MusicIsMyBiz

Right now, I’m headlong into teaching a Music Theory for Producers class. My students are struggling with the reasons behind having to learn music theory and read music. They question, for example, why they have to know the difference between a simple triple meter and a compound duple meter. What relevance does this knowledge serve? Does knowing make my music better?

If you get right down to it, the answer is no. Many musicians strictly play by ear, and a large portion of musicians in general don’t know the mechanics and theory behind what they’re playing. So, understanding music theory or being able to read music is not an absolute necessity when producing or being a musician. But what it does do is help you communicate with your musicians and session players. Oftentimes, we’ll get an idea in our heads, but we won’t quite be able to convey that idea in a way that others can understand. Learning at least basic music theory will give you a knowledge base that will help you be able to formulate your ideas so you can articulate them. When you’re able to speak to musicians on their level, you are more likely to get exactly what you want out of them. Also, if you’re asked a question, you’ll likely have a better answer. However, if you don’t understand the theory behind the question, you may not have an answer at all!

A second consideration is sequencing. My students are pretty much split equally among three categories: rockers, rappers, and non-musicians (audio engineers or producers only). Understanding music theory, particularly when it deals with rhythm, is of particular importance to those who want to produce hip-hop beats. Not that you can’t “feel” the beat and go by instinct, but understanding rhythm and meter do help a great deal with setting up your tracks and sequencer. For example, if you’re setting up your metronome on your sequencer to record a track, you might question whether to the meter of your song to 3/4 or 6/8 (which is, by the way, an example of a simple triple meter and a compound duple meter). They both contain the same number of eighth notes, but they group the notes differently. Understanding the difference between the two, and being able to hear them both in your head, will lead you to the right solution for your track.

You don’t have to be a master of music theory to make great music. However, understanding how music works can help ease the process, save time, and alleviate frustration.

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I’m taking a bit of a break from the norm this weekend to be with family and friends, so I’m not going to post anything lengthy.  However, as I reflect on the freedoms that I enjoy as a U.S. citizen, primarily the right to education and the freedom to be able to pursue my goals and dreams, I’m reminded that I return to my role as college professor this coming week.  I’m teaching another quarter on Music Production and Introductory Music Theory–basically a class on how to be a producer.

The class has some required reading, and I wanted to share that book with all of you.  The Art of Producing is one of the definitive books on how to become a music producer.  It’s incredibly thorough, yet easy to understand.  It covers everything from basic music theory, planning and organization, budgeting, musical composition and arranging techniques, and mixing.  I refer to the book time and again as a refresher, and I recommend it to all my students who want to produce music as a career (their own or for others).  Now I recommend it to you to!

Enjoy your holiday!

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In yesterday’s post, Creative Ways to Make a Living with Music (Part 1), we discussed a few ways to earn a living from music.  We touched on the following topics:

• Teaching private lessons
• Being a recording session musician
• Being a music copyist

Today, we’re going to dig a little deeper with more options for savvy musicians who don’t necessarily want to tour and gig.  Let’s move on to Part Two of Creative Ways to Make a Living with Music!

Production Music/Licensing

I’m sure more than a few of you can relate to this scenario.  You produce a CD.  You call up Discmakers and have 1000 copies pressed.  It’s now five years later and you’ve stopped performing.  You have 812 CDs sitting in your garage.  Strike a chord with anyone?  Been there.

Chin up; there’s hope!  You can still earn money on your music even though you’re not actively selling CDs.  Your music may be usable in film and television, and it’s easier than you might think.  Television shows and films are constantly looking for music to fit different scenarios, for instance, source music (music coming from a source in the story)–a car radio, a bar band, a jukebox.  That music has to come from somewhere.  It may as well be you.  Placements can generate thousands of dollars in up-front monies.  Better still, you get paid a little every time the show is broadcast.  Those payments can really add up! 

