Here’s a more general observation rather than a “tip.” But it’s nonetheless one of those things that bear repeating. It’s all about paying attention to detail. Your success depends on it.

The devil is always in the detail. “Almost great” will never be “GREAT.” This applies to everything from you songwriting, to your arrangements to playing, performances, mixing and the overall production of your music. Pursuit of excellence is what drives every true artist.

What does it cost you to get your bass player and drummer to play in perfect synch on a particularly difficult part? An hour? A day? Whatever it is, it’s a finite period of time. Take that time. It will be worth it. If you don’t – you’ll await “success” for YEARS, and chances are you’ll never reach it.
But saying that attention to detail is critically important is a truism and it also sounds kinda nitpicky and boring to many artists who believe that “spontaneity” is the essence of art. DON’T fall for this without thinking about it first.

Art lives in the moment. It’s personal. It’s that “something indefinable” which makes it what it is. Art exists is in the process of creation. The rest is craft and process of production! And only through that can others experience it too!

A true artist is a real task-master and a QUALITY CONTROLLER.

You probably know that it’s easier to tell others what to do than do it yourself. Other people’s mistakes are much more easy to spot! You need to develop the ability to “step outside of yourself” to notice the same things about your own work. And then find a way to get yourself not to settle for “okay.”

The moment you adapt this attitude (and it takes a little time to really get your head around it), your future will change for ever.

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When arranging your songs, always aim for conciseness of delivery. Think about talking. You can beat about the bush or you can get straight to the point. Sure, there are times where getting straight to the point may not be the best way. But most other times it really is the only way.

And this definitely applies to much of popular music.

In order to be musically concise, you need to revise. We all know that a fresh idea that we wish to share with friends will take us longer to talk about and “flesh out” than an idea we’re already very familiar with, one we have talked through many times and can now present it in a brief, punchy, powerful way. In this case the process of “revision” was “natural” and unforced. You just kept talking about a certain thing and with each retelling you got tighter and tighter.

In music, the process is the same, but often requires a more concentrated and deliberate effort. And it applies to melodies as much as lyrics. In fact, it applies to everything from arrangement to vocal and instrumental parts to the final production.

One of the biggest hurdles to achieving concise results tends to be our attitude towards our ART. For some inexplicable reason, many of us feel that writing requires genius and that genius is spntaneous – and we’re the spontaneous genius…

But if you think about it, this attitude reeks of arrogance. It implies that we feel that whatever we do on the spur of the moment is perfect! Upon reflection, most of us will agree that it isn’t really so and it’s not what we meant when we said “spontaneous is best.” OK. But hold on. Before we start splitting hairs, we can easily agree that perhaps a second take or another look at those lyrics or melody is “acceptable.” And if you push us, perhaps three times…

All right. So we’re just looking at a question of degree – not the principle.

So here’s the deal. The secret lies in the DEGREE to which you’re willing to subject your creations to revision. But beware: some of us are very compulsive. I’ve known many talented writers who just didn’t know when to stop and consequently virtually castrated their inpired ART down to something lifeless and sterile.

As with everything in life, common sense is your ally. Work that lyric or tweak that melody for as long as your energy level is high. Stop when you’re feeling that it begins to wane. Go out and clear your ears. But make sure to come back to it. Allocate a finite amount of time to each tweak. At one point you’ll just have to move on, and resolve to “get it right” next time. But never give in without at least trying to maximize your effort.

So, how long should it take to revise each component of a “typical” song? If you can answer the question “how long is a piece of string?” then you know the answer. It all depends. But I can give you a couple of typical examples.

In a typical writing session in my experience, the barebones of the song (basic melodic and chordal idea, at least partial lyrics) can take anything from a few minutes to maybe an hour. That’s assuming that you’re an experienced writer. A basic arrangement of this, meaning assigning parts to instruments and getting a “first listen” can take another hour to two hours if you’re dealing with experienced musicians, or if you’re good with your sequencer. A listen-through will confirm whether you’re on the right track and whether the raw song evokes the kind of feelings you had when you wrote it.

