What do you think?
Rate this book
Music Habits - The Mental Game of Electronic Music Production: Finish Songs Fast, Beat Procrastination and Find Your Creative Flow
Music Production can be an elusive art form for many, and the challenges that face someone who is new to this can easily create overwhelm and lead to complete paralysis. The goal of this book, is to cover music production from many different angles in a way that will change your thinking on the subject and build your confidence.
Music making is a very mental and psychological game, and more often than not, all the technical stuff can hold you back from achieving your goals if you don't have the right creative habits in place first.
With all the information available with a simple Google search, I wanted to really get to the heart of things that aren't being discussed nearly enough. I want to clear out all the garbage you may have been told and replace it with the essentials you can put to immediate use. Many people new to music may dive into forums and mindlessly watch video tutorials attempting to gather more and more information until they think they have enough to get going (hint: you never feel like you know enough).
That would be like reading a whole encyclopedia and then being asked to recall only the important things that will get you from point A to point B. Even worse, much of the information you get will contradict the last thing you read. It's like finding a needle in a haystack only to be told it's the wrong needle. There is a much better approach. It's an approach that doesn't require you to know a lot to get started. You only need to know enough to get to the next step in your process.
There is truly nothing stopping you from becoming a music producer. The ones who are successful now are the ones who started from nothing and chipped away at it until they found a way to express their unique voice. There are no gatekeepers making decisions on who is worthy and who isn't. The determining factor is you, your habits and your confidence in yourself.
This book can be read from start to finish, or as a “choose your own adventure”, going directly to what you think can help you most right now. Don't get caught up thinking you have to devour everything before getting started. That isn't necessary, and isn't the point of the book.
The core concepts in the book will come up time & time again which should help you retain them & be able to recall them when the need arrives. By exploring these concepts from several angles you should gain a broad view of their many uses.
My hope is that this book is used as a toolbox. You simply find the right tool that moves you forward and get back to work. So few people, who have more than enough information in their heads, ever start. Of those who do start, even fewer finish what they started and are satisfied with the results. I want you to be in that small group of finishers.
Let's get started.
Music making is a very mental and psychological game, and more often than not, all the technical stuff can hold you back from achieving your goals if you don't have the right creative habits in place first.
With all the information available with a simple Google search, I wanted to really get to the heart of things that aren't being discussed nearly enough. I want to clear out all the garbage you may have been told and replace it with the essentials you can put to immediate use. Many people new to music may dive into forums and mindlessly watch video tutorials attempting to gather more and more information until they think they have enough to get going (hint: you never feel like you know enough).
That would be like reading a whole encyclopedia and then being asked to recall only the important things that will get you from point A to point B. Even worse, much of the information you get will contradict the last thing you read. It's like finding a needle in a haystack only to be told it's the wrong needle. There is a much better approach. It's an approach that doesn't require you to know a lot to get started. You only need to know enough to get to the next step in your process.
There is truly nothing stopping you from becoming a music producer. The ones who are successful now are the ones who started from nothing and chipped away at it until they found a way to express their unique voice. There are no gatekeepers making decisions on who is worthy and who isn't. The determining factor is you, your habits and your confidence in yourself.
This book can be read from start to finish, or as a “choose your own adventure”, going directly to what you think can help you most right now. Don't get caught up thinking you have to devour everything before getting started. That isn't necessary, and isn't the point of the book.
The core concepts in the book will come up time & time again which should help you retain them & be able to recall them when the need arrives. By exploring these concepts from several angles you should gain a broad view of their many uses.
My hope is that this book is used as a toolbox. You simply find the right tool that moves you forward and get back to work. So few people, who have more than enough information in their heads, ever start. Of those who do start, even fewer finish what they started and are satisfied with the results. I want you to be in that small group of finishers.
Let's get started.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2015
537 people are currently reading
753 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 6, 2017
It's a half electronic music production and half coaching book. I decided to give 4 star because so much repetition in it. But in the other hand it's a very good guide to how to finish something and how to work well. I'll be joining 30 day challenge soon.
