Tips to Develop Songs from Ideas

Break the loops and complete your music.

You started making music, found an idea and built up the first 32 bars.
You got excited and felt like a gold producer *)
Then you got stuck and could not develop it into a full track.
It sucks, isn’t it?
 
You are not alone.
Building an idea into a finished piece is a hard skill.
This skill when mastered, turns a good producer into a great one.
Here are 6 ideas to help you develop a piece from an idea:

+ Create 2 ideas instead of one

Computer music makers tend to create an idea, a motive and build the piece from there.
At some point the idea gets looped 723 times and filled with all sorts of sounds.
This is where shit hits the fan.
 
Just avoid this by creating 2 ideas.
2 ideas that have some similar sounds but different motives and that can transition into each other.
The more the contrast, the better the transition.
You can change the lead melody, add one element and remove one. 
Tadaaa!
 
You will hear 2 different ideas almost in every music piece, why not start creating from the start.

+ Separate creative mind from structure mind

When you are playing with ideas and flowing creatively, forget about structure.
Just focus on creating and polishing the ideas.
Details are not vital at this stage. 
Creative mind is different from structure-designer mind.
One is chaotic and the other is organised. 
Make these 2 sessions separate and you will better focus each.
You will faster complete pieces.

+ Expand first, details last

When you have the 2 ideas ready, focus on expanding the piece.
Don’t try to add new sounds, don’t change the ideas, just expand the piece to a minute or 2.
Push to go further right on the timeline.
 
Sometimes you may even expand the arrangement to full piece length in one session with this focused mind.
Half piece length in one session, is a good start as well.
 
While doing the expansion, don’t go into super detail.
Just expand.

+ Build from busy to simple

Most people build their ideas full with layers of content.
This is a good place to work backwards.
 
Think of this full idea is somewhere later in the piece and subtract elements while going backwards in time.
Discover the intro and then you can further build the relation and transition between 2 ideas. 

+ Easier if elements function musically by themselves.

One other vital point is, musically and rhythmically almost all elements of your piece should work by themselves.
 
This is the case with good music, it’s elements are functioning musically as well.
If not, you will have hard time to build and complete the piece.

+ Better done than perfect.

Remember, perfect is nowhere.
When you complete and release more pieces, your skill will get better.
Your music will spread more.
 
Now get to creating, better done than perfect.
Ozgur @ Rast Sound

Ozgur @ Rast Sound

Ozgur is the co-founder @ rastsound.com

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