personally what holds me back when writing is that at a certain point things start to sound familiar and I instantly have that feeling of copycating or that I'm hyping bullcrap with that four bass notes and that simple melody. That's when I drop the idea - I know it's silly because 1) no one knows all the songs so there will always be people for whom it is new 2) even if it is in the same ballpark what keeps me from varying it? Do you have an advice?
@@troeteimarsch might try switching from the music to the lyrics. Perhaps the lyrics will force the music a bit in another direction, away from what is feeling repetitive.
I'd add one more Graham, one you've mentioned multiple times in the past: done is better than perfect. Do NOT spend months tweaking every single project. Most of the time, it's not worth it. I even have a very concrete example - recently I've released two songs - one was a track that I've literally spent weeks on, and one project was completed in three days. The latter had a much better reception :)
I can definitely feel that. I'm writing, producing, recording, performing all of my songs, making YT content too and it's incredibly demanding. And I make acoustic music. MAD Props to all of you guys doing fancy 100 track productions, I honestly couldn't imagine me doing that.
I'm getting back into it now after my accident. Good advice on letting someone else mix. Great to hear you're starting the day right in the Word & prayer!
Tip 3 resonated with me the most because about 2 weeks ago I got so frustrated from wanting to write, find beats, melodies, mixing and I just felt like a failure. I burnt out an said screw this and took a break to get my mind right. Now i'm slowly starting to get back into it but following your advice of doing one thing at a time. So now i'm just focusing on writing before I move to recording then to mixing.
I think this is great advice. The DIY scene IS OVERWHELMING. Focusing one goal at a time, not trying to do everything at once...it just makes sense. Thirty years ago, just learning to play one song on piano was a great goal for a month. I never imagined then that there would be the ability for us to do so much with new technologies...and the major distractions and misconceptions that come with them.
Man, I resignate with the whole video. You are in inspiration and so helpful. I love how you understand how we're all feeling and you want to help. Can't find this anywhere else for real
Dear Graham. Watching this video really spoke out, what I am suffering from. I am writing songs, playing all the instruments, do the mixing, cover design, promotion ... creating music in several genres. Writing for sync .... doing co-writing, producing other artists ... playing live shows ... and trying to get better in all of it all the time. I never realized, how much this burns me out. Or better: How it burns me out, to do it all at the same time! So I am going from very productive phases to phases, where I feel like I can not even move on finger, because I run so out of power. I guess, structuring my time will help so much, and also not doing EVERYTHING by myself. Also, I realized, that my vocal recordings are so much better, when I don´t do them on my own. Pressing record, running to the microphone .... singing .. running back to the DAW, to hit "Stop". Listen to it. Press record again ... running to the microphone ... and back and forth .... The few moments, I recorded my vocals in another studio went sooo much better. I should do this more often. So easy to see, but sometimes you need someone to tell you what´s going wrong, because for some reasons, you can´t see the problem, that is standing in front of you. Strange, right? I really, REALLY want to thank you!! All my best wishes to you and the ones you love!
Way back in the days before social media I used to work things in seasons. January was songwriting and vocals month. February was vocals and mixing month. March was touring and promotion month. April was the mastering and first vinyl pressing month. May was release month. These releases would run up until August when aside from touring I would also do songwriting and vocals. September was mixing, mastering touring and promotion. October was vinyl pressing release month. I learned to work the seasons from the successful independent label that I used to work for so I took those lessons into running my own fledgling record label 26 years ago. Although technology and the process has changed the principles of working the seasons is still the same. Thank you for reminding me of that as there are a lot more distractions nowadays
Really great video that I needed to hear. Delegating work to others can be a great way to alleviate stress and allow you to focus on what you're good at. Thanks for the reminder!
That was really helpful! I was in a bit of a funk and feeling really blocked to take the next steps recording my music but now after this video I feel motivated to focus on just that one task. Thank you !!!
