Season 2 of Making Music: Scratch Tracks & Guide Recordings

So you’ve been songwriting or composing and you have a song that you want to begin exploring their production potential. In this weeks issue want to discuss about the second season of the music making journey - the power of rough scratch tracks to guide your production.

Once your song is nearly complete-lyrics, melody, and chords-it’s time to step into the next phase: recording a scratch track.

This is a rough, simple recording meant to guide you (and any collaborators) through the key, tempo, and flow of the song.

Key things to explore in this season:

• 🎼 Key:
  First things first, make sure your song is in a key that suits your voice. Even if you won’t be the final vocalist, recording it in a key that works for your vocal range helps shape the emotional delivery early on.

  If you're an instrumentalist, the key also affects how naturally the music sits on your instrument. For example, on guitar, keys like E major, A major, and G major (and their relative minors) often allow for more open strings and resonant phrasing.

  The right key can make your performance feel more fluid and your song more expressive.

• 🏃🏻‍♂️ Tempo:
  What pace feels natural for your song?
  Try recording it at two or three different tempos to feel the difference. Even a small change can shift the mood, energy, or groove entirely.

  Trust your instincts-and don’t be afraid to experiment until it clicks.

• 🏗️ Structure:
  This is one of the hardest things to judge while you’re performing. That’s why recording and listening back is so important—it lets you hear your song from the listener’s perspective.

  Ask yourself:

  • Does the arrangement flow naturally?

  • Are the transitions smooth?

  • Does the energy build and release in the right places?

  Use this stage to tighten things up before you move into full production.

The point here isn’t perfection—it’s clarity.

You’re laying a foundation that helps guide everything that follows.

Wherever you’re at in your journey, this stage is all about getting clear-on the heart of your song, how it moves, and where it wants to go next.

Don’t stress about polish just yet. Focus on feel, flow, and intention. The better your scratch track, the smoother your path into production will be.

What’s your approach when moving from writing to recording? I’d love to hear how you build your scratch tracks and what you’ve learned in the process. Just hit reply or connect with me on socials.

Until next time, keep creating with purpose and trust the process.

Billy