Composers block...what do you do?

[ObsoleteAcc99]

Thanks for the replies. They are useful.

I was wondering if there was some magic bullet, formula, technique that states if you're playing in C minor, for example, the next logical progression of chords or notes would be X, etc?

Cubase 7 could help you in that regard with it's chord track.. but... if you're good at creating 8 bars, this is what I say to you.. create 8 bars of peak.. of what the song is doing when "going off at the end" and then construct everything out of that to build up to it. I am 41 and do tons of dance stuff as well. We are NOT OLD! 80 is old. (i reckon i might still be bopping then, provided i have any hearing left )

I work by creating my main chords then the beats and melodies and fills, then try to construct a few minutes of it and trying to keep it interesting throughout. There is nothing wrong with getting some help on the arrangement side of things. some hosts even have tools for that now.. it might be worth your while to invest in such a host

[jancivil]

Thanks for the replies. They are useful.

I was wondering if there was some magic bullet, formula, technique that states if you're playing in C minor, for example, the next logical progression of chords or notes would be X, etc?

Cubase 7 chord track

Well, this tells me that the real fix for this 'block' is to know more about musical language. Writer's block to me is another matter than one ran out of vocabulary or ran into a sentence one couldn't manage...

'The next logical progression' would tend to be context-driven; but if what you're after is facility with cliche, even, that can be obtained through study/training.

[Mister Natural]

Dazzy - a one on one teacher situation is absolutely 100% the best solution for being stuck. That being said; if you don't "gut feeling" love your teacher after the second lesson - walk away and find another. Drop off the keys, Lee

[robogone]

Thanks for the replies. They are useful.

I was wondering if there was some magic bullet, formula, technique that states if you're playing in C minor, for example, the next logical progression of chords or notes would be X, etc?

But then you do the musical equivalent of painting by numbers. To me, the best way to get to a next part is to forget about constructing something and just improvise around themes or motifs - you tend to be more inventive if you have no set path.

[Numanoid]

Here's the predicament I'm in. I can create fantastic short fills, perhaps 4 to 8 bars long but then I lose it. No inspiration left, maybe? No idea of the next chord progression, probably, start getting distracted when I play a different sound, definitely, so I end up leaving it for another day and start all over again with more great fills or parts!

Possible options:
-Make minimal techno, 4-8 bars is plenty enough for such style, just repeat them
-Target music for commercials, only 30 seconds needed
-Slow the tracks down, so that 4-8 bars lasts a couple of minutes