In the music industry, music will progress and continue to change as years come and go. If you are a musician, have you ever wondered about whether or not anyone will be able to create a unique sound that hasnt already been done by another musician. Will you be ok with using that musicians sound or ideas? One of the largest problems with the music industry that musicians will face is the individualty of their own music.

In a recent case, famous band Led Zeppelin was sued by the band Spirit for their song Stairway to Heaven. Page says he wrote the music and Plant has claimed the lyrics, saying Stairway was an original. In several hours of often-animated and amusing testimony, they described the craft behind one of rock’s best-known songs. Now obviously the story has two sides, someone can look at this and be mad because of the hard work and dedication put into a particular song. Now on the side it is very possible to have been re-created accidentally. There are only so many chord progressions that can a guitar has.

For musicians who deeply connect with the music of artists they love, it can be tempting to work out of the same playbook of your musical inspirations. But because music that embraces new ideas almost always proves to be the most impactful, imitating your musical influences is a bad idea. It will only bring backlash from other listeners who do not appreciate the influence as much as one would think. Here’s a few other reasons why you should develop your own musical ideas and not those of songwriters that have influenced you

A more recent band came to the scene in 2015 by the name of Greta Van Fleet, a Michigan young band that sounded old. They rocked and brought back a glimpse of music from the 70’s. Many criticized the band for their resemblence of the sound Led Zeppelin. From the high vocals to the fast guitar playing, it was obvious who their influence was. The band has acknowledged the resemblence but have brushed off the hate by adding that they are doing what they love.

Music listeners are typically a lot more aware than you might think. It’s a bad idea to imitate your influences because whether they know exactly why or not, they’ll probably be able to detect an inauthentic element in your music. Even with having no background information what so ever. Yes, paving your own musical path might takes years of risk, trial and error and hard work, but at least it one will be able to claim that as there own, rather than claiming it of someone else. What’s new, fresh and challenging in music usually rises to the top, so try developing your own ideas rather than borrowing them from your idols. It will most likely prevent backlash in the future.

Whether you have realized it or not, your unique musical sense of identity is already informed by hundreds of artists responsible for making the music you’ve heard in the world around you since you were born. From holiday jingles or even jingles meant to sell food or to the recent playlist you’ve been obsessing over, it’s impossible to make music that’s not somewhat informed by the work of someone else. In light of this, the process of discovering and developing your own unique voice or musical skills as a songwriter is more important than ever.

To dig down to the main problem or issue, when can a person be said to own something like a chord progression or melody? Especially in a world where everyone is inspired by someone else. Where is the line that seperates plagiarism and influence? Under the Copyright Act of 1976, which took effect in 1978, anytime a person writes or records an original piece of music, a copyright automatically exists. That means that the musicians certain pattern of progression is theirs.

Another issue that occurs in todays music is the lack of creativity. The scary thing about it is that you cant tell one thing from another. The two biggest music genre’s as of 2019 are unfortunetly Hip Hop and Country. Although country is big, it isnt quite as large as Hip Hop and Pop. Unfortunetly it has been socially accepted for music to not be complicated and well thought. Music in todays society mostly consists of a few words and not much more. The instuments are created by robots and machines leaving the artist to do nothing.

Pop originated from the rock ‘n’ roll of the 1950s but typically refers to chart friendly music. Over the years, the ideas of pop have dramatically changed. For instance Jimi Hendrix used to be considered pop by some where as now it is centered around more rap like artists. A pop single tends to be between three and five minutes in length, and they have long been built around a golden formula of hook and big chorus. We’re also waving goodbye to the traditional singer, songwriter, and bands who write their own material.

It has been socially accepted for the past several years for musicians to create very simple music and get away with it. Artists in the past felt their music, were passionate about their music and that has slowly ended every year. People dont like complicated music because it takes a little more brain power to listen to and that is too hard for people. Overall music is one of the most powerful things in the world and with that being said it shouldnt be taken lightly or as a joke.

Honey Tone Amplifier

The Honey Tone Amp is a beginner amplier that is very affordable and reliable to the first time player. On the internet the Honey Tone amp ranges from 2o to 50 dollars. One of the several versitile features about the amp is that it runs off of Double A battery’s. This allows the player to practice in any enviroment without electricity and cables. The amp supplies three knobs of which are volume, tone, and over-drive. The tone will alow the player to control just how sharp the output of the sound is through the amplifier where the over drive will determine how clean the output is. The amplifier is just under the size of my hand leaving it very capable to carry around, whether a person is traveling or just going to a friends. In addition to its size it offers a clip on the back that can be clipped to a belt or just about any type of pants. This is a very handy feature because it adds an easy access feature to the product. Lastly, the product offers a headphone jack that could come in handy late at night. The last thing parents want to hear is a loud guitar noise at night. This option allows players to practice when ever whether it is really late or really early. Overall this product is very reliable and useful to a beginning player.

