It’s a new year. Amen.
After a difficult time for all of us, we can finally turn the page and get a much-needed clean start with a brand new year. That means staring at the blank page, the keyboard, or whatever tools or canvas we use to create our something.
We want to call it art but that seems quite self-gratifying, even indulgent, to call oneself an artist.
We can only strive to create something new. Unique. Then let others deem it worthy enough to be called Art.
This is part of what's often referred to as imposter syndrome:
I'm not good enough to be here doing this.
It's only a matter of time before they figure out I'm a phony.
These sentiments attack each of us in different ways and to different degrees but it’s mostly self-imposed fiction, not fact.
No, not everything you create is going to be worthy of adulation and fame. But our passion is more about the journey than the destination. It’s the act of making music itself that brings us back for more each new year.
While it can be difficult to take pride in everything you create, take pride in the fact that you are creating something.
Others may be more successful in doing it but that shouldn't stop you from doing it too. Their something is theirs alone, so focus on creating your something instead. It's unique to you and will always be worthy of that achievement.
Pursue the ideas you connect with. Be brave enough to share them with someone whose opinion you value, whether or not they know much about music. If they can connect with it too, you're likely on the right path. If not, don't abandon it but rather file it away for another day—it will call out to you at the right time and might even find its way into another project someday.
Have a process that moves you forward from each new idea and lets you finish it to a point you can share it with someone else—even just one person. If you need a starting point or refresher, I've created an interactive eBook that lays out the basic stages involved in making music.
Keep creating your something in this new year because the world needs new music now more than ever.
I'd love to hear what you've been working on. Tell me about your music!
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I’ve launched a new series of Getting Started videos to support anyone who wants to record their music but may not even know where to begin. Start with what you have before investing more time & money; you can scale your efforts as your musical goals change & budget allows.
I've written an interactive eBook to introduce the basic steps you'll need to complete if you really want to finish your new song, record it, and have it released to your audience.Best thing is, IT'S FREE! No gimmicks. It's simply my gift to you for being a music-maker.
I've posted a short video showing how you can quickly get your phone or tablet set up for recording your voice and instruments onto individual tracks that can then be easily shared and downloaded across multiple platforms. Get started making more music, more often!
Be strategic with your purchases to better integrate them into your existing music-making workflows.
Don’t sabotage your best efforts as you make your recording and release it to your audience.
Lessons learned from mastering your songs can also impact every other stage in the music-making process.
Don't miss the opportunity to make the song your own by injecting your personality and distinctive sound.
This video shows how to export individual multitrack files from iOS GarageBand and includes steps for converting MIDI tracks to audio.
While it can be difficult to take pride in everything you create, take pride in the fact that you are creating something.
Fix before you mix. Start the mixing phase with the audio you want to be mixed, not fixed.
Use the limitations of your mobile app to focus on capturing one solid performance at a time.
My new YouTube series on Getting Started continues with a short video that establishes the need to use headphones to monitor your audio while recording your music.
I’ve launched a new series of Getting Started videos to support anyone who wants to record their music but may not even know where to begin. Start with what you have before investing more time & money; you can scale your efforts as your musical goals change & budget allows.
With remote collabs, you can quickly have a full production ready for mixing & mastering without having to get dressed or leave your home.
Music is something that is needed more than ever. If we can’t support each other financially, we can support each other creatively to ensure that new music can—and will—still be heard.
Separate the song from the recording of the song to tell us a good story and make us feel something.
You shouldn’t have to wait until the tracking session or live gig to figure out if a song will come together the way you hope it will.
When someone hears your song for the first time, you have one chance to make that first impression. Will they listen until the end? Will they listen at all or press Skip?
More than anything else, your final mix is dependent on the efforts put into the songwriting, the performance, and the recording going into it.
It’s not just about proper credit but collecting potential revenue to fund your art. You know how hard you worked on your song. Take the steps to protect your rights..
Finding good answers to your music-making questions can be frustrating. I'd like to share my answers to common questions in hopes that it helps you and your music get to the place you want to be, sooner rather than later.
The recording stage of the process is critical because that's when we actually get to make music. Sometimes small changes make a big difference in getting the results you want.
Unplug to rediscover your song’s core vibe. It's not uncommon to spend a lot of time and effort building out a full production of a song only to scrap it all and go back to its roots. We can become unable to hear that the song was already there, and it was working quite well before we buried it underneath too many well-intended ideas.
Songwriters love their music for different reasons than the casual listener does, so how can we make music worth loving?
Here are 5 musical routines you can implement throughout this new year to help generate and finish more of your song ideas while staying better prepared to record and release them to your audience.
Develop a creative workflow and then find technology that will compliment your process, not complicate it. Remember that the level of quality in our music has to be preserved by the songwriters and the musicians, not the tools.
When used wisely, technology can be an incredibly effective tool for creating new music but it can also become the biggest hurdle in creating music that still feels musical. There must be a balance between efficiency and originality. We need to find tools to enhance our creativity, not to restrict, and certainly not to replace our creativity.
This video shows how to export individual multitrack files from iOS GarageBand and includes steps for converting MIDI tracks to audio.