How music theory can get you more listeners
September 25, 2021
Eric Hitchens in Production, mmusic education, music producer, music production, producer
Everyone knows that the key to getting your music radio-ready is a strong, professional mix and master. If the production quality isn’t great, your track just won’t be able to compete sonically with all the tons of songs out there. It won’t be as loud, full, wide, and clear as all the other tracks on iTunes, YouTube, and Spotify.
But here is a shocking secret that you may not have realized before…
The average person listening to your music, if they aren’t a producer, probably won’t be thinking about your mix. They may not even know what mixing and mastering are.
WHAT??
It’s shocking, I know! But before you shed a tear of frustration, I’ll tell you what they will think about…
They’ll think about:
- How relatable the lyrics are
- How catchy the melody and the beat are
- How epic the buildups, breakdowns, and choruses/drops feel
- How the sounds and lyrics make them feel
- The experiences they had while listening to it
- The people they listened to it with
You see, most people listen to music because of how it makes them feel.
It’s the emotion, the story, the people, the experience of the music that matters. And no matter how well your track is produced, no matter how clean the mix is… if people can’t feel something for it, they won’t remember it. And they definitely won’t remember the artist/band who made it, either.
So the key to getting more followers is to make sure that every time you release a track, that the listener will feel something that makes them connect with the music and with you.
The hard truth is that making music can be really difficult if you don’t understand its basic building blocks.
If you don’t have a strong musical foundation, it’s really hard to make songs that people can remember and connect with. So what can you do about it?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned after producing, studying music theory, and teaching students over the years, it’s that…
Everyone has a different journey, but the things we as artists want never change.
For example, we all want to:
- Sound as good as our favorite artists
- Build an audience of fans that truly love our music
- Get recognition for our work from others
- Feel inspired and spend our time on this planet doing something we actually love and are passionate about
Which of course begs the question…
How do we get there? How do we achieve our goals? How can we develop our musical skills to be able to live out our dreams?
I want you to think about a world-class Michelin 3-star chef. Do you think his success comes purely as a result of the knives he uses? Is it the pots and pans that make the food so delicious?
No, of course not.
It’s the chef himself that makes the food delicious. It’s the recipes he puts together. It’s the knowledge of cooking that he uses.
A true chef can prepare a delicious soup with a cheap pot, a wooden spoon, and a butter knife. 
A true virtuoso can write out a symphony on napkins using crayons.
If you’re new to production, or are just stuck in writers’ block, then the reason you’re suffering is probably because you’re lacking some kind of knowledge or the productive habits to apply that knowledge in the studio.
And that’s exactly what we at Jumpstart EDM are here to help you with.
We’re a startup dedicated to helping new music producers, and we’ve put together a free 150+ page PDF called Easy Theory for Music Producers that’s specifically designed to help you learn fundamental concepts of music as quickly and easily as possible. 
So if you want to connect more with your listeners and build a larger audience for your music, visit JumpstartEDM.com to get your free PDF and start building your musical foundation today.
Article originally appeared on Music Think Tank (https://www.musicthinktank.com/).
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