And now revision must start in earnest. A typical lyric may endure 30 or 40 rewrites. Naturally, now and then you’ll hit on the “right” idea much sooner, but be prepared to do 50 re-writes! And be happy if you arrive at the “optimal” version in less than that. A melody line may take multiple rewrites too. Often the core melody is just right, but “flipping out” a note here or there or coming up with an alternative line in a part of the song will take you a good couple of hours as well. The same will apply to all instrumental performances. Unless you want your rhythm guitar to just strum a boring 1-2 pattern you’ll have to arrange its part so that it flows. Perhaps each chord should have a couple of steps built in to take it to the next chord, etc. All that needs planning – and revising.

All told, a “typical” song can take a good 3 days to “get right” on the arrangement and writing side. You can then take another day for recording it (with multiple re-takes until it totally shines!), and finally give yourself a couple of days to get the mix down. So… a week. That’s about right.
No. This does NOT make you sound lame. A week dedicated to a song is, in fact, quite skimpy. DON’T FALL for those stories of “we got this down in 15 minutes in a live session.” This CAN happen once in a blue moon, but don’t program yourself for that. And it’s not evidence of anything other than a bit of good fortune. Genius is measured by RESULTS – not by the time it took to get there!

The famed band “Boston” used to take up to 4 years per album…! Excessive? Perhaps, lol. But each one of their albums enjoyed multiple platinum sales and each one was hailed a “classic.” And nobody even cares that their last album took not 4 but 6 years to complete!

No, I’m not advocating this kind of extremely obsessive production cycle. I too think it’s nuts! But if you can help it, NEVER predetermine how long a song will take you to produce. It will be done when it’s done. This power tip is actually a SHORT-CUT. If you spend MORE time on doing GREAT music, your chances of “making it” will grow expenentially. If you spend less time on producing a lot of half-baked music, you are GUARANTEED to get nowhere.. very slowly.

Oh, and I KNOW I could have been much more concise in this post!

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If you’re planning to design your dream home, chances are you’d feel a lot better if the final plans were actually drawn by a professional, wouldn’t you?

The same principle is good to keep in mind when working with your own mixes. There comes a point in every indie artist’s career where it really is a good idea to take your favorite song to be mixed by a pro. The disadvantage? Well, you’ll have to spend a little money. The advantage? Not only will your song sound as good as it possibly can with the current arrangement and recording, but you’ll also have learned key mixing principles from a pro.

Why is this important? Most of us learn to mix on our own, and even if we have a natural flair for it, it simply never hurts to learn how it can be done even better from the pros. There are so many little intricate details which you can pick up during a single session, which would otherwise take you years of trial and error and loads of reading to figure out.

If music is your business (or at least your WISH it to be your business), then this just might be one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

We often hear otherwise excellent songs mixed poorly, and as a result they don’t do so well on the show. What a shame and a pity! Frequently, only a few small adjustments to the mix would have completely transformed it.

And how can you know that the engineer you’re about to pay a small fortune to is really good? Well, it’s quite simple, really. Ask around. Check his credentials. Listen to his work. Also make sure it’s an engineer who’s experienced in mixing your style of music.

Bottom line: If you work with specialists, professionals – you can only improve yourself. Once you do, you’ll never look back.

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Many “one-man bands” (which includes songwriters and producers) often have this attitude: “I do EVERYTHING in my music and I’m gonna make it ON MY OWN!”

Perhaps it’s something we all share as humans, this sense of (false) pride and some kind of a Quixotic romantic notion that this is “the way” to do it.

Unfortunately, not only does it not square off with reality, it’s a deeply flawed sentiment and it’s one which can positively stop your career dead in its tracks before it can ever get off the ground.

I used to think the same way. Initially, you couldn’t get me to collaborate with anyone. If asked, I would flat-out refuse. In this manner I’ve missed some awesome opportunities. Some where my would-be collaborators went on to bigger and better things, and others where perhaps my influence would have helped them.

