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Had Your Music Rejected or Ignored? Here’s How to Overcome That (Inevitable) Rejection…

It happens to the greatest musicians, composer and music producers…

REJECTION.

You simply cannot go through any kind of music career without getting slapped by it. Usually a LOT! So if we are to continue to finish music and flourish as creators, we all have to get used to it…

But how are you supposed to “get used to it”?

I mean that’s easy to say – difficult to put into practice – right? All too often this inevitable rejection knocks you off your rhythm, your inspiration goes down the plughole and where there was excitement there’s just…

FEAR. DOUBT. ARRRGH!

We start second guessing ourselves. Everything we were soon confident about before becomes a big question mark. And this usually means our music gets WORSE – not better (if we finish anything at all).

So what do you do?

Well I can’t pretend to have a magic pill. But there are certain ways you can beat rejection that won’t mean your music suffers every time.

And I do have this audio exercise (taken from module 5 of my flagship Start Now Finish Fast program) which will help you get some distance from the all too inevitable rejection:

Click here now to download it for free…

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Post

5 Simple Steps to
Ninja Like Focus in the Studio…

To Music Producers Who Desperately Want to Focus, But Can’t Stop Getting Distracted…

ableton-focus-target-comp

If focus is your number 1 problem then this is GREAT news! Because you’ve got a pretty simple problem to fix.

(As long as you don’t have a focus related disorder of course – I’m no doctor!)

If you’re anything like me (I’m lucky not to have ADHD – but I used to have a pretty serious distraction problem in the studio) sorting out your ability to focus will result in way bigger productivity, creativity and enjoyment gains for your music making than you imagine…

(Want to find out if this works for you too? Click here for a quick & easy method to instantly increase your focus…)

The main reason is the main tool you use to make music (your computer or maybe now phone or iPad) is also your “gateway” to the biggest distraction there is (the internet).

In fact, I’m not overstating it to say that building your ability to focus is…

The Quickest and Easiest Way to Double Your Music Production Output (Without Spending Any Extra Time!)

Check out this short video:

[If you’ve not got the time or the bandwidth here’s a summary]
  • Mike had to finish a followup e.p. for Fierce Angel Records…
  • He worked for 5 months and got nowhere…
  • After working with me he finished 16 tracks in 6 months
  • The number 1 thing he said made the difference was…

…FOCUS.

I’ve seen this pattern repeated time and again. Literally 1000s of times.

The producers trying to make progress while distracted have the biggest gains and quick wins for very little time investment.

In fact, it’s a “negative” time investment!

The time you’ll get back from the 5 simple steps to improve your focus below will be WAY MORE than the time you spend doing them.

Building your ability to focus is a true “time multiplier”.

You put x minutes in – and get x times 100 (or 1000 or 10,000 depending on how long you keep it up) back!

So, for the next few minutes, focus on this post and then take the 5 steps I suggest. Because if you can’t focus you’re losing hours, days, months, (and in some cases) YEARS of your life to needless distraction…

Step 1: How to Destroy Your No. 1 Distraction Stopping You Making Music.

distraction-annihilator-ipad-comp

Take one simple action, get a quick win, an easy “score on the board”. This is the spark will create the fire of motivation you’re going to need to continue.

So if your life is (& DAW sessions are) one distraction after another?

DO NOT tackle the whole banana at once. Pick just one major distraction and work on that.

Problem is, when you’re lost in a maze of distracting input – even working out what to tackle first requires too much focus! When the world is pulling you in all directions you can’t think. You need focus to focus!

Next Step: Use this 10 minute focus method:

Distraction_example-comp

This is what this tool is all about. Just focus for 10 minutes on this simple step by step method and destroy that biggest distraction.

It’s called the “Distraction Annihilator“.

Along with the information in this post you’ll be able to use it to destroy the number 1 distraction stopping you finishing music.

Download it now here and get your quick win in the bag today…

Step 2: Use The “Lazy” Producer’s Way to Much More Quality Music.

Much as I dislike talking about annoying stuff like “limitations” (and I certainly don’t want to encourage you to be “lazy” or anything terrible like that) – you’ve got to work with your limited ability to focus – not against it.

Fact is, you don’t have to be working for hours each day to be making heaps of quality music.

