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The blessing of the process for writing a song today is that there are so many resources available, you don't need a band to make a music production. You can create a template production that allows you to work on your ideas without wearing other people out by making them play the same parts over and over again. The use of music loops and samples is an exceptional way of getting the creative juices flowing and setting the stage for writing a song that's inspired.

This process can also have pitfalls. One of the most common is that the songwriter may fall into the trap of focussing on the production elements instead of just writing a song. Without a good sense of judgement, the songwriter may ignore the real problems which may be that the lyric or the melody just isn't very good. By focussing on the production elements they may waste hours, days weeks or months trying to salvage a song that is not really ready for the music production process.

It is for this reason that I believe most of these tools are best used in the demo stage of the music production process. I've seen too many songwriters lose their flow while writing a song because they spend hours trying to work out technical issues instead of just writing. Keep the songwriting process simple. Always have a recording device with you to capture an inspired idea. If you have a smart phone, your one app away from having a portable recording device with you at all times.

For those that struggle with writing a song, good lyrics and melodies or finding good subject matter to write about, there are many websites and forums on songwriting to hone those skills. Writing a song is an art form in itself. However, to start the music production process, the quality of the song cannot be ignored. If you want to become a music producer, you cannot ignore good songwriting skills as a necessary part of your repertoire. The ability to assess issues and make necessary corrections will go a long way to helping you be successful. It is the song, after all, that the listener will relate to most, not the production.

To be very clear, the process I have been talking about here is all about songs that are meant to be the center of ones attention. Although many of the ideas presented here will also work for other forms of music, the focus here is on lyric driven music. Since all music carries some story or emotionally driven feeling, the concepts here can be adapted to the production style to achieve similar results. A jazz or classical record, for example, also convey emotions that tell a story. Even though the story may not be as explicit as a lyric driven song, the same process can be used to aid the listener into the interpretation of that story.