Question 1

How do I make my own music?

Tom Stein · Accepted Answer

While it’s possible to make your own music using only a laptop and some specialized software (some schools call computers used this way a Digital Musical Instrument, or DMI), I would strongly recommend that you aspire to achieving some basic proficiency playing a real instrument. Piano and guitar are excellent choices since they allow for playing melodies and chords. Most drummers and singers also learn the basics of either piano or guitar, and this will be especially helpful if you want to write your own songs or compose new music from scratch.
There are almost always good teachers around and you can even learn a lot for free from YouTube videos and tutorials online. The real advantage of learning an instrument and some basic music theory is that it gives you a common language with all other musicians, and will allow you to express yourself musically in a way that would not otherwise be possible. There’s an immediacy to picking up an instrument and playing, or in singing, that you can’t get from a computer.
Whether you write new music or not, learning to play or sing established musical works is also recommended as a way to get started with music making. From Bach to the Beatles and beyond, the style you choose to listen to and play isn’t too important, as long as you can find pieces to play that you like, and aren’t too difficult. For example, a lot of rock songs are made up of only two or three chords, and if you learn those and can switch between them (on guitar or piano) you will be able to play those songs.
It’s also a great idea to get together with other musicians to play, since they will keep you honest and blending your sound with others is a big part of the musical experience. For anyone serious about making their own music, playing an instrument and learning some basic theory will take you a long way. It takes some time, practice, effort, and perseverance, but it’s well worth all of that.

Question 2

Is making music easy?

Tom Stein · Accepted Answer

Like anything, making music at a high level is going to take a lot of sustained effort, practice, and time. Hey, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it! Some people do seem to take to it much more quickly than others. We often refer to that as “talent,” which is that something extra and special that is hard to describe, but everyone knows it when they see it.
If you are even modestly talented, you can get up to speed with making music pretty quickly. But, keep in mind that someone with a small amount of talent who works at it every day will likely be able to accomplish far more than someone with a lot of talent who does little or nothing to develop it. Talent is the raw material, study and practice are how it gets refined.
Another thing to consider is that as you learn to make music, some things will seem inherently easier than others. For example, composing the chords and melody for a song might come easier than writing the lyrics. This is why people team up to write songs together. Or, you might find that reading music is hard, while improvising comes easily to you.
The exact opposite might be true for someone else. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. While you might feel inclined to work on your weaker points, some will tell you to focus only on what you do well. There’s more than one way to tackle learning music, so be sure to try out some different things to see what comes easiest for you.

Question 3

How do I start making music?

Tom Stein · Accepted Answer

It almost doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you do. &#8220;A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step&#8221; is a common saying that originated from a Chinese proverb. Even the most difficult ventures have a starting point in that very first step. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” is a quote spuriously attributed to Yogi Berra, the great baseball player and manager who had a penchant for saying things with few words. My point here is that you will need to get started somewhere, and once you start, you will be well on your way!
You will find more advice on what to do to start, in this blog and in others, in YouTube videos and in magazine articles and books, and from teachers. There’s no shortage of advice out there, and much of it is free. My recommendation is to get a teacher, begin to learn an instrument, get some basic music theory knowledge, and then get to work on whatever excites you the most.
If you like recording and producing music, get all the software and build out your digital audio workstation (DAW). If you are drawn to songwriting, learn to create melodies, with lyrics and chord progressions, or write beats and loops, create bass lines, and keep studying all the technical aspects of the music you love the most, as you can learn a lot that way. The most important thing about making music is that YOU have to be happy with it. If you like the music you are making, there will be others who like it, too.

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