July 28, 2019
Half of this book is a pure self-improvement manual - about building habits, fighting procrastination and achieving goals. I wholeheartedly loathe such books, but this particular one I enjoyed. I think there are 2 reasons to this:
1) Author knows the stuff he writes about, and names the problems very effectively (no. 1 is finishing tracks)
2) I'm coming from a software development mindset, where overthinking and constant learning is sometimes the only way forward. For music production it isn't - and may even hurt.
Minor complaints: 1st author writes that you don't need any background to start but then actually gives detailed tips that you need to have some knowledge to understand. 2nd the tips are pretty chaotic and hard to implement immediately (which is against the message of the book).
1) Author knows the stuff he writes about, and names the problems very effectively (no. 1 is finishing tracks)
2) I'm coming from a software development mindset, where overthinking and constant learning is sometimes the only way forward. For music production it isn't - and may even hurt.
Minor complaints: 1st author writes that you don't need any background to start but then actually gives detailed tips that you need to have some knowledge to understand. 2nd the tips are pretty chaotic and hard to implement immediately (which is against the message of the book).
July 23, 2022
An interesting read, if not a bit uneven at times. For someone (like myself) getting started with music production, there are some interesting points here. Worth the read, although I may get a little bit more out of some of the more advanced chapters when I have more knowledge about music production.
January 5, 2023
Great book to focus up and get out of a music making rut. Very good tips and motivation for music makers in general, be it electronic or not.
February 23, 2021
An interesting book, made some very good points and overall it was worth reading, but the production values are awful. It's littered with punctuation, spelling and grammar mistakes. The Kindle version has footnotes that are clearly editor's notes that the reader wasn't intended to see. The line spacing change randomly one chapter and then goes back normal on the next. It's obvious that some of the chapters have simply been copied and pasted from the author's blog. There's a lot of repetition due to this, and all of these problems get worse and worse as the book progresses.
One of the key messages in the book is to keep working on tracks until they are finished. Even if they have problems, finish them, learn from your mistakes and make the next track better. I can't help but think that the author took the same approach with this book.
One of the key messages in the book is to keep working on tracks until they are finished. Even if they have problems, finish them, learn from your mistakes and make the next track better. I can't help but think that the author took the same approach with this book.
February 5, 2021
Having picked up the synthesizer and electronic music production during the pandemic (formerly being solely a guitar player), I was interested to take a look at a different way of making music than I was accustomed to. Instead, I got a handful of questionable motivational business tips with a short list of tips on EQ and mixing tacked on at the end. I wanted to like this a lot, but it rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning, and just didn't provide anything useful for my music making progress, while arguing the whole time that I really shouldn't have spent the time it took to listen to it (about the one thing useful it said). It is rare for me to return a book, but I returned this one. It's really not that anything here is actively harmful, it just isn't helpful or necessary.
March 13, 2019
Certainly did the job for me! Before I read this book, I was stuck in half-finished limbo musically speaking and hadn't finished a single track. While reading it, I completed five. Definitely recommended for anyone who feels stuck in their music production!
June 27, 2021
This book is a collection of paragraphs with random ideas. Kind of like reading a bunch of blog posts.
There's A LOT of repeating of the same ideas, almost word for word.
But there's also some good content, especially if you are new to music and building habits.
There's A LOT of repeating of the same ideas, almost word for word.
But there's also some good content, especially if you are new to music and building habits.
June 2, 2022
Ironically, this book about finishing your music projects is itself unfinished.
December 30, 2022
Written in the most annoying and bro-ey tone, this book should have been a reddit post.
July 8, 2022
This is a worthwhile book for people getting into music who have learned a lot about gear but haven't actually made much music yet.
It really boils down to this: making music is sitting down and doing it. Everything else is not making music. That includes reading about music, watching YouTube videos, and even sound design. The only thing that's making music is making music.
Another piece of advice I really appreciated is to only learn the things you need for your current task. If you're watching video after video, you're not going to retain much of the information. You have to apply it. So figure out what you need to know, and learn just that. Then go and apply it to making music. It's too easy to just spend all your time soaking up information without ever doing anything with it.
