What are the steps that I take in order to make and complete a song?

Hey everyone! So today, I’m going to share with you all the steps that I take in order to go from a figment in my imagination to a fully produced song that I love. 

Let’s talk about it.

So songwriting is a practice

So what happens is that you should know that songwriting is a practice that you should do every day. 

It’s a big misconception that a lot of musicians have that you’re going to write a big hit one day and you’re just going to get lucky and someone from a record label is going to hear you and they’re going to sign you. 

And even though it’s 1% truth, the part about a record label that’s going to hear you is true, but the part where you got lucky and they just thought you were a great artist with spunky ambition is not true. 

So what happens is that you have to dedicate time and practice into songwriting in order to become a great songwriter. 

And I know that you might think that, “Oh German, I already know music and can play phenomenally well, why do I have to dedicate time to songwriting as a whole separate entity to get signed to a record label?” 

Well if I’m honest here, if you really want to make great money doing music, you’re going to have to write songs, because there is a saying that says, “the lead singer rocks but the group does not.” 

And so, you will have to take the position as the lead singer at one point or another in order to get paid the way that you want to get paid. 

But I get it, you want to find a method to the madness. You want to see what are the ways that an up and coming songwriter writes his songs. 

Let’s talk about it. 

I will either write some lyrics or write some chords first. 

So what happens is that in order to start a song, different songwriters have different methods for starting their songs. 

So what I recommend is to find your own method to write a song. 

Some of the most popular methods for starting a song is to write the lyrics first, write the chords first, write the melody first, or write the chorus or hook first. 

Personally I love to write the chords or lyrics first. 

I have heard though that some of the best songs that have ever been written were written with the chorus first in mind. 

Some of the biggest hits that were ever recorded were written with the chorus as the forefront of the song. 

But personally, I love to write the first verse and chords first and then go into the chorus. 

Why? Because to me, if I write the hook or chorus first, it just sounds like another line of music to me. 

It doesn’t sound like it has an impact unless you have the build up. 

And I will have some sort of way to write down my ideas, whether that’s in a lyric journal or on my phone. I will write down my ideas and then after I’ve completed the second verse, bridge and ended the song, I will go into production.

Production

So since I’m doing everything for my music, I have a specific direction in which I want to go in for my music. 

What I do, is I record the guitars first or the guitar and vocals first, and then I will layer the guitars. 

And then I will build up the rest of the song with layers and different elements to compliment the song. 

So I will add the bass, drums, synthesizers, pianos, pads, etc. etc. 

Also, I will add layers to the vocals as well if I feel like there is a need for layers. 

And lastly, I will make the solos or the intros. 

I know that doesn’t make much sense but let me explain. 

So of course, by now I have already recorded the intro chord progression, but what I’m talking about is making the intro solo or the intro melody in order to have a free feeling to it. 

So that way I’m not constrained by the song in order to make the solo. 

Mixing and mastering

Afterwards, I go into mixing and mastering.

Again, I’m doing all of that myself. 

But I actually have heard some pretty good reviews about my mixes. So I’m pretty confident in my mixing skills. 

Whereas the mastering skills, I usually just leave it up to the DAW to master it for me. 

I don’t really do mastering if I’m honest with you because I know you need special equipment in order to actually do that. 

But I can mix and I can mix with the monitors that I have. 

Publish 

Then I head into publishing. 

Now, I’ve only actually published one song with my most recent stage name, but this has been my most successful published song. 

I’ve actually gotten several hundred listens to my music. 

But I know that, that’s just going to increase from here on out. 

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!