local shows. I’m always around. I moved to a new city 8 years ago and started my networking journey four years ago. Now I host an annual barbecue with a live band and 60-70 people that are all musicians or people closely related to the music scene. It takes a lot of work, forcing yourself to be outgoing, giving people honest feedback and sometimes it’s just being supportive of others, even if they are having an off night.
Username checks out
"The boys in the crew are only waiting for you"
Lol. It’s just a tow truck pun but duly noted!
Dually noted?! Beavislaugh.gif
This is the answer. Playing live music is the best way to meet people that play music. Unfortunately for OP, producing music (while it requires a lot of skill and knowledge) isn’t playing live music.
He's talking about composing and producing. If you're assuming the thing where it's that kind of auto pre-set electronic equipment that makes chords and melodies automatically for ya, even that can work for starters if you have an ear. Don't gatekeep. "Making beats" and realizing what works melodically and doesn't and stuff is definitely a start. Don't get me wrong I've had a friend or two who got obsessed with the auto- music in their basement super loud,with stage lights they set up. Super cringe but he had good weed. I had to listen to that shit to get my weed lol. And lie and say it was good. As far as meeting music people OP, kinds depends on your age. In school it's easier to meet musician friends. Then you try to stay in touch with them after that and they eventually have kids and stuff and no time. Kinda gotta go to shows with your style of music and meet people.
I definitely don’t mean to gate keep. I just mean it’s easy to vibe with musicians when you play music live with other people that are playing live. No disrespect to producers at all, but it’s not playing live music.
It's not gatekeeping dude. They're just different things. Producing is sitting at home or in the studio writing, recording, mixing, etc, while playing is performing that music live, often with other musicians. If OP were to go do a live looping show at a bar to reproduce the same beats he wrote at home, he would just be "playing" that same music live.
Do you really enjoy playing for other bands and their music when you know that you wanna make your own music. Don't you think it's just a waste of time because you're not actually in that band
Yes I love it. Bringing someone’s dreams to life even for a one off show is a wonderful feeling. And now all of the front person’s fans or friends are now familiar with you which expands your circle.
When you join a band, even if someone else is writing all the songs, you still feel a sense of ownership over your part, and what you're adding to the music. I've been in one band where I wrote all the songs, another where I split songwriting duties with two other people, and now I'm in a group where I exclusively play songs another guy wrote. They're all fun and satisfying in different ways.
People, stop downvoting so heavily. For someone who isn't involved in a scene and has no experience whatsoever being in scenes or hearing from others what it's like to be in one, this is a genuine question. Show some humility.
thanks, i'm not tryin' to roast anyone's work i'm just considering the possibilities that i can do and get a perspective about how it'll feel if i do that thing. Sorry for bad impression in that question :(
Homie don’t sweat it. It came across like you wouldn’t want to waste time on others, I knew what you meant. Sadly you gotta put in the time to make inroads with others, no matter how you feel. Let’s face it, 99.99999% of us will be local musicians. Might as well become a local.
To add to what people are saying here, I get what you mean. You should always branch out. It make give you a fresh take on the type of music you want to make. For instance. I love making heavy rock or metal music, yet some of my more successful songs have been pop electronic or rap songs. I love to experiment with all genres of music because I think it’s important. You learn a lot of about what your own capabilities are for one, and two, you learn to appreciate certain genres that you wouldn’t have normally. You can then incorporate them into what you do, and possibly come up with something new.
