Don't Say: ?It's Not My Song?. Songs do not belong to one member of the band. They belong to the band. I know that some bands all write individually, such as KISS. Well I have no idea which member of KISS wrote ?Rock N Roll All Night? or ?Lick It Up?. To me they are just KISS songs. In the end, the entire band is responsible for the song. If you say, ?I really think we can improve Jimmy's song, but I don't want to say anything to Jimmy? then all you are really doing is letting the entire band fall on their ass when the record comes out. If you can make something better, make it better!

Don't Hold Back. Go with your gut. If you gut hates a certain part, you need to speak up. When I produce a band, all I'm doing is listening to the band and stopping them in the middle of the song to figure out why this or that isn't working. Most of the time it's because the bass player is hitting one wrong note that sounds good on it's own but doesn't work with the guitar part. Taking 30 seconds to look at this problem can often solve big problems down the road.

Speak Up When You Really Like Something. The other half of not holding back is letting other band members know when they have done something cool. Band members are like dogs and they need rewards. If the singer tries a different melody in the bridge and you love it, give him the look (assuming your hands are full with a guitar or whatever) so that he knows he's done well.

Don't Be Afraid To Be Too Picky. The writing process is the most important part of being in the band. If you write crap that your potential fans don't like, you won't be successful. If you can write crap that you potential fans will love, you are in business. You have a successful band! So don't get in a hurry when writing tunes. The band I'm producing now spent an entire year writing for their upcoming record.