Music Production

🎵 How I See Music Production and the Skills I Need to Grow

I want be a good composer, the knowledge needed for the a music composer is an immense knowledge, it’s cannot be achieved in a plane playground without the exposure and working with artist and whole ecosystem and the diverse of skills. You can compose a simple music, being a good composer is beyond composing a simple peace of jingles.

I wanted to start my journey as a songwriter and upgrade my skill to a level of a good composer down the line. Yes, this is a challenge I put to myself.

This is my first experimental of composing a title jingls to a YouTube channel I created once.

Music production, to me, is not just about recording a song. It is a complete journey, starting from an idea in the mind and ending with music reaching people’s ears. As I learn and explore, I see music production as a combination of creative, technical, and strategic skills, each connected to a specific stage.

This article explains how I understand music production today and the skills I believe I need to acquire in each area.

1. Songwriting – The Message of the Song

Songwriting is where everything begins.

How I See It

  • Songwriting defines what the song wants to say
  • It carries the story, emotion, and meaning
  • Without songwriting, music has no direction

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Writing meaningful lyrics
  • Matching lyrics with melody
  • Structuring songs (verse, chorus, bridge)
  • Expressing emotion honestly
  • Improving language and storytelling skills

2. Composing – Creating the Music Itself

Composing shapes the musical identity of the song.

How I See It

  • Composing answers what the music is
  • It creates melody, harmony, and rhythm
  • It turns words and feelings into sound

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Understanding scales and keys
  • Creating chord progressions
  • Writing melodies
  • Basic music theory
  • Developing musical intuition (especially on guitar)

3. Pre-Production – Planning the Song

Pre-production is where ideas become organized.

How I See It

  • This stage prepares the song before recording
  • Good planning saves time and effort later

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Arranging instruments
  • Deciding tempo and key
  • Structuring the song clearly
  • Rehearsing parts effectively
  • Critical listening and decision-making

4. Production – Recording and Building the Song

Production is where the song becomes real.

How I See It

  • This is the stage of capturing performances
  • Songwriting and composing can still evolve here

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Basic recording techniques
  • Using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
  • Recording guitar and vocals cleanly
  • Layering sounds
  • Performance improvement and consistency

5. Post-Production – Shaping the Sound

This stage polishes the recorded music.

How I See It

  • Post-production improves clarity and balance
  • It makes the song enjoyable to listen to

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Editing audio
  • Mixing fundamentals (EQ, compression, panning)
  • Understanding effects (reverb, delay)
  • Basic mastering concepts
  • Developing a good listening ear

6. Publishing – Protecting the Music

Publishing is about ownership and rights.

How I See It

  • Music must be protected, not just created
  • This stage ensures creators are recognized and paid

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Understanding copyright
  • Knowing songwriting and publishing splits
  • Registering songs correctly
  • Basic royalty knowledge

7. Distribution – Releasing the Music

Distribution connects the music to listeners.

How I See It

  • A finished song has no value if it stays unreleased
  • Distribution makes music accessible

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Preparing release-ready files
  • Managing metadata
  • Planning release schedules
  • Understanding digital platforms

8. Marketing – Helping People Discover the Music

Marketing gives life to the song after release.

How I See It

  • Good music still needs visibility
  • Marketing is not selling—it is storytelling

Skills I Need to Acquire

  • Basic branding and identity
  • Social media communication
  • Content creation (text, images, videos)
  • Engaging with listeners
  • Consistency and patience

9. My Overall View

To me, music production is a connected system, not separate tasks.

  • Songwriting gives meaning
  • Composing gives sound
  • Production gives form
  • Publishing gives protection
  • Marketing gives reach

Each skill grows gradually, just like learning the guitar. I do not need to master everything at once. What matters is consistent learning, curiosity, and practice.

If you want, I can:

  • Rewrite this as a personal blog post
  • Simplify it for absolute beginners
  • Turn it into a learning roadmap

Just tell me 🎶