my answers to writers block

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beren3001

beren3001

Singer/Songwriter
just thought id share with you what i do when im having a creative blockage........ 1 reads books or poetry, pick a line or sentence that means something to me and put it into my own words, then make up a story (lyrics) from that. 2 sit down with my guitar, hit record, try not to think, and just play and sing along (im often surprised with the melodies, harmonies and lyrics i come up with without even thinking. 3 i have a 'scratch tape' which i use to record snippets of chords,harmonies, vocals, etc that i come up with but dont use- i listen to it when im stuck and i find what i couldnt use when i wrote it can nearly always be used in another tune.( i basically use the scratch tape to record any ideas i come up with) 4 i also get some great ideas for melodies by playing my music (or my favourite artists) backwards!
 
I have only intentionally sat down to write one song.
Woolton Church.
The link.

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=31746

It took only a short time for the melody and lyrics. Less than twenty minutes.

But I have just under three hundred songs I've written. Most just come to me when I'm practicing, or walking in the woods with my dog.
As I walk along, the 1, 2, 3, 4, of my steps seem to trigger something in my head cuz most of my songs come from walking.

Since I've only intended to write one song, and did it, I can honestly say, "I've never had writers block".
 
I just take a couple hits of x and a few bong rips and hit record. But of course my songs usually suck :(
 
I'm with Badgas......I've never intentionally sat down to write a song in my life......So I too, believe it or not...have never had writers block.....I don't even know what that is....seems like something you get from trying too hard.....Most of my songs just seem to come to me as I'm sitting there strumming the guit for no particular reason, while i'm watching television or something......but if I ever did get writers block.....I would probably go the bong hit route :D
 
This may qualify as the "other side of the coin":

I once read an interview with Elvis Costello who maintained that working at songwriting is like any other form of exercise - daily effort will make you stronger/better.

That interview (Rolling Stone, I think) was written a LONG time ago - back when I thought you could only write when the muse was so willing. I soon came to understand what Elvis meant (not that my stuff is anywhere near his level, but I DID notice a personal major imporovement.)

I believe the muse CAN be coaxed and forced. I deemed my former line of thinking as nothing more than a crutch.

Push it....daily.

It may sound like crud at first, but after that initial purge, you'll probably (hopefully) find that there are good things waiting just under the surface....and eventually, (like execise) it just gets plain easier to get the ball rolling in the right direction.
 
I agree, gascap.
Like anything else, practice makes it better. Like Elvis Costello said, as do all the other songwriters that I've read about. If ya want to write, then put effort into it daily. Like playing an instrument.
Words and ideas will come better and thoughts will flow.

A lot of work goes into writting a decent song. I've written some songs over the years and then forgot about them. I've got them on tape and written down, but never played them that much.
It wasn't till I found this forum that I decided to spend some time writing as well as playing.

I still prefer to find a comfortable chord progression first. The melody seems to do it's self then. The lyrics follow.
I use to stop at this point. I'd say I wrote a song.
Actually I wrote a rough draft.

I'm going back over my songs now and fixing them. Remodeling them, like one would a house. The more I've done of this, the better I feel my songs have become.
But I still maintain the melody, and/or chord progression. Sure, I make minor adjustments in each, but the original sound is still there. It's the lyrics that I found need the most work.

I guess I do like Elvis, I practice, but I just start different. I don't know how he starts though. :)
I've tried to put music to other peoples songs. When I'm done it sounds like two seperate pieces forced together. There is no 'marriage' between the two. It's like the lyrics are saying one thing, and the melody is saying something else, at the same time.
So I start out with what is comfortable for me, then later I make my adjustments.

I practice. I feel I'm getting better.
I guess there is three sides to every coin. No matter where ya start, it's the end product that counts.
 
Good ideas, Beren! I'm always amazed at how helpful a recording of "useless crap" can be when listened to a year (or more) later! I do some of the same things. Gascap and Elvis Costello got it down too. :)
 
good call, badgas,

I too am currently revisiting songs from my past. It's very intersting to apply today's technology to them - sometimes things can come to a new and interesting place. Currently I've got one from 15 years ago that's finally taking shape...and it's one of many in line for a deserved make-over.

I'm also finding (as I work at it) when best to say something doesn't fit - kind of like your comparrison of the melody and words doing seperate things. THAT's always been a tough decision...when to move on.

Equally tough - but getting better for me - is saying when a song is done..this maybe more on the demo production end of things, but it's still another skill I'm working on.

Also...

I'm still plagued with this conflict of - after coming up with a decent lyric:

".....now THIS is a good phrase...wait....is it a basis for a song? .... or is it only PART of song..."

Oh well..ever onward!
 
Have you guys seen that Miller Beer commercial with Chris Isaak?

He says if he doesn't write the lyrics and music together in one shot then the song will never happen. If he had to go back and work on it then it would be too much like 'work'.

The other commercials with him are pretty funny.
 
No, Tex.
I don't have a TV.
I like Chris' music and respect his style.
Wish I couild hear more of him.
 
Well, maybe some of you guys don't have this option, but I just like to wander around downtown and take in the sights. I don't mean what appears to be going on at first glance, but what I see going on through interpersonal relationships, my take on what the "characters" are feeling, and their motivations.

I try to write a story on what I observe, and go from there.
 
Hey, has anyone heard of using word exercises to come up with lyrics? It is kinda like writing down whatever that pops up in your mind or whatever you see. I think this could be an option if you're having writers block. Although sometimes it sounds like shit but there are a few artists that managed to score hits with this method. If I'm not mistaken, Phil Collin's "In The Air Tonight" is made up of lyrics that don't really mean anything. I remember him talking about it in an interview. Another example would be Cream's "White Room". It was partly about what Jack Bruce saw while he was cycling through a park (according to another interview I read).
 
My writers block usually comes I think from over analyzing what I have already written. When I get one good verse or just one good line then I try to make everything else fit that...Bad Idea. When I just write the first thing that comes to mind and write 4, 5 or six verses then i can usually combine and rearange and come up with 2 or 3 good verses out of all of that. Over thinking is my biggest problem for sure......if nothing else works.....call in the bong.
 
blocking the block

I often find that with words, as has been mentioned, the intent to write a story. I find it easyer to sit down and actually write a full blown short story (paying little attention to weather its good or not) then after it's done i take the main themes or points and write them down each being no longer than a sentance then take these sentances and further boil them down to various rhyme/meter scemes.

musically when writers block occurs i take it as a cue to change my aproach usually ill change the tuning of my guitar (or knock it out of tune and see what i can come up with) or switch writing insturments to keyboard or bass. I like to make up guitar riffs on a keyboard it forces me to look at the melody from a diffrent perspective rather than gravitating to the usuall chord progressions or power chords i tend to have become comfortable with over the years

my two bits
 
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