Fender Squier sp.10 Amplifier

The Fender Squier amplifier is a beginner practice amp the ranges on the internet from 20 to 80 dollars. The amplifiers size is about 10 by 10 inches leaving a little larger in size than the Honey Tone amp. As far as the customization the amp offers, volume, treble, bass, and overdrive control. This is a little more in depth than the Honey Tone amp. In addition to the controls on the amp, the amp is a lot louder than the Honey Tone amp. It has very limited volume capabilities though as it is not quite loud enough to play live with a band. This amplifier is a basic tube amp, this means that they are built in good quality and will last a good amount of time. The only down side to the tube amp is it doesnt have effects to acompany the sound. This would require the player to spend hundreds of dollars on other effect pedals that they wanted. The Amplifier also offers a head phone jack but with the plug in of a guitar cable. This was popular back then and would be a little harder to use in modern times. Overall the amp is a reliable and decent in sound. It offers a soft sound as well as a hard rock sound that would relate to a wide variety of players. It does have its few con’s but are very minor and are outweighed by the pro’s.

Fender Mustang GT 200

The Mustang GT 200 is a new series of amplifiers by fender that range from 400 to 600 dollars without warranty. The amplifiers size is about 2o by 25 inches leaving the amp towering over the last two. The amp carries a total of 8 control knobs. That from which are the gain, volume, treble, bass, middle, reverb, master volume, and the effect knob. This amplifier offers deep control of the sound to meet players needs. Adding to the sound the amp carries two celestion stereo speakers that are loud enough to play live events and so fourth. The weight of the amp is very excellent for its size. It is built with light weight technology so that the player can carry the amp around to gigs without much struggle. This is very important to alot of people because it is hard to find an amp with good volume and weight ratios. Purchasing the amp brand-new includes a footswitch control pedal that allows looping, deeper control of effects as well as access to presets for songs. To dive deeper into the functions of the amplifier, it offers a regular headphone jack as well as an auxilary port. This will allow late night playing and for whomever to play along to any song they’d like. The amp offers approximetly 200 preset sounds but can also allow creation of presets beyond that. What this will allow players to do is experiment with different sounds without spending hundreds of dollars and effect pedals and other equipment. In addition the amp allow bluetooth and wifi connection that will often update the amplifier to newer material that is offered. Overall this amp is an excellent amp that offers alot to an experienced player. It would definetly be too much for a new player but offers cheaper models in the series.

Grandmother

My grandmother was one of the most influential people that I had ever met throughout my early years. Growing up my father and uncle were raised in a small trailer park in Ypsilanti by my Grandmother. My father and uncle made their way out of the trailer park as they grew in their old age but my Grandmother never did. She raised them by herself while dealing with several money issues along with abusive relationships as they would come and go. I would hear stories of how she would sometimes have to sell items in her house, just so that my father and uncle could have a christmas. The thing that people dont understand is that trailer parks used to be very nice, then as time went on people created a term of trailer trash because of the crowd they attracted. One thing I will always remember is the awful shape her trailer park was in. I would drive throughout the whole park looking at the way people didnt take care of the things they owned and then I would see my Grandmothers house. It would stand out because of the amazing condition she kept it in. She was so influential because of the fact that she didnt own very many expensive items, yet she would take so much pride in everything she had. She taught me that every item has a meaning behind it and if it doesnt, then it shouldnt matter. She was the person that got me hooked on the good oldies music. Her endless supply of records and other music had me fall in love with it. I spent most of my life with her, where she would take me to school and pick me up every day while my parents were off at work. One thing she told me that I’ll never forget, ” Nathan, dont ever steal from me. If you want something ask and I’ll give it to you. If you steal then I wont forgive you.” This was one of the several life lessons I learned from her throughout my years. Upon my Grandmas suffering throughout her life, she went on to get cancer from which she beat 3 times. Closer to the present, she got cancer for her fourth time. By now she was 71 and was 4’11 weighing 82 pounds. She had been tired and exhausted of fighting the cancer before and didnt feel she was capable of it again. I moved her into my house were she lived out her final day’s. Passing on October 3. 2018 my Grandma left me with one of the best stories Ive ever known, mine and her relationship. She told me not to be upset when she dies because we all do someday. She suffered her entire life and was now free and happy. She was truly the most amazing person and taught me to appreciate the little things. When thing I will never make a mistake forgetting is to not take anything for granted because you dont ever know how long you have in the world.

