Use What You Have. Just Start.

My first inspiration to make music on the internet was FamilyJules (formerly FamilyJules7x). He was playing N64 music in his bedroom. Eventually he made an instructional series on how to make the recordings for yourself.

I had been playing electric guitar for a while, so I made the purchase of Mixcraft 7 and decided to give it a shot myself. It was fun.

Then I wanted to actually put myself out there. I started humbly with Nintendo songs (and I do mean NES, the first Nintendo system) knowing that the music would be simple. The progress was slow but it came together nicely.

Aside from distracting myself with too many video game (singular, DotA 2), I had HUGE ambitions. "I can cover any song I want!" This meant every game and every soundtrack. A Diggy Diggy Hole collab? Sure! (That never started). The Book of Boba Fett as a metal cover! (Never finished arranging that one).

The the final straw: The Super Mario Brothers RPG intro song.

I told this story before, but we got a huge keyboard from a friend, that I used as a midi keyboard. But I couldn't figure out all the different instruments in the song. I couldn't figure out the song on guitar/bass because it was too tricky. How many tracks were involved? This was no longer the regular Nintendo with only 4 tracks, this was the Super Nintendo. I had no clue.

And lo, that was the last metal song I worked on. (I'll be back).

Even with bigger projects that I actually finished, there was a lot of overhead. I did a collab for another Super Mario RPG song: The Forest Maze song. I got it done, but with 3 other people, it was a lot of work for something that I deem fun.

Analysis Paralysis

There were too many moving parts in all of these ideas. "Too many" is relative. There are artists out there with 2 rooms worth of instruments that are consistent. But it was too much for me in my situation. I tried to push past it, but my monkey mind didn't like it any more.

Then there are people who haven't even started yet. I see so many "which guitar is best for beginners?" posts and I don't even want to think what people are thinking when it comes to recording gear.

Best computer? Best DAW? Best VST? Best instruments?

It's too much.

Let's ask a silly but worthwhile question.

If you had to release a song within a week, what would you do? You'd probably learn something, point your phone at yourself and jam away. That's an extreme example, but if you're reading this you probably already have some sort of musical setup already. What's holding you back?

You just need to take any gear or knowledge you already have and get in the habit of putting your work out there, no matter how small of a task it is.

It's time to scale it back.

Musical Minimalism: Finish Your Projects

I did a cover of the Mandalorian Theme song on my previous music channel. I made a point not to watch other people doing it (so much) so I wouldn't lose any ideas that came from my own head nor get discouraged.

After I was done, I watched a few. One of them was Beyond the Guitar. He's a classical guitarist. That meant he just used one instrument to finish the same song I just did. It sounded great. Yes there was good audio and video editing, but it was still just one instrument. That's not to say that the classical guitar is "easier." It's just simpler.

Do some homework. Go search for other artists that are using one instrument or a simpler setup than you have or than you're dreaming of owning. What's the difference between you and them? They're just using what they have and putting themselves out there.

When you start feeling stuck, scale it back. Simplify the arrangements. Use fewer instruments. Messy room? Doesn't matter. (Actually, you should still tidy up before you record). Set the deadline sooner than you want.

You have to keep the content flowing. Practicing and playing your instrument is one skill. Releasing music is another. You have to keep up the consistency for yourself and for the sake of your audience. (This is a reminder to myself as well).

Just Start with the Smallest Steps Possible

The name of the game is production. You have to be your own producer. I don't mean the people who make beats on laptops or the person in charge of cleaning up your audio (that should be you anyway), I mean being the person that makes sure the project gets done.

Similar to a movie, show or game. There's someone who's eyeballing the deadline and making sure all the things that need to get done are getting done.

I will try to make this apply to people that are just starting out to people that have been in the game for a bit but have fallen off or are losing steam.

The Musical Minimalist Process

Beginners: Use what you have

• Use whatever gear you can. Do a quick search on Amazon or go to a local music store. What's the best option? Anything. Get something even if you think it's "beneath" you. You can always upgrade later after you've proven to yourself that you're being consistent.

• Want to shoot video? Use your phone. Get used to the universal principles of video editing before worrying about learning how a camera works. (I'm right there with you).

• Find low- to no-cost tools. What's a free DAW? What's a free video editor? They're out there if you look. You don't need to go spending $300+ before you even start.

Non-Beginners: Make it simpler

• Take your big "I want to do this song" list and choose something. Make it too easy. If you don't have this list, make it.

• Set the deadline. Sooner than you want. It should scare you.

• If you've been putting the work off, ask yourself: in your current workflow, how can you make things easier? Can you use fewer instruments? Can you simplify the arrangement? Done is better than perfect. Perfect doesn't exist.

Just put it out already!

I just want more people to get to the point where they're putting in the work for the things that they want to do. If you've made it this far, there's a big chance that you actually already have something that you're doing or want to do. What's the missing piece? Doing the work.

When we have big goals, we reach too far. We're either looking at others or have this big idea in our minds. When it comes time to work, your brain sees the huge gap between where you are and where you want to be so it shuts down.

Simplicity is where the magic is.

For anyone you look up to right now, they didn't start in their present situation. They've been at it for years or decades.

Again, go scroll back to their oldest work. You can do that too, right?

Then go do it.

Thanks for reading! I hope you take action on this advice.

Feel free to check out my music here.