Overall Thoughts
Signed up for the class on Friday, 3/25/22 late at night. Class starts on Monday, 3/28.
To be very honest, I have a lot on my plate at the moment and was kind of thinking of putting off this class, but there are a few reasons I decided to go ahead anyway 1) I know that I need some structure to produce actual work 2) my Monthly subscription is going to expire in a couple months, so I want to use it as much as possible 3) the goal is to take ALL the music-production-related Monthly classes so that at some point I can do a major compare-and-contrast, and I still have a few left: This one, Louis Bell’s class, and Kygo’s class. And like I said, my monthly subscription is expiring in a couple months, so I have two months before prices double (for me).
So origianlly I was going to start with Kygo’s class, but at the last minute, I decided to go with Ryan Tedder first, because it looks a little bit easier 😉
Pre-Class Checklist
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
The class starts with a couple videos (created by Andrew Huang) on music theory and the basics of music production/DAWs for those who are unfamiliar with the concepts. Since this ain’t my first rodeo, I didn’t really pay much attention to the first two videos 🙂
Other elements in this section of the class?
- Welcome video
- Prompts to finish your class profile and invite your friends to learn with you
- A video about tools and equipment you could use (These are pretty useful, actually. I have my own DAW and recording stuff, but one day when I want to upgrade, it’ll be helpful to know what kind of tools the pros use)
Part 1 – Songwriting Fundamentals
VIDEO LESSON: Introduction + Starting Points & Finding a Vibe
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
Notes:
- What stuck out to me about this video was that he talked about how sometimes knowing too MUCH can hinder your ability to be creative. It’s an interesting thought. I’ll have to ponder it a bit more.
1A: Finding a Vibe
My project submission ~ “1A: Which Vibe?”
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
Thoughts:
- Worked on this lesson while dealing with some oral health problems, so my head wasn’t totally screwed on properly, but I still managed to come up with 3 ideas in
- The first one was based on a song idea I had a long while back (“Stay [and face the hurricane]”), and the other two were improvised, although the third one (I realized later) had strong echoes of my “Wanna Be” song from the Charlie Puth class.
VIDEO LESSON: Writing the Melody
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
1B: Writing the Melody for Song #1
My project submission ~ 1B: “Pick a Star” Initial Melody
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
Thoughts
VIDEO LESSON: Finding a Song Concept and Writing Lyrics
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
1C: Writing the Lyrics for Song #1
VIDEO LESSON: Finalizing the Song & Lite Production
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
VIDEO LESSON: Recording & Producing Vocals + Final Touches & Mastering
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
1D: Finishing Song #1
Part 2 – End-to-End Music Production
VIDEO LESSON: Exploring New Sounds & Creating a Vibe
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
Notes:
2A: Find a Vibe for Song #2
Thoughts:
VIDEO LESSON: Writing and Arranging the Song
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
2B: Write Song #2
VIDEO LESSON: First Full Production Pass
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
VIDEO LESSON: Final Drum Production
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
VIDEO LESSON: Final Instrument Production & Polish
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
2C: Produce & Finish Song #2
Part 3 – Collaboration & The Sound of an Artist
VIDEO LESSON: Collab Part 1: Getting Started
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
VIDEO LESSON: Collab Part 2: Writing the Song
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
VIDEO LESSON: Collab Part 3: Production & Arrangement
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
VIDEO LESSON: Collab Part 4: Vocals & Final Production + How to Keep Learning
[Some of this content is available for patrons only!]