With time, however, and way too late, I finally embraced the concept. And as soon as I did, I didn’t just get to work with people who were “as good as” or “worse than” me. Pretty soon, I was invited to collaborate with “better” people. Some of them household names. And here’s an interesting insight: I’ve learned LOTS from EACH of these types of collaborators. The “better ones” taught me plenty, but so did my “peers” as well as my “students.”

Today, I’m fully converted. I believe a good collaboration can bring out the best in each artist involved. In fact, I can’t even think of an example of ANY successful artist, writer or producer – anyone – who did it all alone. They all had collaborators!

Think about it. Would John and Paul “make it” without Ringo and George? Would either Britney Spears or Max Martin get on the map without each other? Would Jagger work without Richards?
There’s time to work alone, and there’s time to work with people. Make sure that in your artistic development schedule you have both. It’s easier for bands. They’re, by default, a “collaborative artist.” But even they can use outside influences! Invite people to your sessions if only to be your “listeners.”

Are “all” collaborations good?

Well, this very much depends on everyone’s personality, but none more so than yours! If you’re open-minded and sufficiently creative, you’ll benefit from ANY kind of collaboration. I remember writing songs for a project involving little kids. At first I locked myself away and wrote and wrote, and then I had them perform it. Later, I decided to write in front of them – cold and on the spot. This completely transformed my mindset. I really had the hand on the pulse there, and the music I wrote was much more in tune with my young collaborators. Everybody (including me) enjoyed the whole experience much more as a result! I also worked with “peers” – people who were pretty much as good as I was. I usually managed to control these collaborations in such a way that they didn’t become an uhealthy competition and everybody benefited from each other’s insights and ideas. And finally, I also worked with people who were much better than me. Not only did that teach me stuff that would have taken me years to figure out by myself, but it also opened me to further similar collaborations!

So, how do you select whom to collaborate with?

I’d say that at first just try it with “anyone” who is equally passionate about music, and who’s readily available to work with you. If possible, try to select people who complement you. Perhaps you’re a great songwriter but not a great drum arranger? Or maybe you’re a great arranger but don’t know how to write “killer top-lines?” If you’re objective about your limitations and not hung up about not being the best in “everything” you will soon be able to form killer collabs. And don’t limit yourself to only one or two collaborators!

One of our closest friends and a long-time collaborator, Rob Davis, has gone on to become one of the world’s most respected songwriters after he’s teamed up with Kathy Dennis (whose solo efforts were also going nowhere fast at the time).

Collaborations can be magic. But they can only happen if you’re open to them!

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Today’s “tip” is more of a general word of advice than anything technical. But it’s extremely important nonetheless. From my personal experience as well as from watching countless others, I believe that this just has to be one of the most important bits of advice I can only wish I had gotten back when I was starting out.

While it goes without saying that as indies we tend to “have to” do everything ourselves, it’s equally obvious that no matter how good we might be in more than one area, there’s typically just one area where we well and truly excel. So, if you’re a great rapper, for example, but not a great singer, one of the most important things you’ll ever do is RECOGNIZING that fact. Because if you do, you won’t be hung up on seeking out a BETTER singer, will you now?

The same goes for songwriters. Too many songwriters dream of being “singer/songwriters,” whereas their true strength might lie in songwriting itself. They might “feel” their music better than most singers, but can they really deliver it better? In many cases, they can’t but they try anyway. And then they get frustrated because people don’t hear the song quality first. The FIRST thing your audience hears is the performance. You could argue that the “first” thing people notice is the “mix” but… performance is by far the most important aspect of any production. Get that right, and all of a sudden your dodgy mix seems to sound a little better and even your average song suddenly starts sounding like a potential hit.

It’s perfectly fine to do everything yourself in the initial stages. Pre-develop and pre-produce your songs all by yourself. But when the time comes to show it off, start making some calls and find the best people you can find to help you finish it off! There’s no shame in being a great collaborator. There’s no REAL pride to being the lone wolf! On the contrary – of the dozens of the most successful artists I know i can’t think of one who’s done it ALL by him or herself!