Excellent advice. I dove into all this as a hobby. Ramped up quickly with some help. Got good results, as a hobbyist. But to get to the next level, I can't agree with this advice more.
The one thing that I think is the most powerful in the creative/production process is the FOCUS we apply to one thing given the season. I'll be honest, writing and creating songs and ideas exclusively is my absolute favorite. After I have that song or songs, and believe in them, then the other parts of the process follow with their own natural momentum. Appreciate your insight and wisdom as always Graham.
There is a lot of truth here. I think breaking up the work is important. I'm fortunate enough to have some great musicians/producers/writers to work with. If I did it all myself, as I am prone to doing, it would be a terrible mess and I wouldn't have any creative juice left. Another thing sharing the load does is offer a sounding board and a support group, which helps when the overwhelming odds against musical success drain our motivation.
All valuable info, and I would add, always note your strengths and what your energy does when recording vocals, or writing or whatever. If you let your strengths take the lead and then let the other aspects of your approach work in support of whatever it is in your process that really strokes your muse, the things that you keep in house and the things to job out become much easier to sort out. JMHO
Some really great tips, I can fall foul of having many things happening at one time, and never completing anything so have some songs written, some scratched out in my DAW and some nearly completed waiting final mix, so easy to get overwhelmed, so my focus will be finish mixing my track Speechless, get it mastered and then create vid and upload on my channel, I am fortunate that I do have people that can help I should make use of the talented people around me. Thanks Graham for giving me things to refocus my mind
Was this specifically for me?? LOL It sure felt like it. I am doing the full time job vs music balance routine. Getting a RUclips Video out every week and a new song with music video every month has been a challenge already. Thanks for the encouragement brother. I really appreciate it.
I like the Phases tip. I learned something similar to this from Michael Hyatt years ago. Focus is also one of my favorite topics. One of the best books on this topic is The Power of Focus by Les Hewitt. highly recommended. I'm much better at delegating, but sometimes I still get caught up in the process of doing many things myself I could get others to do instead.
Thanks I appreciate what you said. I can relate with all of it. I think I might spend some time trying to stream a song and maybe performing a little for a while.
The one that resonates is the collaboration. When I gave one of my songs to someone to get mixed, even though I feel capable, there was a weight lifted! I will be doing more of that.
Hi Graham, thanks for the tips. The sad part about me is that I have many musician friends but find it easier to perform on my own. However, you’ve convinced me it wouldn’t hurt to bring them in on what they do a whole lot better than me, bass drums, etc. I always appreciate your wisdom and this old guy listens! Some of the time...
Hi Graham. Being a DIY musician, I can really relate to the value you shared on this video. The point where you mentioned breaking the process into months really got me. This was really helpful for me. Thanks a lot.
Hey Graham! Amazing content, your last videos had really struck a chord inside of me. As I have previously said, thank you so much for sharing this part of the process with us, I know these tips come from a trial and error background and I really appreciate you take the time to share this knowledge and help us save all that time.
I'm one of the DIY people who wakes up at 5am to write/record guitars/bass and program drums because I have a full-time job and a family. Thanks for the tips--I'm also one of the people who's been binging Netflix in the evening lately instead of working on my music. It does get to be a bit much sometimes, but the results are worth it if I can push through
I probably needed to hear this. After my band disintegrated I planned to do a solo project. Unfortunately, I never got around to finishing the first song because of these you mentioned. I’ve planned to come back to it but in order to get it done I really should pay attention to these tips!
