Why You NEVER Finish Your Tracks... (and how to fix it)

[@finnchapman2631]

I just used the tips in this video and finished a song within a few hours, it felt amazing. I literally haven't done that in about 3 years

[@mikecalimusic]

This video is so money it doesn’t even know it. Found myself head nodding the whole time. Great stuff, Nathan! Learning so much!

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Yeah yeah!! Love it. 😎🙏

[@TurdMcNugget]

Man, I need like ten more videos on this topic. As someone who's just getting things going, trying to get ready to release my first album in a couple of months, I feel this. It has taken me way too long to get things ready. From working full time, to making time for my wife and kids, sacrificing a lot of sleep, etc, it's a struggle to actually be able to calm my mind enough to be creative when I finally get some time to work on my music. Yes, it takes me sometimes a couple of weeks to finish a track, because I've got about two hours a day that I can actually sit down and work, and by the time I get there, I'm usually so tired that my brain is fried along with my creativity.

[@charliesmiler5618]

Thanks buddy, I have got about 50x Hardcore and Jungle tracks that are all 80-90% finished. The buzz of making a new one is always a huge temptation. I have taken some notes. Nice one ;)

[@StephenLyonsMusic]

Fantastic! Few take aways: 1) 'Intent to finish' 2) 'Creativity breeds creativity' 3) 'Dull creativity' resulting from over analysis 4) Get better at making faster decisions. I'm going to try the timer exercise today.

[@rome-sound]

thank you for this quick mock up i have it copy/pasted on the top line of my writing template

[@JamieRambles]

I appreciate how quickly you speak. I'm so impatient.

[@HairGlitter]

I have been recording my whole life. My dad used to do home recording. I really enjoy building all the parts. So nowni write my songs and record them. But I have never "finished " a song. I am inspired now after hearing your wisdom. Thank you

[@starrio713]

A lot of things this guy said are the things that many beginners producers struggling with, those tips are very helpful and I think that’s why he got thousands of subs within months🙌🏼

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Appreciate this! 🙏🙏🙏

[@tonyafranklin621]

So on point regarding making decisions! That’s been the biggest turning point for me finishing my tracks. I find that I’m improving faster by making decisions and moving on. Thank you for sharing great advice!

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

100% true! Love this comment- well stated!!

[@Gdad-20]

ADHD here, so finishing anything is a challenge in itself, let alone music production. Yes structure/route plan is important..... Cheers Nathean

[@davidsawyer5284]

Thanks again Nathan. Really great advice, inspirational. Have a book of lyrics of unfinished songs. I now understand the steps, to push forward to completion. Your free advice is of great value to many struggling song writers, I am sure. Have subscribed and will continue to use your guidance. You are truly a friend to all of us out there, who are learning the joy of creating and sharing music.

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Love it!! Thanks so much! Get after it! You got this

[@paulscrevane]

I'm enjoying you zooming in on you gesturing the 'end' or the song on the viewers left, and vice verse.

[@HaharuRecords]

This is some real talk.. I use 95% of my everything based on the lyrics I write, when I write i imagine everything (mostly focused on the melody as how it will be presented in detail)...But the idea will come always when you experiment from different directions from all the way possible (listen 1000s of songs) .So you will be flexible to beging from end to middle to start or anywhere... Just like tp share it...Keep up all and thank this channel.. a great blessing

[@drftls]

This is exactly what I was looking for to break my block. I'm recording more muses than ever before, but I'm finishing less tracks than I did in my first year of writing music. I'm looking for your videos on songwriting / arrangement next - removed everything else from my queue.

[@mache3984]

This all looks different for everyone. Spending a week, or even a month on a song isn't a bad thing at all. Some of the greatest songs have even taken up to a year to finish. Variables such as experience, family, jobs, etc can and will all contribute to your efficiency in the studio. If you are not highly skilled, taking advice to complete a song as fast as possible is one of the worst things you can do. It might be different for everyone but actually when I step away from a project for a few days or a week, I come back reenergized and excited to finish it.

[@SGZealotry]

Congratulations on completely missing the point.

