Mario taught me how to finish music
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2023
- Finishing things is hard. If you find yourself constantly filling up your hard drive with abandoned, half-finished song fragments, here are some things that have helped me complete compositions and move on to the next thing.
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Last year, I ended up making 3 EPs within that year and it started almost by accident. It came to be because I enjoyed the process of making the first one. A lot of it had to do with it being based on material I wanted to finish anyway. But it also had to do with the EP being very hyper-focused on a particular style and thus could achieve something more quickly. So taking that process, I decided to do it two more times as to achieve that balance of having enough time to work on material but working with a clear deadline as not to let it get it to perpetual edit mode.
I'm grateful to artists who talk about their process. It demystifies things & reminds me that everyone approaches problems differently--it's ok to be weird 😊
I've arrived at the Zen state of "there is no weird"...
Some of the coolest music I've ever heard was created in a way so foreign to me that weird is super cool.
Wait . . . I thought the correct process was 1) noodle around on synth until you get an idea, 2) noodle around on that idea some more, 3) watch youtube videos showing off some new toy, 4) buy new toy, 5) repeat. 😆
I'm glad you mentioned the problem of having a "good idea." I definitely find it easier to be in the "finish tracks" mindset when the idea is just OK. I tend to feel like better ideas deserve better and get locked in a loop.
Ironically, I hadn't considered that the better idea is just another building block of (hopefully) an upwards trajectory of better and better if I keep pushing and not getting bogged down.
Thanks for another great video, sir!
Thanks! That was a hurdle for me for sure. I often knew I had something interesting, but also knew I lacked the skills to develop it.
In the past 5 years I saved about 500 Ableton projects, but only finished like 3 songs. In the past 8 months I've gone through about 400 projects and made about 150 more fleshed out, 2-4 min long and fully mastered demos. Most of them are still far from being good, how ever I can't even describe how much I improved in arrangement, decision making and mastering by just "finishing" those demos.
If you ever find yourself at a loss for video topics, I'd love to hear your take on "coming up with a 'B' part". I write a lot of basic A-B-A-B-C-B-B songs (in theory, anyway), and I always struggle with writing a chorus/B part that is different enough to feel like a different part, but thematically similar enough to feel like it belongs to the same song. Usually I'll write something and feel like "this is cool, but it should probably be its own song". Anyone else in the same boat? If anyone has any advice, I'm all ears.
You can always do both =].
In fact, when U2 were working on Achtung Baby, and specifically “Mysterious Ways”, their jam-writing came across a chord sequence that will then become “One”. And conversely, I personally took part of an unrealised song idea and turned it into the B section of another song.
The only thing I've found that consistently helps so far is to go take a shower when I'm stuck on a B section and let my mind wander and mentally improvise on the piece. The shower is really conducive to creative mind-wandering because it keeps you physically occupied with something you can do on autopilot while your mind generates memories and associations in the background.
Finishing music is also just knowing when it's time to abandon the song. I know this because it took me 9 years to finish my "latest" (it came out a year ago) album.
This is great advice. I am a visual artist and in our training they taught us this very principle - to keep making art and stop being so precious about it. Draw constantly and throw it away. Only way to get better.
Absolutely!
Good video - one of the secrets to success in any creative endeavor is "Fail Fast". In terms of the topic of this video, it means wrapping up a track in a reasonable amount of time even if it's not very good. (Hint: you don't have to release it). Almost every highly creative person I've gotten to know well doesn't have more good ideas than anyone else. They just close out the bad ones more quickly.
I find that every track goes through an ugly duckling phase, so a lot of it has to do with believing in yourself to get it done in the end. I actually push myself to finish every idea. Even if I end up abandoning the main hook halfway through there will be something in every project worth developing further.
I'm constantly reminded of how narrow focused I seem to require myself to "finish" anything (although, there is the saying "art is abandoned, never finished"). I even limited myself to GM-sounds (you can access these cheap casio-throwbacks using the Fruity LSD in FL Studio; don't know about other DAWs). Even that can be too open ended, and often find myself sticking to a piano or guitar to get a core idea down fast, because arranging/composing is easily more complex than basic harmonies for tune-writing. Knowing your needs and focusing on what needs to be done in chunk segments seems to be key. I've realized after many failures that I often bite off more than we can chew. Think about each DIY nugget:
1.) Program (or modify) new synth patches.