Awesome message, especially since a lot of us musicians are trying to everything on our own nowadays. Also, love the tracks you did with Ill Factor! Your vocals are strong in every mix, and the music has great energy! The Good Life EP is awesome 👌
@@brianwallington9744 You're not alone man. I gave up a few years ago and now I'm trying again. Trying to learn just a little bit day by day. But it seems every time I come up with an answer, it leads to more questions. I wish I knew someone who really knew this stuff that could sit with me for a few hours. I feel I'd learn more in those hours than it will take me weeks or months to figure out on my own. I'm using Cakewalk by Bandlab. I was using Sonar X3 studio so I have a familiarity with it but damn, it's so complex. I'm searching youtube, googling, I have a 1300 page book on Sonar, posting questions on the Cakewalk forum. I'm making progress but it's a slow drag. It's so frustrating when I watch a tutorial, follow it step by step, but then I'm not seeing what the tutorial is showing. I may not be the smartest person but I'm certainly not stupid, but sometimes I feel that way. I did find a company that does one on one training by connecting to my computer, but I haven't seen what they charge. I'm currently trying to figure out drum recording. I'm a keyboard player but enjoy playing on an electronic drum kit. So I'm working on using my drum kit to trigger vst drums. The whole drum mapping thing is a beast in itself. And I'm still getting aggravated doing simple navigation tasks. What software are you using? Maybe we could help each other. I might know something you don't and vice versa. Let me know and I wish you all the best, good luck!
mr. jinks hi there I have tried Cakewalk ..couldn’t even download it properly:-) then tried studio-onetrial verssion from presonus ,there are hundreds of helpful vids on the net..but .. somehow they either don’t show what I need to know or what they do on the screen has nothing to do with what is on my screen.also trial version from cubasis LE ..same thing happens with this too. lately been trying to do more with garageband on my i pad with the help of Pete Johns ,really good tutorials, decided just to work with this for a while,even if it is limited in some ways.I then hope that what I learn with garageband will then later help me use other daws. But we can only hang in there and not forget that we are doing this for fun 🤔🥴
Excellent Graham, you're a treasure. Very helpful, thank you. One thing at a time resonates for me. I'd also add - not to burden one's self with unrealistic expectations. I'm developing synch content and find myself getting frustrated because my work doesn't sound as good as my musical heroes - Prince and Nuno Bettencourt, no less! They are/were only prodigious geniuses, after all, working on epic budgets with the greatest musicians and engineers in the world. It's laughable really. Aim high for sure - but keep it real, encourage oneself and others and keep on growing, slowly - but surely.
I can so relate and appreciate this message! I spent 2 weekends working on ONE song, and realized it wasn't the structure I wanted and stepped back, but after putting down guitar, bass, keyboard parts, and realizing it wasn't where I wanted the song to be, I felt failure and just deflated. These videos help me a lot! I can step back and regroup, but putting that energy into a long project is a big demand on ones time. I will use your suggestions. :) \m/!
When I get over whelmed I just shut everything down for a few days and pick up the acoustic guitar. This usually helps me get back to the basics and creativity of just writing a new song.
I got majorly overwhelmed last year and just took like four months and didn't make music and it was majorly frustrating because I wanted to make way more music than I did last year so this totally resonates with me. Focusing is my big take away, because while I feel like I do it, I need to hone in on focusing and make sure I'm doing it so I don't get burnt out like I did last year. On a side note, I'd love to see you make a video about how to advertise to a point where you could get 10000 streams, because advertising streaming is something I struggle with. All I really do is link on my social media and after that step, I'm lost as to how to go further lol.
Collaboration! As a member of your VIP but also on other platforms I found musicians, lyricists to help me out on parts I could not do or I´m weak in! Secondly I decided to hire a (well known British guy, fiend of yours ;-)) for mastering my songs!
These 3 tips are overwhelming and I can't do all of these tips.. oh well time to go eat some pizza lol lol nah seriously great video and advice. I had to learn this the hard why which is why there is so a huge gap in between my music uploads. So i broke everything down into sections and taking it one day at a time!
Hi Graham. Great video as always, I can relate on all three tips. I have a question tho. I'm a singer-songwriter, I'm in a band in which i write 90 % of the material. I do synth, write guitars-bass-drums, so I can think myself as a recording artist (I absolutely love audio production and sound design). This year I've started working on a full time job as an Architect. Do you have some advice on belancing this 8:30 - 18:00 job alongside the production/recording/songwriting? I already compertalize a lot of stuff, but I feel I could do more and more efficiently. I like to think that one day I'll go full time, but for now I don't make a penny with music. Thank you man, amazing stuff as always.