[@roman_volkov23]

So simple and so hard. Thank you for such videos that remind you how simple everything really is, that you don't need to complicate anything yourself.

[@huntrrams]

Thanks for your tips! I actually agree with the 1 hour rule but I change mines to the pomodoro method where I go over the track for 25 minutes and take a 5 minute break.

[@MoeeTurbin]

He called me out but he’s making some valid points. Appreciate that, I needed that. I know have the ability and the ideas to create more songs, I just try to do too much too soon and get stuck. I need to just focus on solidifying a structure and process, and think about the end as much as i think about the beginning.

[@ola.ljungqvist1966]

Mr Nathan Larsen, we have never met. But still you describe my last 25+ years trying to make music. And pretty spot on. Amazing or scary. So thank you for these great fixes and I promise to follow them ;)

[@jimsmith4611]

Excellent video. That said the most annoying thing is that I had worked most of this out already for myself but still keep doing it. The farting around and getting caught up in stuff that I don't need to do or to sort initially as the beauty of the DAW is that you can return any time to alter anything you are unhappy with... It is a 'creative discipline' issue for me as well as not having enough of a structure before hand.. I am still far far far too easily distracted and vanish down that rabbit hole of "I'll just so this wee bit then I'll get the rest of it done" ... Then I've lost two hours pissing around with a guitar tone. Again a tone that I can change as often as I want at any time in the future..!!!! Discipline disciline discipline + better structure at the outset thats what's missing for me and Only I can fix that.. Thanks for pointing it out so clearly...!!! Next project won't get started now until I have sat down and written out at least a flow diagram of the structure and I have covered one wall in post it's with discipline written on each one..

[@timschannel247]

You are right and the points you mentioned about should be repeated everyday like a prayer because I see people pretended to understand this and next day doing it exactly opposite and wrong.

[@mateo_no_swiping]

Making quick decisions is something I didn’t realize I needed to work on, let alone pay attention to. It’s time to change that. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@MelodyWithYuvi]

I've been binge watching Nathan's videos for a while now and all I wanna say is Nathan..., You dropped this 👑

[@raamiah]

Same 🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@ANRO_ANRO]

You hit it right on the head....STRUCTURE is very hard to guide yourself to finish it....i need this..lol

[@P-78official]

Oh man, yes yes! Started this morning and finished the mapping and even overall mixing and sound choice in one day. This is such a motivational and eye opening video Nathan. Thank you so much!

[@heritagelegacy]

I have struggled with every single point that you made. But I will say that my biggest issue is second-guessing myself on a part I’ve played or which sound to use. Over the next month I am going to apply everything you said here and see if I can’t actually produce one or two songs

[@dreambeliever3652]

What I’ve been doing lately rather than letting everything bother me... not fast enough, reverb busses, flying the hook, or whatever else they call ALL THIS STUFF........... I focus on a great song!!! Like you say man, even if the mix is KILLER..... it’s still CRAP if the song isn’t KILLER. I could play a great song with fantastic words on an acoustic guitar and it would go bigger than if I had a LOUSY SONG with a fantastic MIX.

[@clinkypockets4604]

Thanks, brotha.

[@KingNiallGT]

I stumbled across this accidentally as I was researching how to make my midi keyboard ply on time with my song. This is exactly what I need since I have about 7 tracks I don't know how to finish. They are either 8 bar tracks to about half a song

[@maitavsoni]

This is the best music channel.Your videos are very helpful to me.You explain the topics very precisely. Thank you

[@atcordice]

Committing and moving on with the decisions

[@jimsmith4611]

my god just went off to record and what did I do exactly the same as I always do despite believing that I took in what Nathan was saying...!!! Habit obviously engrained. I did sit and work on a structure and a flow chart. Sat at the computer and just dropped back into the same way of operating that was a shocker.. So starting tomorrow I'm not going to pick up a guitar until I have the basics in place. Thanks Nathan uncomfortable learning curve but well worth it...!!! Cheers Only saving grace was that I didn't get into the tone of guitar or key board at the outset..

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

This stuff takes work and discipline like I said in the vid! You can do this. Takes some work but you got it!