Greta Van Fleet

Greta Van Fleet is a rock band based out of Frankenmuth Michigan that first arose to the scene in 2015. By this point in my life, rock music had been at an all-time low and I had been listening to just about all of the good stuff previously. I had heard just about everything when one summer I heard a new band that had sounded very familiar. Their band almost exploded my mind with the cutting sharp voice, groovy bass riffs and a guitar style that could not be mistaken. Greta Van Fleet consists of 3 brothers; Josh Kizska, Jake Kizska, Sam Kizska and their friend Danny Wagner on the drums. When they first blew up in 2018 I remember the excitement that filled me because of the fact I was listening to something new that sounded old again. Yet despite their old and groovy sound, some people do not like the resemblence their music has to the older band Led Zeppelin. When Greta Van Fleet came out with their second album later in the year of 2018, several article columns tore them apart because they didnt like them. Pitchfork, a well known blog website had rated Greta Van Fleet a 1.6 out of 10. Essentially people wanted them to create their own sound and not copy Led Zeppelin. So when they did exactly that, people still were not happy with the outcome of the album. Yet Despite all of the hate that have been recieving lately, they are continuing to sell out every single show across the world doing what they love. One reason they are so inspirational to me is because of the fact they are doing what I want to do and they are my age. I heard how amazing music was when I was young and understood that I wanted to play it for the rest of my life. I have the belief that they experienced that same feeling and are actually doing something with it. Seeing them start from nothing to now winning grammy’s for their music is just inspirational to say the least. I can say that with their success it only pushes me to work harder at my dream.

Native Americans

My third pick for influential people is not a single person but a people as a whole that had been treated poorly and robbed countless times by the world. Since August 3rd, 1492, when Christopher Columbus had discovered North America the original people of the U.S had been pushed away to the bottom and no one was allowed to do anything about it. One of the several things that was so inspirational about them was their beliefs and composure for love and for the world. Even though they were being robbed of their land and mistreated, they could still find a way to appreciate their life and the life of nature. You had a people that had lived there for their entire lives, people who respected the enviroment, the animals, the people and did nothing to no one else. Then on the other side you had foreigner’s who poluted the world, tore down the eviroment, killed animals for fun and treated one another poorly. Since a young age my grandmother had been intregued by the Native American past even though she was not connected by any means. She would have indian pictures, stones and everything else you could possibly think of. In todays society some things are offered to Native Americans because of the mistreat that happened to their culture in the past. Things such as free college and so on. All I know is that the a free college will never be able to make up for the mistreatment of that people. They will always be inspiring to me because of the way the were taken advantage of. The times that they were backstabbed, killed moved and the list goes on. Their composure and self peace is something I truly wish to aquire as I grow old. I feel this history serves as a lesson that can be used for several things other than people.

1.Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page was born James Patrick Page in 1944. He is an english musician, song writer and producer that is mostly known for being one of the few who created the rock band Led Zeppelin. First being in the band Yard Birds from 1966 to 1968, then later in 1968 to create Led Zeppelin and change Rock n Roll as people knew it from then on. From his twangy guitar riffs that would cut right through whomever was listening, or the intrecate folk riffs that would create a million little stories in your mind, Jimmy Page could do this. Unfortunately at the passing of Led Zeppelins drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin decided to not play together anymore. Luckily Jimmy Page left behind several master pieces for people to listen to for years to come.

2. Mike Mccready

Mike Mccready was born Michael David Mccready in 1966. He is mostly know by his role in the band Pearl Jam. Although he had been one of the founders of Pearl Jam, he is widely known by many to have been the best Grunge guitarist throughout the time period. His role in bands such as Temple of the Dog, and Mad Season created sounds that will never be artistically created the same again. His strong blues influence along with his mixture of Grunge rock created a heart piercing sound full of emotion. Even with all of the different bands Mccready played in, Pearl Jam still continues to make music and do what they love.

3.Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix, born Johnny Allen Hendrix in 1942 was an American musician, songwriter and singer. Unfortunetly passing at only 27, he left behind some of the most inspiring guitar playing known to Rock music. Born in seattle Jimi Hendrix starting playing guitar at the age of 15. Jimi served in the U.S Army being trained as a paratrooper. Soon afterward, he moved to Clarksville, Tennesse and began playing gigs on the Chitlin Circuit. After some time earning his way in the music industry, Jimi created the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His dirty Blues influence and smooth transitions between fast and smooth rythms made him very well known. Jimi Hendrix had tremendous talent to the extent where he could play with his teeth. At the time period Hendrix played left handed before a left handed guitar was even created. His solution was to just flip the guitar upside down, leaving a hilarious story to be told for years to come.