2.) Practice an instrument (oft in my case: the electric guitar).
3.) Prepare a performance of that said instrument to record).
4.) Beatsmith (if using drum samples/machines).
5.) Compose/arrange an entire piece of music for the selected instruments (even synths).
6.) PRODUCE the arrangement (acoustic science/reverb/space effects).
7.) MIX the arrangement (levels, EQ, compression).
8.) MASTER the arrangement (if you expect it to "compete" on playlists or even your own music collection on shuffle).
What a tall order all that is! Depending on how high you raise the bar for each of these eight points, every two of these tasks could be ONE professional's full time job. Are your goals realistic, or is your ambition for a four-person operation? The wisdom in this video is a timely reminder of how to apply discipline towards ambition and something I needed to hear. Fortunately, there are tools that we have in todays digital world that cause some of these tasks to be less daunting and more efficient, but I have very often been guilty for taking things for granted.
Great stuff. I think a lot of it is knowing yourself and understanding your goal. For me I need timeline and process. Not everyone is like this, but if I try to work without restrictions in my process I am lost, lol.
I think more of us fall into that category than we’d like to admit lol
Haha, this was great. I can totally relate! Very good points.
I used to be paralyzed with possibilities like how to finish the, part, song etc. as well as with some dellusional race for perfection. Now, I aim to be more fluid and as soon as I come up with something I like, I stick to it. Every finished idea is like a step closer to better one.
ear blind - love it, I'll be using that in my vocabulary from now on
I have such a problem just getting started in the first place even though my heart wants to create things so badly, I just can’t seem to get over the resistance of getting started in the first place
Planning another video about that, but it has a lot to do with getting used to the discomfort of the blank page. Like strength training, the weight doesn’t get lighter, but you do adapt to it with time and consistency.
The chef comparison is perfect! I keep trying to make great pasta, but end up boiling water forever🤣😭
I think you're right to highlight form and community.
I only started moving past the 4/8-bar loop when I pick songs I liked, transcribed the forms, and then used those forms as templates to pour my ideas into.
I only started be consistent with finishing when I found music communities that do regular competitions and jams.
My particular problem: the "magnum opus" affliction. I'm trying to get unstuck of this idea that whatever i'm working on must be the be-all, end-all of creative work. My greatest example of how to approach things better is Legowelt (Danny Wolfers). That guy understands the art of "winging it" (with sufficient quality), not getting stuck in paralyzing perfectionism, and having fun in the process. If only I were good at practicing what I preach... ;-)
I had one track that I just couldn't seem to finish.
I had the intro, the beginning, I had the "peak" of the song, but I just couldn't finish the rest. It was never good enough, it was never as good as whatever perfect abstract idea I had in my head.
After around 3 months I decided "fuck it, I'm finishing this track" and I just put my mind to it. No matter what, a finished product was gonna come out at the end of this process.
In the span of a few hours, I finished it. I wasn't super happy with the results at the time but I was happy I managed to produce something nonetheless.
Looking back now, I think it's one of my best tracks :)
Sometimes forcing yourself to go forward and accept the "imperfect" can unlock a whole lot of potential instead of getting stuck listening to the same loop endlessly.
I still struggle with this but it works.
Your zeal and goodness in nature is why I subscribed to ye in the first place, and why, after this, I shall be a returner to you!
Thank you! Means a lot :)
I need this so bad
I've taught that "Practice Makes Probable". If you can play a passage 10 out of 10 times without a mistake, you'll probably do that in your performance too. If, however, you practice something iteratively incorrectly, then you'll probably perform it incorrectly.
Ultimately, practicing well is about giving us better odds of succeeding in whatever goal we've set, whether it be to have an excellent performance or just to master a new skill.
where i get stumped is two things
if i basically assume that my music is just gonna suck i find myself becoming extremely lazy and not trying
And i also find it incredibly difficult trying to “Push through” and not let those things i don’t like bother me.
it all bottles up into a fear of making music itself which is not me because I feel I NEED to create.
