i wondered if u got into producing before playing an instrument, like me.
 i got me a midi keyboard now (cant play anything else than porter robinsons flicker and divinity atm :/) im thinking about learning guitar aswell...

did the instrument help u a lot?
im always loading a piano into fls then i play around for sometimes an hour pressing random keys till im like "wait that sounded good, play that again" and then build the melody around that.

what about u?

I play electric/acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums, piano and a multitude of percussion instruments.

I actually don't play the piano roll very well..

drummer here, used to play melodic hardcore punk & ska and later metalcore for a while lol

it has definitely helped me build interesting, complex, and most importantly believable snare/tom rolls in the stuff i produce now. being a drummer in a band made me realise that for instance suddenly switching to triplets in the middle of a song adds to the power; tricks like syncopes and tremolo's, even in dubstep, also add to the effect.

(inb4 "drummers are not musicians")

I'm a drummer too (well i used to be). How did you learn music theory then? Was it just endless reading about it, or ear training and figuring it out yourself?

I played piano/keyboard at a very basic level when I was younger but never did any graded examinations and never really had the drive to excel at it. The bits I have picked up have helped a bit, just being able to play out your melody on a MIDI keyboard makes things a little easier, but that is all, it just gives a bit of ease, it doesn't allow you to do anything extra.

More important I'd say is having a musical ear. I come from a very musical family, where we all seem to have an aptitude for music, as I said earlier I never took advantage of this by learning an instrument but it does really help for production. Just being able to know what melodies sound good and catchy, which ones sound dull or repetitive.

On the whole I'd advise that any musical background is not essential, it can all be learnt if you're willing to put in the time and effort. In terms of improving your 'musical ear', listen to everything. Good songs, bad songs, songs from your favourite genre, songs from your least favourite. It will all help.

Hope this helps,

Harwood

I've been singing since I could walk and playing cello since I was 10. Guitar and bass since 15. Picked up steel pans (triple cellos, low B) and learned circular breathing for didgeridoo in college--college was my libertarian phase, hah.

did the instrument help u a lot?
No. My understanding of music production is built on my training in film and TV production. I learned Pro Tools easily because I already knew Final Cut Pro, etc. If it wasn't for going to film school and working in the industry I don't think I'd have picked up music production as fast.

Since I got interested in music production, my "producer's ears" got better but I believe I actually got worse at writing music because I was spending so much more time and energy in front of a computer rather than sitting with an instrument in my hand.

I have been playing piano for most of my life and plan to continue for the rest of it!

I don't think it has helped with production but has been instrumental ＼(^ω^＼) └( ＾ω＾ )」 ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉﾟ  in developing a deeper interest in composition and theory which has led to the discovery of so much great music and interesting techniques.

I took piano lessons for 12 years when I was younger. Also play guitar, bass guitar, and tummy drums.

I learned piano initially via the Suzuki method, so a firm grasp on music theory and sight reading didn't come until recently.

Production, in my mind, is a different beast than simply being able to play. My knowledge in piano has definitely helped a lot, but analyzing songs and gaining a deeper understanding of music theory has helped me more.

I used to play guitar and I took drum lessons for 4 years.