To celebrate, I thought I'd shine a light on my top ten favourite music production YouTube channels under 10K subscribers:
xy! - he goes into depth about processing and music theory to really improve your sample making game and just dropped a crazy Travis Scott sample tutorial earlier today
loner - one of the best YouTube channels for r&b and trap production, loner regularly posts quality cookup videos
Kavan Dignam - a very entertaining channel to watch with lots of edits while not lacking in quality
Potillo - a fire sample maker that regularly breaks down samples in the style of trending projects and singles by big artists
Minta Foundry - while only a few videos have been posted, this channel founded by Al Hug has lots of gems for creating samples using lots of live instruments using analog recording and processing
TSB - one of the most talented UK producers, his channel is small but already has three in depth breakdowns of some of his biggest songs
One Man And His Songs - this channel isn't anything like the others in this list because it focuses on sound design rather than samples (this channel was one of the things I used most when I first started making presets)
Hijo De Ramon - this channel has videos featuring CAMEone breaking down his favourite samples from his sample packs
Hix - I'm new to watching Hix's videos but he's got a very r&b focused channel, breaking down beats and samples he has made with a focus on music theory and processing
LOOPHOLE - this list wouldn't have been complete without this channel. We've started to drop lots of private videos through our mailing list (don't forget to sign up) but we're going to start focusing on public content soon featuring videos by us and some of our favourite creatives. Stay tuned!
]]>I wanted to bring you the best content for the year and I feel really good about this one.
Everyone comes into music without exactly knowing what they are doing. Eventually the ones that constantly make heat over time end up entering the wonderful industry before they even know it.
Since many people have different experiences I asked a couple homies what they wish they knew before entering the "game". This covers both Either the production process or the industry.
Ambezza: Worked with Pierre bourne, Aj tracey & Killy
3 Things that are really important -
1. "First impression counts. Nowadays networking is atleast equally important as talent. Master your craft, Take your time, become good at what you do and make your move when you think you are ready"
2. Practice patience: There's always gonna be stuff you can't control. The key is not to get caught up in it and do your best in what you can control. Believe in your talent, put the work in, Enjoy the process - let everything else take its course
3. Dont let social media fool you : Remember that we all tend to only post our accomplishments on social media. Use it as a tool for inspiration rather than comparison. Move at your own pace.
ig: @Ambezza_
Mario Luciano - Worked with Nessly, Boogie, Key! , Tinashe etc.
Here are the major points I was able to pick up during the conversation:
" I think it’s very important to invest in your vision and build your own thing (brand) and monetize off it. Everyone thinks that if your signed to whoever your favorite producer is that your winning but in reality he is the one winning off your talents. Stay patient, anything worth something takes seasons to build.
Ig: @marioluciano425
Daniel east Worked with Future & Young thug and K camp
Major keys industry wise
"To be honest I wish I knew the impact you make with the choices legally. In this game there's nodoby who will look out for like yourself and your lawyer..."
"Mistakes come with the game so its always about caring for your situation better than the last time. Also record/publishig deals can get complicated and its important to know how your gift is being utilized."
On the production side
" It took me years to find out what sidechain compression was for example, all because I knew of the effect I wanted but I didnt know how to replicate it in my daw. It was little things like that when you don't have the background knowledge that i wish i knew going into it. The internet is our greatest tool..."
ig: @e.vst
Di$ney dad : PNB rock, Madeintyo, Dice Soho, K camp etc
Major gems from Papa --
"I wish I knew how much I was worth"
"....Highkey I'm still in the beginning"
"Less is more. Simplicity is all that matters tbh"
Ig: @disneydad420
Snapz: Kodak Black, Young thug, Gashi, Don Q, Don Toliver etc.
3 keys from snapz:
1# - That it take PATIENCE and time for things to happen
2# - That creating good vibes without thinking about the artist is the best way to create
3# - That simplicity is almost always better than complexity (Production wise)
ig: @snapz
So this are just the tip of the iceberg. All the homies are still coming up and on their way to being legends. This was just to help those either starting out and feeling a bit lost in the early stages of the process since there isnt much info on how to go about things. Thank guys for reading
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People see me come up with new ideas everyday and question how I am able to stay inspired and continually put out new ideas and work. I decided to finally breakdown my formula on how to stay inspired that you can consistently put out work.
