Losing work as a benefit?

[Mr. Quimper]

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but have you ever had an instance of lost work proving to be beneficial in the end? I lost a significant amount of work a few days ago from YET ANOTHER corrupted DP file. Luckily I had made one backup but it was from a version 2-days earlier. There were a lot of musical ideas that I could remember in my head but that weren't coming out to the level that I had remembered in my attempts at recreation.

Finally, I gave up at recreating precisely what I had done before and tried just responding to what I had recovered and attempted to create something new to accompany it. Ultimately, the new results and decisions I made in response to them were largely superior to those I had remembered.

Has this happened to you in the past and do you think that it might be useful to occasionally abandon what you think is a successful direction towards uncharted/uncertain waters that might prove even more successful in the end?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

...do you think that it might be useful to occasionally abandon what you think is a successful direction towards uncharted/uncertain waters that might prove even more successful in the end?

You've just defined why I haven't had writer's block in about 25 years. I friend (an average writer of short stories but a very interesting person) said that writer's block is caused by trying to redo what has worked in the past. The solution is to try something completely different and all of a sudden you see the problem - at least that works for me.

But yes, it has also happened to me that I've either lost a file or and instrument or whatever and the second stab was superior. Rarely was the first "better" and I think that is because we tend to continue processing and when we are in a critical situation, our brain works very differently than we are in our comfort zones.

That'll be 2 cents please. Oh wait, I owe you 2 cents!

Here you go...



Never noticed the bow-tie before!

[Frodo]

One thing few of us ever get is a second chance.

That you were able togo back and improve upon a project is rare and wonderful. It's all a matter of perspective. Even what seems fine to us at the time reflects the maturity "of that time". Come back to it a year later-- or a month later-- a week later-- or even a day later-- and it can be a whole different checker game.

[James Steele]

Yikes... that's sort of the ultimate "it's not a bug, it's a feature" sort of thing. I guess sometimes life gives you lemon and you make better lemonade, but still... I dunno. Reminded me of this gem from years ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TSWnR1LdnA

[MIDI Life Crisis]

One thing few of us ever get is a second chance.

That you were able togo back and improve upon a project is rare and wonderful...

Funny thing, Frodo, those Chaplin filcks I did in 1988-89 were re-released in 1995 and I was asked to revisit the scores with the new improved equipment available, then asked to orchestrate them in 1996 for a "real" orchestra," and again in 1997 & 1999 (for two different ensembles) and again in 2006 for the CSO. So while it is certainly rare to be able to re-visit a work, it can also be a sort of curse.

[Frodo]

One thing few of us ever get is a second chance.

That you were able togo back and improve upon a project is rare and wonderful...

Funny thing, Frodo, those Chaplin filcks I did in 1988-89 were re-released in 1995 and I was asked to revisit the scores with the new improved equipment available, then asked to orchestrate them in 1996 for a "real" orchestra," and again in 1997 & 1999 (for two different ensembles) and again in 2006 for the CSO. So while it is certainly rare to be able to re-visit a work, it can also be a sort of curse.

Ah-- so, THAT'S how that transpired. I was wondering.

Yes-- that second chance. What a blessing.

A curse? Were you not happy with the revisit?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

A curse? Were you not happy with the revisit?

Not at all, but I prefer challenging new work, meself.

(Are you sure you didn't hire those 2 women last night? THe timing was just too coincidental at 2:27AM...)

(That'll get 'em thinking around here!)

[Frodo]

A curse? Were you not happy with the revisit?

Not at all, but I prefer challenging new work, meself.

(Are you sure you didn't hire those 2 women last night? THe timing was just too coincidental at 2:27AM...)

(That'll get 'em thinking around here!)

Maybe they weren't "pancakes" but "flapjackies" instead...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TSWnR1LdnA

Dude-- I remember this!!

I felt sorry for the guy for a lot of reasons-- mostly because he didn't know how to protect himself and needed someone to blame. "The past few years..."? That was in the day before people understood that hard drives were not permanent, no matter what they cost.