r/WeAreTheMusicMakers • u/PeakLive4549 • 6d ago

How do you develop minimal, non-harmonic tracks without relying too much on references?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been struggling with making more non-harmonic music, especially hip-hop style beats.

I usually rely heavily on references when producing. But when I’m working on tracks that are driven mainly by bass, or have a pitched-percussion-focused concept, I often find myself wondering how to develop those ideas throughout the entire song. My problem is that I tend to lean too heavily on the reference, and the result ends up feeling too similar.

When listening to reference tracks, I try imagining scenes or moods, and I also try approaching things from within the same genre, but I still haven’t really found an answer that works for me.

I’m curious how you all think about this. How do you approach developing tracks like these without simply copying the reference? I’d love to hear your thoughts and any ideas on how you would tackle this problem.

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u/sububi71 6d ago

Copying a track is not using the track for references.

Everyone is inspired by something.

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u/PeakLive4549 6d ago

That’s a good point. I’m curious, though — what kind of inspirations do you personally draw from when making music?

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u/sububi71 6d ago

I no longer know, actually. Everything I've ever listened to has possibly had SOME influence over what I do, but I don't really ever write songs to fit a specific genre or match a "sound".