1. Steal like an artist
After reading “Steal like an artist” by Austin Kleon, I realized how to be more ‘creative’ when it came to music as at the time I struggled to come up with ideas. Stealing like an artist is simply implementing someone's creative process into yours. Typically when one is beginning to make beats, they either copy instrumentals or watched videos online. Music is mostly creative medium, but it is also a science. For example, you know that a beat always need a snare, hi-hat, kick and bass (This is a simple example but there are many levels to this)
The thing I believe about creativity is you cannot necessarily bring anything new to the table. Everything is drawn from inspiration or innovated from somewhere else. Many people want to be different and create the next wave however, all ideas originate from somewhere else. Everything you hear now in terms of music is a spinoff of something that was already been done in the past. Something you can do is find people you look up and adopt some of their habits into your own. This includes styles, genres, or even a significant time period that means something to you.
2. Practice makes PERFECT
This one personally for me is the one that helped me the most. This point goes against the idea saying you need to only work when you are ‘inspired’. If you want to make 5-10 beats a day for rest of the year you are going to have to adopt to it. It’s not easy but you need to see creativity as a muscle. Not taking breaks will of course burn you out and ruin music but you must continue to build your intensity. Practicing doesn’t necessarily mean make beats - it could be trying out new navigation on your daw, trying to draw in midi faster, learning to mix different etc. This will separate you from your average bedroom producer into a producer PRODUCER. You will see yourself go from 1-2 beats to 3-5 without any problems.
Never comes easy the first while just keep working.
3. Being Decisive
Being decisive when it comes to music or anything will save you so much time. The biggest problem I saw in my production is not being able to decide. For you to catch to a certain pace is not super important but really will help you enter the echelon of a successful producer. It's okay to sit on your laptop and flip through snares but trust me some of y'all do it in a way was there’s no value whatsoever to what you are doing. Try not to enter to the ‘i-am-perfectionist-I-need-to-do-a lot-random-things' notion. Less is more, you always hear that. Like c’mon you went through 5 drumkits that have nearly the same snares.
This idea is important to outputing more and staying creative. First of all, you can’t sit in front of the computer screen for way too long. You have a limited attention span, boredom will cause you to be less creative. Clarity in beat direction will have you doing way more than you can imagine. Your studio session will be far more productive n you will be saving way more dollars and having way more songs done. You might even turn out like me with 50 beat ideas in his head.
4. Try new things
Novelty, Novelty, Novelty. Making beats and coming up with songs new to be exciting. Boredom with kill any sort of inspiration. Try new genres out, new tempos, sound selection and more. Try new workplaces. It's as simple as that to be honest. It may be hard at first but as I said earlier practice makes perfect.
These are a few simple ideas of how to stay inspired and output more music overrall. I hope a lot of you that this and run with it. Not going to be an overnight thing so stay patient. Even if you don’t to make more you can use this to output faster. Hope all of y’all stay blessed
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Im pretty sure this is probably the 2nd most asked question next to "How do I get placements".
Getting out there will inevitably get you more placements so i decided to breakdown how to do it.
The best way anyone can come up in this game is to show your work. Showing involves posting. What ever you working on post it. If you are working with someone new, tweet it. Have an unfinished beat, put it on your story. A hidden truth I dont feel people realize is that, people are always looking. A&rs, plugs, button pushers and artists. You can also show your work through email, beat events & to your friends. The one difficulty that you will have is knowing whether you're being consistent or spamming (Ig, Twitter, Fb, Soundcloud etc). Best way to figure it out is understanding your platform & audience. Find your lil community/ group, Typical these guys will help you go next level but i will dive deeper into it in a sec.
As you consistently post, what will happen is people will see you as a good "investment" or simply someone dope to work with. When I say work with Im not just talking about fellow producers. I mean managers, a&rs, artists etc. I urge all new producers to post like everyday, something new or related to music. This is how I was able to get notice by some of my favorite producers.