Graham, how can I differentiate between producing and mixing, while I create electronic music? Using EQ and compression is part of creating sound... Maybe bouncing more from midi to audio way earlier?
I'm a big believer in doing one thing rather than no thing. It's all too easy for me to wander off from composition to sound design and mixing. I have a set of drums, bass, leads, etc. handy that are good enough to keep things moving and keep me focused.
My problem is trying to slow myself down. I get my mind running so much that I have a hard time writing because I start writing one part OG rhythm guitar and then think, oh, I wonder what this would sound like on lead? I start bouncing all over the place until I burn myself out and don’t have anything more than clips of song ideas 😂 or I’ll start something and then think it sucks 15 mins later.
I 100% agree with feeling overwhelmed and working in teams and collaborating but most of the team those people you collaborate with are getting paid for their time with you BY you and honestly I just can''t afford that. Anyway around it you reckon?
Hi Nikki, maybe stopping was the best thing you could do when super overwhelmed. Rest and refresh and maybe when you are feeling more energised you can factor in Graham's suggestions and start moving towards your goals once more. Hey, even God rested on the seventh day!
Sometimes, in order to gain perspective on a project, it is necessary to take a break and forget about it for a couple of days. Come back when you are feeling refreshed. There’s no right or wrong, but you’ll have better results when you are fresh and feeling better. Good luck👍
►► Create radio-worthy songs from your bedroom. Download my FREE Radio Ready Guide and learn my 6 step process → RadioReadyGuide.com
What is a DIY musician ?
@@DBCisco do it yourself = DIY
I loved the blocking idea because it allows you to really focus on one activity at a time to sculp out in detail the sound you want. Thank you.
personally what holds me back when writing is that at a certain point things start to sound familiar and I instantly have that feeling of copycating or that I'm hyping bullcrap with that four bass notes and that simple melody. That's when I drop the idea - I know it's silly because 1) no one knows all the songs so there will always be people for whom it is new 2) even if it is in the same ballpark what keeps me from varying it?
Do you have an advice?
@@troeteimarsch might try switching from the music to the lyrics. Perhaps the lyrics will force the music a bit in another direction, away from what is feeling repetitive.
I'd add one more Graham, one you've mentioned multiple times in the past: done is better than perfect.
Do NOT spend months tweaking every single project. Most of the time, it's not worth it.
I even have a very concrete example - recently I've released two songs - one was a track that I've literally spent weeks on, and one project was completed in three days. The latter had a much better reception :)
Unless you're writing a lyric. 😉
@@Kenkerr100 I think it applies to everything, the only thing that differs is what is "good enough" :)
@@InfinityTone point taken. Red Lane used to say, "wanna work on that word"?
Well said!
Amen brother. ✌🏼
I can definitely feel that. I'm writing, producing, recording, performing all of my songs, making YT content too and it's incredibly demanding. And I make acoustic music. MAD Props to all of you guys doing fancy 100 track productions, I honestly couldn't imagine me doing that.
Literally needed to hear this TODAY
Same
YOU GOT THIS BRO
I'm getting back into it now after my accident. Good advice on letting someone else mix. Great to hear you're starting the day right in the Word & prayer!
Tip 3 resonated with me the most because about 2 weeks ago I got so frustrated from wanting to write, find beats, melodies, mixing and I just felt like a failure. I burnt out an said screw this and took a break to get my mind right. Now i'm slowly starting to get back into it but following your advice of doing one thing at a time. So now i'm just focusing on writing before I move to recording then to mixing.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you for always putting out the videos that keep me on track. You're the best, Graham!
I think this is great advice. The DIY scene IS OVERWHELMING. Focusing one goal at a time, not trying to do everything at once...it just makes sense. Thirty years ago, just learning to play one song on piano was a great goal for a month. I never imagined then that there would be the ability for us to do so much with new technologies...and the major distractions and misconceptions that come with them.
