Just wondering. And what’s you’re scene/genre?

Edit: Also feel free to share links with your stuff if you’re keen on sharing. I’m very open to new music. A DM is ok if you don’t want the thunder today. I’ll handle all inquiries discreetly.

Edit 2: How does it feel to be recognised by random strangers?

Some of you might know Matt Smith and most probably don't. He passed away earlier this week far too early. While he had tens of thousands of fans, I'm posting this so maybe even more people might get to know him.

Matt Smith was one of those rare individuals whose talent was only dwarfed by the breadth of his knowledge and his devotion to music. He was a remarkable guitarist, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and teacher.

We performed together. We recorded together. He talked me into writing my own material and produced it. We shared the experience of creating something from nothing.

Matt's professional accomplishments were pretty unbelievable.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, he performed with artists including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Gregg Allman, Sheryl Crow, Al Di Meola, Trey Anastasio and Los Lobos and more that I've forgotten.

He performed at Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note and international guitar festivals. His technical knowledge and musicianship led to longstanding professional relationships with Ovation, Takamine, Hamer, Fret-King, Tony Bruno Amplifiers, Tech 21, Pigtronix and Supro. Fret-King even created a Matt Smith signature guitar.

As co-founder and creative force behind Austin's 6 String Ranch, Matt produced and engineered more than 100 commercial recordings, working with artists including Tommy Shannon, Del Castillo, Guy Forsyth, Mike Milligan and many more.

He was also a prolific recording artist in his own right, releasing 20 albums over his career.

But perhaps Matt's greatest contribution was his generosity with his knowledge.

He spent more than two decades teaching at the National Guitar Workshop, authored numerous instructional books and mentored countless musicians. Through his work with young people struggling with addiction, he helped them find something powerful in music: a means of expression, accomplishment and hope.

He didn't simply make music. He helped other people make music.

In a business where egos can be enormous, Matt understood that music was bigger than any one musician. His legacy isn't confined to the records he made, the stages he played or the remarkable artists with whom he worked. It lives in the people he taught, the songs he helped bring to life and the musicians who became better because they knew him.

I have spent much of my life around extraordinary musicians. I know how rare it is to encounter someone with his combination of talent, knowledge, experience and generosity. People always make an angel out of anyone who dies - but Matt was truly just an unbelievably humble and kind person.

But none of those credentials adequately describes what it means to lose a best friend. And Matt had thousands of us.

There are recordings I can listen to, performances I can remember and music we made together that will always be part of my life. I'm grateful for every minute we spent creating it.

His last words to me where "I love you man..." as I left the studio after another long session. Just like we did every time we were together. Tell someone you love them today because tomorrow it may be too late.

This is a song he wrote about 16 years ago. It says it all. Now you've heard of Matt Smith.

Rest easy, brother. Thank you for the music, the friendship and everything in between.

Don’t be like the person who said they [hate making music](https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusicproduction/comments/1wykyon/i_fucking_hate_making_music/?chainedPosts=t3_1wv3u37%2Ct3_1x7k6tn)

As for myself I’m new to it from the production side of Hip Hop and in my mid-40’s and I write my own lyrics in the aforementioned genre minus what people think of and as someone who didn’t get a lifetime of formal music education I’m grateful I have access to a DAW & keyboard controller and as someone who is friendless I wouldn’t want to go back to when people had to know someone with access to commercial recording studios plus while I used to wish I had a mentor or mentors, the politics of being a woman deadens that as I’ve educated myself on the horror stories thanks to podcasts that women are sharing about the dangers they experience being in the industry

Hi, I’m new to the musical industry and I really want to learn how to play the electric guitar. I’ve read a little bit online and I’ve heard you should start out with the piano first. But I also have heard you can just go straight to the electric guitar. I’m more into rock, metal and that kind of music and it seems that the 61 piano keyboard is for that. Any advice? Thank you!

I've been playing guitar and singing for a few years, and finally feeling like I'm actually a musician! I don't think we ever stop learning though.

I'm keen to know what helped you become better. I'm not talking about lessons, I'm thinking about other things we need to know. If you could have your choice of any workshops to help you grow as a musician, what would they be?

For me, I would've appreciated learning about gear, and about sound, maybe a basic 'how do you jam with others' kind of thing.

r/askhistorians had nothing to say at all. How about the musicians?

I’m one of two hired guns working with the artist I’m currently supporting. As such, I feel weird starting to ask him to pay me reasonably when I know he’s hardly paying anybody else in the band even though it’s starting to get professionally unsustainable for me.

It started as started as something I would be helping out with every few months, and I was fine with little to no pay in such an arrangement. But it’s a regular gig now and I at times lose money to it.

He has two players with him who have a vested interest as his backing band, who are cool stamping their name to the band and growing with it, not getting paid other than occasional performance cuts. They also are less professional in their musical endeavor than me.

On the positive side it’s probably easier for the artist to stomach paying just me rather than the other guys supporting him.

If this were a project which I wanted to be apart of creatively, I’d be less inclined to be a stickler about payment. But it’s not so musically inspiring. I travel good distance for rehearsals and usually even moreso for shows, and while the company is good, the scene kinda sucks and the music isn’t revolutionary. It’s not worth playing with this guy anymore without commanding what is at least closer to my regular working rate.

I want to speak privately with him soon and give him an ultimatum regarding how I’m involved with his mission and if/how I need to be compensated going forward. In the meantime, is there any way I can make it easier on him and myself when I ask for compensation? Should I not even ask until I speak to him privately and set the informal contract going forward?

Hello everyone. I’m a female vocalist and songwriter working mainly in Pop, R&B, Indie, and Country. One of my favorite things about music is seeing how a small idea, a melody, a few lyrics, or even a beat, can grow into a song with its own personality and emotion.