Perhaps you’ve been told you’re “too old for a record deal,” or that your music “sounds too dated”.  With music licensing, no problem!  Some of the more frequently used pieces of music are often the ones that sound distinct to a given time period.

Production music libraries are a source for various types of music.  Your music may fit into one of their categories.  If so, and you’re able to get connected, they will essentially act as a publisher, actively seeking opportunities for your music.  The ins and outs of this topic are too vast to go into great detail in this particular post.  Check out www.taxi.com for a great way to get started.  (If you sign up, make sure to tell them Clay Butler referred you!)  Also, see my book recommendations below for more information on the topic.

Also, if you have a considerable amount of recorded music, you can start your own production music library.  By offering your music to local video production house and photographers at a reasonable price, you may be a valuable resource for their videos, presentations, and slideshows.  See how I license music on my site.  While the ins and outs of music publishing and licensing is a bit too in-depth for this particular post, here are some great books that deal with the topic in great detail:

Jingle Composer

This ain’t your momma’s classic Roto-Rooter jingle market anymore.  Today’s jingles are as fresh and relevant as the music on the radio.  Think of a jingle as a 30-second pop song.  Just like the main objective of a hit songwriter, jingles are designed to stick in the heads of listeners.  If you can write a memorable melody with a catchy lyric that sums up a product or company, then the jingle market may be for you.  You can hire outside talent to perform the parts, or, if you’re a studio savvy multi-instrumentalist, you may be able to perform them yourself one-man-band style.

Jingle Singer

If you’re not into writing music, then promoting yourself as a session vocalist or jingle singer can provide great extra income if you’re a singer.  I’ve made a considerable amount of supplemental income from being a jingle singer on projects all over the country, and it’s a blast!  Part of the fun is the challenge involved.  One session might be a country session, the next jazz, and the next rock.  But the real icing on the cake is that it’s usually quick work.  You usually only have to sing anywhere from eight seconds to sixty seconds worth of material (excluding double tracks and harmony parts).  On average, after I receive the backing track from the producer, I can have the tracks sung and the files in his email inbox in a half hour.  The money goes in my PayPal account or a check goes in the mail.

Part of the success of being a jingle singer comes from having access to a recording studio.  But, setting yourself up for jingle singing doesn’t take a lot of equipment and expense.  A decent microphone, an audio interface, and a laptop are sometimes all you need.  Couple that with some modest acoustic treatment (a couple of thick blankets in the corner), and you could have all you need to get started.  The real necessity, however, is that the tracks are clean (free of extraneous noise) and are recorded at a decent level.  Usually your jingle producer will handle the compression and EQ.

Here’s a great USB studio microphone/audio interface–an excellent tool used with our free recording software options from the last post:

Producing Other Bands

Nowadays, anyone with a computer and a CD burner can crank out their own CD.  That, however, doesn’t always mean that their music couldn’t benefit from some outside help.  If you’re solid at arranging parts for your own band, then you may be able to produce for other bands.  Again, you will need access to a recording studio, but as we mentioned earlier, most computers now have the capability to record decent quality music.  Some even come with music software already installed, like Apple’s Garage Band.

Producing takes some knowledge of music theory, coupled with the knowledge of how to arrange parts so they don’t compete with each other.  This happens before the recording begins by arranging each instrument to play in its own register (or octave).  Parts are written to complement each other.  After they’re recorded, competition is further eliminated with EQ and panning.  Combine that with some contrast between the verses and choruses by changing the dynamics, rhythm, and density of the parts.

Aside from the musical aspects, there are other responsibilities as well.  A producer is usually organized (which is usually the antithesis of a musician, but who am I to judge?), can plan ahead, has attention to detail, and can work well with people.  Although this is a very basic description, if you have the musical know-how, people skills, and the organization, then you may have what it takes to be an independent producer, even on a small scale.

Here are a couple of great books I recommend on becoming a producer:

Now go make a living doing what you love!

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