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DAS19
New member
I wrote 2 good songs straight and now im stuck and cant get anything I like. Any tricks to help me get out of this wicked slump?
Nicole_Rose
Great White North Girl
DAS19 said:
jam with people. play stuff you've never played before. write to different beats. those tricks help me from time to time, hope they help you.
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briand1313
New member
If you are a guitar player...alternate tunings help me approach things differently.
up-fiddler
Taming the World--for now
Nicole_Rose said:
Yeah, change things up and you'll be right back in the swing of things. Good luck.
M
mikeh
New member
Working with new people in different musical genres (or simply listening to different musical genres) can often get the juices flowing. Alternate tunings is a very good way to go in new musical directions.
If you can play more than one instrument - even if your chops are limited, it can create new stimuli. Reading magazine interviews with musicains/writers or books about succesful musicians can sometimes create motivation (learning what some have gone through to achieve success can be both motivating and humbling.
However, the single best way to work through slumps (or writer's block) is to simply keep writing. Any writer learns that you must write a fair amount of crap to allow the occational gem to shine thru. Write everyday - it does not matter is you think it's great (or even good) and it does not matter if you really feel like writing - write anyway.
The more you write the better your chances of writing something good. I always feel about 5-10% of what I write is good the rest is poor to average - but the more I write, the miore good stuff comes out.
If you can play more than one instrument - even if your chops are limited, it can create new stimuli. Reading magazine interviews with musicains/writers or books about succesful musicians can sometimes create motivation (learning what some have gone through to achieve success can be both motivating and humbling.
However, the single best way to work through slumps (or writer's block) is to simply keep writing. Any writer learns that you must write a fair amount of crap to allow the occational gem to shine thru. Write everyday - it does not matter is you think it's great (or even good) and it does not matter if you really feel like writing - write anyway.
The more you write the better your chances of writing something good. I always feel about 5-10% of what I write is good the rest is poor to average - but the more I write, the miore good stuff comes out.
Rokket
Trailing Behind Again
Heavy drinking.
Break up with your significant other.
Or just do what the others suggested....
Break up with your significant other.
Or just do what the others suggested....
pouxhawk
Member
Put down yer guitar, trumpet, oud, or whatever, and go to a circus. or a library, or a park and just watch the people.
I travel alot as a stinkin camsoundlighting guy, and I find that wandering around different place gives me all sorts of inspiration. Go see a part of your home town that you've never seen before. Go to a ethnic restaurant. Songs are all around you. You won't find them sitting in your room trying to squeeze another ounce of angst from your muse.
You could also be at the point where you've used up all the easy stuff floating around on the top of your brain. New ideas are gonna take some digging to get to.
You could also be at the point where once you've written a good song, it becomes harder to top yourself. You may be too judgmental about your new stuff. Just write it down as you think of it. Don't try to get the phrasing perfect. Seize the moment, but don't try to control it. If your thinking about whether it's a good song or not, your not focusing enough on what your doing.
Now the working part of songwriting rears it's ugly head.
Your best stuff is still ahead.
The Olde Hawke
I travel alot as a stinkin camsoundlighting guy, and I find that wandering around different place gives me all sorts of inspiration. Go see a part of your home town that you've never seen before. Go to a ethnic restaurant. Songs are all around you. You won't find them sitting in your room trying to squeeze another ounce of angst from your muse.
You could also be at the point where you've used up all the easy stuff floating around on the top of your brain. New ideas are gonna take some digging to get to.
You could also be at the point where once you've written a good song, it becomes harder to top yourself. You may be too judgmental about your new stuff. Just write it down as you think of it. Don't try to get the phrasing perfect. Seize the moment, but don't try to control it. If your thinking about whether it's a good song or not, your not focusing enough on what your doing.
Now the working part of songwriting rears it's ugly head.
Your best stuff is still ahead.
The Olde Hawke
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Bondo
New member
You know I mean I am really stuck myself. Haven't been able to write in like a month, and I mean write anything. I used to write stories, was working on a screenplay, and a number of other things, but I can't seem to get anything out. NO ideas popping out or jumping around. Sorry to hijack, just needed to vent about that.
Nicole_Rose
Great White North Girl
i'm stuck too. dont have a lot to say right now. maybe we should write a horribly bad song all together just to get things moving again.
C
churchie
New member
Rokket said:
Yup, boozy, breakup hate-rock
VTgreen81
Active member
Das......Is your problem with lyrics or music? I often find that once the lyrics are written, a melody usually falls out of them and the chords can be created by building the harmonies off the melody. So this is where I'll echo what pouxhawk said.............. try reading a newspaper and find an article that you feel strongly about, visit a hospice, go to a seedy bar and start a fight, anything that'll strike up a strong emotional response. Then it's just a matter of putting your feelings into words, any words at first. Sometimes they'll come out already in song form, sometimes it's just a stream of consciousness, anyway is fine, they can be organized later.
If you're into 12 bar blues lyrics are a snap
Bar 1-4: Make a statement
Bar 5-8: Reiterate the statement
Bar 9-12: Resolution to the statement
As an example, two verses off the top..................
The moon woke me up this morning, told me get up get outta bed,
Yeah the moon woke me up this morning,told me drag your damn ass outta bed.
I got nowhere to go this morning, gonna lay here and rest my head.
The Moon told the sun on me, and the sun came and burned my eye,
Yeah the moon told the sun on me and the sun came and burned my eye.
I got nowhere to go this morning, gonna lay here until I die.
Just a bit of formulated silliness scribbled out in two minutes.
If you're into 12 bar blues lyrics are a snap
Bar 1-4: Make a statement
Bar 5-8: Reiterate the statement
Bar 9-12: Resolution to the statement
As an example, two verses off the top..................
The moon woke me up this morning, told me get up get outta bed,
Yeah the moon woke me up this morning,told me drag your damn ass outta bed.
I got nowhere to go this morning, gonna lay here and rest my head.
The Moon told the sun on me, and the sun came and burned my eye,
Yeah the moon told the sun on me and the sun came and burned my eye.
I got nowhere to go this morning, gonna lay here until I die.
Just a bit of formulated silliness scribbled out in two minutes.
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DAS19
New member
Well I started to teach myself piano I just started to write something I like soo we will see if it gets me out of my slomp ive been listening to beach boys which is a band ive never listened to before im reading up on brian wilson.
like pouxhawk said I am a little critical trying to top my latest song which is my best in my opinion.
like pouxhawk said I am a little critical trying to top my latest song which is my best in my opinion.
easlern
Boredom artist
I agree with the ideas about having some new experiences. That can take time so in the meantime, dredge up some old memories. 