







TRIAL AND ERROR Singing, rapping, guitarist, producer, beat programmer, song writer, label manager or sound engineer. What ever you may think you are in this music game, chances are you probably are a bit of everything, or at the very least tried everything. But if you know that you are only one of the above then you are very lucky to be focusing on that one strength and you should be already miles ahead in the game.





I myself have tried almost every kind of role in the music industry at some point in my life. I have tested these things to the point of knowing for certain what I am and what I am not.







I entered the music game as a record shop assistant, but was also a bedroom DJ at the same time in the spring of 1993. This was a long time ago and certainly an era where the practices of those days are dead in the ground. But fast forward to now 2018 and I find myself still tampering with various roles in music. For a long time I fancied myself as a record label owner and A&R man. I did this quite well on a small level for a couple of years but realised that I was definitely an artist rather than a label boss.









WHAT DO YOU LOVE MORE THAN ANYTHING?



I still take on various roles by producing different types of music from several house music genres to Ambient film music, whilst maintaining this website and my tutorials for extra revenue. I do firmly believe that in the modern music industry one needs to hold various positions in order to make a noise and to survive. But you need to know exactly what few things make you happy rather than approaching too many music jobs and roles as chores.

So how do you filter out the things you don't really fancy doing but would like to toy with the idea, rather than what you can naturally do? Yes it is a wonderful thought to think you could write, record, produce and engineer all of your own tracks every day, but the truth is you find yourself swamped in the middle of it all and then end up drowning, as the track becomes too much of a burden to complete and ends up like so many other forgotten tracks left on the hard drive until Domesday.

If you are a good song writer but lack the vocal range, then focus on getting a good singer to lay down your demos for you. Instead of trying to get yourself to a level which may not be possible. Its all about knowing when to put something to bed or to continue to develop your skill in that area.









It really is a question of trying as many things as you can in order to find that thing, whatever it is you just need to find it somehow. So the only way is to just approach as many things as possible. Spend a little bit of time on each subject before moving on to another.





Do you enjoy blogging and reviewing other peoples music? This is a great way to gain access to free promo singles and other perks that music journalists have. I love doing this blog and especially writing content on articles that have historical importance to them, such as House music classics and Disco reviews of classic albums etc. If you like writing, then do it from the heart, that way it comes naturally.







Invest some time researching how an independent record label operates in the digital world. If you enjoy looking for new and unheard music on Soundcloud etc then see if running a label is the thing you enjoy rather than being a producer. Or combine the two and be a label manager and artist. This way you can control your own releases and nurture new talent. But in order to do this you must focus on music that you truly love, because if you try and focus on purely making money you will fail.







The answer in plain is to find what you love doing even when you are not in the mood. I love to come up with lush chord patterns, I am always looking for that lost chord, so playing the keyboard for me is the one thing I can do all day even when I am tired. Whilst perhaps spending a few hours mixing something down ready for mastering, well that is what I definitely would call a chore, and can only do that when I really push myself. So I have realised that my strengths are far more important than my weak spots.





As I stated I mostly produce tracks and I create Ableton and Piano playing tutorials and I also blog about House music history articles and new records etc. But it has taken me many years of trial and error to find these things out. You have nothing to lose by trying something and who knows you could end up doing something you never thought would be possible.







ABLETON LIVE VERSION 10 NOW AVAILABLE. CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW



What if you are a beat programmer rather than a producer of tracks? but you really enjoy track producing, but somehow your beats stand out more than your instrumentation? If this is the reality, then you should try and focus solely on your beats and put them into loops and try pushing them to other producers for sale on loop and sample sites as either royalty free or for points.It really is a question of trying as many things as you can in order to find that thing, whatever it is you just need to find it somehow. So the only way is to just approach as many things as possible. Spend a little bit of time on each subject before moving on to another.Do you enjoy blogging and reviewing other peoples music? This is a great way to gain access to free promo singles and other perks that music journalists have. I love doing this blog and especially writing content on articles that have historical importance to them, such as House music classics and Disco reviews of classic albums etc. If you like writing, then do it from the heart, that way it comes naturally.Invest some time researching how an independent record label operates in the digital world. If you enjoy looking for new and unheard music on Soundcloud etc then see if running a label is the thing you enjoy rather than being a producer. Or combine the two and be a label manager and artist. This way you can control your own releases and nurture new talent. But in order to do this you must focus on music that you truly love, because if you try and focus on purely making money you will fail.The answer in plain is to find what you love doing even when you are not in the mood. I love to come up with lush chord patterns, I am always looking for that lost chord, so playing the keyboard for me is the one thing I can do all day even when I am tired. Whilst perhaps spending a few hours mixing something down ready for mastering, well that is what I definitely would call a chore, and can only do that when I really push myself. So I have realised that my strengths are far more important than my weak spots.As I stated I mostly produce tracks and I create Ableton and Piano playing tutorials and I also blog about House music history articles and new records etc. But it has taken me many years of trial and error to find these things out. You have nothing to lose by trying something and who knows you could end up doing something you never thought would be possible.



