Hey all, I gave a go at the pseudo orchestral music that composers like to do for games and movies and it isn't working for me. I don't know at this point in time if it's because of a lack of skill, lack of experience, or lack of passion. However, I do know what avenue I want to do. I want to use instruments like guitar, bass, and drums to do arrangements of original rock, pop, folk, and metal songs. Everything from a classical guitar and ukulele strum to down tuned distorted basses depending on the project. I don't sing but can play just about any feted string instrument to some degree and I can program midi and drum tracks in addition to taking piano lessons. Is itit advisable to narrow down my specialization to something I know more? Obviously I will have to master the art of live recording instead of programming. I will use what I learned, but probably do soft synthesizers and accents instead of orchestral movements. I know anything is possible, but let me know your thoughts.

I have to be quite brief because I'm about to head into a meeting but, yes, you can get jobs offering a niche product. You just have to be aware that you might miss out on certain projects if you don't provide the needed genre. For example, I'm not a hip hop artist. Don't claim to be and have zero hip hop material on my reels. I understand that I'm missing out on projects that call for that kind of music and, for me, that's completely fine. Odds are that project will be better served hiring someone who's a hip hop expert instead of me anyway.

Having a niche is fine but don't use that as an excuse to not expand your horizons. Constantly learning new styles or pushing yourself is key. It's all about balance. No, you cannot be a master of all genres but yes you can stretch yourself behind what is comfortable. :)

Hope that helps, sorry I could expand more than that.