This one is if you really want to challenge yourself. Mobilizing your peers is simply asking for recommendation for any future opportunities whether involving your peer or not. This is the one thing that lead to me meeting keanu, me landing my first placement with jaiden smith & going to bizness boi's house.
You have to develop a genuine relationship before in most cases. No one real likes a 'random' coming into their asking someone to send their shit to a next person (Happens to me alot but works for some).
To get THE BEST results dont ask.
I remember when i was struggling to get a placement or connects. One day I got a random and a dm from a Keanu telling me about he heard about me and wants to work. Little did I know Keanu was looking to expand with other sound designers and my homies Snapz & Vsn were talking about me to him since they thought I made some fire samples. Then not to long later Me, him and Ayo&Keyz ended up having a song together with Jaden Smith. I already been working hard to try and get a placement but I know that being "discovered" was what lead to my first placement.
Its hard to understand but trust me after awhile of putting of good work and staying consistent people will voluntarily want to help you out. Sometimes kindly asking isn't bad either, you will be surprised. As said before the best result come from you not asking but dont be shy to ask kindly the worst they can say is no. A personal story of how i was able to go to bizness boi's crib was after a long time of me working with keanu beats I told him I was leaving to LA. I asked him that, if he could that i would be super helpful if he put in contact with someone dope in LA. He told me he knows bizness boi which was one of my favorite rnb producers & put me in contact with him a week later. You got to keep in mind this wont work for everyone not everyone like that but it never hurts to try in a respectable way.
This is the secret sauce. Even though music is subjective, we all can still tell when & when not we hear quality music. Quality music got that je ne sais quoi but you can still know how to develop quality according to your taste & the people you look up to. Everyone loves quality work, labels, artists, producers, listeners etc. Quality music sells so if you are consistently making dope work people will want to invest in you. You will notice that people will call you to studio sessions, pass you opportunities & recommend you to important people.
Quality music is the end all be all.
Be at the right PLACE at the right TIME
Being at the right place at the right time means that you are at a certain time of which you and your blessings meet perfectly. This one is a personal point that will always stick with me. That happen through one conversation I had with my guy 5ive beatz. This is metro camping out of the studio to catching mike will’s attention & Big sean meeting Kanye at the radio station. Your blessing doesn’t always mean a thing but also a person. The tricky part about this is knowing when you are at the right time. The best advice I can give you is that things take time to formulate so don’t always go for the big move. Another way to try to be at the right time is consistent being at the right place. Go to LA, go to those networking events in your city, go to book signnings what ever. One good story is Friyie a toronto artist who is signed to Floyd mayweathers TMT. Metro was at an event in toronto, Friyie knew this was a good time to try and get his attention. The toronto rapper being smart then left his music with metro’s driver to play it for him. Despite metro not really doing much with the music, the driver had actually went to get Floyd. The boxer heard it and was a fan then the rest was history. Don’t think this can’t happen to you, if I can tell you how many people I know who got random blessings that basically changed their lives you wouldn’t believe me.
Just make sure that you show up. That’s it. Timing is beyond hard but showing up isn’t, the return of investment for showing up is beyond ridiculous. I’m not saying turn into a road man but just be where everyone you want to work with or be like is. Try instagram (‘Cough..cough’)
These are just a few I can tell you but with the basics you should be able to make a noticeable difference in your progress. I really believe you will grow by a 2 fold no doubt.
]]>producer nowadays). I hope to leave the below blogs so that the next generations
can learn from them and focus on expanding the culture.
1. Not being taken seriously
As you are starting out, not everyone will feel the same fiery passion as you do about your aspiration; to be honest, it's fair that people are like that. People pick up grinds and drop grinds all the time, The only solution to this is to continue to work on yourself, your sound, workflow and knowledge on whatever craft you decide to follow. Trust me, nothing is given, even respect and trust must be earned. So, have some patience, swallow your pride, get feed back or whatever it may be. Its not that no one believes in you, you just have to prove yourself
2. How to navigate through the game
This one is something I feel a lot of people are stuck with. The best way to navigate through anything is knowing YOURSELF (skills, weaknesses, strengths) , SURROUNDINGS (industry, environment, social group), and GOALS. This I feel has helped me move faster than most in the game because it shaves the learning curve of figuring things out.
