Finding ways to keep producing

There are so many ways to keep producing, and over the years I’ve tried quite a few. Some work for me better than others, some don’t work for me at all. It took a lot of trial and error to find my way. It really is unique to each person. But regardless it’s important to keep doing the thing, flexing the muscle, and keeping the skills sharp. This is probably the most difficult aspect of my life as a musician. The thing I have to work the hardest at. But I have found methods and resources that work for me.

Building around an idea

This is the one I find the most fun, rewarding, agonizing, and stressful all at the same time. With the highest potential of fun, it has the highest potential of despair.

Building around an idea is just that. You take any little piece of something. It could be a lick, a sample, an instrument, anything. It’s about playing around and looking for that thing. The thing that resonates within you, and then building around it. You begin with a sound, then a lick, a harmony, a beat, a bass line, a chorus, a bridge, you build and you build, and next thing you know, you have a track. It’s such an inspiring way to work and I absolutely love that aspect of it.

Deadmau5 said it great in his Masterclass. In fact they’re the first words he says. “Good sounds are rarities.” He’s absolutely right. Making sound is easy. Creating a sound that makes your ears perk up, the hairs on the back of you neck stand up a bit, that makes your head turn or ignite some kind of fire or emotion in you isn’t. It’s rare, but when I’m not feeling particularly inspired, this is my go-to.

If I don’t have a melody or idea in mind, I start with finding the thing. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent looking for a thing and just not finding it. Sitting there for 3-4 hours straight just scrolling through samples and presets, or playing with my modular setup and tweaking knobs. As soon as I hear something that clicks to me, I hear something form in my mind, I go to town and start building. Does this always happen? No. It rarely does. A lot of the time I end up spending hours just scrolling with nothing that comes out of it. As frustrating and stressful as that is in the moment, it’s okay. It’s something you just learn to deal with and move on. I end up gaining familiarity with more of my samples, presents, instruments, so not all is lost, and tomorrow is a new day.

Remixing something

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but there are a few different ways I go about this. Continuing from the previous section, I sometimes use other tracks as my starting sound. Not the entire track, but any little sound from one. Now, this doesn’t always end up being what is conventionally known as a “remix” of a track, just due to the fact I’ve taken a very small or minor piece of a track, or I’ve gone so far away from the original material that the original material isn’t even recognizable. But, it is a great starting point. Sometimes, I treat it as a workout. Rather than looking for something that really sparks joy, I just pick an instrument, say a bass synth, re-create it, and try to build off that. It’s good fun.

Then there’s the traditional remixing that has a lot more of the original intent or essence of a track in it. I’m not looking to create something completely unique, but rather a re-imagining of an existing track. This is fun, especially if I can get my hands on the stems. I’ve learned different ways to get my hands on them, but recently I found that Native Instruments runs competitions on Metapop and have a remixing section. They offer a description of the track and its artist, a time frame to complete the prompt, peer and official judging of what you submit, the stems of the track, and best of all, prizes. This is great for me because it takes the work out of trying to find something completely original to work from, as again, sometimes I don’t have the create energy or insight. Super fun, love doing it, and peer feedback is the best.

Lastly, old school remixing. This one is also super fun, but involves having pre-fader stems. This I typically do with stems I have of either myself, bands, or friends I’ve recorded. I take the term remixing literally and only do a fresh mix process of it. I’ll spend some time listening to the style of music I want to mix in for some influence, and take another stab at mixing the track. There is so much power in mixing and it really is a lifelong limitless skill, so taking the time to remix a track like this really helps me flex that muscle.

The lightbulb

I wish this one happened way more often than it does. It really seems like some people just have this and run on it all the time, but I don’t. I’m talking about that moment when you just hear something in your head. It’s clear as day. A bird chirps and you hear a melody, then you hear the harmony, the bass line, the beat, and it all just falls in line in your head. This does happen on occasion to me, but very rarely. Thankfully, phones have auto recorder apps nowadays, because if there’s anything I know for sure, when these moments happen, that melody survives all of 2 minutes and then it’s gone. I get this beautiful melody, I hear it, starting to sing it out and a crow caws and BAM, it’s gone. So yeah, I love these moments, but damn it they’re rare and I wish it would happen more. TIP: Keep a shortcut of your audio recording app on your home screen or some form of hot button because when you need it, you need it FAST.

Noodling

Ah, good ol’ fashioned noodling. This is what I do most often. As a lifelong pianist, that is my instrument, and it is what I’m most comfortable with. So, sometimes I’ll just sit on my bench, and let my fingers dance a bit. I love the way Charles Szczepanek put it (absolutely one of my favorite pianists of the current age), “…I was just sitting down to feel what music like today and just be happy…” In that quote he’s talking about how he spends the first minute of his day. No pressure of having to come up with something. Just putting your fingers on the keys and seeing where they take you. When I do that, my fingers are driven by my mood, my active interests, my long-term influences, how my day has been, the time of day, where I am, all of it, and there’s nothing more unique or creative than that, to me. That is the most me that my music can be.

Sometimes I don’t like the resulting music. I’m not producing something that I feel I’d like to work with, at least not in that moment, and that’s okay. I still record everything, put it away, and you never know when you’ll gravitate back to it. But a lot of the time, I’ll find a melody in my noodling and I’ll run with it. They don’t always work or fully develop into anything, but that’s not the point, at least not for me. It’s about the joy of the process, discovering, writing, finding myself in my music. Or just finding something that sounds cool.

Writing or producing is a muscle. It needs to be flexed, honed, and perfected. But not everything is a groundbreaking symphony. I have to constantly remind myself of that, but in doing so, I free myself to write things that are a reflection of me, and nothing to me is cooler than coming up with something that is truly of me and only me.

Have fun and enjoy it. Once you don’t, stop.