[@jimsmith4611]

@@NathanJamesLarsen it's defo a habit thing. So first thing is to break the habit and recognse when I am falling back into that way of operating... Cheers

[@paarismann]

THANK YOU!!!!!!! This video - the information in it has freed me from the very things you're talking about. I've gotten my rig? put together. And I'm frozen in my tracks, repetitively thinking all the questions you're stating - without me even having started. And my song? Is totally charted. But I'm not moving forward. I don't know why it matters so much. I think I must put it in writing that I won't condemn myself listening to my first try. Clearly, at this point, I am a better writer than I am an arranger. I promise no one has to talk me off the ledge. Just want to thank you, very much. Wow, reading other comments below tells me I'm in good company.

[@YUJOYMusic]

Thanks Man! Good direction of thinking!

[@KonJonnorMusic]

Legit this is super dope advice! Recently just had that track where everything fell into place, quick decisions really do produce the snowball effect!

[@Alexgudmusic]

For some reason I never thought of writing before producing… this was really helpful

[@deadislander]

It's taken me a year to learn the difference between producing mixing and mastering. Knowing the steps and structure of the whole picture really helps you move on from doing something like drums to then writting lyrics rather than focusing on tone for hours and hours as though you're mixing when you should be producing

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Yeah understanding that is actually really helpful. So many just jump into plugins when they don't have any sort of real structure at all

[@dreambeliever3652]

Great point but… I don’t know why even after I’ve arranged my song, I tend to gather great ideas and inspiration throughout the mixing phase which inevitably creates somewhat of a different but better song. When I write a song… I have a general idea but it takes me about a week or so of listening to it before new ideas begin to surface. I do get what you’re saying though about just plain chasing the rabbit around without structure. It is brutally disappointing when you had this awesome idea and it does not translate well in the mix. But, once you hit that place to where you know you made some magic With the lyrics and arrangement, it is an awesome feeling

[@TumkenSiram]

Pop

[@rayt3894]

Ultimately, there are no concrete rules to creativity, so just learn and do what works best for you. While it's not a race, you definitely have to apply discipline to finish.

[@ash_dando]

Awesome tips. The stupid thing is that I already use this kind of structured high-level approach in my job, and somehow never wanted to take this approach with music! But this video has helped validate the idea for me, and I’m looking forward to taking this approach on my next track. I strongly agree with the approach of time-boxing music creation sessions. Even with a timer, I often find it hard to step away and take a break. But it definitely pays to take a break, even if you just stand up and go get a glass of water, that’s usually enough to snap out of the haze and realise that you need a proper break.

[@angelinemarsland]

Thank youuuu oh my gosh. Sigh of relief on getting some clarity and organization from your channel, truly!

[@WiseIntellectsCrew]

This was great thank you. I catch myself focusing on what my vocal sound like and smaller details when I haven’t even fully comped everything together. I’m aware of it but this always gets me stuck in the mud, thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[@dirtkidbeats]

Pure gold right here! I´m already doing a lot of this but I will try to add more to my mindset. Thanks Nathan!

[@dezolatetrax]

3:33 this should be marked, as bedroom producers who's struggle for a years of finishing track, am just going to arrangement as fast as posible, and then mixing at the end of that pattern, it's really works,

[@mkjaerkjersson7749]

pretty helpful advice with the timer thing. Thanks a lot

[@suitestheband]

I feel like my process is so complicated for these tips. I try to make music in a way similar to rock and pop bands in the 1970s. Drums, guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass. But I do everything myself. It takes a lot of time to be a self taught multi instrumentalist and sometimes simply setting up the drums takes an entire day. So making a song in a week's time is really daunting for me!

[@SKILIMUSIC]

amazing tips man!

[@Bittamin]

I’m hoping I can find arrangement tips for different genres. Listening to songs you like and writing/mapping out the structure by their section lengths and which elements are introduced and taken away is probably the best, but getting some experts to breakdown the structures would be dope. Time to research

[@shannonlee4125]

Good shit dude, when I have 30 or 50 songs to finish and I've finished one or two I know I won't get bored but their is an element of work in their for sure however at least I'm working on different things ..... I don't always do this, I usually edit and produce while I'm making the structure of the song aswell but sometimes just sitting back and creating a bunch of songs, screwing around for a bit and then getting into editing and producing can be fun too

[@pauljansen4273]

Man, this video helped my a lot. Thank you very much!