You will also encounter many people who will sell your dreams. Beware of those kind of people because most of the time they're just there to bring dead connections to stir their ego up. Trust me, they will do nothing for you but try to claim your whole come up to themselves.
3. The Process
The main foundation of being successful in not only the music industry but in every industry. The process is not only just the working part or the making of beats and what not, but the nuances. The late-night sessions, the last minute 'I'm in the studio with drake," text, Getting R'd by people, and Clout chaser. Don't let these itty bitty annoyances get the best of you; its something even the people you look up to had to face. All come-ups aren't perfect.
Find tune your workflow, find your drum kits, double text your plugs. Spend time with people who can potentially waste your time... As Illmind said, "Try shit, ignore the bad parts. Build of the good parts."
These are just a few of the obstacles you will face as a producer. But trust me, you can overcome them.
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l’ll try my best to get you mad sick with piano in a matter of months. Hopefully going over this outline will make the piano less intimating and much easier.
Goals: Understand scales and chord structure, Easy enough to not only create vibes but also play during sessions.
You will learn:
All twelve keys both Major and Minor.
Circle of Fifths (how you can add it to your compositions)
Chord Progressions with Samples
Daily Practice Routines
7ths, 9th, and 11th chord structures.
The relationship between scales and music genres (Pierre Bourne, Travis Scott, etc…)
Section 1: Basics
Fingers and Hand Shape
*The layout of this outlying will be. Video , key words/info, exercise + breakdown.
Hand shape - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_6y7MPW_Ek
Breakdown:
Play with the tips of your fingers. Your thumb will be relatively straight while the rest of your fingers curve loosely over the keys.
A good way to get the position is to hold a tennis ball in your hands.
This technique will help you keep a spring like feeling while you’re playing and will help you play more complex and fast passages cleanly when the time comes.
It may not seem like it but you can hurt yourself playing for extended periods of time. Avoid chronic pains by practicing good form.
Hand fingering -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udGdqJh5luM
Breakdown:
This is a really important stage in terms of building a foundation of chord structuring. Your finger numbering should become second nature as quickly as possible, it’ll really help when you want to play more complicated sequences. It will also help you build finger independence (the ability to control multiple fingers without thinking about it). Think about them sexy chords you want to lay-down.
Follow the instructions in the video and keep them in mind whenever you’re playing until you don’t have to think about it consciously anymore.
Section 2: The Grand Staff and Reading Music
If you aren’t interested in reading music that’s fine but it’s good to know if you’re trying to get ideas from other people and can’t figure it out by ear. At the end of the day you have to catch the vibe anyways, this’ll just help you get there faster.
Your midi keyboard might only be 25 keys but you can still access the entire grand staff in your DAW and with the octave shift buttons on your controller. Basically, there’s a middle C (which is C4) and a ton of notes around it. If you go above middle C you’re in the treble clef, if you go below you’re in the bass clef. Not crazy important, just good to know.
We’ll keep this section short cause it’s not super important you spend time on this right now.
Section 3: Modes, Scales, and Chords
If you’ve ever heard somebody talk about a mode of music they’re just referring to a type of scale that has a feeling or vibe attached to it. For example, The Knowing by The Weeknd is in F# Minor. So the mode of that song is minor, which you would expect because minor modes are dark and moody.
Check this out: https://inwhatkey.com/ you can find the keys of a lot of popular songs here if you ever want to use it as a starting point for a vibe. Pick the key you want to be in and then pick the mode (or type). Then go here: https://pianoworld.com/fun-stuff/piano-scales-and-chords/ and you can find all the keys in that scale to work from.
Scales are the alphabet of music, literally. I urge you to start with all the major and minor scales and just practice them as often as possible even before you even cook up. Trust me your melodies and progressions will benefit so much.