Great video brother!
Man, I resignate with the whole video. You are in inspiration and so helpful. I love how you understand how we're all feeling and you want to help. Can't find this anywhere else for real
All 3 tips resonate, but Tip #3 hits me the hardest. One realized goal feeds the rest! Thanks for the reminder Graham!
Dear Graham. Watching this video really spoke out, what I am suffering from. I am writing songs, playing all the instruments, do the mixing, cover design, promotion ... creating music in several genres. Writing for sync .... doing co-writing, producing other artists ... playing live shows ... and trying to get better in all of it all the time. I never realized, how much this burns me out. Or better: How it burns me out, to do it all at the same time! So I am going from very productive phases to phases, where I feel like I can not even move on finger, because I run so out of power. I guess, structuring my time will help so much, and also not doing EVERYTHING by myself. Also, I realized, that my vocal recordings are so much better, when I don´t do them on my own. Pressing record, running to the microphone .... singing .. running back to the DAW, to hit "Stop". Listen to it. Press record again ... running to the microphone ... and back and forth .... The few moments, I recorded my vocals in another studio went sooo much better. I should do this more often. So easy to see, but sometimes you need someone to tell you what´s going wrong, because for some reasons, you can´t see the problem, that is standing in front of you. Strange, right? I really, REALLY want to thank you!! All my best wishes to you and the ones you love!
Thanks, Graham. It's often easier said than done. But we try. We try.
thanks so much!! feeling much better now! Motivation is back on!
Way back in the days before social media I used to work things in seasons. January was songwriting and vocals month. February was vocals and mixing month. March was touring and promotion month. April was the mastering and first vinyl pressing month. May was release month. These releases would run up until August when aside from touring I would also do songwriting and vocals. September was mixing, mastering touring and promotion. October was vinyl pressing release month. I learned to work the seasons from the successful independent label that I used to work for so I took those lessons into running my own fledgling record label 26 years ago. Although technology and the process has changed the principles of working the seasons is still the same. Thank you for reminding me of that as there are a lot more distractions nowadays
Great tips man! Pure gold for our mental health and creativity.
Really great video that I needed to hear. Delegating work to others can be a great way to alleviate stress and allow you to focus on what you're good at. Thanks for the reminder!
Great video, Graham! Thank you for sharing it! Greetings from Brazil / Sao Paulo
'Block your time' resonated with me. Thank you
That was really helpful! I was in a bit of a funk and feeling really blocked to take the next steps recording my music but now after this video I feel motivated to focus on just that one task. Thank you !!!
Always inspiring. THANKS
Looks like Graham tips are always on point.
Excellent advice. I dove into all this as a hobby. Ramped up quickly with some help. Got good results, as a hobbyist. But to get to the next level, I can't agree with this advice more.
The one thing that I think is the most powerful in the creative/production process is the FOCUS we apply to one thing given the season. I'll be honest, writing and creating songs and ideas exclusively is my absolute favorite. After I have that song or songs, and believe in them, then the other parts of the process follow with their own natural momentum.
Appreciate your insight and wisdom as always Graham.
This one really resonated with me at this point in my life, great stuff!
Great advice, Graham.
There is a lot of truth here. I think breaking up the work is important. I'm fortunate enough to have some great musicians/producers/writers to work with. If I did it all myself, as I am prone to doing, it would be a terrible mess and I wouldn't have any creative juice left. Another thing sharing the load does is offer a sounding board and a support group, which helps when the overwhelming odds against musical success drain our motivation.
I so needed this video! Thank you!
Focus... Thank you, very helpful motivation
All valuable info, and I would add, always note your strengths and what your energy does when recording vocals, or writing or whatever. If you let your strengths take the lead and then let the other aspects of your approach work in support of whatever it is in your process that really strokes your muse, the things that you keep in house and the things to job out become much easier to sort out. JMHO
i really needed this today, thank you
You are a life saver I really needed to hear this just been burning out a lot
Lately
This is some of the best advice around.
