4 answers
Alex
Student
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
4
Questions
Updated
365 views
How to self study music production ?
How to self study music production ?
I don’t have money go to schools,classes or study courses i didn’t know music or go to school study about music before.
1.how to self study music production if i don’t have money and what i should study first
2. Where and what i can study first if i don’t have money
3.what website i study basic theory if i don’t have money
Login to comment
4 answers
Kim Arskii
Social Media Analyst
65
Answers
St. Augustine, Florida
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hey, no worries! You can definitely self-study music production without spending a lot of money. Here are a few steps to get you started:
1. Start with the basics: Familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of music theory. Understanding concepts like rhythm, melody, and harmony will give you a solid foundation. You can find free resources online, such as websites, YouTube tutorials, and even mobile apps that offer music theory lessons.
2. Get your hands on free software: There are plenty of free digital audio workstations (DAWs) available for music production. Some popular options include GarageBand (for Mac users) and Cakewalk by BandLab (for Windows users). These DAWs provide essential tools for recording, editing, and arranging music.
3. Explore online tutorials and courses: Many websites offer free tutorials and courses on music production. YouTube is a fantastic resource with countless channels dedicated to teaching music production techniques. Websites like Coursera and Udemy also offer free or low-cost courses on various aspects of music production.
4. Join online communities: Engage with other aspiring music producers in online communities and forums. You can share your work, ask questions, and learn from others' experiences. Platforms like Reddit and Discord have active communities dedicated to music production.
5. Experiment and practice: The best way to learn music production is through hands-on experience. Experiment with different sounds, techniques, and genres. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. Practice regularly to improve your skills and develop your unique style.
Remember, self-studying music production requires dedication and perseverance. It may take time to become proficient, but with passion and consistent practice, you can make great progress.
1. Start with the basics: Familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of music theory. Understanding concepts like rhythm, melody, and harmony will give you a solid foundation. You can find free resources online, such as websites, YouTube tutorials, and even mobile apps that offer music theory lessons.
2. Get your hands on free software: There are plenty of free digital audio workstations (DAWs) available for music production. Some popular options include GarageBand (for Mac users) and Cakewalk by BandLab (for Windows users). These DAWs provide essential tools for recording, editing, and arranging music.
3. Explore online tutorials and courses: Many websites offer free tutorials and courses on music production. YouTube is a fantastic resource with countless channels dedicated to teaching music production techniques. Websites like Coursera and Udemy also offer free or low-cost courses on various aspects of music production.
4. Join online communities: Engage with other aspiring music producers in online communities and forums. You can share your work, ask questions, and learn from others' experiences. Platforms like Reddit and Discord have active communities dedicated to music production.
5. Experiment and practice: The best way to learn music production is through hands-on experience. Experiment with different sounds, techniques, and genres. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. Practice regularly to improve your skills and develop your unique style.
Remember, self-studying music production requires dedication and perseverance. It may take time to become proficient, but with passion and consistent practice, you can make great progress.
Letroy Toussaint
Musician
6
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Letroy’s Answer
Hi Alex!
Crafting music is simply about blending various instruments to create a full musical piece. There are several ways to begin, but I'll share the method that worked for me.
1. Musical Alphabet: The musical alphabet consists of A B C D E F G. Each note can be sharp or flat, except for B and E. If you look at a keyboard, you'll see this sequence repeated. Each key is a half-step apart, and two half steps make a whole step. To sharpen a note means to raise it a half step, and to flatten a note means to lower it a half step.
2. Musical Notation: The different types of notes include Whole Note, Half Note, Quarter Note, Eighth Note, Sixteenth Note, and Thirty Second Note. You can think of these like fractions of a dollar. For example, there are four quarter notes in a whole note. This pattern only changes when the time signature requires it.
3. Time Signatures: Common time signatures include 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8. The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom number indicates which note gets one beat. This will influence how your musical notation changes throughout your production, but it becomes straightforward once you get used to it.
4. Grand Staff: This is useful for reading or writing music for musicians. The top staff, or Treble Clef, has lines E G B D F and spaces F A C E, for higher notes. The bottom staff, or Bass Clef, has lines G B D F A and spaces A C E G, for lower notes. This is crucial for composing and producing music.
5. Scales: Every song has a Key Signature that guides you on which notes to play. Here's a simple system to play any scale:
- Major Scale: Root-Whole Step- Whole Step- Half Step-Whole Step- Whole Step- Whole Step- Half Step
- Natural Minor Scale: Root-Whole Step- Half Step- Whole Step-Whole Step- Whole Step- Half Step- Whole Step
- Harmonic Minor Scale: Root-Whole Step- Half Step- Whole Step-Whole Step- Half Step- 1 1/2 Step- Half Step
6. Practice and Repeat: Being a music producer is about repetition and honing your skills. All instruments follow these rules, with a few exceptions. I've used Fruity Loops, Garage Band, Cubasis, and an MPC 2000 for music production, and currently find Garage Band most effective. Most music production software comes at a cost, so look for a program that doesn't limit the free version's use. Some software restricts the free version's commercial use, so always read the EULA.