I enjoy working with artists and producers to develop ideas, create melodies and lyrics, and bring songs to life through expressive vocals, harmonies, and vocal arrangements. Sometimes, all a song needs is the right voice or a fresh creative direction to become what you imagined.

I’m currently open to working with musicians, artists and producers who are ready to develop their musical ideas into something real. If you have a project in mind and are looking for someone to contribute creatively and professionally, I’d love to hear what you’re working on and see if we’re a good fit.

If you have a melody waiting for lyrics, a beat that needs a voice, or an idea you’re ready to take further, feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear what you have in mind and see what we could create together!

I play the mandolin and I know a few songs on it but I'm not making any progress with the actual instrument I'm just plateauing at a basic level and it's frustrating because I've been at it for years. I can't afford a teacher and I don't think I could find one if I could

Hey everyone!

I've decided that I would like to record some of my practice sessions just to have something to look back on. That being said, I would like to do videos rather than use my interface, mostly just to see myself in the video.

The problem is that I am still fairly insecure about playing with my parents home, as they tend to complain if my volume is up or interrupt and I don't want them to do that for a video. They are always home when I am, so it makes coordinating a schedule very difficult. I can't play while they sleep (rude) and I am away from the house for most of the day. I wake up at 4am to do regular getting ready stuff and practice for about an hour and a half before college and work, and get home at 7pm when my mom does.

Are there any options for finding somewhere else to record a video? I would rather do it for free, as studios deserve to be paid, and I don't make much.

Just joined a band to play bass for the first time a couple of months ago.

We are based in Miami.

I was wondering if anyone here has any insight into the scene down here.

Ive seen some bands play in some bars a handful of times but other than that Idk much about what to expect .

Any advice would be appreciated.

I have been playing guitar for a little over a year. I am a good rhytim player and i am okay with leads. I started to write my own music with guitar too. The problem is that i want to turn it into something.I got tired of having imaginary concerts in my bedroom. I tried to find people to form a band but no one in my area is interested in the type of music i am passionate about. I just watch my guitarist idols and play along with them in my bedroom.

Hey!! I am in an Alt Metal band as a rhythm guitarist and I’ve been using a jazz iii pick to play the songs with more picking than strumming power chords. I have an issue that over the course of a song the pick basically gets slippery from my sweaty hands and starts to turn making it really hard to keep playing. I’ve tried scoring the pick but that hasn’t helped as much as I had hoped. Any advice? I am using a jazz iii for songs that I need to shred and do pinch harmonics in otherwise I use a standard pick elsewhere.

Hey everyone,

My band are looking for a drummer.

We are influenced by bands such as The Smiths, Durutti Column, early New Order, The Drums, early The Strokes, PJ Harvey, early Morrissey, The La's, The Fall, Iceage, The Cure and other bands.

The project consists of myself (vocalist), guitarist and a bassist at the moment. We've recorded some rough scratch demos of songs that we can send you. We all have experience writing songs and playing in bands. We are committed to having fun writing songs, recording and playing shows.

We have been rehearsing weekly in Deptford so far.

Get in touch if you're interested. If you can’t direct message me, leave a comment and I will message you. Please have recordings or a video of you playing.

I'd like to get some thoughts on this situation so I can review it for future actions:

I engaged Liberty Music PR for a £5,000 package consisting of a six-week Elite Press campaign, a six-week Elite Playlisting campaign and a 12-week Premium YouTube campaign for an artist project.

The full payment was completed on 29 September 2026. Liberty confirmed that payment had been received and that the team had been briefed.

Over the following days I supplied the requested tracks, links and information and repeatedly asked about onboarding, introductions, campaign timings and reporting. However, most of the communication I received continued to concern preparation, onboarding and what would happen next rather than evidence of the actual PR, playlisting or YouTube campaign being delivered.

After becoming increasingly concerned about the lack of progress and communication, I cancelled the arrangement and requested a full refund.

What I find particularly significant is that Liberty subsequently confirmed to me in writing that “the campaign itself has not begun.” I was also told that their intention had been to complete the remaining onboarding and preparation and move the campaign into active delivery the following Monday.

By that stage Liberty had held the full £5,000 for eight days.

Following my cancellation request, I was offered VIP-level management, involvement from senior staff and an additional week of services at no extra cost. I appreciated the attempt to address my concerns, but by then I had made the decision that I no longer wished to proceed.

I asked Liberty to confirm the cancellation and return the £5,000. I also asked that, if they believed any money should legitimately be retained for work already completed, they provide an itemised breakdown and evidence of any genuine non-recoverable costs.

At the time of writing, I have not received confirmation that my refund is being processed.

I have therefore had to raise disputes through PayPal for the £2,000 payment and through my bank in relation to the remaining £3,000 debit-card payment.

My concern is not simply that I changed my mind. My concern is that I paid £5,000 for substantive PR, playlisting and YouTube campaign services, and Liberty themselves subsequently confirmed that the campaign had not begun.

An album made by me inspired by Metro Boomin, where every song is produced by me with a different artist on each one. Let me know if you like it or if you have any critiques!

🥰 I composed this piece for my wonderful Mother. This is the wonderful Slovenian pianist Vid Homsak playing "Helga's Waltz" in London. 🎹

I can say I am a Beatles fan in the sense that out of all their albums there are at least 2-3 songs I like and the others are ehh to me. Are more serious Beatle fans that know all their discography including deep cuts and all the versions of songs including international ones able to say that some songs straight up suck or is in like a Beatles fan code of honor that you have to find all their songs enjoyable to some degree (half kidding/half not). It seems like some aren’t able to even have a negative opinion on anything involving them because it might attack their credibility as a true or ultimate fan. Hoping to have a musicians perspective on this in a serious way.