DIY music: How to get better at producing music?

Hey everyone! So today, I’m going to share with you all how to get better at producing music. 

Let’s talk about it. 

The basics

So the first thing that you should know are the basics in producing music. 

In today’s day and age, the producer-songwriter has really taken over the industry. 

And what happens is that it makes more sense to have a producer songwriter on your team than anything else because when you make a song, you need to make the melody really sing. 

And if you can’t do that in your productions, then it’s really not worth anything. 

So let’s talk about some basics that you should know when producing music. 

Chords

What is a chord? 

A chord is a collection of several notes played at the same time. 

A collection of three or more notes specifically. 

And what chords do is that they introduce harmony to a song. 

It introduces a set of structure to the song. 

And starts to give it direction.

Because what happens is that a song could start off with one chord, but that chord will beg to go to another chord  and so on and so forth. 

Of course, it’s important to know the theory behind chords, but if you don’t know any theory on how to produce chord progressions, it’s okay, but just know that it will take a long time of practice and repetition to actually do it. 

But to give you a quick guide right here, here is a list of rules that you can follow to create your own chord progressions. 

Remember this is a quick guide and doesn’t replicate what chord progressions should be all the time. 

1. Keep it simple and preferably within 2 to 4 chords difference. 
2. V and IV almost always go back to the one.
3. The ii chord almost always goes back to the I
4. The iii chord almost always goes back to the I
5. If it sounds good, it is good. 

Keep these general rules in mind. These rules don’t encompass all chord progression writing, but will help when you make them. 

If you don’t know what any of this means, then you have a long way to go before you can try and start making chord progressions. 

Drums

So when you’re making drums, you have to keep in mind that drums are a sort of back up instrument. 

They’re not really meant to be played as the spotlight everywhere that you go. 

But what they do is that they add structure to the song. And they give it a sort of groove that helps to creates rhythmic hooks to entice the audience a lot more. 

Here are some basics rules to follow when creating drums. 

1. Bass anywhere else and snare on 2 and 4. (with this rule you have to keep in mind that the bass drum needs to be accentuated in the right spots. So usually you want to place the bass drum on 1 and 3 of the beat and accentuate it in different spots to give it a groove. However, it doesn’t have to follow the three all the time, sometimes you want to give it a different groove and place the bass drum on the off beat. Which is totally acceptable. 
2. Keep it simple. You have to remember that when creating chords, basslines and drum parts, it’s essential almost always to keep it simple. Don’t try and overcomplicate it. I know you really want to show off your chops, but don’t stress out about it. There will be a time to show off your chops, but not right now. 
3. It’s essential to transition where appropriate. In a standard 4/4 time signature it’s almost always a given that you’re going to transition somehow every 4th measure, every 8th measure, and every 16th measure. But when you transition, remember that not every transition needs to be a big snare and tom fill. It can be a simple hi-hat diddle on the fourth measure and on the 16th measure it can be a snare and tom fill. 

Synths, pads, and layers

So what happens is that in order to make a song sound thick, you need to add synthesizers, pads, and layers.

Synthesizers and pads are basically the chords that you were always playing except they are stacked on top of each other to create layers. 

And what this does is that it creates a full sound. 

Sometimes when we play a guitar or a piano, it sounds great but it doesn’t sound full, and this will help it to sound full. 

My number one advice

Right now I’m doing this piece of advice that I’m going to share with you and it’s actually been passed down from producers to producers. 

And the best way to get better at producing music is literally to produce and replicate more music. 

Replicating music that’s already out there is the number one way to learn about producing. 

And currently, I’m doing this advice because I want to get better at producing music. 

So learn how to produce music by replicating and you’ll become a pro. 

Broadcast

I sure hope that I have been an inspiration and a hope to you all. Please remember to pray, read your bible, go to church, and love God above all else. Like, comment, share, subscribe, and I will see you all next time.

If you want to go to heaven, then believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. (John 3:16)

Thank you all for listening in on this blog post. 

German Gonzalez, signing out!