In fact, when it comes to focus? It’s much better you don’t because your ability to focus is like a muscle – it gets tired with use.

train your brain

The main area of your brain you use to focus with is your prefrontal cortex. The part of the wiggly covering of your brain just behind your forehead.

(Apologies to any neuroscientists – this is a huge oversimplification – but a helpful way of thinking about it for us non scientists.) 

This is where conscious thought happens, where you decide and plan, it’s where you consciously “think”.

It’s what you’d naturally describe as “you”.

Many scientists think this was the last bit of the brain to evolve. They also think because it’s relatively “new” (in evolutionary terms), it doesn’t work as efficiently as the other more ancient processes which had more time to evolve and so become less resource hungry.

In other words – the part of your brain which allows you to focus is VERY power hungry and tires VERY quickly.

And what’s worse, this part of your brain is also responsible for a number of other essential processes:

1. Conscious decision making

Every time you make a decision about anything, you are tiring your focus muscle…

2. Attention switching

Every time you switch from making music to checking your email (in fact – switching your focus at all) is tiring your focus muscle…

3. Inhibition

Every time you STOP yourself from checking your phone or email you are wearing out your focus muscle.

So even if you don’t act on those red numbers on your phone telling you you have 3246 emails? You’re exhausting your focus. Even though you’re not consciously aware of them – because a part of your brain is “inhibiting” and so destroying your ability to focus.

too-many-notifications

(Yes – they know this & WANT you to use their service. Ever wondered why you can’t change the colour?

There’s a good reason those numbers are red!

Red = “Danger”…

“Danger” = Distracting… )

Simply treat your daily available focus as one of the most valuable, limited and constantly depleting resources you have. Because that’s exactly what it is.

Next Step: How to Get Maximum Quality Music Out of Minimum Time

There’s a heap you can do to improve your focus with this information. Here’s a couple of ideas:

1. Reduce your “decision load” before your session

Make as many decisions as possible outside of the studio. Record everything you do and listen away from the DAW and make notes on what you’re going to try…

2. Cut down your options

Another way of reducing decision load is to confine yourself to a small number of plugins. Or start with an arrangement you’ve worked out ahead of time…

3. Avoid attention switching

Use a notebook for any stray thoughts or ideas that aren’t to do with your 100% focus on finishing music. Simply jot the thought or idea down and continue finishing…

4. Turn off the internet

I know this is obvious, but it amazes me that people don’t do this as a simple rule. Simply turn off the internet for the duration of your DAW session…

5. Ditch the notifications

AT LEAST for the duration of your session (if not in general). Turn off all notifications (which aren’t 100% necessary.) Switch off those red numbers…

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Step 3 – Build Slowly To Avoid Suffering From Distraction Overload Ever Again!

Good news…Your brain changes according to how you use it.

brain-muscle-450-comp

Just like a muscle, if you exercise it – your focus will grow and build over time.

You’ll focus more. You’ll do more in less time. You’ll make more music.

But the bad news?

If you allow yourself to get distracted constantly – it’ll be ever harder to focus.

  • Your focus “muscle” will wither. It’ll literally shrink.
  • You’ll focus less. Waste more valuable time. Finish less music.
  • Your “distraction muscle” will grow!

A vicious downward spiral of distraction.

For instance, if you’re finding it hard to get to the end of this post – then you’ve just got to start exercising your focus muscle. NOW.

With something manageable. (Like finishing this post!) 😉

Next step: Use Your Studio to Become a Focus Ninja

produce!

Here’s your challenge…

Find some time each day to build your focus muscle with a very short “100% focus on finishing music” session. Ideally when you’re not already been exhausted by the days events.

(Before you go to work is ideal…)

It doesn’t need to be long, especially if you’re constantly distracted. Even just 15 minutes a day will help. Simply focus for that time 100% on FINISHING your own music.

Not only will you start to make serious progress on your music…
Not only will time magically start appearing to make music…
Not only will your drive & motivation increase…

If you laser focus during that 10 minutes on finishing music?

You’ll build your focus muscle & your distraction “muscle” will wither.

And then everything you need to do make killer music becomes quicker, easier and more fun.

Step 4 – PRODUCE your way to great music AND a laser focused you.

focus-ableton-facebook-ad-comp

Before you even start to think about building your focus – you’ve got to define what to focus on.

You see, I’m guessing you want to make the very best music you can make. And to do this – you’ve got to become the kind of musician & producer who can make the very best music.

