There are some lessons that come up over and over again and they’re so meaningful you realize you can apply them in almost every discipline. So today I want to share this one with you. Doesn’t matter if you’re writing a song or writing a story or if you’re a young engineer trying to find your way in the industry, my suggestion to you is this.
Good writing isn’t just about telling me what happened and that’s true in a song just as much in a story. In songwriting, in narrative, this is achieved by making use of concrete examples. So instead of saying, “I was so excited for the morning,” you say, “I went to bed with my shoes on.” But the importance of show versus tell goes beyond that.
In music production, if you’re producing an angry track, the production, the instruments, everything around that should support that feeling. Don’t just tell me. You also don’t have to tell me what a great engineer you are.
I’m gonna know. I’m gonna see the way you wrap a cable. You’re gonna ask me pointed, intelligent questions about what we’re talking about.
You don’t need to list your qualifications. And if you’re looking for somewhere to learn how to make your own beats, scroll around. I think these pages speak for themselves.
