how do I finish songs faster?

M

matthewm77

New member
I find that I take a really long time to finish up songs, I hear all these producers talking about how they're finishing stuff in a couple hours and I can't even imagine finishing a project that quickly.

I take a long time to figure out the direction and then end up toying with certain parts a million times over until it's finished, most of the time i end up getting sick of what I'm working on.

How do I be more efficient and finish things faster?
 
You don't, creative work takes time and patience which is why so many people quit. Producers who are constantly bragging about their speed in creating songs often make lacklustre songs or they make the most generic copy's of songs that are already out.

What you can do is boost the amount of time you spend in creative zones to give you more ideas which you can then use later when you finally sit down to work on a project. Do this through things like exercise and meditation.
 
matthewm77 said:
I find that I take a really long time to finish up songs, I hear all these producers talking about how they're finishing stuff in a couple hours and I can't even imagine finishing a project that quickly.

I take a long time to figure out the direction and then end up toying with certain parts a million times over until it's finished, most of the time i end up getting sick of what I'm working on.

How do I be more efficient and finish things faster?
Click to expand...

It is easy. Visualize the song from beginning to end, force yourself to finish a song in your head first before you step to your DAW. Architects do not show up to a construction site and start building with no clue of what the finished structure will look like, so why does this apply to the arts? The reason you are struggling to finish songs is because you never had a song to finish in the first place. Create an outline in your head of the song-not an idea, but a SONG with an intro and ending-then commit yourself to manifesting that SONG into sound. Force yourself not to get hung up on sound selection, sound design, or any of that nonsense-just focus on pure composition. All the other shit people get distracted with you can deal with once you have a framework set in place.
 
I spend over a year per song. That way I know there is something in it if I like it for an extended period of time.
 
don't worry about what everyone else's workflow is ... just make sure that you put out quality work. Quality > Quantity.
Quality sometimes takes time (no pun intended)
 
Quality over quantity... Think of your writing process as a birth of creation. You're nurturing every aspect of a song/album inside of the listener's life. Just like you would a baby, cultivating the crawl before the walk and etc.. i definitely agree that you should begin with the end in mind so that you can know where you're at and where you're going. It gives light inside of the dark. Never attempt to finish songs faster, because that's not what we need. We need true art that is something we value in the many years to come.
 
I don't apply time limits to myself musically. I just go by how it feels, and what's catching my mood at that point in time. I've written/recorded traccs in a span of an hour, but I have quite a few lyrics that I've had for years, that I just don't feel are quite "there" yet. However, sometimes looking bacc over old pieces changes my opinion, especially if I sense reprepetitiveness in my writing.
 
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Don't try to hurry... the creative process is a fun thing, enjoy it, take your time, and perfect it until you really think it's ready
 
Hey Matthew & everyone else!

Here's my thoughts on this:

1) Quality over Quantity? Well, yes, but only to a certain degree. This is 2016, not the 90s. It's quite common for songs to be recorded, mixed and mastered in one day. Speed IS important. When I worked in LA we would sometimes turn out an entire piece of music in 2 hours. If you want to know how we do that kind of thing, check out my article with 7 productivity techniques: 7 Productivity Techniques That Will INSTANTLY Speed Up Your Workflow – Holistic Songwriting (Official Blog), it covers exactly what you want to know.

2) Start with a concept? Thought the same thing for a really long time until I found out that it doesn't really make sense in practice. It SOUNDS good (I have it done in my head, all I need to do is write it down) and it might work for melody and maybe groove, but there is so many other things going on in a song that are impossible to plan. Plus, when you do eventually start your song, you're already bored with it. My recommendation: Get a basic idea and build on that. There. Just saves you 30% of your time.

3) Set yourself deadlines. "It's gotta be done by the end of the week" - works for me!

Hope this helps :)
 
I think a few things in this thread are important. Quality over quantity being the biggest one. You can't rush creativity but you can help boost it along or induce it by doing some form of inward practice(yoga, meditation, exercise, cooking) something that helps you look inward and its different for everyone. Another thing i think is important is the fact that you control how long the song is. Some people in the thread have said you get bored time to time with songs, and its true; so an easy response to that is shorten the length of the song. You can do a minute long track if you want! Whats good is you've gotten experience with those sounds and its something you felt at the time, and it can help you grow as an artist.

I write songs/raps and sometimes when i want to write, i simply cannot. Other times i have thoughts and ideas just pouring in and that sets me up for later and i have material to work with. Just be patient with yourself and just make music because it feels good, not because you feel obligated to finish songs every day/week.
 
I think it should be said that my previous comment went out to professional writers/producers who have to work under pressure and with tight deadlines.
Obviously, if you're a hobbyist, why the rush? Take your time. :)
 
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