You want to master the art of making music. Producing it. FINISHING IT.

(If you don’t – it’s probably a good time to decide to do something else!) 🙂

Thing is, to master the art of making music you “could” do a million things. Most of which are now just 1 click away.

And how do we master anything? Through practice.

So, in the context of making music – what is “practice”?

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What a Music Production Tutorial Won’t Tell You, And How It Can Save You Years of Struggle:

Well, let’s start with what “practice” isn’t:

  • thinking about making music…
  • watching tutorials about making music…
  • doing course about making music…
  • reading books about making music…
  • reading and commenting on forums about making music…

The clue is in the title: music PRODUCER.

To become a great music producer you have to PRODUCE music. (i.e. FINISH IT)

You see, you might have noticed that all of the sentences in the list above have an extra word in them.

“About”.

If you’re doing anything “about” making music…

You’re not becoming an expert music maker. You’re not becoming an expert producer. You’re becoming an expert ABOUT making music.

[bctt tweet=”The ONLY crucial action every producer must take to become an expert is to FINISH MUSIC”]

Of course, that’s not to say instruction or formal learning has no place. It’s just that it’s not 100% essential. You know this for a fact because not every expert music producer has “been instructed.”

You see, many of the activities like “getting instruction” on making music could help you make better music. Of course they could…

BUT ONLY IF YOU ARE ALREADY MAKING MUSIC.

Because then you can apply what you are consuming in order to create. Consumption alone isn’t enough. Information only becomes knowledge through application. And knowledge only becomes skill through practice.

Thing is, what I see time and again is many have this exactly the wrong way round.

They “get instructed” first and leave the real learning for later. If ever!

After instruction you will still have to put in the time to apply yourself to developing those “in the world” practical skills. On top of the time you’re already spending doing all that stuff “about” making music.

So if you are spending any more than 10 – 20% of your available time for music doing anything ABOUT making music?

Stop. Finish music instead.

Next step: Here’s a Quick & Simple Hack to Solve This Problem…

Print this question on a piece of paper and stick it to your monitor:

“Am I doing something about making music or am I actually making it?”

When you notice you’re not actually making music – stop what you are doing immediately.

Make. Music. Now.

(Yes that means finishing it!)

Step 5 – Strengthen Your Intention

Now, this step is (kind of) optional.

But if you’re not yet totally unconvinced about the huge results you will get from these simple steps? It might just be necessary. You’ve got to understand that building your focus alone can have an absolutely revolutionary impact on your musical progress.

Watch this video (which is a bonus video from one of my paid programs) to see what I mean…

YOUR FINAL FOCUS ROUNDUP – YOUR 5 NEXT STEPS

To get your focus fixed and receive the massive benefits – here’s what to do now:

1. Download the Distraction Annihilator and destroy your number 1 distraction…
2. Treat your available daily focus as the incredibly valuable and limited resource it is…
3. Set aside a short period of time EVERY DAY to 100% focus on finishing…
4. Notice when you’re doing something “about” making music – and focus on finishing…
5. Make a cast iron intention to build your focus NOW…

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Post

How to Use The Loopitis Cure

Step 1: Download the pdf

the-cure-crop
(Right click the image & “save as…” or “download linked file as…” to download the pdf.)

Step 2: How to make the most of it:

 

Step 3: Download the next tool:

If you’ve had Loopitis at any point in your music career so far?

You’re sure to have a heap of “dead” unfinished tracks buried on your “graveyard” hard drives.

What do you do with them – especially as you’re likely to be bored of them already?

You know usually boredom = the point of no return…

But I’ve got you covered!

Here’s another foolproof cheat sheet, this time to finish the tracks you’re stuck on – FAST.

It’s called “The Magic Track Re-Animator”…

victory finish fastClick Here to Download

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Post

How to Finish a Track You’re Stuck On… FAST.

mike_unfinished

How much time have you spent on music you’ve never finished?

How many hours have you wasted – simply because you didn’t get a track over the line? How many awesome ideas have you lost to boredom?

So if you’re anything like I was before I discovered this method…

It’ll be in the 1000s.

Maybe in the 10,000s!

(I made music full time for around 17 years.)

And if you’ve got gigabytes of unfinished music on your ever expanding collection of “graveyard” hard drives”?

Keep reading.

Because today I’ve got a simple solution for you…

YES – not every piece of music is worth finishing.