REPEAT THIS INFORMATION AS WRITTEN AND YOU WILL BE A MUSIC PRODUCER IN NO TIME FLAT!
Crafting music is simply about blending various instruments to create a full musical piece. There are several ways to begin, but I'll share the method that worked for me.
1. Musical Alphabet: The musical alphabet consists of A B C D E F G. Each note can be sharp or flat, except for B and E. If you look at a keyboard, you'll see this sequence repeated. Each key is a half-step apart, and two half steps make a whole step. To sharpen a note means to raise it a half step, and to flatten a note means to lower it a half step.
2. Musical Notation: The different types of notes include Whole Note, Half Note, Quarter Note, Eighth Note, Sixteenth Note, and Thirty Second Note. You can think of these like fractions of a dollar. For example, there are four quarter notes in a whole note. This pattern only changes when the time signature requires it.
3. Time Signatures: Common time signatures include 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8. The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom number indicates which note gets one beat. This will influence how your musical notation changes throughout your production, but it becomes straightforward once you get used to it.
4. Grand Staff: This is useful for reading or writing music for musicians. The top staff, or Treble Clef, has lines E G B D F and spaces F A C E, for higher notes. The bottom staff, or Bass Clef, has lines G B D F A and spaces A C E G, for lower notes. This is crucial for composing and producing music.
5. Scales: Every song has a Key Signature that guides you on which notes to play. Here's a simple system to play any scale:
- Major Scale: Root-Whole Step- Whole Step- Half Step-Whole Step- Whole Step- Whole Step- Half Step
- Natural Minor Scale: Root-Whole Step- Half Step- Whole Step-Whole Step- Whole Step- Half Step- Whole Step
- Harmonic Minor Scale: Root-Whole Step- Half Step- Whole Step-Whole Step- Half Step- 1 1/2 Step- Half Step
6. Practice and Repeat: Being a music producer is about repetition and honing your skills. All instruments follow these rules, with a few exceptions. I've used Fruity Loops, Garage Band, Cubasis, and an MPC 2000 for music production, and currently find Garage Band most effective. Most music production software comes at a cost, so look for a program that doesn't limit the free version's use. Some software restricts the free version's commercial use, so always read the EULA.
REPEAT THIS INFORMATION AS WRITTEN AND YOU WILL BE A MUSIC PRODUCER IN NO TIME FLAT!
Thomas O'Shea
Live Sound Engineer, Music Producer, Musician
60
Answers
Madison, Wisconsin
Updated
Thomas’s Answer
OOOOOOOO A question MADE for me! I'm a self taught music producer first before going to college for it. Here are my thoughts!
1.how to self study music production if i don’t have money and what i should study first- YouTube. Get inspiration from YouTubers like Andrew Huang and Rob Scallon and try to recreate what they're doing at your scale. I started off by doing this on my phone and GarageBand.
2. Where and what i can study first if i don’t have money- The biggest thing is just CHOOSING! You can be the best in your area at recording guitar and vocal ballads. You could be the best at midi and sampling. You could learn the basics of synths by using the included synths in a lot of different daws. It's all up to you! that's the beauty of music. There are no rights or wrongs. If you really can't decide what to start with, find an instrument that you have access to or find a cheap midi controller and start learning the basics.
3.what website i study basic theory if i don’t have money- don't use a website. Sites "teaching" theory won't be able to answer questions or help you when you have difficulty. Instead, use YouTube and search the specific things you want to learn. If you don't understand something in a video, THEN use google or something similar to look up that specific question. If you're doing all this without money, it can feel overwhelming. You have to choose the thing you're most interested in with music and go from there.
OK here are some thing that I would suggest, coming from someone who is a self taught producer. Schools don't teach production or the creativity behind it. Schools teach mixing and how to do it efficiently. Production is learned from practice. If you've heard of the 10,000 hour theory, that WORKS. If you haven't, the theory is that it takes 10,000 hours to be a master at something. I personally don't think I've gotten there yet, but the amount of practice I've gotten because of that goal is unreal. The biggest hurdle is starting, but you have to do at least a little bit every single day. Make a beat, come up with a melody, write something on the guitar or piano or whatever other instrument you're working on. Watch a video of a master, learn a cover, jot down lyric ideas, open your digital audio workstation (or DAW) and just experiment. You never know what you can make until you've made it. When I first started out I was absolutely TERRIBLE. I had bad beats, no rhythm, and no way to tell what was good because my ear had not adjusted. I leave old music up on my streaming platforms because I want people to see the transformation from the PRACTICE.
