Is Making Music Hard? Sometimes (so here are 8 tips)
Making music is like telling stories — your stories. It’s your take on life and it’s totally creative. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.
So, is making music hard?
Sometimes yea, it is. But other times, not really. There’s a lot of nuance to it.
But either way, it’s super fun and a hyper-creative way to express yourself.
So let’s unpack things.
Making Music vs. Writing Songs
We need to split some hairs — making music doesn’t mean writing music (for this post).
Making music is more about the production process, but writing songs is more about the (non-production) ideation stages.
So I’m assuming you’re here because you’re curious about producing music.
But either way, the tips down below should help no matter what.
So, Why Is Making Music Hard?
Sometimes, making music is hard. Even the pros have off days.
But what makes writing difficult varies a lot and things tend to ebb and flow. One day, everything may be flowing, but the next day everything is falling apart.
Still, there are some things that usually make things worse:
Comparison culture
Life stress
Distractions
Skill deficits
Your mood
The difficulty of the song you’re trying to write
Explore more:
➤ My Favorite Music Production Tips
How to Make Music Easier (8 tips)
1. Write Intuitively
Listening to your gut instinct is a musical soft skill.
But it’s hard, given all the modern distractions and social pressures to create or sound a certain way.
Intuitive songwriting is writing based on instinct and gut reaction. It’s songwriting without thinking too much about your decisions.
One way I like to tap into this is by setting a timer to gamify things. This adds some urgency and takes away the nuance of trying to make something “good” or “perfect”.
But just remember, creativity is a naturally intuitive process. So let things flow as they want.
Explore more:
➤ Intuitive Songwriting 101
2. Optimize for Flow
The best place to create from is in a state of flow.
Ideas pour out, intuition takes over and time disappears. It’s flow state.
Making music involves a lot of decision making, technical skills and confidence. And optimizing for a flow state makes these things less logical and more creative.
So here are some way I like to optimize for flow while making music:
Get rid of distractions
Make time for music (and nothing else)
Lean into spontaneity
Fix flow bottlenecks (like skill deficits)
Explore more:
➤ How I Harness A Creative Flow State
3. Play to Your Strengths
As a musician, some things will come easier for you.
For me, writing melodies and hooks feel natural. But singing, mixing and mastering used to disrupt my workflow. This made songwriting frustrating and annoying.
So to make things easier, I leaned on my strengths and fixed my weaknesses.
Playing to your strengths makes music production way easier and more fun.
But just remember that while leveraging your strengths makes things easier, skill building still makes you stronger. So it’s best to balance both.
Eventually, you can also outsource certain parts of the process.
But if you’re new to making music, just focus on skill building and learning the basics. Your natural strengths will come out sooner or later.
4. Fix or Outsource Your Weaknesses
If strengths make music-making easier, then weaknesses do the opposite.
So if you want to make songwriting easier, either fix or outsource your weaknesses.
For example, outsourcing the mixing and mastering stage is pretty common for many producers and solo artists.
But if you want to focus on skill building, then schedule in specific times to work on your weaknesses.
This skill-building time is not meant for songwriting, but for focused work. Using creative productivity methods help me with this.
5. Stop Trying to Be Someone Else
Making music is hard and stressful when you’re trying to be someone else.
So stop it.
Besides, the goal should be to find your authentic music style anyways.
Luckily, it’s actually pretty hard to copy someone exactly. Plus, failing at trying to be someone else is a great way to discover what makes you creatively authentic.
So while there’s nothing wrong with copycatting for inspiration and learning, stay aware of it when it comes time to creativity and songwriting.
Find your voice and unique style.
Because no one else can do you quite like you.
6. Totally Step Away
Sometimes, I lose the forest for the trees and get too deep into projects. I lose sight of my original vision.
This is when I know I need to step away.
Besides, it’s impossible to be fully creative 100% of the time anyways, so taking a break is healthy stuff.
Without breaks, we experience musical burnout and making music becomes more difficult.
So I like to step away from my DAW every now and then. And trust me, without fail, I always come back with new ideas, fresh ears and revived energy.
Songwriting gets easier and everything just flows better.
So step away. Take a vacation or just put away your stuff.
Clear your mind and forget about music making for a minute.
7. Write Simpler Songs
There’s no rule that says “good” music needs to be complex.
So write simpler songs — it makes the whole process less cluttered and easier.
This is especially helpful if you’re still a beginner, but it’s also a solid reminder for more advanced musicians.
While it sounds sexy to make a 100+ track production, stuff can sound just as good (often better) with just a few layers.
So keep things simple and go with the “less is more” rule.
8. Optimize for Fun
Remember, you’re making music. It’s creative play — so just have fun with it.
F*ck the rules and who cares if it even sounds good. I mean, get better with focused practice, but have fun first and foremost.
I mainly optimize for fun by simply detaching from metrics or money. Removing expectations sets me up nicely for not caring and just enjoying the process.
So let go and be chill.
It’s more fun this way.
Later ✌️
Is making music hard? Sometimes.
But tapping into your strengths, fixing your weaknesses, writing simpler songs and optimizing for fun makes things easier.
Music production has a definite learning curve, but it’s important to remember that it’s supposed to be fun, creative and an epic way to express yourself.
So enjoy the ups and downs. And stumble with a smile.
