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Hey Hilary – thanks for the kind words! So stoked to hear you’re learning to make music. I think as long as you keep it genuinely interesting for yourself, you’ll be just fine.
LEARNING INSTRUMENTS:
When I was a kid, I tried the standard piano lessons and guitar lessons and it just didn’t work. Instead of practicing from the book, I spent my time trying to figure out my favorite songs by ear. That was a way more interesting and fun way into music for me, and it still kept me learning, but in a way that made sense for me. Now that’s not to say abandon lessons and do what I did – if lessons and books work great for you, that’s awesome. All I’m saying is – if the standard method of learning doesn’t quite fit your brain, follow a way that feels authentic and fun for you. Whichever way gets you excited about learning and practicing, and gets you to pick up the instrument and put in the time – that is the way to go, no matter what any fancy music geezers may say. Keep it interesting and challenging for yourself so you don’t get bored and abandon the pursuit.
LEARNING SONGWRITING:
This tends to happen naturally when you’re learning songs you love. Get all up in your favorite songwriter’s head as you pick apart and learn their song. Try to understand the decisions they make, and compare that to the decision you’d make. Give yourself little exercises or experiments to try out – like jumbling and shuffling the chords of a song you like and making a new song out of it, or trying to write a song with only 2 chords. Limitations can lead to really interesting ideas, even if they’re artificially placed there by you. Try writing lyrics first, and then the opposite, and then sideways. Give yourself a chance to surprise yourself with something unconventional. Again, just keep it fun and interesting for yourself in a natural way.
LEARNING RECORDING:
This one, above all others, can be a bottomless pit of technical tips and terms. Don’t get too lost in the weeds –just focus on learning what you need to know to make it sound how you want. There’s no universal standards for recording processes, and most times our favorite artists are our favorites because they recorded something the ‘wrong way’ in a way that sounds interesting to us. Just follow your ear, be patient with yourself and experiment till it sounds good to you. There are songs that are beloved by gaggles of superfans that were recorded in GarageBand, on a phone, on a 4-track tape, on an old karaoke machine – you name it, it’s happened. All that matters is that to you, it sounds right for the song you wrote.
Overall, I’m just excited for you to have fun and explore. Don’t worry about showing it off, making it public or reaching any arbitrary milestones for success – keep it as a special, genuine thing that’s just for you as long as it needs to be. Then, when you’re feeling ready, see if there’s any DIY music community in your area – you’ll learn a lot from peers that are in similar stages as you, and it’s really motivating to have friends that are going down that same journey. Pop into some shows, check out what they do on their equipment, ask them questions after – some of my longest friendships started that way.
Anyway – keep rocking, rolling, or whatever your style happens to be, and thanks for reaching out. Stoked for you!
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