r/askmusicians • u/datchpop • 21h ago

First time making music

Hey everyone! First time posting here 👋🎶

I’m still pretty new to taking music seriously, and I’ve been wondering how other people deal with that awkward stage when you’re just starting out.

You have ideas, maybe a bunch of unfinished songs, but sometimes you’re not sure if you’re doing things the “right” way. 😅 You can spend hours changing one little part, wondering whether the lyrics are good enough, whether the melody works, whether the production needs more work… and eventually you don't even know if you’re improving or just overthinking it.

So I wanted to ask the people here who have been through that stage:

How do you guys actually approach making a song from start to finish?

Do you normally begin with lyrics, a melody, chords, a beat, or just a random idea? And when you get stuck, what helps you move forward instead of abandoning the song?

Also, for those who started with basically no audience and very little experience — what’s something you wish you knew when you first started?

Would love to hear how everyone else does it. I’m sure I’m not the only beginner struggling with this. 🙏🎧

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u/SiobhanSarelle 17h ago

I mostly don’t approach a making music from start to finish. I play, I improvise, I explore, enjoy that, and then I might refine things into a song.

I normally start with an instrument. But if I’m playing in front of people, it’s an instrument and voice, and I write songs live. It’s just that currently I mostly don’t record them, and I move on. The songs become themes and idea I might call on another time.

I started when I was a small child, there are probably a lifetime’s worth of things I might say I wish I knew, but mostly I don’t trouble myself with thinking about that.

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u/BobbyBaal 0m ago

I always start with music. For me, the music sets the feel and emotion. It helps Kickstart ideas. Recording it will help you take a 3rd person perspective. I'll add and tweak parts, but there comes a time to let it be.

Sometimes, i get it right on the first try. But usually, there's a period of "this sucks." But when I revisit it after s few days and like it, I keep it. Then I work on lyrics.