This might all seem obvious, but I'm guilty of all of these things, and I found it really helped to have them spelled out like this. Timothy talks about strategies and habits, which will probably sound familiar if you've read any of the habit or productivity literature of the last 10-ish years. But it's still worthwhile to put it into this context, I think.
There's also more about getting your music played and getting signed, etc., which I only skimmed (not what I'm after or realistically ever going to do).
In a way, this book reminded me of this website somebody made a long time ago, titled "The One Habit of Highly Successful Writers," and it simply said: They Write.
So yeah, worthwhile read IMHO.
It really boils down to this: making music is sitting down and doing it. Everything else is not making music. That includes reading about music, watching YouTube videos, and even sound design. The only thing that's making music is making music.
Another piece of advice I really appreciated is to only learn the things you need for your current task. If you're watching video after video, you're not going to retain much of the information. You have to apply it. So figure out what you need to know, and learn just that. Then go and apply it to making music. It's too easy to just spend all your time soaking up information without ever doing anything with it.
This might all seem obvious, but I'm guilty of all of these things, and I found it really helped to have them spelled out like this. Timothy talks about strategies and habits, which will probably sound familiar if you've read any of the habit or productivity literature of the last 10-ish years. But it's still worthwhile to put it into this context, I think.
There's also more about getting your music played and getting signed, etc., which I only skimmed (not what I'm after or realistically ever going to do).
In a way, this book reminded me of this website somebody made a long time ago, titled "The One Habit of Highly Successful Writers," and it simply said: They Write.
So yeah, worthwhile read IMHO.
May 11, 2025
I don't usually criticize a book based on formatting, but it was striking enough to distract me from the content of the book. Swathes of mostly-blank pages with less than three sentences on them, inconsistent organization of chapters and sub-chapters, misspellings, and a lot of repetition of the same few ideas. The author's voice reads like a bro who says, "Dude, anyone can write a book, just watch me."
However the guidance that the book has to offer is genuine and helpful, I did walk away having learned several things to apply to my own music. This would not be the first book I recommend to a young or ambitious producer, but I would still recommend it.
However the guidance that the book has to offer is genuine and helpful, I did walk away having learned several things to apply to my own music. This would not be the first book I recommend to a young or ambitious producer, but I would still recommend it.
May 22, 2020
Insightful, motivational, inspiring. Most of the advice was useful and concise. I found it a bit repetitive, but the repetition was just enough to keep those ideas lingering in my head for longer than a few days. I did lower the rating because I found a couple pointers that I and my audio engineer mentors would agree would not be wise choices for mixing or production. Art is subjective and it boils down to personal preference of course, so to each their own. I also found a typo on nearly every page especially towards the end, making it difficult to take the book more seriously.
September 4, 2021
Jason captured my experience so accurately of making so many false attempts at music creation and music production over the years (decade? 🙈). He pinpoints the mental processes and bad habits that get in the way of completing songs. And they perfectly match my experience. He also provides simple and specific ways to breakthrough those barriers.
It's quite repetitive, which he acknowledges in the introduction, but I think it works to hammer home the points. If this is book is written for you, you will need all the hammering you can get!
It's quite repetitive, which he acknowledges in the introduction, but I think it works to hammer home the points. If this is book is written for you, you will need all the hammering you can get!
April 2, 2025
Disclaimer: I skimmed the book and decided not to read further.
I purchased this book in search of new tools for my production toolkit. Upon receiving it and skimming the contents, I was a little confused. This book has no specific aim, instead tackling a smorgasbord of musical mise-en-place, social media addiction, critical thinking development, and the simultaneous importance/unimportance of a technical background.
This may be a useful guide for someone just starting out, so maybe I'm not the target demographic for this book.
I purchased this book in search of new tools for my production toolkit. Upon receiving it and skimming the contents, I was a little confused. This book has no specific aim, instead tackling a smorgasbord of musical mise-en-place, social media addiction, critical thinking development, and the simultaneous importance/unimportance of a technical background.
This may be a useful guide for someone just starting out, so maybe I'm not the target demographic for this book.
May 11, 2020
There was a good amount of tips and guidance that I can see myself referring back to in future. However, there was quite a bit of repetition, and probably at least a couple of dozen typographical errors.