Why should all this matter?

Well… if you didn’t get it yet, let me tell you the difference: if you don’t play to your strengths you will remain an unfulfilled, perhaps bitter, artist until the day you throw in the towel. If you play to your strengths and associate yourself with the best people you can find, you’ll fast-track your career like NO contacts and “industry ins” could ever do.

And pretty soon, you’ll be soaring with the eagles! Wanna be a pro? Do as the pros do!

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Many artists, some very talented ones included, have trouble easily telling the difference between a perfectly pitched tone and an “imperfect” one. You can often hear records where the singer (or a guitarist) performs certain parts just a “wee bit” under or over pitch, just here and there. Most listeners aren’t able to tell the difference in a conscious way. But they are most certainly able to detect this anyway. We’re all born with solid relative pitch. When something’s just slightly out of tune, we will typically perceive it as a bit “weird” or slightly “boring” (without knowing why), depending on whether the performance is over- or under-pitched. In some cases, this may actually help give the song an edge, but in most others, for some unknown, mysterious reason, we very quickly tire of listening and forget the track soon thereafter. Very often, this is caused by imperfect pitching on part of the vocal (or any of the instruments in the band).

Among the producer’s most valuable assets is the ability to hear everything perfectly well. And this certainly includes the ability to discern the accurate pitch of any performance, vocal or instrumental. You don’t need to have the so-called “perfect pitch” for this. A finely-tuned ability to hear “relative pitch” is more than adequate for this job. But how do you develop it? And what does “finely-tuned” really mean?

We’re not talking about “obvious” bum notes here. Only those very subtle ones. Something in the range between 5% and 15% off a semitone…! That’s where a lot of the magic lies. Most of us can tell a “bum” note when it’s about 25-50% of a semitone off. But what about when it’s finer than that..?

Because this “tiny detune” is so subtle, it’s easily missed if you don’t know what you’re looking for. But it’s absolutely critical to a great performance to get this right, and as a producer of your own music, you owe it to yourself to do so.

But how? Can you hear the difference between, say, a “perfect” C and a C detuned 20% of a semi-tone down for example? And how about 5%? Well, that’s exactly how close you need to be to perfect pitch in order for a performance to always come across as pleasing to our harmonically-sensitized ears! And you need to be able to hear this in real time and help your performer reach “true pitch.” The good news is: you can learn this, and quite quickly too!

So, without further ado, here’s a little tip which I bet will help you develop your ear in no time. You just need to do this a few times during your recording sessions. And after a while, you won’t need this tool any more. You’ll be able to pitch tones perfectly by ear.

Most studio musicians these days have or can easily borrow a digital tuning plugin, such as Antares Autotune. Some artists have used Autotune as a “robot-like” effect when rapidly re-tuning vocals. This is, arguably, a pretty cool effect first heard in Cher’s “Believe” and is today regularly heard in many pop, R&B and hip-hop tracks. Many “traditionalist” musicians shun this tool, however, believing that it will only “corrupt” their music.

Don’t fall for it, please. It won’t – if you don’t let it! But it can teach you a whole lot about pitching!
Put your (recorded) vocal part through Autotune and watch it correct the pitch. You’ll instantly hear the “correct” pitch, even if you might not like the sound of your voice after this kind of processing. Don’t worry about that. It’s about developing your ears! Now loop a small part, perhaps just a word. Play it with Autotune enabled, then without. Can you hear the difference? Now get your singer to sing it again, this time as close to perfect pitch as possible.

Very soon, sometimes after just one session, you’ll be able to identify how far off-pitch a given performance is. Autotune can show you the amount of detune in percentages, so your ear gets that additional visual reinforcement.

And next time when you hear a bum note, you won’t just say “it’s flat.” You’ll be able to say “it’s 15% of a semitone under-pitch.”

This is more than just a cool party trick. This is the difference between producing solid performances and ones that will turn your audience off.

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