Gary Barlow shares the secret to writing good music – and it’s surprisingly simple
15 April 2021, 12:19 | Updated: 15 April 2021, 12:28
Songwriting legend Gary Barlow took to his Instagram to share a video of his home studio and reveal what he says is the one secret to making good music...
Gary Barlow is well regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of our generation.
Lead vocalist for Take That, Gary is one of the most successful songwriters in the UK today having written 13 number one records, eight number one albums and is credited as a songwriter on a whopping over 145 tracks.
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Yet according to the successful record producer who has worked with everyone from Elton John and Lulu to Chris Martin and Michael Ball, you only need one thing to write good music – and it's surprisingly simple.
Gary Barlow posted a video on his Instagram page giving fans a peek of his home studio.
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Speaking directly to the camera he began saying: "It’s always an interesting question, equipment and what tools you need to do what we do.
"The truth is, and I’m a bit of a one for buying equipment, but you don’t really need that much to make good music, you really don’t," he says.
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"I’ve got a lot of pieces of gear in my collection but the truth is, truthfully, you kind of just need a laptop…and you need to learn how it works.
"If you’re thinking of investing and want to start a music career get a good computer, I’d start there. There are amazing thing you can do now with a laptop and that’s all I have for computing stuff."
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"All this extra stuff is just extra toys for the bag but you don’t need it, you really don’t," he finishes.
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The proof is in the pudding: Using just his laptop, Gary recorded an impressive collection of songs during lockdown with some of the world's biggest artists.
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Throughout 2020 and 2021, Gary Barlow released weekly and sometimes daily videos of him duetting with other singers from across the globe.
Regularly seen with just his guitar and computer, Gary sang duets with the likes of Rod Stewart, Elton John, Sting, Boy George, Leona Lewis and many, many more.
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So there we have it, musical secrets from the legend himself. Hats off to you, Gary!