Finding a playlist that you can listen to straight through without skips is rare. Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services offer a library full of playlists, but sometimes, it just does not feel right. The music has to be just right for the occasion, and nobody knows your music taste better than you. Creating a Goldilocks of playlists may become frustrating with how long it can take. Be prepared to spend a couple of days on it; the best playlist will not come to you overnight.
Here are some tips to make creating a playlist a little easier:
Decide your playlist’s goal and title it
This is probably the most essential part. Trying to decide a topic for your playlist to follow can be daunting, but just think of what you want to use it for. Do you need a study playlist? Or something with a quick beat for your walk to class? Whatever it is, try not to think too much about it. The title should be something fun and easy. Instead of “studying” try something you associate with studying like “drinking chai tea.”
Create a list of songs
This could either be your favorite part or the most challenging. Try and think of a couple of songs to just dump into a playlist that matches the playlist’s purpose. To start out, it could be easy to write songs down first then add them to your playlist instead of trying to remember each song while you are adding others. You will only need a few songs because you do not want to overload the playlist and never hear some of them.
Branch out
There are so many songs you could add, so it may help to listen to already created playlists. If your friends have similar music tastes as you, it may help to ask them for some suggestions also. When you have a couple of songs that fit into your playlist, feel free to listen to other songs by the same artists or similar artists. Be prepared to listen to a lot of music until you feel that you have enough songs.
Find an order (and consider if you will use the shuffle option)
If you plan on using shuffle most of the time, you can skip this step, but if you like consistency, make your playlist a little more structured. If it is a workout playlist try and make the playlist feel like a hill. You want it to start a little bit slower to start out, then work your way up and finally slow it back down. Think of your purpose and try to connect the dots as much as possible. The songs do not have to lead into each other, but you may not want a fast-tempo song to lead into a slower one.
Play it back and finalize it
Take the time to listen to it and see if it works. You may not want to right away, so walk away from it for a day or so then come back and listen through it all. Take notes if you want to rearrange certain songs, or take them out of the playlist completely. It may seem tedious, but you’re allowed to multitask. If it is a study playlist, listen to it while you study. It is your playlist so do whatever you see as best.