Start here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBz56GlEWx4
(H) Half step: Is just moving a semi-tone. Example C to C#
(W) Whole step: Is just moving two semi-tones Example C to D.
https://www.pianoscales.org/major.html This site will be your best friend.
Either memorize all the major scales or learn the pattern so you can play them easily.
Here’s the pattern for major scales:
W W H W W W H
Basically, this means whatever note you start on if you play the sequence above you will get a major scale. For example, C major is all the white keys on the piano so:
Note: you’re seeing one full octave here (C4 to C5 is an example of a single octave)
LEARN A SCALE A WEEK.
When I say learn I don’t mean you can play it up and down. I want you to be able to improvise with it. Go on YouTube, or find a song you already like on YouTube, figure out the key and then just play with it.
It’s helpful to see how far you’ve come so keep a log of what you learn every week from C major to B major and C# to B#. This part too is mad crucial if you want to learn them sexy chords.
Scales have a numbering system this will also be brought up when you start composing chords and progressions.
SCALES ARE NUMBERED FROM 1-7 (9-14 are the same but an octave higher)
Octaves – Group of pitches
DON’T CONFUSE SCALE FINGERING WITH FINGER NUMBERING
Relative Minor (Explain)
The main reason I don’t tell you to learn minor on its own from the start is because Major is Minor both scales are relative.
Ex C major is actually A minor. They both have the same notes within the scale.
Best way to find the minor scale within a major is looking at the 6th noth within a scales
So example. C major is A minor. F major is E minor etc etc
Practice Routine.
This part of the outline is crucial for developing your skills in piano. This is the layup of piano.
Walkthrough:
Without hindering your regular daily beats I suggest that you begin your routine.
BREAKDOWN YOUR TASK - Don’t need to squeeze in a huge practice session, consistently doing 5 mins will help you out so much you wouldn’t believe it. I recommend you guys do atleast 20mins a day to see crazy weekly progress.
STEPS -
Weekly scales – Bread n butter or piano you should have scales drilled into you. If you can’t play a scale 3 times without making a mistake, then you haven’t memorized it.
Playing alongside your favorite songs – This is something my friend iv polymath taught me, You will slowly pick apart music elements with your ear in term help you play it too.
Practicing incorporating what you learn – obtaining knowledge without using it will have no value to you. You will overall lose the little skills you developed.
Circle of Fifths – This is a solid practice to drill in those chords into you as well.
Overtime once you get a grasp of what you are doing you will be able to customize this
to fit whatever you want to learn. This is just to help you build a foundation in piano and develop real important piano skills.
Circle of Fifths.
This concept will be a little difficult to grasp at first.
This wheel is essentially 5th chords following each other starting from c major. There is a circle of fifth for both major and minor.
Use this wheel to help learn each scale and chord. As you can see going clockwise on the circle of fifth increases the number of sharps without the scale.
C has 0, G has 1 D has 2 (This will help for when you are trying to memorize scales)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9SolFRzPyc&t=38s
Exercise: Practice chord types from the video for each scale on the circle of fifth.
I suggest you do the (MAJOR – DOMINANT – MINOR – HALF DIMISHED – DIMISHED)
So for example you would press
C MAJ – C DOM – C MINOR – C ½ DIM – C DIM then move to
G MAJ – G DOM – G MINOR – G ½ DIM – G DIM etc.
You want to memorize all scales and chords both ways on the circle of fifths.
Scales and genres.
So in good faith that all of you learned most of the scales and chords dust far. We will move into scales relationships.
Travis Scott’s sound – Harmonic Minor or Phrygian dominant
Pierre bourne - doesn’t this thing where he plays a chord then simple plays chord that’s a
HALF STEP ABOVE IT. This is simillar to neo-soul.
Zaytoven – Blues scales
There isnt much to this last lesson. You will develop this part of your theory with your journey.
Good luck to you and your musically journey
STAY DILIGENT AND STAY WORKING. BLESSINGS.
Contact: elomafiamgmt@gmail.com
Holla at me on the socials Instagram @godblesseli Twitter @godbless_eli