How I wrote and recorded a 5-song EP in 4 weeks

By On December 4, 2012 · 7 Comments

As most of you know, I released a new EP called Passage last week. I wanted to get it done before I left for tour with Future of Forestry, so I gave myself a deadline of 4 weeks to write and record the whole thing.

With this blog/website I really want to help you grow a fan base for your music. But I realize that before you can promote music and start getting listeners, you have to make some music first. And this really is the hardest part. So in this post I want to give you some tips from my latest experience to help those of you who might be struggling to get those songs in your head finished.

Experience

I’ve written/recorded/released a bunch of albums/EPs before this one. Each time I learn more and the whole process gets easier. So if you’re struggling with finishing some songs, it might help you to know that if you can just push through and finish them, you’ll be able to get started on the next set of songs with more experience and you’ll have an easier time.

Preparation

This is really what enabled me to write and record these songs so quickly. All throughout this year I’ve been collecting little song ideas in different ways. I’ve got a bunch of little videos of riffs and ideas that I was able to sift through and use as a base for songs. This is mostly the purpose of the Sketch series that I do on YouTube as well. As I went back through all the ideas I recorded, I found a few that I had completely forgotten about. One of those actually turned into the title track of the EP, which is one of my favorite tracks. Make sure you capture those ideas, it makes it way easier when it’s time to sit down and put a song together!

Limits

Giving myself a 4-week deadline started off as a whole lot of pressure, but in the end it was really a great experience. It really forced me to spend my time on the important things and kept me from getting bogged down in the details. There are always little things that I want to change or try to make slightly better, but I’m happy to have finished the EP and am glad to have spent my time on the big things. I’m proud of what came out of those 4 weeks.

So know that it will get easier. If anything, just push through and finish those songs so that you can start on the next set! Make sure you capture ideas as they come up. It makes it much less overwhelming when you sit down to write a song. You’ll have a place to start. And consider time limits for yourself. You might find that you work better or prioritize better when you know there is a deadline coming up.

Question: In the comments below, let me know what has helped you in your songwriting process. What else do you do?

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  • anon

    “All throughout this year I’ve been [preparing]” only fits inside four weeks when you have a tardis, or a DeLorean

  • Picbiff

    I’ve got a whole slew of ideas. I think if I do give myself time limit it would help me focus on turning the ideas into songs. Thanks Andy for your advice. You’ve got a great blog.

  • http://www.facebook.com/andrew.m.elmore Andrew Elmore

    “In the comments below, let me know what has helped you in your songwriting process. What else do you do?”

    In September, I was house sitting for a friend who had a great deal of excellent equipment, instruments, and software. I arranged, recorded, mixed, mastered, designed art for, and released 4-hymn EP in 3 days, just because inspiration kept striking. The only reason I stopped was because I ran out of time. I still have a lot of ideas in my head. It’s the first release I’ve ever been happy with, too. The limit on time is a large part of that creative explosion, it’s like I was running off adrenaline the entire time. I’m not going to link it because I don’t want to be *that guy*, but the bottom line is — Listen to Andy. He knows his stuff, man. I kept going back to this blog for ideas, and listening to Carry Us All Away for banjo madness.

  • http://www.brandonschmidt.me/ Brandon Schmidt

    I’m not a songwriter, but as a pastor, I apply the Preparation section to my preaching/teaching/counseling. It’s important to realize that my sermon prep doesn’t happen when I sit down to type out sermon. I should be prepping all the time!

    That’s why I love Evernote- I can stash ideas for sermon series, illustrations, and flat out good wording in there, and return to it anytime I need.

    Great advice!

  • Tracey Chattaway

    I found myself nodding in agreement while reading your blog today. I appreciate these thoughtful and honest blogs Andy! I recently finished my first release and invested much more time than I originally planned. This was partly because it was the first time I’d produced music at industry standard, and partly because of wanting to ‘perfect’ each element.

    The learning curve has been huge, and even though I’ve learnt so much, there’s still much to learn:) Funny enough, the songs people like most are the ones that took way less time to produce and were less edited/reworked. Keeping it ‘raw’ is my goal for the next release, and I will trust my natural style more.

    I use a similar approach, where I record melodies and riffs every time I have an idea. Sometimes I get inspiration when out and about and sing it onto my voicemail, so I don’t lose the idea/melody and can record it on piano at home.

    I was listening to your ‘Marshall’ album again today and find the last three songs in particular are brilliant for personal reflection. A great creation there!

  • Pingback: Writing A New Album | Jake Beamish

  • THE-DAN

    were you working when you set about to do this EP? how much time did you spend on average per day?

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