Timing things and giving them their own space is very important.
This is something I’ve been struggling with a lot lately actually lol, thanks for this
Seguro implementare el primer tip. Genial video en un momento justo
man, i really needed to hear this, thanks.
Some really great tips, I can fall foul of having many things happening at one time, and never completing anything so have some songs written, some scratched out in my DAW and some nearly completed waiting final mix, so easy to get overwhelmed, so my focus will be finish mixing my track Speechless, get it mastered and then create vid and upload on my channel, I am fortunate that I do have people that can help I should make use of the talented people around me. Thanks Graham for giving me things to refocus my mind
Great video! We needed this.
Appreciate your pep talks and encouragement Graham. The winter blahs are finally creeping away and really needed to hear this today. Great advise!
Excellent video! So many take-aways. Awesome morning routine. Focus and momentum are key.
Needed this 💯good vid man!
Was this specifically for me?? LOL It sure felt like it. I am doing the full time job vs music balance routine. Getting a RUclips Video out every week and a new song with music video every month has been a challenge already. Thanks for the encouragement brother. I really appreciate it.
Thank you for this. Thank you
I like the Phases tip. I learned something similar to this from Michael Hyatt years ago. Focus is also one of my favorite topics. One of the best books on this topic is The Power of Focus by Les Hewitt. highly recommended. I'm much better at delegating, but sometimes I still get caught up in the process of doing many things myself I could get others to do instead.
Thanks I appreciate what you said. I can relate with all of it. I think I might spend some time trying to stream a song and maybe performing a little for a while.
Oh I am overwhelmed. This is what I needed! Thanks Graham. You Rock!
The one that resonates is the collaboration. When I gave one of my songs to someone to get mixed, even though I feel capable, there was a weight lifted! I will be doing more of that.
Damn ! You are so right !! Thank you very much for this man !! Really !! Thank you ! ✌️
Hi Graham, thanks for the tips. The sad part about me is that I have many musician friends but find it easier to perform on my own. However, you’ve convinced me it wouldn’t hurt to bring them in on what they do a whole lot better than me, bass drums, etc. I always appreciate your wisdom and this old guy listens! Some of the time...
Thank you for this, Graham. Definitely needed to hear this exact thing this morning.
Church for musicians. Awesome sermon. Thank you. *-----Q-----*
Thank you Graham! You have been helping independent musicians for years and you're appreciated sir! 🔥
Thanks for advises
One task at a time. That works for me. Yes, I want to do a dozen different things, but focusing on one thing is best. Thanks for the great advice!!!
Hi Graham. Being a DIY musician, I can really relate to the value you shared on this video. The point where you mentioned breaking the process into months really got me. This was really helpful for me. Thanks a lot.
Thank you for sharing this tips Graham! I love your content. Greetings from Colombia.
Cheers for this man🔥🙏🏼
Hey Graham! Amazing content, your last videos had really struck a chord inside of me. As I have previously said, thank you so much for sharing this part of the process with us, I know these tips come from a trial and error background and I really appreciate you take the time to share this knowledge and help us save all that time.
Thanks Graham 👍
Graham you're still coming up with original content and I'm very impressed. Congrats and thanks (VIP).
#2 and #3 hit home the most. Really needed to hear this. It’s simple wisdom. Now to employ it. 🙏🏽
Word of the day - ‘Swip-Swop’. love it. Great tips.
I'm one of the DIY people who wakes up at 5am to write/record guitars/bass and program drums because I have a full-time job and a family. Thanks for the tips--I'm also one of the people who's been binging Netflix in the evening lately instead of working on my music. It does get to be a bit much sometimes, but the results are worth it if I can push through
Amazing tips man definitely have to implement them. A good tip for anyone treat this wisdom like gold 👌
I probably needed to hear this. After my band disintegrated I planned to do a solo project. Unfortunately, I never got around to finishing the first song because of these you mentioned. I’ve planned to come back to it but in order to get it done I really should pay attention to these tips!