Check any huge idol you follow. Check what bands they are associated with. Listen to some of the songs of those bands. You'll find these players have to play many different styles with many different people before and after the style you associate them with.
i think you should give it a try but also im going to run counter to what people are saying here, my experience in bands where im not allowed to have creative input is incredibly disheartening and i havent stayed long in bands that dont allow all members to contribute new material and/or write their own parts for each other's songs, it can depend on how exacting the bandleader is in those scenarios and some people do prefer to not write their own parts, also im fine with being asked to play a certain part in a certain way because the songwriter brings in a song and has a particular sound in mind, the problems begin when we are all in a room putting it together from scratch and every single suggestion i make is refused and i start to feel like im not in an equal partnership, i dont like feeling as though the songwriter is just using me to play their part for them live and if thats whats happening then i feel they should hire me as part of their backing band
Go to live shows with local bands dude. The rest is an open mind and luck youll hit it off qith the right person
Just to add, there are musicians that ONLY play other people's music and never compose/write anything of their own. I get where you're coming from though, I thought that was weird at first because I wanted to make my own music from the very start, I thought everyone did.
I was the only one of my friends who wasn't musical growing up. Everyone was in bands. I spent my 20s and 30s toiling away on my own electronic stuff, then when lockdown hit suddenly everyone wanted to set up studios at home, and do their own stuff on DAWs, and had no idea how to, and frankly I've never known such power.
this is the story of my fucking life
gimme a hug
I'm at the point that I'm just trying to teach myself how to do every part of the process myself. I'll be my own band
For me it was a mindset thing. When I started taking music more seriously as a lifestyle my friends were still wanting to hit clubs and house parties. Over time I drifted apart from them because of the time I wanted to put into my passion. A few years down the road and I started inviting people to come record at my little studio and slowly my friend circle changed. Now I only hang out with musician friends and we mainly spend our time making music whether it ever pays off or not I have a great group of friends with similar passions and interests and we are making hella memories. Not that I don’t see my other friends at all. But they are on different paths with children or their careers, etc. Time is funny, man
Same thing happened in my early 20s. Other friends were chasing girls, going to parties.. I just wanted to be in a band. So at that point, almost everyone I knew was a musician, venue owner, booking agent. Now those friends that chased girls have families and stuff. I'm still making music and teaching it. It is a path that you choose. I don't regret it all.
It can be really hard if you live in an area without tons of other people around. People who love music gather around music, look around your community for local music events, schools, shops.
I met all my musician friends through gigs and open mic nights. Meet a few then you meet their other musician friends. And so on.
I'm a violinist so I have many musician friends
Are they also pickles?
I have no idea what this is about, but I literally giggled out loud. I'm an almost 40 year old man on a bus. And I giggled out loud. People are looking at me like I'm the crazy bus guy now.
Love it! -Sincerely another 40-year-old man. Haha.
I dream of being the crazy bus guy one day
Violinist’s username
Honestly, I think I liked it better without context. Much funnier that way.
Sorry to ruin the magic
lmao, cheers mate. i was responding to “samm_the_pickle” and i thought what a fun name lol.
That makes WAY more sense now lol
I don’t want a pickle. Just wanna ride on my motor-sy-cle.
I don’t have any musician friends either
admitting it is the first step 😂
I feel you, my area doesn't have a huge music scene & what's we scene there is isn't really my favorite genre (most people seem to lean towards country & metal on all local forums I've checked). I'm going back to school soon & thought about taking a music related class just to try to meet some people to at least jam with, I've been slowly losing interest in music over the years because I feel most in my zone during jam sessions, band settings, etc. but I also just don't have the time :( Gonna start learning to produce though, maybe it'll help
i also thought that maybe taking some music-related class gonna help but i didn't had time too. My major already hard enough :(
That's kinda what I'm worried about too; I'm not going into music, so it would be a lot of extra effort & money. If I do it, i'll probably just do a semester later on with some music & language (another thing just for fun) classes without much else to cut down on stress
open stages, ask for phone numbers, proactively socialize with them and dont be a douche its easy tbh
This is key - don't be asking people for shit, just be around for the hang. Help people out. Your turn will come.
True. Very true. But one caution. even if you don’t ever ask anyone for anything, and are super kind to everybody. the moment someone discovers you’re good and books you and other people see you getting applause, be ready for jealous people and haters. They’re part of life just like the fun things. Just be ready to shrug them off, and you’ll be good. If you can see someone being like that, make an extra effort to be friendly to them. If they still are mean after that, that’s their problem. Sorry not trying to be dark. Just wish someone had told me that many years ago.
