Failure is a scary word. Terrifying. Frightening. Paralyzing. But literally every successful musician, artist, songwriter and producer who’s kicking ass will tell you this—the faster you fail, the faster you succeed. In fact, when you step back from your bruised ego, squashed heart and/or tortured soul, you’ll find that “failure” is actually “feedback.” The wise rocker knows this bit of music industry tips, and does her best to fail fast. It’s a necessary step on the road to kicking ass faster.
1. Write Songs that are a Bitch to Play
You’re already a master at that E minor chord, that four on the floor quasi-disco beat, and/or that “easily in my range” vocal melody. Good for you. Keep doing what you’ve always done and it’ll get old fast. Come on. You’re a f*ing artist. Artists push forward into bold new territory. Write something that’s tough to play. Not impossible. Just a few steps outside of your comfort zone.
Maybe it’s a new style. Maybe it’s something that requires more dexterity than your fingers know. Maybe it’s a ton of subtle changes in the song structure. It’s your call. But you should have to stretch to make it work.
I once wrote a bass line (in my head) that was seriously killer. Problem was, I couldn’t actually play it. I practiced until my fingers bled, but I still couldn’t quite get it. So I visualized Geddy Lee of Rush knocking it out of the park. Then I cranked up the Pro Tools and gave it another shot. Perfect take. F* yeah!
Leave A Comment