How to Build a Perfect Playlist for Any Mood And Occasion

Exploring playlists created by other people, or by AI (algorithms on platforms like Spotify and YouTube) is one of the easiest ways to find new music. It’s also a convenient way to get a ready-to-use playlist for certain occasion or mood. But it’s not always perfect.

Sometimes when you listen to these playlist, you realize that they just don’t match the vibe you’re looking for. Maybe the algorithm messed up. Or the songs are form a different music genre. That’s when building your own playlist is the best way to go.

Creating your own playlist is easy and fun. You simply pick great songs and put them together to build a personal chart that matches the mood and the vibe you need. It’s also quite practical, because you know that this playlist will be exactly what you want to listen to.

If you haven’t built a personal playlist yet, here’s a short step-by-step guide on how to do it effectively. I follow these same steps myself, and I have made countless music collections over the many years.

Pinpoint The Exact Mood & Occasion

Take a moment and think – why exactly you want to create your playlist. What’s the occasion, or what’s the purpose? It may sound insignificant, but identifying the purpose of the music collection will actually make it easier for you to filter songs that don’t really fit the occasion and its vibe.

For example you want to create a playlist for a wedding party. But wedding parties can be different. Is it for a bride or the groom? What music genres do they like? What style of a party is it gonna be? It’s just a simple example that shows there might be nuances, that are not necessary obvious right away.

So it’s always better to start by zeroing in on the occasion itself. And it will tell you what emotions, and what energy the music should have. You’ll have a clear idea if it’s gonna be an upbeat, angry, sad, chill or something else.

Choose the Right Opening Track

I highly recommend setting the tone of the entire playlist with a great opening track. Pick a song that you really love, something that you’re familiar with. One of you favorite hits will be a solid choice.

You want to start with the track that matches the atmosphere and mood you want for the whole playlist. A strong opening piece will act like a vibe switch. Once it’s on, the mood is set. It’s also easier to pick other songs, ’cause you will try to compare them to this first one.

Arrange Songs In Order

One thing that separates a really great playlist from a mediocre one is the songs’ order. I get it, simply picking cool tracks and throwing them all together is much easier, than try to re-arrange them in a specific order. But it’s worth doing.

If you want your playlist to serve you well, and if you want to squeeze the maximum satisfaction from that music collection, spend another five minutes and place the tracks in some sort of order. Arrange them by their tempo or energy levels, or lyrics. And try to avoid sudden shifts and abrupt changes. This can break the vibe of the set-list. If possible place the songs in a way that creates a nice transition from one track to another.

Mix Familiar Tracks with New

You might be temped to use only your favorite hits, by your favorite bands and artists. But it’s actually better to mix them with less familiar tracks. Add a group you have discovered just recently. Put in a random song you just heard and enjoyed the other day, even if you don’t know the artist.

This way you won’t get tired of your music mix. Because no matter how amazing the songs are, if you listen to them on repeat all the time, eventually you’ll enjoy ’em less. It can take an hour, a day, or a month, but it will happen. And no one wants to loose their favorite music, right?

Adding lesser-known songs will make you playlist sound fresh for much longer. Plus you also get to check new songs and discover new stuff along the way.

Match Song Lyrics to the Theme (If Applicable)

For specific occasions you might want to select songs with lyrics that match that particular atmosphere and the vibe of those occasions. Because lyrics can be as powerful as the melody. With so much music written over the years, you surely can find songs that will match the occasion and its mood.

Also, you might be interested in this article: What is More Important in a Song: Lyrics or Melody?

A the same time, you’d probably want to avoid songs that have conflicting themes and don’t fit the purpose of the setlist. Even if the melody is cool, it’s better to leave those tracks for other playlists.

Bonus Tips

If you follow the steps mentioned earlier, you’ll find creating your own playlists to be quite enjoyable. Here are a few extra tips, that can help you even more.

• Adjust the Playlist Length. Based on the purpose and the occasion of the set list, be sure to make it long enough. Or keep it short, if that’s what you need. No point of wasting time adding tracks that you won’t get to anyway.
• Refreshing the Playlist. Occasionally you should check if some of the songs actually fit the overall mood of the set. If you notice yourself skipping certain songs, or not enjoying them as much, don’t hesitate to remove them. You can always find better ones instead.
• Time For a New Set. However if you feel like the playlist no longer works for you, or it lost it’s energy boost, there’s no point in trying to redo the entire collection. Just make a new one. It’s nice to have two, three or four separate playlists that you can rotate between.

Conclusion

That’s pretty much it. As you can see it’s not a rocket science. But these steps do help, and can make your playlist a bit better. Or a lot better, depending if you have created your own set-list or not. I hope you will enjoy your mix even more now.