Focus and Discipline

[Insahn]

Hey Guys,

I have trouble focusing for long periods of time on song creation. I rarely complete anything because once the going gets tough and I'm not sure where to go with my song, or even if I do know where to go but it seems like a ton of work, I tend to procrastinate horribly. Do any of you have this problem? Those of you that finish your songs often have any tips for good work habits? I'm sick of this issue and need to overcome it.

[ehbes]

ITs not always about finishing a tune just work on different aspects each time and sooner or later it'll come

[Sharmaji]

keep a running list of things that need to be done for each song in progress. Song A needs a percussion line,song B needs mix work, etc, etc. be as detailed as you have to be.

[Ghost of Muttley]

Soft hands
Cradle the egg
Max the extreme and so on

[ephyks]

I'd say out of 20 songs that I produce. I quit on 14. I finish 6. I only release 1. Which many span over 4-6 months. You've got to love making music even when it is frustrating. Even if you sometimes you hate it while your producing you've just got to have that general interest to push through and continue and to theorycraft with music and sound design. I can't remember the last time I finished a tune. In fact I was supposed to have a tune polished up and sent to a label for mastering a couple of weeks ago but inspiration and writers block have been holding me back. Inspiration strikes at weird times mate. Just keep thinking of music when you're not producing. Eventually you'll being to develop a love for it one you start to really learn all the technical sides of producing.

[Insahn]

I'd say out of 20 songs that I produce. I quit on 14. I finish 6. I only release 1. Which many span over 4-6 months. You've got to love making music even when it is frustrating. Even if you sometimes you hate it while your producing you've just got to have that general interest to push through and continue and to theorycraft with music and sound design. I can't remember the last time I finished a tune. In fact I was supposed to have a tune polished up and sent to a label for mastering a couple of weeks ago but inspiration and writers block have been holding me back. Inspiration strikes at weird times mate. Just keep thinking of music when you're not producing. Eventually you'll being to develop a love for it one you start to really learn all the technical sides of producing.

Oh man, I do love making music. Don't get me wrong. I've been a musician for 15 years, but here lately (I think because my standards have risen dramatically in the past year) I can't finish anything and will just procrastinate like its my job when things get challenging and the initial fun part of writing the loop is over. But "pushing through" is a good way to put it because that's what it feels like at times. I think we unknowingly train ourselves to be patient during this process and I am still very immature where that is concerned. Instant gratification is not the name of the game it seems. Making a list of things that need to be done seems like it could be a good place to start.

[bl0rg]

only make music when you feel most creative.

[stereoleben]

yea, indeed. though there are hard times in every of our tracks, we sometimes have to pause a single track and keep on working on a different one OR spend some time with reading. whenever i read or watch about a new technique which i didn't know about, i actually fire up ableton and check it out in my current track. even if it doesnt fit i might imagine using it in a different one later.

it's just sticking to what it's all about - joy, creativity and stamina.

[Insahn]

yea, indeed. though there are hard times in every of our tracks, we sometimes have to pause a single track and keep on working on a different one OR spend some time with reading. whenever i read or watch about a new technique which i didn't know about, i actually fire up ableton and check it out in my current track. even if it doesnt fit i might imagine using it in a different one later.

it's just sticking to what it's all about - joy, creativity and stamina.

Thanks mate, I don't do that enough in regards to watching new techniques. I feel like I've got a pretty good handle on most of the basic techniques, but I could always learn more ableton. You're right, it can be inspiring. I suppose I'm trying to force it, but by not forcing it I haven't been very productive unless you count countless beginnings of songs. I am learning from trying to make my loops sound as good as possible, but I feel like my arrangement abilities and creativity as far as pushing tracks in interesting directions is lacking because of it.

[Alistairr]

my advice is, dont try and perfect a single entity of a song like a loop or baseline on its own, try and get the basic foundations of the song done first, then u have at least some direction in what ur aiming for.

in other words try and get the idea of the song down as quick as possible. sometimes a particular chord progression can inspire u from that, or an off-beat rhythm may get the creative juices flowing...

the hardest point in production i think, is...if ur starting from scratch and not knowing where to take ur track...

[Sharmaji]

only make music when you feel most creative.

that's pretty much a guaranteed way to get nothing done. Creativity is about 1% of the process; the rest is just plain old work.

