Hey Zach!
I didn’t read the article, but after a quick skim, I’m assuming it’s talking about remaking music, and using that as a guide to understand the basics of music production.
I’ve actually had this argument with the producer community before..
It’s a very tricky topic because there’s a very fine line between copying, learning, and becoming a producer with your own sound.
Here’s an interesting question for you to think about..
How many producers do you know today that have their own unique sound?
In my opinion, not as many as there used to be back in the day.
When you hear about iconic music producers, we know them for their style.
Now what happens is people see these producer’s success, and try to emulate it.. This is a continuing trend in every industry.. something becomes popular, people copy it, and it becomes very competitive.
A great example is Dubstep. When I started learning music production, almost every tutorial was based on the Dubstep genre.. very often showing how to do “LFO Wobbles”.
But a couple things to think about:
- Dubstep is not very popular anymore
- Dubstep never made it to the mainstream radio for everyday users to listen to (it was a very niche crowd, even though popular at the time)
- Many of those techniques may not carry over to normal beatmaking
The argument is “remake music to learn music production”.
And while yes, you can learn what’s going on, you’re not necessarily learning to make your own music, and that’s my argument.
Being unique is what makes you stand out, even if it’s a long-term game.
But then the question is “how do you learn music production without copying?”.
And the answer is learning the basics of music production.
This means:
- Learn how melodies work (keys & scales)
- Learn to make your own drum loops (one shot drum samples)
- Learn how to further enhance a melody (automation.. sky is the limit here)
Another secret I pass onto you members of my platform is learning different genres like Dance, Hip-Hop etc.. try to play with different tempos.. try to start making a beat from scratch with your melodies first, then your drum loop first the next time.
Over time if you keep at it, you become a well-rounded producer understanding the core basics of music production.
If you remake music, I personally don’t think it teaches you to make your own music, which is ultimately the end goal most producers are wanting.
To make their own beats from scratch, to find their own sound, and do their own thing.. whether it’s just a hobby or they’re trying for this professionally.
What are your thoughts on the concept, Zach?
It’s a touchy subject which often gets downvoted from my mindset, but I do have my music made available, and as you can hear, it’s very diverse.. dance, emotional beats, etc.. I’m my own producer, not trying to copy any one 🙂
