Not everyone spends time on pre-production, and I generally think that’s a mistake. If you’re a producer, I’m talking to you. If you’re an artist, forward this to your producer :)
I had a conversation with an artist last week who told me that his producer didn’t do pre-production at all, and it made him feel like his song was just “ran through the producer’s machine.”
Pre-production gives the artist a chance to be seen and heard before we turn the microphones on, and skimping on that time is a recipe for misunderstanding and frustration.
I love it because there are no rules and no restraints at this point. We get to dream up ideas for songs, experiment with tempo and arrangement, and talk about the way we want everything to feel. And ultimately that’s going to make the song better.
Try these things in your next pre-production session:
1. Ask the artist why they wrote this song. When they tell you why they wrote it, do not speak. Ask the artist to play the song for you, and don’t record it. Just listen. Pay attention to how you’re feeling during every measure of the song.
2. Chart the song as you listen, so that you have a written road map that you can make notes on and refer back to. I use the Nashville Number system, but you can use anything you like as long it denotes the sections of the song.
3. Ask the artist how they felt when they wrote it. How do they want the listener to feel when they hear it? List out all the emotions you discuss. Try to be as emotionally descriptive as possible.
4. Discuss any changes or ideas you have about the arrangement of the song, referring back to the notes you took. Approach this discussion with curiosity and humility. For example, “I wonder how it would feel if we added an instrumental moment,” or “do you think the song would still work if we removed one of these five choruses?”
5. Try the song in a different key or a different tempo, just to try it. Oftentimes, changing the tempo one or two beats per minute will make a big difference in the way a song makes you feel. If two clicks faster feels good, try two more. Keep going until you’ve reached the limit of what feels good, and then come down as needed.
6. Try playing the song together with a different instrument, like piano instead of guitar, or vice versa. How does that affect the way it makes you feel?
7. Record a “scratch” instrument and a “scratch” vocal when you feel good about the plan. You can replace these with the “real” recordings later. But make sure you record it well — sometimes the scratch vocal is incredible and needs to be the final vocal. “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera uses the scratch vocal, as do many of Adele’s early hits.