It’s easy to find inspiration and energy when you’re exploring and writing music for the first time. But the longer you make music in the same predictable ways, the more difficult it is to feel engaged and challenged. This is where exploring new music genres comes in. When the usual ways of producing music aren’t exciting and rewarding anymore, it’s the right time for a major shakeup. Exploring a new music genre as an exercise is always a great way to do it, here are three reasons why.
1. Exploring new genres takes you out of old habits
Why do people quit making music? Some people leave music behind because they are too busy with life and work, but many quit because of boredom.
To be an impactful music-producer, writing has to be a rewarding experience for you.
However, by copying and pasting your creative process over and over again, you end up taking the interest out of creating music.
Instead, take a risk and explore what it means to write in a new music genre. It’s a great way to gain your creativity and keep newness in your making music process.
Take a risk and explore what it means to write in a new music genre.
If you’re hesitant to write in a new genre of music because it would make you uncomfortable, that’s exactly the point!
Not knowing how a song will end up sounding before you start writing is a tried and true way to change up your workflow and your sound.
2. Countless artists weave different genres into their music
Think about the new music attracting fans the most right now, is it straightforward and predictable or is it fresh, innovative, and new?
The answer is almost always the latter.
There’s a long tradition of artists successfully finding new genres and mixing different styles into their music.
Musician Amelia Meath moved from playing folk music in a trio called Mountain Man to being nominated for a Grammy with her electro-pop band Sylvan Esso.
By blending hip hop and country, Lil Nas X managed to write one of the biggest hits in pop music history.
When Damien Jurado lent his warm vocals to the electronic track “Take Your Time,” his brief departure from folk yielded exciting results.
The takeaway here is that there’s a huge benefit to trying something new in music. Failing is an unavoidable part of creating a new genre, but it’s worth it.
3. Writing in new music genres sharpens your creative instincts
As a musician, nothing is more important than your perspective and intuition. However, when those assets are applied to the same tired creative process, they get dull.
Embracing newness in the way you write is key for keeping everything sharp.
Embracing newness in the way you write is key for keeping everything sharp.
A huge benefit of finding a new genre is that it blows up your creative process from top to bottom in an exciting way. Doing this will help to keep your mind engaged and sharpen your creative instincts.
How to find a new music genre for the first time
If you’re unsure what it will take to successfully write a track in a new genre, here are a few handy pointers to keep in mind.
Identify the genre you normally write in and get specific about your music producing process
Get to the bottom of the genre(s) you normally write in. Think about things like instrumentation, song structures, and lyrical themes related to your genre.
In case you don’t understand the patterns you follow in your own genre, it’ll be difficult to know what to spend time on when diving into a new discipline.
Right when you recognize old habits and tendencies connected with your previous genre, you can break them when writing in a new one.
Think about other music genres that resonate with you
Choose a genre that’s new to your process, but isn’t completely unrecognizable.
Even taking a look at other subgenres in the genre you work in is a viable step.
Spend time listening to new music, get recommendations from friends, and commit to going through a research and learning phase.
You could even pay for mentoring and advice from a professional who has music knowledge and understands the genre intimately.
Nail down specifics about what musical aspects shape the new music genre. The elements that make up a genre comprise instrumentation, song structure, types of chords, and rhythms used.
If that sounds challenging to you, it may be worth brushing up on your music theory. There are tons of resources on YouTube to help you too.
The cool thing about focusing on a new music genre is that you’ll use what you learn to create music in new and interesting ways.
Explore, experiment, and record
Right when you’ve chosen a new music genre to explore and are familiar with why it sounds the way it does, it’s time to jump in. With an open, patient mindset, try experimenting, and recording.
The most important thing to keep in mind when writing in a new music genre for the first time is that it is okay to fail.
Keep in mind, when writing in a new music genre for the first time is that it is okay to fail.
Running into dead-ends during this process is nothing to be ashamed of. Give yourself the time and freedom to explore new ideas during this process.
Believe it or not, feeling out of your depth is actually an amazing thing as a musician.
We fail when we write the same music over and over again, but venturing out into new genres is a great way to keep things fresh.
It might feel easier and safer to write predictable music in predictable ways, but doing so won’t result in finishing music that engages people.
When things feel stale in your process, don’t be afraid to embrace change and take a risk.