When you first start making beats or producing music (and even long after), you’re hungry for knowledge, looking for the next hot tip, new and cool beat making software or plugin that’s going to make your track the hit the Top 40.
But you want to know the best way to become a better music producer?
Study music.
It’s not a super sexy answer, but it’s probably not what you think.
It Doesn’t Mean What You Think…
I don’t mean go to music school and study music theory until your eyes bleed. That stuff can help you but it’s not what I’m talking about.
I mean you need to set aside some time, like an hour a day and literally study music.
Open up Spotify or YouTube and play some new tracks in a style/genre you make music in. And just listen – over and over again.
Focus on different sections, different instruments, different patterns. Study the music.
Deconstruct the whole track and try and single out its different parts.
Recreate The Experience
Once you do that – try and emulate it. That’s right. Recreate the entire beat from scratch. Even if you can’t get the sounds exactly right, match them as best you can. At the end of the day, its more about recreating the feel of the track, instead of its exact “sound.”
The amount of knowledge, experience and expertise you’ll get from just doing that is next level.
But don’t just listen to music you like. Open up the Top 40 list and study the hits. That’s just as important as studying the music you like.
Why?
Because those song’s are in the Top 40 for a reason – regardless of what you have to say about the “quality” of the music.
And you know The Beatles? That groundbreaking band that’s one of the biggest names in popular history?
They were a cover-band for years before become a solo act.
That’s right – they played their time’s Top 40 songs (not their own music) night after night for a long time.
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And a lot of people say that’s part of the reason they were such amazing songwriters.
That just goes to show the power of knowing today’s hot music inside and out as a music producer. Even if you don’t like making that type of music. It can help you understand what draws listeners in and what makes them listen over and over again.
You can use all that knowledge to create sick beats that will get people listening.
If you’re new to making music, sign-up for our free Beat Making Cheat Sheets and you’ll get our 7-Day Course to Better Beats as well.