I think the realization that it's supposed to be difficult and then discovering joy in the process of improving is really important.
@@JamesonNathanJones that’s def something i’ve been thinking about in passing. I’ve been saying i kind of need to not care at all and just do whatever ideas that i want to do and then move on to the next thing. But it’s so hard to shake the mental aspect of it lol
Hey don't sell yourself short, I think you've got a lot more value than just helping beginners! I'm not the only one here who likes your music and enjoys hearing well thought out and articulate takes on things, even if we've already heard them. Keep em coming 😁🤲
FANTSTIC analogies throughout this video!
I spent many hours as a child perfecting my Mario analogy :)
In the age of the remix, what better way could there be to put down an idea, come back to it sometime and have another go at it. The worst possible outcome, as exhibited in your livestream "A track from scratch" when you realise the improv you did just now without the subconscious pressure of recording, was better than anything you could come up with when the red light was on.
My biggest challenge is actually to find form. I love listening to various genres, and I end up inspired to write a song or two in one genre, then I get bored and move forward to the next one.
In modern industry behaviour like this is killing the momentum.
Another thing. I perform techno live, but I cant push myself to wrap all my loops into full tracks.
Things that I produce for Spotify are suitable for listening rather than dancing, so I cant perform majority of them live on local events, where promoters want me to play in specific genre boundaries.
In general, my biggest struggle is to find form that doesn't become boring for me and is inspiring at the same time.
00:50 It's difficult to replicate the nerves you get performing in front of real people.
Try doing a bunch of pushups, running on the spot and kicking your body into some sort of physical exhaustion - it will replicate the nervous shakes you get, your breathing will quicken, you'll perspire and your body will produce a shot of adrenaline. Martial arts instructors know this is how to simulate the fight-or-flight response safely so that a students can practice defending themselves in a physical encounter. Hope this helps!
Another thought occurred to me after watching this …
In the long-run, I don’t think an artist’s oeuvre is this “zero-sum” game where your later works are great because your early ones suck. (Plus, there are some artists that have an opposite trajectory =] ). I think each piece you make should be something you absolutely wanted to make and could make with the knowledge and skill set you have. You keep doing these enough and you have a body of work you can be proud of.
I listen to my earlier stuff and I do notice a difference with what I did back then compared to what I do now. But at the same time, I made it all with a certain honesty and sincerity where it was only me who could realise this. Yeah I may have done things that you probably “shouldn’t do”. But that was my headspace at the time and, even then, I still think I did something pretty good.
Until we meet for that overdue drink … cheers =]
A lot of truth in that. While the production on my early releases isn’t up to snuff, when I listen back I find a lot of musical ideas that I really love and probably wouldn’t come up with today.
That’s great advice. I had and still have that problem. I finished some things during the last year. Wasn’t that satisfied with the results, but they got better sounding and felt more whole. My biggest fear always is, that my next ideas don’t get better and I wasted the good ideas on bad practice outcomes, where I learned stuff, but also drained my creative juices. Probably not true, but what if it is 😅 a cycle to break obviously.
Thank you for your videos! Your classical background going into electronic music production is similar to my own path, so we’ve experienced similar struggles. Thank you for making these videos!
Yet another banger video, thank you for your work.
🙏🙏
Bold of you to assume that I have a friend..
But I enjoyed the rest of this content, subscribed.
Great video! I do want to practice more my preparation for form and composition - it's something I forget that I actually really enjoy doing and thinking about. The concept of music is captivating.
Also #TeamLuigi
#luigiforever
GREAT !
Great video, thank you🎹
Nice video, nice format, thanks to u :)
Jeff Mills - Techno God - said that you should make 50 songs, but only release the best 1.
Great content as always. Cheers
Useful episode for sure! We’ve all been there. I appreciate the attention paid here to the many nuances involved.
This is top tier advice, and should be taken very seriously by anyone viewing. Thank you, you're making the most useful music content on YT and I look forward to your next video :)
bravo
Excellent! thanks for this video. Some food for thought here
Thanks Rodrigo!
Better with a 90% then a 95% that is never released.