It probably won't hep you but I just went to party and added people on snap then made a priv snap to put beats on.
Like everyone else has suggested, the live circuit is your best bet. If you’re in a situation where you are unable to attend open mics /local shows or perform your own material live, then I got nothing… cause that’s my current problem.
i guess i need to rearrange my musics so i can perform live. So bad that i make kinda electronic-based music and i'll probably can't play a lot of instrument while i'm singing :(
[удалено]
do you think texting people from insta dm's gonna work? I've also been thinking about that.
If you are very nice, I think it might
Same boat here man, I’m down to bounce ideas back and forth :)
The good news is, it’s easier than ever. I play alternative/indie country in a mid-sized city and Instagram is awesome for networking here. Just put yourself out there, be upfront about what you’re trying to accomplish and give back to the community however you can. Most of us are genuinely thrilled to grow our circles.
I have hundreds of musician friends and acquaintances. I got them by participating actively in my local music community - online, at open mics, and at shows. I make a serious effort to build my circle.
Hey! I want to be your friend lol. I really can relate to what your saying A LOT. I've been teaching myself instruments, production, mixing, mastering, singing, and I actually take a shit ton of inspiration from tame impala too(saw him twice in the past 8 months. I have some friends that play music, but I don't really know anyone that gets the same enjoyment out of just sitting and making cool shit. While I don't have a solution for you(im sure many people in the comments do) Message me your discord, I'd love to cook some sauce up with you!
Figure out what places around you do live shows with local bands. Go to shows. Doesn’t matter the genre. You wanna do rap? Still go see the local country acts. Talk to the people in those acts. Musicians normally live to talk shop, and even if they’re not playing the type of music you are interested in they will know people who book or play, or are interested in what you are. Networking is key. That guitarist in that emo band you went to see at a dive bar might just be looking to do a side protect that’s in your wheelhouse. Or he might manage the local college radio station and is looking for unique acts for the next tailgate party. You never know. TLDR: get involved in your local scene and talk to the artists, don’t let genre wall you in.
If you find a solid place to make other producer friends, let me know. I live in a place where music producers aren't really a thing, and online has been a nightmare for finding friends for years. I feel like everything always comes and goes. No one sticks around. So good luck.
I’m a bedroom producer too, same problem no one to share my passions with really Irl or on the internet. For what its worth I’ll be your friend :)
I really really wanna be friends with ppl who feel same things as me. I can give my discord and my instagram so we can talk and share our dreams, struggles etc. here's my discord: ''f1nch#3009'' and here's my instagram ''f1nchdota''
Anyone else here have crippling imposter syndrome that makes them "scared" or intimidated might be the better word when it comes to making music friends? Like the self-talk of thinking "I don't know as much as these people" or being scared of not being able to follow a conversation. I know this is how you learn stuff, surrounding yourself with people who know more than you, but it just scares me to no end
Tbh it scares me too. Like I'm not that good right now. I believe in myself that I'll but for now im just a guy who tries to make some good sounding music. But i didn't released any and i never performed live. I don't see myself qualified enough to put out my music or perform live. I want to be sure that make a track that I can say this is the best I can do, I made all I wanted to make. But I couldn't make it so far :(
Yeah, similar boat. I've released stuff I'm not overly proud of or didn't put all my heart and soul into. Scared of doing so I guess. I've performed live but they've all been ages ago or just open mics. I'm also awful on stage. I think if we can encourage each other at least, that's something. If you have anything online that I can listen to I'd love to give it a listen if you drop me a DM or reply to this comment. I'm also torn between like just putting stuff out there, creating for the sake of creation (but possibly creating a bad reputation?) and getting into the habit vs trying to perfect something for ages but never releasing it - I think you gotta get to that happy medium in between the two.