Awesome message, especially since a lot of us musicians are trying to everything on our own nowadays. Also, love the tracks you did with Ill Factor! Your vocals are strong in every mix, and the music has great energy! The Good Life EP is awesome 👌
Wow bro thank you!!
I'm just overwhelmed by learning my DAW. I get hung up on figuring things out instead of making music. Totally kills the creative process.
Yes thanks for this comment ,so now I know I am not alone ..-)
@@brianwallington9744 You're not alone man. I gave up a few years ago and now I'm trying again. Trying to learn just a little bit day by day. But it seems every time I come up with an answer, it leads to more questions. I wish I knew someone who really knew this stuff that could sit with me for a few hours. I feel I'd learn more in those hours than it will take me weeks or months to figure out on my own. I'm using Cakewalk by Bandlab. I was using Sonar X3 studio so I have a familiarity with it but damn, it's so complex. I'm searching youtube, googling, I have a 1300 page book on Sonar, posting questions on the Cakewalk forum. I'm making progress but it's a slow drag. It's so frustrating when I watch a tutorial, follow it step by step, but then I'm not seeing what the tutorial is showing. I may not be the smartest person but I'm certainly not stupid, but sometimes I feel that way. I did find a company that does one on one training by connecting to my computer, but I haven't seen what they charge. I'm currently trying to figure out drum recording. I'm a keyboard player but enjoy playing on an electronic drum kit. So I'm working on using my drum kit to trigger vst drums. The whole drum mapping thing is a beast in itself.
And I'm still getting aggravated doing simple navigation tasks. What software are you using? Maybe we could help each other. I might know something you don't and vice versa. Let me know and I wish you all the best, good luck!
mr. jinks hi there I have tried Cakewalk ..couldn’t even download it properly:-) then tried studio-onetrial verssion from presonus ,there are hundreds of helpful vids on the net..but .. somehow they either don’t show what I need to know or what they do on the screen has nothing to do with what is on my screen.also trial version from cubasis LE ..same thing happens with this too. lately been trying to do more with garageband on my i pad with the help of Pete Johns ,really good tutorials, decided just to work with this for a while,even if it is limited in some ways.I then hope that what I learn with garageband will then later help me use other daws. But we can only hang in there and not forget that we are doing this for fun 🤔🥴
@@brianwallington9744 Yeah...fun. Lol. 🤣
@Batphink Reynolds Cakewalk by Bandlab. Coming from Sonar X3 studio. I'm making progress, I figure out things many times sheerly by accident.
Excellent Graham, you're a treasure. Very helpful, thank you. One thing at a time resonates for me. I'd also add - not to burden one's self with unrealistic expectations. I'm developing synch content and find myself getting frustrated because my work doesn't sound as good as my musical heroes - Prince and Nuno Bettencourt, no less! They are/were only prodigious geniuses, after all, working on epic budgets with the greatest musicians and engineers in the world. It's laughable really. Aim high for sure - but keep it real, encourage oneself and others and keep on growing, slowly - but surely.
I can so relate and appreciate this message! I spent 2 weekends working on ONE song, and realized it wasn't the structure I wanted and stepped back, but after putting down guitar, bass, keyboard parts, and realizing it wasn't where I wanted the song to be, I felt failure and just deflated. These videos help me a lot! I can step back and regroup, but putting that energy into a long project is a big demand on ones time. I will use your suggestions. :) \m/!
Excellent subject matter.... I feel this HARD somedays!
Thanks Graham, needed to hear this.
love your content bro
realy needed to hear this! thanks you a pure angel mr
When I get over whelmed I just shut everything down for a few days and pick up the acoustic guitar. This usually helps me get back to the basics and creativity of just writing a new song.
I got majorly overwhelmed last year and just took like four months and didn't make music and it was majorly frustrating because I wanted to make way more music than I did last year so this totally resonates with me. Focusing is my big take away, because while I feel like I do it, I need to hone in on focusing and make sure I'm doing it so I don't get burnt out like I did last year.