[@anatolianINVASION]

This video is better than I expected.

[@deepmixxer]

I love the hour timer trick thnx for that!!

[@Smartstartup1]

Man, thank you SO MUCH for the video. I have put a goal for 2022 year to create 24 tracks, but now i realize that it's not as much as i can and probably should.

[@luciferianjesuslover9453]

A track a week would be 52 tracks

[@matthewpritchard6109]

Really interesting. I watched this video, but not because I've struggled to finish songs (in general - although some fought harder than others). I watched it because I wasn't sure why I rarely struggled. And I realised that there is a wrinkle in my psychology somewhere that actually helps. I find it difficult to move on to another song if I haven't "finished" the track I'm working on. And by finished, I mean either (a) getting it to a point where I think it's fine (not perfect! Just "fine"); or (b) make the decision that it's going nowhere so I can abandon it and move on. Like all wrinkles, however, it has a down side! I've recently had some real time crunches from life stuff, but was also coming up with loads of song ideas. So I started noting them down, and somehow broke my "finish before moving on" process and mindset. So I've been stuck with ten (and counting) unfinished songs for months now! But I've recently committed to starting on the one song I'm most excited about, and work to finish it is ongoing. After that, another none and counting!) to have a go at... :)

[@Nanojix]

I love you ! The most useful video I’ve ever seen in my entire life!!

[@adamstola3704]

Jesus youre the best... Not only it helped me to change how I work, but this motivated me af. Thanks Natan, you really are the best!

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

That's great - thanks man!

[@madzia7671]

That's the truth! Thnx for reminding to think about structure and finishing it first. :)

[@johncu7101]

One of the biggest problems is weak songwriting. Some people start songs about shallow, BS relationships and breakups then lose both the inspiration and the motivation in the process.

[@theunconciousmind7314]

Amazing video bro! Its so true! Structure is the main chunk

[@joshuajaimes121]

Thank you, I always feel stuck after making a great chord progression I like. The arrangement is something I have to get better at as a musician.

[@MrMrbuddy2011]

I love your enthusiasm!

[@attiliohollige]

It's almost 30 years since I started this journey and I still can't finish something. I'll definitely try it. Thank you

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

You can do it!

[@cosmicninja6924]

My favorite is creating a loop, listening to said loop 1000 times until I’m sick of it, and then starting a new project…rinse and repeat.

[@ParthipanMusical]

This video is gold. Thanks Nathan for sharing all of these! :)

[@ogreyes8653]

Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge.

[@ten-ub4xd]

Best tip for me I've realised is to be ruthless and be deliberate

[@513Headstrong]

I usually don't finish stuff, because I can tell it is going nowhere, if I go 2 hrs and don't have something good that I can work with or that inspires me, I stop and move on, make something new that doesn't suck.

[@Paris_skyy_]

This video helped me a lot! Thank you for these amazing tips bro🖤

[@LukeRoberts2001]

Nathan Eswine 5 months ago I think artists try to sequence their albums in a way they feel best captures the journey they want a listener to go through. Nowadays, this isn’t as popular... kind of feels like some artists just try to pack single after single back to back for 10-12 songs. But at it’s core, album sequencing can help drive home the main theme of the album. Similar to the chapters of a book 👊🏻.

[@flashbangster6342]

Man, thanks for this video, I'm going to start applying all these tips today!

[@raymusicc7810]

I'm so glad I found you on KZbin. You've helped me a LOT already!

[@josiahmkandawire91]

Ive finnaly discovered what my problem is,am sure it will work from now on....am strting to apply these tips right now

[@sn0wherb]

this is WONDERFUL advice, thank you so much!

[@philipduvin]

Super helpful tip here. Thanks Nathan !