4. Dimebag Darrell

Dimebag Darrell, born Darrell Lance Abbott was born in August 1966. He was well known at a very young age for his over the top playing style. He is mostly know for his creations of the band Damage Plan and Pantera. Darrell was born in Arlington, Texas where he soon picked up the guitar at age 12. Unfortunately passing at the age of 38 Darrell left the music world with several musical masterpieces. What set him aside from several other Heavy Metal groups was his ability to combine heaviness and groove together. His playing style embodies the true meaning of shredding.

5. Jack White

Jack White, born John Anthony Gillis in Detroit on July 1975 is a very multi-talented musician. Jack is mostly known for his band, The White Stripes and considered by many to have revived garage rock. The band consisted of two people, Jack and his now ex-wife Meg. It is very inspirational to watch them play because of the unique sound they can create with limited numbers. Jack has been in several successful bands including The Raconteurs as well as several solo albums. From the catchy blues riffs to the insane energy, Jack can deliver it all. Although not the most technical and mastered, he plays the genre for what he feels and that is very respectable.

6. Jerry Cantrell

Jerry Cantrell was born Jerry Fulton Cantrell in March 1966. He is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for his role in the band Alice in Chains. During the Grunge movement in seattle, Jerrys’ playing style truely captured the meaning of grunge. From his ability to stay heavy and transition to heavy blues from time to time. Cantrell first picked up a guitar in the 6th grade, but it was not until he was 17 when he started to fully commit himself. Along with several musicians on the following list, Jerry Cantrell was among the few that made me fall in love with the music itself.

7. David Gilmour

David Gilmour was born David Jon Gilmour in March 1946 and is an english singer-songwriter and multi-talented musician. Gilmour was mostly known for his creation of the band Pink Floyd but has created several other succesful solo albums as well. By 2012 the band had sold over 250 million records. Gilmour was well recognized for his psychedelic guitar delays and bone chattering solos. He has the ability to compose songs that were very unordinary but carried the power to make someone cry. One thing that stands out in this guitarist is that his music makes me specifically think about what is going on in my life, somehow allowing me to find a peaceful side through everything.

8. Tom Morello

Tom Morello, born Thomas Baptiste Morello May, 1964 is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist. Morello is mostly known for his role in the band Rage Against the Machine where any listener would be blown away by their impact. Rage Against the Machine made songs about corrupt America and how they were sick of it. Morello was not there to make friends, he was there in that time period to make noise. Tom is known from his numerous catchy riffs as well as his unorthadox solo style. The way that his groovy riffs would mesh with the lyricist would create a sound that has not been matched to this day.

9. Tony Iommi

Tony Iommi, born Anthony Frank Iommi in February 1948 is the guitarist best known for his role in the band Black Sabbath. He is an English songwriter, musician and producer that was born and raised in Birmingham. It was his early teens where he decided to pick up the guitar only because the drums created to much of a racket for his family. At the age of 17 Iommi lost the tips of his middle and ring fingers due to an accident at his sheet metal job. He was told by several doctors that he will not be able to play the guitar anymore due to him being a left-handed guitarist. It is very inspirational because the answer was not good enough for him. He went on to create some of the most powerful riffs known to metal, from his simple yet catchy creations he is known to many as the riff god. Listening to any of his playing would define what true rock and roll is.

10. Jake Kiszka

Jake Kiszka, born in April 1996 is an aspiring new age guitarist. Born and raised in Frankenmuth Michigan, Kiszka is best known for his role in the new band Greta van Fleet. Many has criticized the band for their similarities to the band Led Zeppelin but have responded by acknowledging that the influence is there but are just doing what they love. Jake Kiszka is not the best guitarist by any means but he is on this list because he is bringing back the type of rock that used to be good. Himself along with the other band members continue to put tremendous amounts of feeling and passion to craft songs similiar to the ones they grew up listening. For myself it is an eye opener that someone from where I live and close to my age can make it in the rock industry in hopes to bring it back what once was.

In our lives we encounter several numbers that can be more important than others. Certain numbers that seem to carry out unexpectedly and always show up. Is it possibly the lucky numbers we find inside a fortune cookie or maybe the mysterious, creepy fortune teller machine at a carnival or amusement park. Whether or not it actually comes from those things or simply meant to stick with you, somehow if thought about and found, some numbers will reveal that they have indeed been present multiple times and it is up to whomever to figure that out and what they mean to them.