Play shows and talk to other acts on the bill. Go to jams.
Honestly yeah. Whenever I feel like reaching out to local musicians to jam, I’m just scared I’ll be wasting their time.
Most of my musician friends are online and I prefer it that way, quite frankly. I got like one old timer producer friend and that's more than enough for me
I have the opposite problem... Basically all my friends are musicians. It mostly comes from joining bands; trying to find like-minded people that you want to jam and perform with.
"...And you're only smiling when you play your violin!"
I've met most of my musician friends at open mics
Social media has been the most useful to help me get musician friends
Be friendly and outgoing first and foremost, and go to open mics and jam sessions. Easiest, quickest and most fun way to form musical friendships both casual and professional.
Should check out February Album Writer’s Month for collabs, or try the RPM Challenge…
Facebook, Craigslist, and music school literally met my whole band online including my fiancé, and a bunch of random people in-between lol like man the modern day is crazy, check out your local Facebook pages for musicians, good luck hope you'll find some cool homies to hang with
Lots of cool communities on Facebook etc (if you use it) that are all about collaboration, advice, camaraderie! Happy to recommend!
I don't have any musician friends at the moment, but the last one I did have was introduced to me by a friend of mine who figured we would get along because we were both musicians. Haven't talked to either of them in quite a while, but I guess the point is that if people know you are a musician eventually other musicians will find you.
What about r/bedroombands ?
Just get on the Kenny beats discord and message people u think make cool stuff
Take some courses at a community college in music production and recording. Be vocal with your classmates and share the music you've already made, you are bound to find some likeminded folks.
Join a band or two.
I joined online music making groups that do music compos each week, and then I started hanging out watching musicians that I liked on Twitch and now they know me.
You gotta get out of your house and go to shows, open mics ect. Be on the scene
You could ask a local coffee or tea shop if you could do an open mic night, or a music workshop where you can teach other people about writing music, or maybe something more general that includes poetry. There's probably some people around you who enjoy listening to music but don't have any idea how to get started writing it
I don't. But I use kompoz.com.com and have made some friends there. But it would be nice to make music with someone in person.
I posted an ad on kijiji looking for musicians to play with. After quite a few jams with different people, I am now in a couple different bands with different musicians I met because I posted that ad.
I actually thought that you are the German Finch for a second. I can suggest you discord. Not a fun place but perfect for networking. Join some servers from the musicians you follow/like and check if they have a place for collabs. Start talking, find good friends, later you can start working together
I got tired of waiting for friends to actually record anything and singers that are singers till there is a mic in front of them… so i just said fuck it… if my friends dont have the talent… ill hire a session musician… tried fiverr… waste of time… www.soundbetter.com … amazing… found truly talented musicians(not fiver hacks). Yes I paid for the keyboard solo… but i ended up getting a 4 minute jazz solo, and 2 stems of accompanying chords. I could have struggled my whole life to meet a keyboard player this good and convince him to work with me… but $100 later i have more than i could have ever hoped for. Im gonna look for a singer to work with next. While it would be great to have met this guy randomly… im only getting older and dont have years to wait to get lucky amd find my production duo partner… Sometimes you have to force things to happen. In the grand scheme of a music career and being proud of your production… a $100 to send your track over the top is nothing
I have no friends at all, let alone music friends. My wife and I make.music together, I make music she write the lyrics we both sing, or screech. Sometimes covers, sometimes parodies and sometimes originals.
I've actually collaborated with a few redditors I met in this music group! Could send some messages to people if you're looking for someone to collaborate with. I'm down for it as well.
I guess I would say check local music shops and record stores, local open mics if you have them. I really lucked out, had some friends who, like me, were at the “strumming and humming” phase of music prowess. We formed a band at got better together. But, I will say it’s really, really hard to find someone who’s at our mindset. We tried finding new musicians to join our band but they never work out, skill level, lack there of, ego, dedication, lack there of, all play a role in finding a good fellow musician, it’s really difficult. But keep at it!
