Achieving success as a producer or DJ in today’s music industry requires mastering a wide range of skills. But in addition to garnering musical knowledge and having a technical facility with the most up-to-date sounds, styles and software, there’s something else that can give you a leg up when it comes to music creation, and production: learning to play an instrument.
In this regard, there’s no better instrument to learn than the piano, which, even early on in your training, will expand your musical vocabulary, spark your creativity, help you develop a “good ear” and provide a boost to your overall songwriting skills.
And if you sign up for lessons now at Pianote, you can do it with a free one-week trial.
Why piano? As a producer, you’ll be able to communicate with musicians in their own language, fostering a deeper connection with the artist and making the overall recording process a more seamless and free-flowing experience. And the piano, with 88 keys laid out in front of you, allows you to “see” bass lines, lead lines, top lines and chords, as well as understand how they work together to form melodies and songs. Breaking down these sound components into basic, easy-to-comprehend building blocks will also allow you to translate your knowledge to other instruments, be it guitar, bass, or even vocal.
Furthermore, as a music producer or DJ who also plays an instrument, you’ll have more comfortability with MIDI keyboards, the piano roll in your DAW, home recording with programs like Garageband, and all sorts of studio gear that will help you take your creations to the next level.
All that said, learning to play the piano won’t only help in terms of music theory and technical know-how. There’s also the creative component: playing the piano, and listening to piano-based music, will expand your horizons by exposing you to a number of styles and genres that may be outside of your general interest – such as classical, jazz and even gospel – but that are today being employed more and more as components and “flavors” in pop, hip-hop and EDM. You’ll break out of ruts, explore new sonic horizons, and create new sounds and style mashups you never dreamed of before.
So what are you waiting for? Head over to Pianote and get your free one-week trial. You’ll be on your way to becoming the most in-demand music producer or DJ in the game!