If I was to think about a number that unexpectedly stuck with me throughout my years, it would be the number 2.

Thinking back on my life, one of the main numbers I have always loved was the number 2 and did not ever really know why. Something about how it sounded, the evenness of the number sounded good to me. Trying to put together of what relevance this number could have in my life, I’ve collected some insight on how a lot of the things that I am surrounded by carry that number.

Music has always been a big inspiration to me and will always hold a big place in my heart. When I started playing guitar about 6 or so years ago, I started on a Peavey VIP 2 amplifier. Even though it wasn’t the best amplifier, it performed what it needed to for the time being. I cherish the time with that particular amplifier because I grew as a musician overall and learned a lot within that time. I could have had any amplifier and most likely would’ve prospered in the same way, but in my life story this amplifier allowed me to express my self and for that I am grateful for the memories.

To have an amplifier is to also have guitar along with it. My current instrument is an Ibanez SA 260 series. I did not always have this guitar, in fact I started with a crazy looking LTD Axe. The way I obtained my current instrument was from playing with my window open. A man next door told me he was impressed with my sound and wanted to give me a free guitar and of course I couldn’t say no to this amazing offer. Looking back I am very glad I accepted it because the instrument has allowed me to advance as a musician and really embodies the sound I love.

Besides my hobbies, I have officially worked at 2 companies. I worked at Mjr Digital Cinema for around 2 years and now currently Lifetime Fitness. I started working at the age of 15 because my family always taught me to work for what I want. At the time all my 15 year old mind thought about was being able to drive in a year, so it made me work hard and save up for a car. Although The movie theater was a terrible work environment and just not worth it in general, I learned very strict and good working qualities that will help me with any job. For my second job, I was placed at Lifetime Fitness where I was taught to deal with the public, very similar to my past. Overall these job’s, although temporary have taught myself very well public skills and have played a role into the person I am today. They have taught me to earn my money and that is something I am ok living with for the rest of my days.

My first truck was a perfect condition 1990 Bronco 2. This beautiful truck had been driven to Michigan from Georgia only for myself to purchase it 3 weeks later at the age of 16. I had spent months upon months looking for this vehicle yet every one I had found had been rusted out from Michigan’s harsh weather. The ones that werent rusted resulted in the vehicles being too expensive. The vehicle is very important to me because of its age. I was told to buy a newer vehicle because it would most likely give me less problems than an older vehicle. Ignoring them I bought it anyways and the truck has been good to me since. Its character, style, vibe and everything else makes me love my vehicle. It is a fine example of how working hard pays off and will continue to remind me of it.

Although the list can continue on for the accurances of the number 2, another number that holds value to myself is the number 5.

One of the several reasons that this number is important to me is because I was born on July 5th. My entire life I have heard jokes every year about how I was supposed to have been born on the 4th of July. In case you didnt know, that is the independence day in America where they celebrate and light off fireworks. I have always spoke to relatives and friends when I was younger about how it would be so cool to have my birthday on the fourth because it would be like they were doing all of the fireworks and celebrating for me. A fun story that never fails to make its way to me is the one about the doctor on my birthday. My expected due date was July 4th, but because of the holiday the doctor went on a golf trip and wouldn’t come back that day for my mother, hence my birth being the following day. It is impoortant because of the jokes and laughter it brought me as a child.

Growing up in Wayne Michigan I did not make many friends at school. For some reason I couldnt relate to them and they couldnt relate to me either, but for whatever reason I was ok with that and actually preffered it. A reason the number 5 is important is because growing up ive always the same small friend group that consists of 5, Myself and 4 others. The neat thing about it is that we are all about the same age and live next door to eachother, almost like it was destiny. We liked the same things, hung out every single day and I couldnt imagine my life being any different. Its a special thing because you just know that they will always be your best pals for life. We played video games, watched movies, played airsoft wars and anything else you can think of that little kids do. They will always be a special part of my life because they are my best friends, my brothers.

The last number involved memory is the date April 5th. This is the date I decided to date someone very special who Ive known for a long time. Recent to the date she became my best friend because of the way that she made me appreciate myself and feel cared for. Both coming from two not so perfect backgrounds and pasts, we found a friendship and a love that will always be important. It is a very funny thing because we have known eachother for a long time before this. Often joked about, it just shows you to not take for granted the special people surrounded by you.

I’ve always pondered which guitar, a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul would fulfill my needs as a guitar player?

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton