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Stuck on
finishing that song?
1. Set
bite-sized goals
It’s easy to get excited about a big goal, like releasing an album. But
the path to big goals like that can feel overwhelming.
Instead, start with and focus on one track. And then create a goal road map of every part you need to mark that song as complete. For
example, instead of just deciding you’re going to work on your track on
Tuesday, set concrete goals like “Finish intro drums and bass on
Tuesday morning before noon.”
2. Have your workspace always set up and ready to go
Inspiration can disappear as fast as it appears. When you’re inspired,
the last thing you want is to look for cables, connect hard drives and
pedals, get your midi sync working, or tune your guitar. That’s why
it’s important to have your workspace set up and ready to go. Keep your
gear plugged in and your instrument out of its case and in tune.
Being able to easily start working also helps capture the creative
momentum that’s so important to finishing a song. We all know that
feeling of getting in the zone and having the music just pour out of
us. Make sure you’re always set up and ready to capture that moment.
3. Let go
Some of the most well-known artists in the world are incredibly
prolific. But their rate of release is only possible because they ‘let
go’ of perfection. They tame their inner perfectionist and create and
release repeatedly.
Nobody else really hears the difference resulting from the last 5% of
tweaks that we spend so much time on. If the song is awesome, it’ll
still be awesome without those tweaks. If it isn’t awesome, those
tweaks won’t make a difference.
Try to be honest with yourself about whether those never ending tweaks
are changing the song dramatically or whether you’re using them as an
excuse to not release the song.
4. Focus on your strengths. Outsource the rest
If you’re a singer/songwriter, why are you getting stuck trying to
program a beat? If you’re a producer why are you letting your
less-than-stellar mixing abilities get in the way? And mastering? How
many years did you spend honing that skill compared to a professional
mastering engineer?
The music industry has always relied on specialists to help bring a
song together. Even the most experienced artists with numerous huge
releases under their belts continue to work with professional mixing
engineers, mastering engineers, and producers.
We built SoundBetter for this very reason—to give musicians a resource
for finding the best musical and production talent to help get their
song over the finish line and give it that professional sparkle. We
help thousands of musicians every month connect with singers,
producers, engineers, and session musicians, so they can get to better
sounding releases, faster.
5. Get inspired
Sometimes, it’s good to stop pushing. Instead, take a step away and
give yourself some space to get inspired. Listen to old records you
love or check out a new Spotify playlist. Inspiration can come from
anywhere and not just music. Check out an art exhibit or watch a moving
movie. Sometimes hearing a song and thinking ‘damn that’s good’ might push
you to run to the studio with new found drive.
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