Simple question, but this can have a deep answer.

For me, it's not just a single motive thing.

One reason is that its an outlet for me. A healthy distraction of sorts from life's bull-plop.

Another reason, is that it's fuel for me. Channeling my creativity into something I enjoy gets me really pumped up.

Its fun. Period.

Yet another reason has to do with my approach to music. Recently, I'm delving into experimental territory. I like taking the path less traveled (or the path not traveled at all) on purpose, even if that path might be considered a less appealing than a conventional approach. Rebellion? Going against the grain? That's more of a by-product than my motive, but being different / sticking out, adds a sweetness to the music I make. I'm not sure if I know why that is.

As much as I like to hear "Dude! That sounds great!" or similar sentence long compliments, this is not why I make music... ....anymore. ^_^

What about you guys?

I'm really not a good musician--at all. I probably shouldn't even reply to this, but I'm sure it will make for an entertaining read . What I've recorded so far I've forced to work by sheer will and not skill, haha. So, I'll say the basis has primarily been because I'd like to be involved in making the kind of music I love to listen to and spend inordinate amounts of money on. Basically, I'm a fan of grind and brutal death who also owns a couple guitars, mic, and recording software. Srs. I bought a guitar cause I was like, 'mang I have [at the time ] 400 CDs... it'd hardly cost me a fraction of that moneda to buy a guitar and make some'uh my own music.'

I've never taken lessons, had people teach me how to play, or practiced diligently. Essentially, I only practice when I write and record. Yep. That being the case, you could say one reason I make music is to make better music.

Fun is definitely a factor. Mystery Eternal is lots of fun for me. Eternal Doomery was a blast to record and a couple of the songs make me laugh every time I listen to them. It's also a definite show of appreciation for someone who's kept the Christian grind scene moving and active. Broc Toney doesn't just give Broc Toney to the world, he inspires and literally gets other Christian bands united to release their music, too. So, the motive there isn't just for me to have fun but to give back to someone else.

One of my other projects is definitely more serious in the 'why.' Both in purpose and inspiration. It's made it the most important one to me and is where I'm focusing all my ideas at the moment. I'm excited.

That's pretty much it. I don't think I'm artistic, or musical, but I like music and I like artistic expression enough to take a botched stab at it.

Because I'm bored.

because satan told me

Yay Fireprophet!

Meh Treedemon, Jim

Basically, back when I started, it was more or less to get a different side of me out there. Since I've always been into art, manifestation has always been important... just the feeling of having something completed and out there.

These days I have also been learning a lot about life and myself in the midst of my musical journey... it's really interesting. It's also just something I simply do now, and don't question why I do it. I couldn't really stop doing so because it is engrained in my existence.

To rep God's name and be a vessel of light for those who dwell in the utter darkness.

and much like Elan said... I can't stop, it's engrained in my existence.

I was raised in a house where my dad had bands all the time, he was also a concert promoter and bouncer so i was always around it, i started making my own music (drone and ambient) in 93 and never stopped, no real reason behind it other than a true love of music and its creation

TheDarkSlayer wrote:

To rep God's name and be a vessel of light for those who dwell in the utter darkness.

and much like Elan said... I can't stop, it's engrained in my existence.

What project(s) are you in?

ELAN wrote:

These days I have also been learning a lot about life and myself in the midst of my musical journey... it's really interesting. It's also just something I simply do now, and don't question why I do it. I couldn't really stop doing so because it is engrained in my existence.

This. I see this quite a bit in myself now that you say that.

However, even though its something I do now, for me it's seasonal and/or based on circumstances. When I was homeless and/or in the depths of my addiction, I not only didn't make music, but didn't even THINK about making it.....

for years.

So much for it really being a part of me.

cause I believe its what I was created to do. I can't go a day without singing at least a prayer to God. Its part of who I am, as natural to me as breathing. The only time I feel truely conected to God is when I'm singing to Him. So since He gave this to me, I dedicate it to Him & ask Him daily to use me to reach many for His Kingdom.
Music is one of the most potent tools on the earth, it can pull on emotions in an instant, make something thats completely uncool = COOL to multitudes of people.
It can make you cry, laugh, enraged, happy, feel powerfull or pull you down into depression.
Depending on how it is used it can be a great tool for the Lord or against Him.
I believe He made me this way, to be a voice for Him in the Musical Relm.

yes indeed, music is a great journey.

Because I can. And coz everybody else=doin it wrong.

It helps me make sense of this hell we call life.

psh. There is no sense to be made. There is no ******* justice in life.

olias wrote:

psh. There is no sense to be made. There is no ******* justice in life.

yea there is. This just isn't actually life. That's why there is no justice. This is part of death. Death is a process and existance.. not just that thing we typically think of.

where do you come up with this stuff?

The Bible


Jesus.. says " I am the Way , The Truth and The Life".

So he is either mentally ill, lying.. or this existence is not actually Life. I believe the later is true.

The wages of sin is death, we 'live' in a world of sin. You could say this 'life' is death in an abstract manner and be correct. It's all perspective and how you define things.

Making music is fun, sometimes cathartic. I'm pretty bad at it, though.

Indirectly it can be inferred. However I tend to not mince words. We exist. We are "alive" in the sense of being animated in the flesh. You can call that spiritual death, but all that is to me is metaphysical poetry which means little in the here and now. I am flesh, and when I am dead, then I shall be dead. What happens after I have no control over, other than how I live my life now, which is with honor and courage. I do not fear death, because it is coming, one way or the other.

All the music I have ever made has been made because I have ideas and things that are literally clawing to get out. Sometimes it has been made to glorify God, sometimes it has been just for fun, sometimes it's somewhere in between.

I don't strictly make music to be "Christian" music. I feel that there are other avenues to be explored and made whole, rather than kind of forcing myself to write Christian things.

I feel that music needs to be just as much art as anything. The artistic side needs to shine through or I'm just not happy with it. Just like OMW's album "An Autumn Moon". It was more of an artistic expression.

That's what music is all about for me.

Ever since I started piano lessons at 11 yrs old.. I've been hooked. I started guitar at 14 yrs old.. and starting writing songs soon after that.

Musik runs in my family. Me dad played guitar.. my mom played piano.. my grand-dad played guitar. My sole surviving grandmother is a singer ( and dancer, like me *,,* ).

My famous 2nd uncle, Rick Nielson, is the guitar player in Cheap Trick.

I've been playing guitar for about 12 yrs now. and have always wanted to play in some sort of a band. And I got that little taste for a few months. It was fun but it didnt last. So I started making my own music. I make music because I get some ideas for a song and I think "Man, that would be pretty cool if (insert band here) did that in a song". So I just said, Well.... I could just do it myself. I sucked at it a lot. But I got better at it. And now, it's more of a release. I get frustrated at work, or I just feel real good, Or I just have this burning feeling inside me that tells me to play. And I just make it. Thats why i have my solo project "Ethereal Messenger".

But, I also have a good sense of humor. And thats why I have my OTHER (haha) solo project called "The Patient Died Suddenly". And thats where I just scream about nonsense. And I enjoy that too sometimes. I enjoy it a lot. Just singing about me getting hungry or getting yelled at by some lady in the mall and having dreams of banshees killing me is fun.

It's almost like a diary. I don't know. haha..... thats me though.

I just get so much inpsiration from different things that I always find myself starting to put a song together in my head so I go into my studio and just record my ideas. I build riff catalogs of my guitar and bass bits and then pull them together for song ideas.