‘We have Venus theory at home’
Good stuff, thanks! I'm currently in the midst of trying to finish an old passion project before it falls by the wayside. I figure that even if I'm not super happy with all the results at this point, I can definitely use the practice getting tracks from 80% to the 'done' pile.
Good advice for computer app programming, too imho (iteration, time limits)--thanks
I've found the best way to make a better song, is to make a new one.
I've told myself I'll go back to ideas later, and as yet I haven't felt the need. The new ideas are indeed better.
Thanks for the insight on perfection not really existing. A few years ago I made my first EP and the concept was just that every track needed to have a mistake or error that I kept in. Recording takes meant that I had to keep them at some volume. It was a freeing experience because I was just edging away from perfection with every track. Striving for perfection is sometimes done in reverse if that makes sense.
It's mostly a shortage of time in my full agenda to do so. At least, overhere it is.
Hey, I just randomly picked your latest video to let you know that I'm really enjoying Respirate...
It sounds great.
Loving having it on while I write (screenplays).
Hope you're having an inspired day.
Thanks so much!
it's honestly a shame we can't just buy a CD, and give you the $10 or $12 directly...
The state of residuals in the music business has very much fallen apart (unless you were doing music or a TV show or commercial spot)
nice video
Good perspective! Would love to see that “whole other video” you mentioned at 4:15
It’s coming for sure 👍
I can relate a bit to this, in terms of drawing a cartoon for my college paper. I was forced to do as many as five comic strips a week. I had no choice but to finish, because of deadlines. Was I great at it? No. Did I get better because I was forced to complete ideas, however flawed? Hell, yes.
Perfect practice makes perfect
-Da13thsun
Very important question, thanks to do that. Personally i'm trying to resolve this question with a large use of improvisation, my liveset now seems works (maybe)
I love using improvisation as a way to “mine” ideas. If it all comes together immediately, I count my blessings and move on haha
🎼
Main takeaway from this;
Ear blind = deaf
When I was young, playing improvisational music. we would learn if you make a mistake play it again. then everyone thinks you did it on purpose as part of your improvisation. The happy little accidents where your fingers are faster than your brain.
Whom.
You're welcome. ;)
which synthesizer would you choose? Korg MS-20FS or Moog Matriarch? I have Polybrute and Moog Subsequent 37. But I don't have enough tool to create leads and rough sounds. Can you advise something else? Thank you!
what of I have a hard time even starting. I open ableton... have no clue the direction I want to take. mess around a little and close it. other times I have an idea, no clue how to execute it and just give up.
Definitely planning a follow up on the blank page phenomenon
Laziness, procrastination, and poor health routines. Those are the answers for why you can't complete projects. And they're universal. They apply to any kind of project.
People don't finish their tracks because actually they don't like the song right from the beginning, BUT they made too much effort in production, that it's very difficult to admit that within the time they spent on it, basically they just practiced. But did not compose.
Where is that community to join for track reviews? Is it your Patreon channel?
It's similar to Patreon: bit.ly/JNJmembership
There's a community feedback section where people can share things they're working on :)
that chef has only used 10 or 11 different cooking methods in 200,000 years of evolution, according to my cookery Bible from school, (not counting microwaves or A.I., its an old book)
The stakes and steaks cost a lot less to realize a music composition sucks after going through the process of it compared to cooking high quality steaks and realizing your cooking of the steak sucks. How you like the sound of them steaks?
Venus Theory clone?
Recently I tried getting into AI music generation in search of more inspiration outside of my typical workflow. Did a lot of research and found some that were getting great reviews. Purchased all the premium features of them all (most seemed to be just for an open copyright ownership) and got to doing the generating and tweaking parameters of them. Saved ones I liked and brought them into my DAW to work with.... Hated it. Instead of seeing if they could help inspire me, they ended up just being generic rhythms anyone with basic music knowledge could do, not really anything formed, almost as much "music creation" as a metronome does. Lol. Sometimes I get jealous of people that dont know music theory because their creations are so untypical its fantastic. They aren't tied down to putting a quarter note here or a crescendo there. They just do what sounds good, and it does.
Where is this community?
wokest bloke in the synth hood