BUT – finishing every piece of music you start is worth it.

(With one crucial exception I’ll reveal shortly)

So why is finishing every idea you start (even the bad ones) worth the effort?

Mental baggage

If you’re not careful, every piece of music your don’t finish is a millstone around your neck.

Especially if you’re already stuck or painfully slow making music.

They slow you down further. I’m sure you feel it.

You drag it around…it gets heavier and heavier…as more and more music piles up on that “graveyard” hard drive…until you can stand it no more…

ARRRRGGGGHHHH I’ll just delete the lot!!!

Phew! Such a relief. Clean slate.

But…

You know you’re just covering up the symptoms. Sticking a plaster on festering wound. Despite that temporary relief – you just know that graveyard hard drive is gonna fill up again soon…

UNLESS you address the CAUSE.

Your Habits

Human beings are creatures of habit.

I’m not sure how they worked this out – but one study found up to 40% of our daily action are habitual.

But my personal experience is it’s much higher. I reckon about 70% of my daily behaviour is habitual. So I’m now focused on creating habits that move me forward instead of holding me back.

Like finishing stuff. 🙂

So if you don’t make finishing everything you start your rule?

“Not finishing” will become a habit.

DO NOT let that happen.

Not good.

(And if it already has? Don’t sweat it. The solution is right here.)

Your momentum

I had a major “aha” moment about 10 years into my career.

I needed to nurture something – to the exclusion of virtually everything else.

When I got it – I needed to keep it.

Build it.

Grow it.

MOMENTUM.

Your momentum is hands down the most powerful tool you have to make progress on your music.

It’s number 1.

You need to put it before your “mood”.
You need to put it before “attention to detail”.
You even need to put it before “quality”.

Because when you have momentum?

Not only do you start to make more music in much less time…

But also the music is MUCH BETTER than the stuff you forced out by sweating blood and tears over for months!

You MUST have had the experience where your best music comes out quickest?

I’ve helped literally 10,000s of music producers over the last few years and this happens with 90% of them 90% of the time.

The highest quality music comes out fastest.

Which is why you’ve got to cultivate and protect your momentum.

In fact – your momentum is soooo important that you even need to put it before finishing!

Yes – I know I just contradicted myself.

But this is the exception that proves your “I must finish” rule.

So if you’re totally stuck and simply don’t know what to do to finish the track?

Hit bounce /record and JUST CALL IT FINISHED. (But that’ll happen rarely once you’ve implemented what I’m about to share with you.)

And if you’re frustrated by an every growing heap of unfinished tracks on that graveyard hard drive?

Here’s a few simple steps to get unstuck and build your momentum.

1. Create a “sketchbook”

Either make a new folder – or rename an entire hard drive your “sketchbook”.

Do. Not. Delete.

Simply put everything you don’t know how to finish in your sketchbook for now.

(We’ll come to what to do with the more promising stuff in step 3.)

What this does is “reframe” all the music you’ve not finished – from a reminder of your failure to something much more useful…

RAW MATERIAL.

Something you can use in the future.

Not wasted. Not painful. Progress.

And when you build your momentum by following the next steps below?

Many of these unfinished “sketchbook” ideas will suddenly connect with what you’re working on and you’ll know what to do with them.

Maybe not this week, month, year or even decade.

But it will happen.

Because when they’re just a sketch?

They’re not wasted.

2. Start and finish something for the RUBBISH BIN

If “not finishing” has become habitual – this step is for you.

Because you need to break that habit.

NOW.

Best way to do this?

Leave quality behind.

Write for the bin. Seriously. Try it.

Make something rubbish!

JUST FINISH. That’s your “win”.

(You don’t have to play it to anyone – right?)

And how many pieces of crap you have to finish before you move onto the next step will depend on how bad you’re stuck.

Just finish as many as you need to until…

You feel some distance between you and “stuck”.
You’ve broken that habit.
You’ve become a “music finisher” in your head.

(And by the way – you’ll soon realise at least some of this music is MUCH better than the stuff you’ve agonised over.

Trust me on that. :-))

3. Use this process to finish some of the more promising music in your sketchbook.

It’s called the Magic Track Re-Animator.

It’s a 9 step process for finishing those dead tracks on your graveyard hard drive.