Overall, I think I preferred DeSantis' "Making Music" for being more direct and practical; comparatively, this title often felt more informal, like a diary or journal. Still, it contains a lot of useful stuff and is worth a read.
Overall, I think I preferred DeSantis' "Making Music" for being more direct and practical; comparatively, this title often felt more informal, like a diary or journal. Still, it contains a lot of useful stuff and is worth a read.
May 6, 2024
Pretty good self help book which in the beginning could apply to any area. Later things are more music specific. Do things you don't feel like doing. Do things a little differently some days. Create a habit of 15 minutes a day of doing something and expand from there. Shoot first and correct aim later. Quantity is better than quality, which comes anyway. Steal from others and then change it. Tutorials are a waste unless you use them right away. He's on youtube too.
August 19, 2024
"Make music every day. This should be the obvious message by now, but I can’t stress enough how much true experience you gain through daily practice. The parts of song writing that cause a lot of stress now will almost become automatic over the first couple of months."
viele gute ideen mit großem (berechtigten) fokus auf #CONSISTENCY, aber find das cap, dass man mit 15 minuten am tag schon progress macht idk 🥷
viele gute ideen mit großem (berechtigten) fokus auf #CONSISTENCY, aber find das cap, dass man mit 15 minuten am tag schon progress macht idk 🥷
October 8, 2017
Applicable To Winning
This book delves into the mindset and tools necessary in becoming a great musician. But, when reading you find that the strategies are useful for succeeding in any field. A person must create massive amounts of art or projects to become exceptional. You're growth is from struggle and the ability to overcome it which there Author mentions.
This book delves into the mindset and tools necessary in becoming a great musician. But, when reading you find that the strategies are useful for succeeding in any field. A person must create massive amounts of art or projects to become exceptional. You're growth is from struggle and the ability to overcome it which there Author mentions.
March 2, 2019
It was a good book, because music production can be replaced with any creative hobby/activity/work you struggle or want to progress, general idea was action before knowledge. Just start and the skills come while doing it, you do not have to have the skills beforehand. Some parts of it were music specific and pretty detailed.
December 7, 2020
I work in a different genre of music than the author but I was still inspired by their work ethic. There are many practical and creative ideas in this book for working musicians and/or producers to explore. I will be going back to this book from time to time in order to reference the author's work flow and other production ideas.
January 27, 2022
Some good little gems about habit and construction of music, but overall pretty patronizing in its repetition, insensitive in referring to all third parties as "he" and incoherent in his condemning of music theory. I definitely came away with some highlighted tips that I'll try, which is why this gets three stars and not one or two.
January 23, 2021
Very nice book for all producers that struggle during the process, very easy to read, bunch of tips & tricks to get in the zone and to avoid roadblocks. Very recommended.
Don't expect to learn how to produce, it's all about the mental game.
Don't expect to learn how to produce, it's all about the mental game.
May 13, 2021
How to make music recordings
Nice and straightforward writing about a complex subject. Lots of ideas and methods some I knew some I need to try out.
This book is for anyone into making music and who wants to improve their results.
Nice and straightforward writing about a complex subject. Lots of ideas and methods some I knew some I need to try out.
This book is for anyone into making music and who wants to improve their results.
January 3, 2024
lots of solid advice well presented
I like the way the author integrated motivation and mental habits and applied them to music production. Also some direct suggestions for music production.
I like the way the author integrated motivation and mental habits and applied them to music production. Also some direct suggestions for music production.
January 19, 2018
Inspirational but very repetitive, and sometimes very sloppy writing. But in all it has valuable advice - albeit often obvious, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
March 24, 2018
Excellent, lots of useful tricks. good advices...
July 22, 2020
Helpful
A lot of useful information featured in this read that can help to expand my experiences as an artist, songwriter and in my producing of music
A lot of useful information featured in this read that can help to expand my experiences as an artist, songwriter and in my producing of music
December 5, 2020
Straightforward and practical guide for setting yourself up and following through with finishing songs. Main focus is on electronic dance music, but most of it is applicable to almost any genre.
September 21, 2021
A very motivational and informative book on improving yourself as a musician. I'll be coming back to this one often for encouragement!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews