workflow
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Broad Strokes First, Then Smaller Details
While there are no foolproof ways to get a piece of music going, a useful strategy is to think in terms of broad strokes first, then smaller details. This is the musical equivalent of the writer who gets an initial rough draft down, then refines it later. It reminds me of something I heard a graduate Continue reading
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Start From Scratch (Again)
If you’re new to this blog or haven’t noticed its themes, I often write to distill ideas relating to music production workflows. I generalize based on my own experiences and share concepts that guide the work of other musicians. I think there are insights here and there, or at least an accumulation of analytical weft Continue reading
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Aiming For Perfection, Open To Correction
The other day I was working on a piece and had the idea to record the chords while muting the vocal parts. Normally I wouldn’t do this because I want to hear what I’m playing along to! But in this case there were too many unusual phrasings in the singing for me to react to Continue reading
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Forward Engineering
If reverse engineering means examining a finished work to try to figure out how it was constructed, then forward engineering means examining a work in progress and projecting forward to imagine what it might need to be completed. In music production, having the ability to see how a track will end up would be a Continue reading
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Notes On What Worked
“Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.“ – Louis Pasteur At the risk of overthinking things, I take notes about my work as I’m making it, with the belief that reflecting on process sharpens one’s focus and elevates the next session’s prospects enough to make such reflecting Continue reading
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As A Single Flowing Gesture
(Ensō calligraphy by Kanjuro Shibata) “Too much thinking.” – Kanjuro Shibata, master bowmaker and archery teacher There is no best way of doing music production, but I find that when I approach a piece in terms of what might be called a single gesture I have the best chance of turning it into something that works. Continue reading
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Working Quickly, Working Slowly
There are two main ways I work, both of which have their upsides and downsides. The first way is relatively quick, uninterrupted, and takes place over a single session. If work on the music began around 10am, I might be done by 2pm. Not done done, but having decided upon most of the piece’s main Continue reading
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Music Production Steps
Creating new music involves many steps, not all of which necessarily involve playing notes, notating them, or recording them. For me, a workflow often involves six steps. Depending on the day, I’ll work on one or two of these steps, but almost never all of them. Each step is a different spoke in the compositional Continue reading
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