Produce a very brief record as instrumentalists do? (4,5)

I believe the answer is:

make notes

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'instrumentalists do?' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether this works.

'produce a very brief record' is the wordplay.
'produce' becomes 'make' (synonyms).
'a very brief record' becomes 'notes' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'make'+'notes'='MAKE NOTES'

'as' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.