Exercises to Challenge Yourself as a Music Producer

Sometimes it can be easy to get caught in a routine and keep doing the same thing. That results in getting too comfortable, which usually means you’re not growing. These tips will help take you out of your comfort zone, so you can grow as a producer

Learn how to play a new song

Learning how to play new songs can teach you new ways to play new chords, progressions, etc., and you can take what you’ve learned and apply that to your own work.

Produce Music for a Movie/TV Scene

If you’re looking to get into composition for TV And film, try watching an already complete scene from a programme or film, mute the audio and compose your own music for that scene. The same can be applied to video games as a sound designer if you want to experiment with creating different sound effects.

Start from a Different place

When making a beat, if you always start from the same place, like the drums, try starting with something different, like a melody, a bassline, etc. A new approach could unlock some creativity that you otherwise wouldn’t have discovered. This is also good practice if you’re in a situation where you’re unable to use your regular approach, and will make you more flexible as a producer, so you’re less likely to miss out on opportunities.

Produce A Different Genre

This can be really challenging if you’re used to sticking to one genre. Binge a bunch of tracks in a new style, then try to recreate that vibe yourself, making sure to add your own touch to it as well.

Restrict Your Time

If you normally have 5 hours to work on music, try and restrict it to 2 hours or less and see what you come up with. Be strict and use a timer to ensure you don’t overshoot your goal - this will maximize your focus, knowing you have to finish in this time. This can be applied to all your tasks, like email replies, social media marketing, etc.

Learn a New Instrument

Learning a new instrument will give you a different perspective as a producer and allow you to get ideas out in a new creative way.

Recreate a Song

Recreating an already released song will allow you to understand what went into making it and what’s being done during the production. This will force you to pay more attention to things like which sounds are panned where, which sounds have more reverb, etc. This will teach you different ways to approach and mix your music. It’ll also be a good way to see if you can compete and get your music to the level of what’s already popular.