Listen to the instrumental tracks from some of your favorite RNB or Hip Hop albums and you will be surprised when you find that they are quite simple, clean and straightforward. You might think to yourself, “WOW, I COULD DO THAT” and in some cases, you may be right. However, there is an art to these records. It is the art of knowing when enough is enough in a production. When you don’t need any more sounds, changes, or melodies. And this is not an easy skill to develop. It comes with experience.
What happens is that WE, as producers, have to realize that it is not about US. We could run the show, but it’s not OUR show, it’s the ARTIST’s show. We are the team behind the scenes. Upcoming producers and producers selling beats online or producing for local acts may also want to take note of this. Why is this so important? Well, here’s why. I can’t tell you how many times as a promising producer I played beats for artists and they just didn’t get it. They couldn’t really feel it. I started wondering why this was happening. What did my productions have that the artists could not understand? I mean, I knew my tracks were playing and it had all kinds of melodies and sounds coming in and out, so why couldn’t they vibe with that? Simply put, TOO MUCH WAS HAPPENING. And sometimes artists can get discouraged or simply feel that there is not enough space for them to express themselves as they wish. So I decided to put myself in the shoes of an artist who listens to beats to buy and rap and that’s when it hit me.
I found I was picking beats that had a nice solid bounce (beat), a catchy melody / chord sequence, and enough openness for me to have a vibe and flow. I would choose rhythms that “feel good.” And I noticed that all these rhythms were quite “simple” but also creative at the same time. Then I went one step further and started listening to song instrumentals on Billboard, major releases, and I noticed more of the same. The backing tracks were for the most part simple and straightforward. There would be parts like the chorus where things got a little better, but they never got out of line. This idea cuts across all musical genres. Keep it simple and let the artists shine. As a producer, have a basic idea and allow your composers or artists to bring it to life. Don’t try to cram random melodies and sounds to “fill up your beats.” It just doesn’t work that way.
The best advice I can give you is to put yourself in the shoes of the artist. When you’re making your tracks, ask yourself: Am I doing too much here? Can an artist get a vibe out of this? And as a producer, it’s your job to have that kind of vision. You should be able to hear the song, from a concept point of view, from beginning to end. Knowing when enough is enough is a skill that requires experience, but as with anything else, the more you practice it and the more you study other music, the better you will become.
Remember: as a producer, it’s not your show, it’s the artist’s show!