Use it for 2 reasons:

  • There’s gonna be some GOLD in that sketchbook. You wanna make the most of it don’t you?
  • You need to put some mental space between you and “stuck”. Actually finishing music you were stuck on is the BEST way to do this.

And this simple step by step cheat sheet is an easy and almost foolproof way to finish music you’ve given up on.

You make the decisions you need to make AWAY from the DAW – and then just get ’em done.

Simples.

You see, once you’ve proved to yourself you can finish? That you’re a finisher?

Stuff shifts.

You start to enjoy it. You make progress. More time to make music suddenly starts appearing to make music because you can’t wait to finish more!

And I don’t know about you – but when I was on a roll and finishing music?

I felt good. Happy. Awesome.

It’s that powerful.

I’ve seen the same time and again with the music producers I’ve helped.

And building that momentum, becoming a music finishing machine?

It’s just one click away…

victory finish fastClick Here to Download

Filed Under: Featured Post, Mindset, Planning And Strategy (Mindset)

Why finish a track that
“isn’t good enough”?

So you’ve got great idea for a new track.

And you’re absolutely determined to make this one a good ‘un.

love-idea

(The last few have been nowhere near your high standards.)

You’re gonna focus on every single part. Making each tiny detail as good as you can possibly make it.

This will be the one!

But, at first you have way too many ideas. You add and add to your soon to be masterpiece (read: 8 bar loop) until you’ve got enough for about 8 tracks in there.

It becomes a case of working out which parts are the best.

And this takes ages.

Cue boredom (which is what you’ve absolutely got to avoid.)

And when you do finally decide what to keep and what to take out – the track (or more accurately – 8 bar loop) still isn’t good enough.

What started out so good has ended like all the others.

Buried. On your graveyard hard drive.

Time to Start something else?

NO. Absolutely not.

So why finish something that you don’t think is good enough to finish?

The only way of making music that IS good enough…

…is to finish it.

Doesn’t matter what level you’re at.

After I’d been making music for about 10 years I started to think of the process like digging for diamonds.

(Yes – I’m a slow learner!)

I had to get through a lot of dirt to find a gem.

And the only way to find how beautiful the gem really is?

Cleaning it. Cutting it. Polishing it.

And if you’re just starting out?

Get into the habit of practising the whole process to get good at it.

If you’d never baked a cake and you had a dream to become the world’s greatest cake maker – how far do you think you’d get if you only got as far as the cake batter?

You just threw it away before cooking it. Tasting it.

It’s the ONLY way of knowing how good (or bad it is)

You won’t really know until it’s in the bag.

And anyway, often you are the very worst person to make judgement about it’s quality.

A couple of my most successful tracks I didn’t think were even finished until I was told by a trusted advisor!

More on that particular conundrum another time…

Here’s proof:

How to finish a track you don’t think is good enough to finish

So how do you do it?

One of the most common reasons you will think a track isn’t good enough (apart from a “bad” mood, or feeling tired) is boredom.

Pure and simple.

You’ve heard the darn thing too many times. So the most obvious way to prevent this is not to get bored in the first place!

This is about putting your creative momentum – your speed ahead of perfecting every tiny detail.

And I’ve found that one of the most common places in the process where you will get stuck is moving from the loop to the arrangement.

I call this “Loopitis”. The inability to move onto the arrangement.

So I created this tool – The Instant Loopitis Cure.

the-cure-low

It’ll give you a system of creating your parts in an already created framework – using a track you know works really well.

When you use it your arrangements will be better – because they’ll be based on the stuff you love.

It’ll also mean you don’t ever get “stuck in the loop”.

And it will also mean you also start to discover much more (no matter what level of skill you’re at) about how great arrangements work.

No brainer right?

So you can get the download here.

And what about the tracks you’re already bored of?

Well – if you’ve caught Loopitis at any point in your career, you’re sure to have a heap of old unfinished loops and half arranged tracks on your graveyard hard drives.

I’ve created another solution so you can finish those too.

(By the way – you don’t need to finish them all. That can be counter productive too. But there’s gonna be some GOLD on that drive of yours.)

It’s called “The Magic Track Re-Animator”. Click here to get that…

How often have you started track and loved it but scrapped it after working on it too long?

How long does it take before you get bored?

When in your process do you tend to get stuck?

Feel free to share in the comments…

Filed Under: Featured Post, Music Production, Composition And Theory (Music) Tagged With: 8 bar loop

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