[@akash.s.manikandan9724]

Man this is GOLD......Thanks a lot man....this has helped me a LOT

[@milesedwards2822]

Thank you for the advice I would start one song. Don’t know what I’m doing and then start a new one. And repeat the pattern

[@trapbeatproducer]

You are speaking my language. This is actually a sick channel! You've now got another subscriber 💪🏽

[@aspirativemusicproduction2135]

I record riffs quite often but deciding if the riff should be turning into something more often takes time. I revisited some abandoned projects recently. For some of them I wander "what I was thinking." I just decided to use my guitar more often as composition tool even make it the main melody instrument. Maybe I can take this unfinished projects and just rework them with my guitar not thinking so much if the final product looks more like demo than full production with all the bells and whistles. Getting bogged in sound design is actually a bad thing.

[@worldpeace6374]

@Nathan James Larsen Thank you for your videos!!! They really help. Stay blessed!!!

[@matthewskrovan3378]

you described my experience exactly, this channel is amazing!

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

We all been there! Thanks a bunch!

[@muimuhadresh3986]

Thanks for posting such good quality content. I rewatch this video after seeing it 1 1/2 years for the first time. And all these tipps are still relevant to me. I think the hardest part for me is also to make quick decisions. But for me it is my own demand to the quality of music i am able to put out (my skill) in comparison to the quality i am use to listen. You know, stuff like: will this be a good chord that people like, is this sounds like people would dance to it etc. Because I am unsure about how people would judge me based on my skill in music making.

[@muimuhadresh3986]

God, that felt good to write that down. Cheers

[@eenouboii303]

Thank you. For everything.

[@TheDeaf424242]

Great advice. Especially the bit about musical arrangement mattering more than mixing. If your arrangement is good mixing will be easy everytime.

[@bassManDavis1953]

Hey Nathan, this is me, yep totally 🤕🤕🤕🤕🤕 and everything you have gone through I am guilty of ! I do understand that I have a lot to learn being new to all this and certainly don't expect to be up there with the professionals for a while, so it's great to have someone explain where you can go wrong. I understood all the aspects of what you put across and they will be such a great help to me 'FINISHING SONGS AT LAST' so thank you for a great piece of tuition, but there is one thing I just can't do? On the hourly breaks no coffee! Has to be at least three cups of tea and loads of biscuits! Well I am a true London east end cockney after all so that's my excuse 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@rayt3894]

Hi Gary, I think if you can get the basic ideas of your songs laid out without worrying about the bells and whistles, you will be well on your way. If you have lot's of unfinished songs, you could even try taking the best bits and joining them together to form 1 complete song. Good luck!

[@bassManDavis1953]

@@rayt3894 Thanks Ray! that's such a cool idea, I'm going to have a look at all my unfinished pieces and I bet I can use some of the best bits to use to make up a completed song....thank you so much for the advice. x

[@rayt3894]

'The movement you need is on your shoulder' (Beatles)...which basically means that you already have the skills, experience and raw material to finish your songs. Finishing 1 song will give you satisfaction and the confidence to finish others. If you truly believe in the song, you will find a way to finish. Look at your unfinished songs with fresh eyes, which one excites you the most? Are you stuck for the verse(story), chorus(summation) or bridge(plot twist, answer or surprise)? Be prepared to work but not over critical in your editing. Have you said everything in the first verse, leaving you nowhere to go? Is your chorus too wordy? If still stuck, ask yourself, what is this song about to find the theme. Ultimately all songwriters have some unfinished riffs and lyrics, they have filed away for a rainy day. Best wishes Gary on your songwriting journey, you've got this!

[@GPM80]

Excellent advice nathan.....think it benefits everyone.....thanks

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Appreciate this Glyn! 🙏

[@phoenixayo9040]

I can Absolutely relate to this man❤

[@craigseganti8999]

Right on, thank you.

[@trackzonville]

Dope content Nate!