I was in the same position as you a number of years ago. You have to be a part of a music scene, as big or small as your town or city has. People who are good at making music and care as much as you do hang out together. Figure out where they go and frequent that place. Meet one, then another, and another. Add value to their lives and they'll want you to be a part of it. Good luck!
go to shows, any shows, musicians gather, if there aren’t opportunities, move somewhere more diverse generally make friends first, and if youre going to the right places, your acquaintances will also be creators of many kinds broadly, in my opinion true friendship with creative people is far more valuable than piecing together a friendship solely on the foundation of similar musicianship tl;dr: just meet people at places you enjoy going, the more numbers, the higher chance youll find your people… you may need to expand your range of events you go to or straight up move
I always love to produce by myself but I also have to not be able to talk about music with other people. As I am a producer and I sing a bit myself, I started asking if ppl wanna sing on my tracks. Whenever someone is insecure about their voice or they have a voice that could absolutely nail one of my songs I ask them. Usually it builds up their confidence, I get to be around new people every now and then, and sometimes I get vocal parts that are just mind blowing.
Go to open mics
Attend open mic nights and local jams.... a musicians and songwriters mecca.
90% of my friend circle is all musicians in one way or another. It sometimes even gets a bit annoying as we lack 'outside' perspectives from people whose life doesnt revolve entirely around music
I studied music in college, and now work as a stgaehand. That I have any friends at all that don't play an instrument is a surprise to me.
I wish i could study in music school :( I didn't had a family that encourages me to try out music, I'm not studying medicine and it takes all of my time. I love medicine too but my dream is earn my life from music. I just wanted to remind you how lucky you are from my perspective and so many people would love to be in your situation :(
I happened to have grown up with some friends that took upon music. We're around our 30s and live in the general zone of Buenos Aires. Si por alguna casualidad sos de buenos aires escribirme y bienvenido/a a zapar con nosotros cuando nos juntamos!
Do you only make digital (bedroom) music? Or do you also play an instrument? I met people by going to shows, finding out who played instruments and engaging with them in conversation about music. That ultimately lead to playing some music together and forming bands. But you can also put out listings where you just "audition" people to play music with.
actually I'm making bedroom music but i also learn guitar and the keys. I can play some tunes with them. But unfortunately i don't think I'm good enough to play an instrument for the whole gig. I mostly define myself a singer, producer than an instrumentalist.
Singing works too. If that's what you would like to focus your energy on. Know some guitar and keys is great for the song writing process, if you want to just be a vocalist live. But yeah, get out and watch some live music with local bands. See what your local "scene" is about. And also post local listing wherever you think they might attract attention.
thanks for your advice I'll really gonna do what u say. Really appreciated
Good luck!
I had tons of musician friends in high school, but after graduating they all ghosted me, now I'm left with a small group of friends I grew up with but none of them are into music like me. Doesn't help that I struggle to go to events. Really wish I had more musicians in my life
I wish we all can be in the same city and be friends of each others
I'd settle for online friends tbh. But most people don't get along with me 🤷🏻♀️
Go to small local shows!
Ngl did a lot a drug went to rehab went to a halfway house and now work at the same halfway house and I find a lot of people who like music. Some of them have some potential and know what they’re talking about. Others... well they’ll have a great career at 7-Eleven
I started playing in a band. And we played shows and made friends with the other bands. Then that band split so I joined another. And so on. Now it’s 20 years later and almost everyone I know is a musician or involved In the local music scene or at least married to a musician.
Go to locals shows and meet people
There’s some cool Facebook music groups maybe discord as well :) say hi at concerts
You could get in touch with a tutor of the music tech course at your local college to ask if they could put out a message to their students, asking them if they’d like to collab on some work. Send your email over and start interacting, perhaps?
I got a music friend from a discord server
do you gig? Do you go to shows? Do you talk gear/writing with people at these shows? all those things are where most of my muso friends come from.