You are at home, alone, sitting in your favorite spot. It's mid-afternoon and the shades are open. You’d think you’d be squinting from the brightness of the light, but your eyes are wide open.
Your phone lights up and without even reading the screen you silence it and place it face down.
Your foot is tapping, your fingers are tapping, your head is bobbing back and forth.
In your mind you are thinking,"here it comes, this is my favorite part."
You then realize due to the strain in your cheeks that you have been smiling ear to ear this entire time. The grip of your hand is slowly turning into a fist.
And then it happens.
Your mouth opens widely and your voice begins to ring throughout your house. The music is so loud you can't even hear yourself.
With the power of a sonic boom, your chest fills with an intense weight.
Is it as If something is inside and wants out? Or is it just going to explode?
Your throat tickles a little, and the overwhelming joy leaves you with a feeling similar to tears. You raise your fist into the air and pump to the beat of the drums. You don't remember when it happened but you find yourself standing up. As the song winds down you extended your arms wide open and your voice holds that final note.
You come back to reality and feel a little embarrassed, but remember, no one is home, and I won’t tell.
You literally drop down into the sitting position and feel exhausted. The smile on your face is still ear to ear and your mind races with the thought,"I want to do that."
Sound familiar?
Then you may have a passion for music.
What do you think a music producer looks like?
You could be the kid who has been in band class since elementary school, who picked up music with an amazing ability and landed the first chair every year.
You could be the parent who put there rock and roll dream on hold to settle down and raise a family, only now that the kids are gone, you feel safe to pursue it again.
You could be the audio student who thinks your stuff isn't good enough and want to pursue it anonymously.
You could be the kid whose friend has rich parents so he has all the cool audio gear but doesn't know how to use it and you think maybe you could.
You could be the retired widow with too much time on your hands and the freedom to pursue your dreams.
From the girl or guy with the sickest beats that no one has heard to the daydreamer who has never touched an instrument.
It could be anyone, but it's you. It's you wondering, "when do I start producing music?"
Dreaming and doing are 2 totally different things. Most people with no experience in music at all often picture a recording studio with wires and cables everywhere.
Mixing consoles with all the buttons, knobs and lights.
Don’t be intimidated. It may come as a surprise but you don’t need to start gutting your house to build a home studio to start producing music.
Stop making excuses and creating roadblocks that are keeping you from pursuing your passion.
While yes large commercial recording studios have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars, you don’t have to start out this way.
There are a lot of options to get started that are reasonably priced.
If you have a computer or a smartphone they come with a feature called “voice recorder.” For your smartphone hit up your app store there are plenty of free options to make music.
So now you can give your dream a test run without spending a small fortune and in most cases, for free.
No more excuses and no reason for intimidation. It’s easier than you think.
Well, practice makes perfect.
If you do anything repeatedly you are bound to grasp the concept of it. Test the waters and explore. Just because you don’t take to one instrument doesn’t mean that there isn’t one out there that you will take to.
Find the instrument that you work best with and then practice, practice, practice.
At any age, anyone can learn a new skill.
Not sure where to learn? Again, let no excuse hold you back from your passion.
There are a numerous amount of free online tutorials.
Music is a passion not everyone has. Whether you are good or bad at it, you tried to pursue your passion. It's better to regret the things you did do, then things you didn't.
I know the answer, and I think you do too.
It's easy.
No excuses, no limitations. If you are young or old, have some experience or none at all. The time is now.
I have reached out to my network of top producers, bedroom producers, recording engineers and musicians and asked them the same question, "When do I start producing music?"
Here is what they had to say.
"Whenever they have the means to."
"Anytime."
"As soon as they can!"
"There is no set age, but it's the same with every skill: More practice equals greater skill, starting at a younger age equals more practice."
"When they feel the curiosity to do so."
“As a musician, I think that this process starts on day one. When someone is inspired to learn an instrument or writes a song.”
“As soon as the interest strikes. Creating music requires passion and dedication, once those requirements are met, let nothing hold you back.”
There was a reason you got online and performed a search that led you here. Your interest and curiosity were motivated by your passion. Remember the time is now and you can start learning today, for free. What are you waiting for?
Be sure to return for my next segment, "What you need for producing music.”
This will be an in-depth look at the some of the most amazing tools available that can help you produce music.
Kayla from WA Production