# It's that time of the year again...for Resolutions



## midphase (Dec 28, 2010)

Ok...let's hear 'em -- What are your resolutions for 2011?


During this last full year in the existence of mankind, I plan to get more involved with other creative outlets that lately I have been thinking more about.

First of all, I plan on shooting my first short...ok...not counting this one: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4v8RY8n9Rk 

I got me one of those cool DSRL that shoots video over the holidays and I plan to put it to full use.


Secondly, I'd like to get more involved in concert work, I have a couple of piano pieces which I would like to have performed (I can't play them because I'm a lousy pianist). Perhaps some of you might have some insight in how to go about that.

Of course I'm hoping that 2011 will bring me some good films to be involved in...but that's more of a wish than a resolution.

Other than that, I'm continuing to try and cut back on sweets and fatty foods, while still enjoying good cooking (I just have to be smarter about it). I'm also planning to get my butt on my bike more, I used to go riding on a daily basis and then this past year I kinda stopped.

Anyway....what are you all's resolutions for 2011? Perhaps one of yours is a good one for me to add to my list as well!


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## lux (Dec 28, 2010)

*Re: It's that time of the year again...*



..just adding some soundtrack on it


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## whinecellar (Dec 28, 2010)

*Re: It's that time of the year again...*

Man, I've been trying to stick to this for years: WRITE for at least 30 minutes a day! In the midst of project deadlines, touring, and of course being a husband, a dad and a friend - it tends to get lost in the shuffle.

30 minutes a day seems so easy to come up with, and I shudder to think of the ideas I'd have sitting around if I stuck with it...

Anyway, here's to 2011! Maybe I'll find (or make) a way this time around!


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## snowleopard (Dec 29, 2010)

Take more risks. Be bold. That's my only resolution. But overall I just hope to have a better year (2010 was probably the worst of my entire life).


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## Dan Mott (Dec 30, 2010)

I suppose I hope to be more productive.


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## SergeD (Dec 31, 2010)

Where else to write musical resolutions ? 

1. Put two 9V batteries in my beautiful Godin guitar and compose every day. Develop my skills and be more tight on guitar. 

2. Stay away from samples for a while trying to explore music where no man has landed. Be realistic and approach music on the business side. Develop a product (yes, a product) that will make people happy (i.e. make $$). 

3. Find a talented female folk writer and singer which will love the compositions. 

4. Play and test if the songs make people happy (i.e. make $$) 

5. Back to samples. Find a creative music arranger which will love the songs and help to spread a tiny delicate hip-hop coating to the folk album.

6. Sell the cake which will make people happy (i.e. make $$).

7. And lastly contribute (i.e. give $$) to this nice forum. 

Edit: Good news, the batteries are installed.

SergeD


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## Farkle (Dec 31, 2010)

Hey, I'll weigh in! 

Okay... hmm... this year was really weird for me. Long and short is, I live in Philly, which has (*#&$-all opportunities for music. I've been battling all year to try to find ways for people to actually pay me for music. It's been depressing, to say the least.

HOWEVER, it turns out that I have kick-ass biz development skills, so everyone wants me to drive a non-profit that I started (promoting video game development in Philadelphia), and also help them with their video game studios. Unfortunately, I'm too good-hearted, and haven't charged for this work, b/c I was hoping that by doing all this, people would turn around and hire me for audio. Well, that didn't happen. 

So, this year, is about three things: 1. Balance in my life (time with my family, time at the gym b/c I'm pudgy and unhealthy). 2. Valuing the non-musical things I do (meaning, charging for them). 3. Kicking back into gear my professional music writing (production library music, pitching for TV animation and video games, and minimizing audio things that _aren't_ composing (like sound FX and Dialogue production).

So, here's some bullet points for me to resolve for. 

1. Gym 4 days a week with my family. Combination of weight lifting and martial arts. Stop work at 4 PM, so I can go to the gym. Period. 

2. Continue to train and develop EIS (I've just about finished book 2). I've been _pretty_ good about putting my time in, but I want to ramp up a bit this year. Clock in 60 minutes a day of EIS.

3. Clock in 60 minutes a day of composing for the sheer joy of it (production music, fun orchestral cues, prog rock stuff). I've been pursuing too much "work-for-hire" stuff, and it's been negatively affecting my own compositional instincts.

4. Work to develop my two entrepreneurial businesses to take off. I have a couple of irons in the fire for a chance to have ownership of a single video game project, and also have a video game studio (that I'm part owner and Chief Operating Officer of) that's pitching it's first title. My goal is to have one (or both) of those hit, by July 2010. The way I figure it, why not own a piece of the company, and the project, instead of just trying to pitch as a service provider?

5. Cut back all the free @#(*$& I've been doing for other people. Channel my "inner jerk" and treat all requests as business negotiations, rather than "favors for friends". All that help I give doesn't create work for me, and wastes time; time I could spend composing. So, time to channel my "inner dick"!. 


So, Kays, those are my resolutions. Basically, get some balance back in my life, start charging appropriate rates for my stuff, and "re-find the fun" in my composing, by hitting EIS hard, and writing every day.

