How to Get Started in Making Music

[ChocolateChicken]

I often see many newcomers to music production asking more experienced musicians, "Hey, do you have any tips for a beginner?" or "I'm just starting out in making music. How can I be creative?"

Obviously, there is no absolute way to get started, but the most important part about doing anything is genuinely having passion for it - you shouldn't even bother becoming a musician unless if you genuinely want to make music.

My second point of advice if you want to produce music is to just bite the bullet and figure out how to operate a DAW. It could take days or weeks or months if you've never used one before.

I can't believe how many times I've heard of folks who have been so eager to get themselves involved in music production, only to quit entirely after realizing how complicated the process really is. Dammit, nobody said it would be quick and easy! Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you're going to produce your own music, the place to start is with a DAW. Any DAW: FL Studio, Ableton Live, Cubase, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Garageband (yes, even Garageband), are all great starting points. Once you get your hands on a DAW, sit down and spend the time you need to figure out how it works, how ever long it takes. This also includes things like EQ, compression, and other useful tools that are huge benefits in producing sounds. Mess around and experiment as much as you can. A huge part of learning something is learning from mistakes. You should also feel free to look up online tutorials or forums (like this one) if you need help.

The thing I really have to emphasize here is BEING PATIENT over the course of the many weeks or months it takes while learning how to use a DAW. I don't care who you are, nobody can learn a DAW overnight if you've never used one before. Take your time, but DON'T GIVE UP if you don't see results as fast as you wanted to see them.

Another part about making music is being creative, which is completely different from being good at production. This is also an aspect of music making that can be done without a DAW. Asking others how to come up with catchy melodies or chord progressions for you will get you nowhere with your own creativity. Creativity is something that lies inside of your own mind, like a sense of humor or your own natural interests and appeals. Some people are naturally more creative than others, while many people just lack a natural creative ability. A thing that many people don't realize is that creativity can be learned, if you aren't very naturally creative. But this does not mean you should start asking others to help you come up with lyrics or song ideas; it means practicing, well, your brain's ability to come up with good ideas. It takes time as well, but it can be done. Try finding things that inspire you. It can be anything from your favorite TV show, to a band/artist you really like, or even your annoying cat. If some days you find yourself able to come up with an idea for a song, while most other days you aren't able to come up with anything at all, DON'T GIVE UP.

Now I shall sum things up as best as I can:

Have genuine passion.

Get a DAW

Learn how to use the DAW, no matter how long it takes.

BE PATIENT

Take your time.

Don't give up.



Everything in this little guide is my merely my opinion, so there's no need to get offended or upset if you feel like this guide is misleading in any way. This is an extremely short and concise guide; there are longer and more in-depth guides about how to get started on MLR. If you have anything to add, please feel free. I love you.

[soultensionbenjamin]

learn an instrument or composing... study theory .... experiment .... make Friends to learn the tips of the trade ... don't expect to be popular

[Thyrai]

Don't give up.

[Dabrenn]

- you shouldn't even bother becoming a musician unless if you seriously want to become a musician.

I like your post, "Don't give up" is exactly what I need to hear but what exactly do you mean by this? Do you mean "don't bother even starting unless its your intention to become a full-time musician/producer/whatever"? i.e. music becoming your job.

If that is true, then I totally disagree with that line. Music Production is a great hobby, even if you never make money off of it and is much more fulfilling than playing WoW or CoD for hours and hours.

[Mundius]

- you shouldn't even bother becoming a musician unless if you seriously want to become a musician.

I like your post, "Don't give up" is exactly what I need to hear but what exactly do you mean by this? Do you mean "don't bother even starting unless its your intention to become a full-time musician/producer/whatever"? i.e. music becoming your job.

If that is true, then I totally disagree with that line. Music Production is a great hobby, even if you never make money off of it and is much more fulfilling than playing WoW or CoD for hours and hours.

You couldn't be more further from the truth. It literally means "don't give up", as in never give up when making music and don't abandon this hobby. It's worth it in the long run.

I never expected to start being (more-or-less) a commercial musician (I made music for fun), but look at my Bandcamp. All my music is available there, commercially. That's how I make money. Why? Because I noticed that my stuff is getting good and people could actually pay for this.

But, yeah, back to the point- just make music. If you have doubts about your music, then make more music. That's how this hobby is. Make music for the sake of making music.

[ChocolateChicken]

- you shouldn't even bother becoming a musician unless if you seriously want to become a musician.

I like your post, "Don't give up" is exactly what I need to hear but what exactly do you mean by this? Do you mean "don't bother even starting unless its your intention to become a full-time musician/producer/whatever"?

Sorry for the confusion, Dabrenn. It would appear that you misinterpreted what I was saying in that sentence. When I say this, I am merely attempting to bring attention to the idea that nobody should do anything unless if it is what you actually want to do. In other words, you shouldn't try to become a musician unless if you genuinely want to make music, regardless of fame, fortune, or success. It should be an inner desire, and for the right reasons. I'll elaborate on this with an example: If you decide to quit music because nobody is buying your songs or listening to them, then you are making music for the wrong reasons.
Does anybody disagree with that?

And perhaps I didn't put it into words as well as I could have; the word "seriously" seems to change the meaning a bit, doesn't it? The word "genuinely" suits the sentence better.

[K3WRO]

don't expect to be popular

Don't give up.

you shouldn't even bother becoming a musician unless if you genuinely want to make music.

BE PATIENT

Everything Else

Thou speaks the truth

[Seven]

Think you've got most of it right there.

Though, one (pretty) major detail. You don't have to use a DAW to create music. Musician's been fine without them the last couple millennia.

Replace 'DAW' (that is, Digital Work-Station, for everypony's information) with 'Instrument', and you'll be fine. At least until any singer decides to read this.

[ChocolateChicken]

Though, one (pretty) major detail. You don't have to use a DAW to create music. Musician's been fine without them the last couple millennia.

As a somebody who's been a musician for years and can play 7 instruments, even before knowing what a DAW is, I agree with you about that. But the part of the guide that mentions the importance of a DAW is within the section of the guide that talks about the production side of music-making, of which a DAW is the best and most useful tool in my opinion; especially in today's music production, and with electronic music.

Also, my guide already states that creativity and production are two very different things.

Still, I have edited my post further to clarify that creativity can exist without a DAW, just in case beginners might think that a DAW is required for composition and coming up with ideas - which it isn't.

Thank your for your input!