How long does it take to make a song?

Before we get to some thoughts, just a quick reminder that this is the last week to sign up for my next online Zoom course which starts on August 3. The course runs for 8 sessions across 4 weeks and meets on Wednesday and Sundays. I’m asking $200-500 sliding scale based on what you can afford to pay.

More details in the registration link: https://forms.gle/Z3Cwdh3rzP7yB3UE8

“How long does it take you to make a song?”

I’ve been talking to people about my latest album (which I’m almost finished with!) and I’ve gotten this question a few times. I don’t think it’s a good question, and not just because the answer obviously varies song to song. However, I really can’t be critical of anyone who’s asked this question, because it’s something I’ve asked artists in the past or, at the very least, paid close attention to when it’s asked in interviews. I still remember the exact numbers I saw in a Reddit AMA by an artist who I used to idolize (intentionally not saying who), and I can’t say that I haven’t used those numbers as a way of benchmarking my own progress over the years.

I think this question is unproductive because it’s usually coming from the insecure impulse to compare our own process to those of the artists we admire (or see as in some way “ahead” of us). Also, I think the artists we ask are often aware of the way talking about time can make them appear “cool” or “virtuosic.” There’s SO many videos out there of everyone from old folk singers to hip-hop producers talking about how they made some blockbuster song in 5 minutes. While I think the narrative that more time does not always equal better art is good, I think people can take this to mean that good art SHOULD or CAN ONLY be made in 5 minutes. The reality this masks is how many bad or probably just mediocre songs one has to make to understand songwriting or beatmaking deeply enough to work so quickly. So, I’m not saying anyone is lying (although I’m sure some people are), but I think they’re sort of ignoring the 100s and 1000s of hours they put into getting to that point. On the other end of the spectrum, you have certain notorious vocalists or producers who talk about how many 10s or 100s of hours they put into a track—revising it, rerecording it, or endlessly tweaking the kick. This is obviously just the opposite side of the same coin.

So how long does it take ME to make a track? I’ve made my most recent album in fairly coherent blocks (as opposed to it being a collection of tracks made here and there), so I have a clear idea of how long it has taken. What I’ve been reflecting on, though, is recipes—as in recipes for food. Above the list of ingredients, it lists “active” and “inactive” time. I think this is what’s missing when it comes to talking about the time it takes to make any sort of art. Inactive time is essential! Now, let me give you some actual numbers…

Over the last three years, I’ve taken 3 separate weeks where I’ve just spent time messing around and creating ~30 second ideas. This description makes it sound much more organized and intentional than it is. I might, for example, start by doing a YouTube tutorial and then generate a bunch of sound design improvisations. I might arrange pieces of these into a 20-30 second ideas, which I might add to or just abandon to do something else. I end up with a big messy project file with lots of different tracks, some of which just hold raw material and some of which might have various bits of arrangement. Now fast forward 3 years (to a few months ago), when I finally found the time to go through all of these ideas. Most of them, unfortunately, were garbage (or rather, appealed to a set of interests that I no longer find compelling). Luckily, there was so much of it that there were a few good ideas here and there—often just 2 or 4 bar melodies or beats. These parts would serve as the starting point for a track (along with some of the sound design improvs for texture and fx). Usually, it would take one 4-6 hour session to develop and arrange this idea into a 3-6min track. After this point, however, you need fresh ears to revise, so I took 2 weeks off before I returned. From there, it’s another 1-2 hours of restructuring, deleting sections, and taking AWAY elements (or just abandoning the whole track). Then, I needed another week of inactive time before I could return for another round of edits.

That almost catches us up to the present moment. The edits I’m making now are about the pacing of the entire track which requires listening in full, meaning that you only get a couple chances to do this before your ears are shot. It’s tough because at this point you’ve listened to the track more than anyone else probably ever will, and yet you sort of have to understand the track from the perspective of a new listener so that you’re not adding too much or moving things along too quickly or losing track of the exciting moments that the whole track is based around.

So that’s where I am now! More on the album as I finish it up!

Also, adding a little postscript here because I’m wondering if this focus on “time” is something that is particular prevalent in music? I feel like I don’t hear the same conversations about visual art, and I know that in literature you’re expected to be toiling away for a few years…but maybe I’m missing something. Anyway, bye for now!