[Insahn]

my advice is, dont try and perfect a single entity of a song like a loop or baseline on its own, try and get the basic foundations of the song done first, then u have at least some direction in what ur aiming for.

in other words try and get the idea of the song down as quick as possible. sometimes a particular chord progression can inspire u from that, or an off-beat rhythm may get the creative juices flowing...

the hardest point in production i think, is...if ur starting from scratch and not knowing where to take ur track...

Do you mean get the basic structure (intro drop breakdown drop 2 outtro) done as quickly as I possibly can? I am trying to do that but I find I don't have enough elements and I end up getting slowed down considerably trying to build what I think the song needs. How do you get past this issue? I am going to have to try this method though, I like the idea of being able to work quickly and the only way to do that is to practice it.

And... I agree with Sharmaji. The creativity part isn't hard, but I truly only feel the creative juices flowing when I'm in the zone and laying down the basic idea whether it be the drums or the bassline... building the loop in other words. I've been working by trying to build a solid loop with plenty of elements and then trying to arrange what I have in some sort of progression by playing the clips straight into Live via clip mode. I read the Breakage Q&A and that is the way he does it (or did it) and I've had the most success doing it this way, but again I think having to stop to create the sound I'm hearing slows me down considerably and kind of kills the groove most of the time.

[Alistairr]

im not sure, its different for everyone, as we all have our own techniques, work flow is a major factor i feel though in getting past writers block.there is nothing worse then getting bogged down in a techincal issue that u dont no how to resolve slash end up losing th emomentum because u took on something too hard, im not saying dont push urself in every track because that is important too- otherwise u dont learn anything,

but i suppose u have to strike some sort of balance between investing time and effort in pushing ur sound design technique into new areas for ur own good and making sure u efficient workflow.

i find restrictions on tracks also help. if u restrict urself to a certain must- have loop, take the one u are working on now for example, then ur track will have focus, something often lacking in a lot of beginner productions, too many ideas often make the track not very coherent to the outside listener and consequently spoil the broth- so to speak. so have a think about that. we all fall victem of this, i often do, where one track contains like too much material and is not simple enough.

other then that, my most basic advice is, if ur hitting a brick wall with an idea, thats mainly because the idea is not a good one, thus u should scrap it and start again lol. may sound liek tough advice but ull waste less time doing this method then sticking with it and at least now uve started again, u can learn from ur mistakes and maybe try from a different avenue/angle/prespective of production.

good luck!

[atticuh]

keep a running list of things that need to be done for each song in progress. Song A needs a percussion line,song B needs mix work, etc, etc. be as detailed as you have to be.

To build upon this, keep organized and be sure that everything you're doing has a purpose. There's no point spending all your time in production if it isn't actually productive (labor hours does not equal productivity).

One thing I did in order to train myself to be more productive was impose artificial time constraints on the time you spend producing. This forces you to breakdown your workflow into efficient, organized segments, during which you'll be more focused and thus, more productive.

[dubstallion]

dexadrin or adderall

[Mad_EP]

only make music when you feel most creative.

that's pretty much a guaranteed way to get nothing done. Creativity is about 1% of the process; the rest is just plain old work.

^^^ THIS = every day forever.


Basically the only way to become disciplined... is to BE disciplined. Sounds simple - it is!

But the trick is - just because it is simple, doesn't mean it is easy.


You don't have to finish a tune everytime you sit down - if you did, they would probably all sound crap. BUT - discipline comes from setting a goal and sticking to it. You might say "You know, I am not gonna get out of this chair until this break sounds right." So guess what - you don't get out of the chair until it sounds right. It might take minutes, it might take hours (and you miss your fave TV shows, and you have to cancel plans with friends, or whatever)... but you don't get out of that chair till you do what you said you would do. Sure you can cheat - and say something is better than it is so that you can do what you want instead of what you said you would do... but that is where discipline comes in. Do you do it cos you can get away with it, or do you do it till it cannot be found with the slightest bit of fault?

[JTMMusicuk]

dont be afraid of deleting synths that you are proud of creating if they dont fit the beat your working on, bounce it down and use it in another track if you want. sometimes its can just be one little part of a track which is creating that mental block stopping you from progressing to the next part of the track
and of course sometimes respect that each new track is a learning curve so if even if you dont end up finishing it know that its all part of improving your skills in synthesis and general workflow
Have faith