[@aaronmetz8707]

So basically get the structure worked out with the elements you feel most comfortable with/the most important elements first and then treat that as a skeleton you can dress up with arrangement later on rather than trying to make one small isolated piece of a decorated skeleton and trying to figure out what the heck that piece is and how it fits into a complete structure. I think this is the thing that's really killed me with my workflow. I have been trying to come up with the arrangement for a chunk of a new tune right from the beginning but by the time I'm done arranging that first chunk I feel like I've lost my vision for the big picture and I don't know how that section fits into a full piece of music. It's a fleshed out loop that sounds good but it lacks context and without a roadmap my motivation to see it through to a fully composed and arranged tune is almost non-existent because it's essentially functioning like one sentence in a paragraph that's attempting to describe something complex. Without having a framework to write in it's kind of just like stringing together stream of consciousness creations. It might work occasionally but it's not really a good recipe for completing logical and cohesive paragraphs or stories.

[@djITALYLaChanceDeGonza]

Thank you!

[@NathanJamesLarsen]

Absolutely. 🙏😎

[@MC-kp1hw]

Great video but when I get a good hook going, I have all these ideas and lots of sounds seem to slot in but if I don’t implement those additional ideas in that early moment, when I come back to it later and try to implement them, nothing fits! It’s a real head doer.

[@Gunpowdermuzik]

Made lot of sense

[@lukedifilippo2469]

Such great advice. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@evan54905]

I needed this thanks for the great content!

[@NebulousWeb]

The largest problem I have is that I am only stoked by an inspired/unique riff or vocal melody or lyrics for about twenty playthroughs. Then it just gets old and tired, and I end up thinking it's boring and rubbish. Especially if I sleep on it and come back to it the next day. When I was eighteen it was easy because I didn't stop to think whether my songs were any good or not (the amazing confidence of youth!). Now coming back to the hobby after 30 years, I just think everything I wrote the day before is crap. How do you talk yourself into finishing something that you don't feel is any good? How do you stop yourself from endlessly trying to 'fix' the song only to find later that you're not happy with the fixes either? I honestly do want to have a couple of hours of my own music to play in an empty pub with a couple of mates (so it doesn't actually really matter if it's good or not!), but I can't get over the hurdle of writing something that I'm proud of and would enjoy playing umpteen times (in rehearsal, and then the pub). Sometimes I wonder how professional musicians play the same songs a hundred times a year when they're touring. How do they prevent themselves of getting bored of their own material?

[@eddyray666]

They do get bored mate. Difference is they're getting paid.

[@magnuseriksson8081]

I feel exactly the same and a lot of us do I guess.

[@scottdavis7730]

I would abandon the project at that point. Save the cool riff or vocal melody. That's the wonderful thing about DAWs. You will use these parts later when you're stuck and need a cool vocal melody. A lot of writers, for instance, carry around a notebook to jot down ideas. I would recommend using your DAW in the same way. The tough part is to just abandon and move on. If you're not going to finish or have doubts, don't spend a lot of time trying to 'fix' it. You may not be able to and it just slows you down. I can't tell you how many times I just have a couple of bars of something that sounds really cool to me but it's not going anywhere so I label it, save it and move on to something else. Then later I'll remember that cool little bridge and can use it somewhere else. I realize this goes a little bit against the advice in this video and mapping out a song is obviously the optimal way to write a song, but if you're just going to come up with riffs and small parts and try to expand those into a song you have to be prepared to move on. Great video, btw. Really enjoying your channel.

[@EugeneOswaldCrawford]

Finishing the songs you lose inspiration on will help train your discipline when it comes to finishing tracks. Also through writing songs you don’t like, you’ll learn what not to do in your sessions. You have to finish the bad songs so you can learn how to finish good songs. Seems counterintuitive but it pays off

[@rayt3894]

Do this with your lyrical bits and pieces too. Write down and store. It's great to pull out these lyrical ideas when you are stuck.

[@stringtheorymusical8413]

Respect brother. You tweaked something that logically made my imagination hyped.

[@coolhandluke9987]

Wow this vid is powerful man thanks fr

[@bigoak9417]

You understand humans! Great video, realy helpful.

[@Martinbeef]

I have hundreds of songs I haven’t finished. It’s very frustrating.

[@sebastianbarragan623]

Verbal GOLD! thank you

[@TimVolkovPhD]

Lovely pep talk!