Wow, as a creative, you’re always in search of writing that perfect piece of music. You just composed it, and now you’re listening back to it.
Wait a minute! If I go to this section and do this, it will be even better! And then if I go here and do this…
Hours later, you now think that it’s perfect. Your ears are a little blown out, so you take a break, walk away from it, come back and give it a fresh listen.
Dang! Maybe I shouldn’t have done this or that, you think to yourself. Maybe the first change was good enough. Maybe I shouldn’t have touched it at all.
This can drive you crazy!
For me, it’s always good to “save as” another version; that way, if I think the original was the best one, I don’t have to undo things. It doesn’t matter if I have 2, 3, 4, 5 iterations of the piece of music—at least I can objectively be honest with myself and make a decision on which one I like best.
Sometimes the piece of music will tell you when it’s done. You’ll sit back and say to yourself, Yep, that’s it!
Overall, producing a great piece of music can be a maddening process, if you let it be. Be honest, be objective. Ask yourself, Does this piece of music do what it’s supposed to do?
If your answer is yes, then move on to the next one.
Lazarus Crow, out