Song Direction and Ideas

R

RuSty1

New member
I've read a lot of tutorials that mention "You should know the direction of your song". I struggle when it comes to thinking about ideas for my music. I know what genre I want it to be (electronic) and I know the basic elements of that genre but genre is quite a broad term and doesn't really target what makes a song energetic or chill as a genre can have songs of either type.

What should I do to prepare a new song? What questions should I ask myself?

I find it really annoying when I want to make something very fast and energetic and then I listen to what I've worked hard on and its just not that.
 
This is a really good question and really hard for any level of producer/composer.

The easiest way to do this is to say 'I'm going to make a copy of x producers style without directly copying any of their songs'. You have to decide what elements are essential to do that style, and then change the non-essential elements to keep it interesting.
Then when you're making the track, odds are something will happen that's not what you expected but it sounds good anyway so you keep it as part of 'your style'.

One way to build on that idea is to be critical of a professional, for example: I like this track but I think it has too much build and not enough drop. So you copy the general idea of the track but change it to how you think it should be.

Another way to think is to mix two genres/songs, for example, I like this sound but I think it would sound better with the drumbeat from this track.

A good thing to do is to listen analytically to music. The main thing is to just practice a lot until you have more experience constructing tracks the way you want them.
 
Ok that makes a lot of sense. I know what type if music I want to make and what artists inspire me to make this music but how do I know when I'm just copying them. I've heard that I have to be myself when making music and to not copy people because I will always be second best, I will not standout and therefore my music will not stand out. How can I be myself when creating music and not someone else when I'm using their work as an inspiration?
 
RuSty1 said:
Ok that makes a lot of sense. I know what type if music I want to make and what artists inspire me to make this music but how do I know when I'm just copying them. I've heard that I have to be myself when making music and to not copy people because I will always be second best, I will not standout and therefore my music will not stand out. How can I be myself when creating music and not someone else when I'm using their work as an inspiration?
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Because you use a mixture of artists for inspiration, not just one.

But before you mix artists, you have to understand each one.

There is also 'creativity by incompetence' where you try and copy an artist but do it badly and so it sounds different.
 
D'you want the Youtube celebrity music-production-coach "one tip you need to make the best music ever" answer... or do you want the real answer?

I suspect you'll get plenty of the first.

The real answer, the artists' answer is:

you don't know what the direction is because it's something new that you are trying to understand as you create it and all the rules and tips and tricks and shortcuts are just distractions perpetuated by idiots that have a vested interest in you turning out generic crap.

If that's a drag I'm sorry.
 
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MarcDHall said:
D'you want the Youtube celebrity music-production-coach "one tip you need to make the best music ever" answer... or do you want the real answer?

I suspect you'll get plenty of the first.

The real answer, the artists' answer is:

you don't know what the direction is because it's something new that you are trying to understand as you create it and all the rules and tips and tricks and shortcuts are just distractions perpetuated by idiots that have a vested interest in you turning out generic crap.

If that's a drag I'm sorry.
Click to expand...

I understand there is no one tip that will magically make my music the best overnight but I find that understanding an idea will allow me to achieve my goal with much more success. There's no point walking around in the dark if you have a flashlight. In this case I have found myself with the issue of not knowing what direction my song should go and how to make it that direction. By trying to understand where I want my song to go and how to take it there I am basically not making generic crap because I'll have more control over my own creative work.
 
With respect, after 20+ years making music, since a time when there was no youtube, that's not my experience at all.

Tracks in which I have had a clear idea of the direction of the track have gone nowhere until I abandoned that idea and just let it evolve. Tracks in which I just let the track happen have been far better in the end.

You can spend time mimicking if you want. But if you are copying you are just doing a tutorial, nothing more. You aren't creating. Every hour you spend mimicking you end up spending 2 hours trying to un-train those habits. Or you'll find yourself making the same track over and over.

I made a conscious decision to literally abandon ideas of genre and this type of 'directional' thinking and making music got far more interesting for me. Put this another way: you aren't stuck. You just think you are because you think there is a 'correct' way to proceed. Really...there isn't. People that ignore the rules are the geniuses in music. We don't marvel at people's ability to do everything by the numbers. How dyou think you learn that? Mimickry?

If you want a positive tip about how that works it's simple: the way you make a track is that you listen to what's there and add something that makes it better. You keep doing that and just see where it goes. Let it evolve.
 
Artistry comes from within. An artist expresses himself by the experiences and influences of his surroundings. If you don't know what to express, then you not living life. Get out, get married, get your heart broken, get brutalized by police, get mugged, then you'll have some feelings to express.
 
I think there are plenty of ways to figure out how to find a direction and get ideas. For example, if I were to come up with a trap beat, I would think of artists that typically rap over them (Rick Ross, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, etc.). Figure out their typical flow patterns and pick the attitude they use. Essentially, you're freestyling and you may say some shit that might come across as catchy. Stick with that and form your beat around it....

Like, imagine Rick Ross rapping...

I used to eat at Taco Bell/
Now I'm eating lobster tail//
I'm from Carol City/
Where you gunned down/
Or locked in jail// (Huh!!)

You either ballin/
Or you sell dope//
And pray you make it out/
Because we all gotta hustle
It's like we sell hope//

(This is literally some bullshit I just wrote. I'm about to go finish it and copyright it now haha) But think of his voice and what kinda attitude do you think he would have when he raps it. Is it aggressive or more laid back? Humble or cocky? etc.
 
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