A decade ago, I made the decision to cut out every distraction and focus solely on music production. The journey was far from easy. When we set out on a path, we often underestimate the obstacles we’ll face and overestimate how smooth the ride will be.
For every bit of good news in the music industry, I encountered ten more setbacks—bad news that could have easily discouraged me, just as I’ve seen it do to countless others.
Back then, I was like many of you, relying on YouTube because it offered free education. I thought I was clever enough to piece everything together on my own. I even convinced myself that learning from professionals was for fools and that everything I needed could be found online for free.
But here’s the truth: life will humble you when you think you’re too smart.
If I could go back in time and speak to my younger self, I’d teach him humility and share the wisdom I’ve gained. I’d tell him the importance of learning from those who have already walked the path. Unfortunately, we don’t have that technology, but we do have the opportunity to learn from those who are ahead of us.The moment I started putting myself in rooms with people who were ahead of me was when my growth truly began. I got out of my comfort zone.
Sometimes, I met people who were ahead of me, and they were kind enough to chat. In most cases, though, I had to find ways to get into those rooms—whether through networking, paying for education, attending conferences, or other means.
Each interaction elevated my awareness and naturally led to leveling up. My decision-making evolved, and the way I showed up in and out of the studio transformed. Those who didn’t make similar choices got left behind because of their poor decisions.
I recently read an article discussing how most basic fundamentals for any activity have already been solved. This reminded me of the music world, where some producers think it’s honorable and artistically pure to reinvent the wheel. But the truth is, your unique sound only emerges once you’ve mastered producing professional-sounding music.
The fundamentals don’t stifle your creativity or force you to sound like someone else. Instead, they equip you with the insight to find your voice and express it in the way you were meant to. While trial and error is crucial in the creative process, it should be reserved for the stages of creative output—experimenting with new ideas, chord progressions, or sounds.
But trial and error shouldn’t be your approach to the foundational aspects of production. Understanding the fundamentals allows you to achieve professional results in your own unique way.
Final Thoughts
Think of it like building a bridge. You can design a bridge with any aesthetic, but it must be constructed based on solid engineering principles. The last thing you want is for a car to drive over it and the bridge collapses.
The point here isn’t to limit your creativity but to get you to a place where you can consistently produce music with confidence. Once you have the fundamentals down, you’ll be able to show up, experiment, and create with a strong foundation to support your creative vision.
Hope this helps!
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