Whether it’s listening, singing or songwriting, music has been a big part of my life since I was a little kid. With many people in my family being musical, I grew up that way. Music starts with being exposed to it, turning it into a passion and then making it a reality. The last two steps are the most important. If you’ve developed a love for it, you work for it, and allow your dream to come true. Nothing can stop you.
The first music lessons I ever took were on piano at age five; it’s something I really enjoyed and still do to this day. I’m still able to play the chords while playing the melody at the same time, which is a talent I have gained and had since I can remember. On the other hand, guitar was something I completely self-taught, originally picking up my first guitar at two and learning more seriously as I got older. I would watch YouTube videos or play by ear. I don’t have perfect pitch, so sometimes keys or octaves wouldn’t be correct, but it would still sound similar enough. Now, I can play well enough by ear that it sounds just like the original, or I also could look up the simple chords to make an arrangement of it in whatever style I want to take it.
When I was younger, I started writing some songs with my dad. He would write the lyrics, and I would write the melody, which is still the part I find myself being better at because verse lyrics are hard to write, due to thinking of the words and something original. He would then post the songs on his YouTube channel, and that was my first exposure to my music. Now when I write, I will sit on my bed or on the couch and have a melody in my head that I want to get out. I sometimes start by playing just the notes on the strings themselves to learn the chords, unless I have a strong idea what they are already. Eventually, I was able to write a melody to a prayer and get it onto sheet music to play on any other instrument. I had someone play it on violin, a recording I still have to this day.
My studio consists of many guitars hanging against the rack, and many other types of gear that allow me to create the music I do. I have four guitars, including an electric guitar. I also have a ukulele, kalimba and otamatone. As for gear, I have two microphones, a free Digital Audio Workspace (DAW), a midi controller and an interface to be able to play the music outwards through all of my equipment to produce professional-sounding music. It’s become such a big part of my life that I chose to invest money into my little bedroom studio to pursue my passion for writing and playing music.
Many famous songwriters known today, like Billie Eilish, Tate McRae, Girl in Red, Conan Gray and Clairo started in their bedroom with an iPhone. Songwriters very well known now, wrote, played and produced their own music completely by themselves with a computer. I take inspiration from them, hoping this can become my path. All I have is an at-home studio setup with everything I need to get started and it’s possible I can eventually become like them. A lot of these artists used minimalistic things you would find at home for music videos, basic percussion, singing even without a microphone as seen with many singers, including Shawn Mendes, with the use of social media to promote their work, which ultimately led them to where they are today.
I’ve gotten to the point of posting my music on a public account for the world to see what I’ve worked so hard on my whole life. There were late afternoons, days and COVID times where I would produce covers and play my music. The way I produce highly depends on the song and even simply what I feel that day. If it’s an electric-guitar vibe with some synths, then that’s what I do. If it makes sense to not change the original vibe of the song and keep it acoustic, then I go with that. It can still be nerve-wracking for sure: worrying what others will think, worrying it won’t be good enough compared to professionals, but I love what I do.
My best advice for anyone wanting to start music, even if they’re concerned, is to just start. It can feel daunting at first, especially if you have the mindset that you are behind because you didn’t start when you were younger. While it can and will be difficult, it’s always possible when you put your effort into it. If you want something to happen and you work hard for it, it turns from a dream into a reality.