On a side note, I'd love to see you make a video about how to advertise to a point where you could get 10000 streams, because advertising streaming is something I struggle with. All I really do is link on my social media and after that step, I'm lost as to how to go further lol.
Always ON leads to burnout. A great revelation. Maybe moderation IS key.
This is great advice bro!
Outstanding ... helpful and realistic :)
I highly appreciate this. 🙏🏾
developing further, i think there's some books like the war of art of awakening the giant within that can help.
Collaboration!
As a member of your VIP but also on other platforms I found musicians, lyricists to help me out on parts I could not do or I´m weak in!
Secondly I decided to hire a (well known British guy, fiend of yours ;-)) for mastering my songs!
I'll also add sometimes, you can't help when inspiration strikes. Always be writing and honing your craft.
If you’re bad at programming drums, you could just find some drum loops on Splice that you like.
The one I hated was the stick with one or two socials. I really don’t know which one to cut
Dude, thank you for this. You have described me to a T. Appreciate the encouragement.
Yup, I'm up at 3:30am every morning so I can get a few hours in before work.
respect!
The 2nd tip really like me, I want to do everething in a short period of tieme and I can't concentrate on the little thing.
These 3 tips are overwhelming and I can't do all of these tips.. oh well time to go eat some pizza lol
lol nah seriously great video and advice. I had to learn this the hard why which is why there is so a huge gap in between my music uploads. So i broke everything down into sections and taking it one day at a time!
Haha great title!
Blocking is key!
Hi Graham. Great video as always, I can relate on all three tips. I have a question tho. I'm a singer-songwriter, I'm in a band in which i write 90 % of the material. I do synth, write guitars-bass-drums, so I can think myself as a recording artist (I absolutely love audio production and sound design). This year I've started working on a full time job as an Architect. Do you have some advice on belancing this 8:30 - 18:00 job alongside the production/recording/songwriting? I already compertalize a lot of stuff, but I feel I could do more and more efficiently. I like to think that one day I'll go full time, but for now I don't make a penny with music.
Thank you man, amazing stuff as always.
Graham, how can I differentiate between producing and mixing, while I create electronic music? Using EQ and compression is part of creating sound... Maybe bouncing more from midi to audio way earlier?
I'm a big believer in doing one thing rather than no thing. It's all too easy for me to wander off from composition to sound design and mixing. I have a set of drums, bass, leads, etc. handy that are good enough to keep things moving and keep me focused.
Man I can relate to this! Working 40 hrs,wife and a 10 year old and still trying to wear every hat,lol. I figured just focus on songwriting first : )
My problem is trying to slow myself down. I get my mind running so much that I have a hard time writing because I start writing one part OG rhythm guitar and then think, oh, I wonder what this would sound like on lead? I start bouncing all over the place until I burn myself out and don’t have anything more than clips of song ideas 😂 or I’ll start something and then think it sucks 15 mins later.
I spend most of my life feeling overwhelmed :/
thanks man
I 100% agree with feeling overwhelmed and working in teams and collaborating but most of the team those people you collaborate with are getting paid for their time with you BY you and honestly I just can''t afford that. Anyway around it you reckon?
Aw man my church did a 21 day season of fasting and I did social media and man! The amount of songs I wrote, and GOOD songs, damn!
3 hits :)
I am super over whelmed right now. So much so that I just stopped everything 😩😩😩 help!!!!
Hi Nikki, maybe stopping was the best thing you could do when super overwhelmed. Rest and refresh and maybe when you are feeling more energised you can factor in Graham's suggestions and start moving towards your goals once more. Hey, even God rested on the seventh day!
Sometimes, in order to gain perspective on a project, it is necessary to take a break and forget about it for a couple of days. Come back when you are feeling refreshed. There’s no right or wrong, but you’ll have better results when you are fresh and feeling better. Good luck👍