Oh, and Number 6? Listen to more Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Hisaishi, and Rush (Canadian prog trio). Those guys are GENIUS! 

Happy New Year to everyone!

Mike


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## Daniel (Dec 31, 2010)

1. build a good accoustic room for music arrangements job & for vocal booth
2. want to have LASS (LASS 2 ??) /Symphobia 1//Hollywood Strings GOld/Cubase 5/
3. PC and RAM upgrade 

Thx to Frederick & all members in this lovely forum, I've owned Requiem Light, Orchestral String Runs and HollywoodWinds for the closed 2010 
Happy New Year 2011! Success for all 

Best regards,
Daniel


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## midphase (Dec 31, 2010)

Farkle @ Fri Dec 31 said:


> 2. Continue to train and develop EIS (I've just about finished book 2). I've been _pretty_ good about putting my time in, but I want to ramp up a bit this year. Clock in 60 minutes a day of EIS.




Man....60 minutes a day of EIS is tough....I wish I had that stamina!


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## Farkle (Dec 31, 2010)

Lol. Really? For this year, I averaged between 30 and 60 minutes a day, EIS, 6 days a week. But, I was _really_ obsessive compulsive about my homework. Ask Craig, I labeled and documented everything. 

But, now that I'm on book 3 and 4, I'm really thinking I need to "review" book 2, while learning book 3 and 4; hence the 60 min. Actually, I really like EIS first thing in the morning; it's a great way to "train the musical muscles"; and it's definitely opened up my compositional instincts.

Okay, I'm adding a #7 to my New Year's resolutions:

7. Post my music, once a month, to VI-Control, for advice and feedback. Lemme put out what EIS has been helping me do, and get some of my newer tunes out to the world. 

Happy New Year!

Mike


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## Farkle (Dec 31, 2010)

Kays, I definitely agree with you, 60 min. of EIS is inspiring, but also mentally tiring; I usually need an hour off afterwards, because my musical brain is pretty tired. 

But, I think of Scott Smalley and others, who can crank out 3 min. of orchestral music a day, and that keeps me going...

...

Most days. 

Mike


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## midphase (Dec 31, 2010)

Usually I need to crank out about 6-7 minutes of orchestral music a day...what does that make me?


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## johan25 (Jan 1, 2011)

I'm hoping that 2011 will bring me good health and peaceful mind, to be nice and loving to others.

And of course, to grow as an composer, learn more about music, composition, harmony and orchestration.

Cheers


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## Farkle (Jan 1, 2011)

midphase @ Sat Jan 01 said:


> Usually I need to crank out about 6-7 minutes of orchestral music a day...what does that make me?




Frighteningly fast, midphase... frighteningly fast. 

Good lord, that is a serious amount of music! I can do 2 minutes of orchestral music a day, if I do the full 9 hours. I could do more if I work the Evolve/Stylus/Omnisphere game, but 6 minutes of orchestral music per day?

That's awesome, midphase, congratulations! May I ask, how you do it? Because if I could get up to that speed.... well, then, that would rule! 

Mike


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## NYC Composer (Jan 1, 2011)

I could not do 6-7 minutes or orch scoring in a 14 hr day, and I thought i was pretty fast.

Is this just music, or is it scoring?


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## snowleopard (Jan 1, 2011)

I can't compose 6-7 minutes of ANY kind of music a day. So color me impressed.


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## midphase (Jan 1, 2011)

Farkle @ Sat Jan 01 said:


> That's awesome, midphase, congratulations! May I ask, how you do it? Because if I could get up to that speed.... well, then, that would rule!




Sorry...didn't mean to sound like I was bragging...and for the record, I'm sure I'm not the only one who does that when needed.

A few points about this:

1. I don't like cranking out that many minutes of score a day.

2. I didn't say it was "good" music. It's orchestral and it's scored to picture...and that's probably about as much as I can admit to...but I wouldn't consider it my best output, not even close.

3. I try not to agonize over choices, instrumentation, or realism. It sounds fine to the director and that's all I really care about...but it's definitely painting in very broad strokes to say the least.


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## Lunatique (Jan 2, 2011)

1) Continue to focus on music when I have the time and elevate the quality of my work to the next level and replace pretty much everything that's currently on my site with better, newer, improved tracks. Also redesign the music page on my site so it's more streamlined.

2) Create a new art workshop since the current one has run its course (after repeated runs). I have a list of topics I'd want to focus on, and it'll be hard narrowing it down to just one. Also, I'm very meticulous and a perfectionist, so it'll likely take a while to create. The current workshop took me over a year and half to create, so this is really serious hard work.

3) I've gotten some good writing done in 2010--stuff that actually reads back satisfyingly, as opposed to making me cringe. I think this is a sign that I've matured and grown as a writer, and I suspect it's getting close to that time where I concentrate on finishing a novel or screenplay and send it out there to meet publishers/studios.

4) I'd love to spend more time working out, but every single year I fail at this. Will 2011 be any different?

5) If I happen to finish my current batch of music before 2011 ends, I might change my focus the multimedia novel project again.


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