For reference, I've left one of my first ever songs compared to one of my most recent remixes (in which I reproduced everything and wrote and recorded my own verse).
Old song: https://youtu.be/VAXMQDVn5PM?si=2OMXClWDmjY-rH9M (first "official" independent worldwide release)
New Remix: https://youtu.be/RHlqcR1vN8o?si=Jwj1nHvsGFMVNkHH
1.how to self study music production if i don’t have money and what i should study first- YouTube. Get inspiration from YouTubers like Andrew Huang and Rob Scallon and try to recreate what they're doing at your scale. I started off by doing this on my phone and GarageBand.
2. Where and what i can study first if i don’t have money- The biggest thing is just CHOOSING! You can be the best in your area at recording guitar and vocal ballads. You could be the best at midi and sampling. You could learn the basics of synths by using the included synths in a lot of different daws. It's all up to you! that's the beauty of music. There are no rights or wrongs. If you really can't decide what to start with, find an instrument that you have access to or find a cheap midi controller and start learning the basics.
3.what website i study basic theory if i don’t have money- don't use a website. Sites "teaching" theory won't be able to answer questions or help you when you have difficulty. Instead, use YouTube and search the specific things you want to learn. If you don't understand something in a video, THEN use google or something similar to look up that specific question. If you're doing all this without money, it can feel overwhelming. You have to choose the thing you're most interested in with music and go from there.
OK here are some thing that I would suggest, coming from someone who is a self taught producer. Schools don't teach production or the creativity behind it. Schools teach mixing and how to do it efficiently. Production is learned from practice. If you've heard of the 10,000 hour theory, that WORKS. If you haven't, the theory is that it takes 10,000 hours to be a master at something. I personally don't think I've gotten there yet, but the amount of practice I've gotten because of that goal is unreal. The biggest hurdle is starting, but you have to do at least a little bit every single day. Make a beat, come up with a melody, write something on the guitar or piano or whatever other instrument you're working on. Watch a video of a master, learn a cover, jot down lyric ideas, open your digital audio workstation (or DAW) and just experiment. You never know what you can make until you've made it. When I first started out I was absolutely TERRIBLE. I had bad beats, no rhythm, and no way to tell what was good because my ear had not adjusted. I leave old music up on my streaming platforms because I want people to see the transformation from the PRACTICE.
For reference, I've left one of my first ever songs compared to one of my most recent remixes (in which I reproduced everything and wrote and recorded my own verse).
Old song: https://youtu.be/VAXMQDVn5PM?si=2OMXClWDmjY-rH9M (first "official" independent worldwide release)
New Remix: https://youtu.be/RHlqcR1vN8o?si=Jwj1nHvsGFMVNkHH
Karin P.
Lecturer
378
Answers
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Alex,
I would start with YouTube. It's free, you have lots of options to try before you decide what you want to do.
Udemy has some free courses.
Coursera has many courses, but usually you pay for it. There seems to be financial aid available though (I have not tried this).
Then, there is Skillshare. You can sign up for free, but after the trial period there is a monthly fee. Try if you can get a scholarship if you find something you really like.
Are there any productions companies in Ho-chi-minh City? Do you know any musicians? Are there any pubs/bars that play live music? I think it would be helpful to make some contacts. Maybe you can find some job in the vicinity of "music-makers" even if you are just carrying boxes or serving drinks. You would get a foot in the door with the industry. Maybe something works out and you can learn from someone.
I left some links for you at the bottom. I hope this helps a bit! Good luck!
KP
https://www.udemy.com/topic/music-production/free/
https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=music%20production
https://www.skillshare.com/en/browse/music-production
I would start with YouTube. It's free, you have lots of options to try before you decide what you want to do.
Udemy has some free courses.
Coursera has many courses, but usually you pay for it. There seems to be financial aid available though (I have not tried this).
Then, there is Skillshare. You can sign up for free, but after the trial period there is a monthly fee. Try if you can get a scholarship if you find something you really like.
Are there any productions companies in Ho-chi-minh City? Do you know any musicians? Are there any pubs/bars that play live music? I think it would be helpful to make some contacts. Maybe you can find some job in the vicinity of "music-makers" even if you are just carrying boxes or serving drinks. You would get a foot in the door with the industry. Maybe something works out and you can learn from someone.
I left some links for you at the bottom. I hope this helps a bit! Good luck!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps: