My musicality is dead

[Tj Shredder]

But how come you still post on KVR? Cheating your wife with a clandestine computer?

[jochicago]

Get her to dump you.

As painful as possible. Tell her it is for your personal growth. Start listening to the blues just to prepare for the event.

Had I kept telling her: "hey I am trying to think here" every time she wanted to talk to me, we never would have gotten married.

Now I just go down to my basement studio, which is a very austere place with very few places to sit, and she pretty much leaves me alone.

Yeap. After years of butting heads, I'll tell you my method.

Significant other enters: "hey, did you see this thing that ...."
What I tried for the first 5 years: "I'm sorry, I'm in the middle of something here and I don't want to lose my train of thought" <- this fails 100% of the time. Just makes for a painful experience.

What works better:
You: Stop what you are doing. Allow this person to continue. Interact fully without reservation.
Once the conversation completes, say something like:
"Thank you. Also, I'm going to be working on this stuff for a couple of hours. I'd like to be able to concentrate fully. Let's circle around in a couple of hours. I'll close the door so I don't disturb you."
Significant other says: "Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted you"
You say: "No worries. I'll just get back to it and we'll talk soon."

After 3 or 4 of those you'll have a rhythm. But they'll need to know the difference between "work" time and sitting around time. So you have to give them clarity when you are trying to have creative time or when you are just browsing on your laptop. For me, when it is "work" time I now say preemptively: "I'll be working on music and likely be wearing headphones." She says "ok, have fun" and leaves me be for 3 hours.


RE: Inspiration
What works for me is to explore playing music I find inspiring. It usually doesn't take long before a particular melody of chord progression inspires an idea. So in short, I'd say listen/play music that inspires you, in whatever way that you usually interact with it by "touching it"- meaning play it on an instrument if you play, or the closest equivalent.

[funky lime]

Branch out. Maybe even force it. Write a dumb/bad song on purpose. Sometimes if I'm really beating myself up because I'm not outdoing myself, not getting work done on that symphony, not making the greatest thing I've ever made, etc., I'll step back and try to do something silly and simple, like making up a I-IV-V children's song or some strummy 2-chord whiny acoustic shit. I guess the idea is to practice actually finishing a song, no matter how bad it is. It's an exercise in discipline, trying to train myself to see things through rather than just abandoning them because I'm "not feeling it."

There's a Mike Verta video out there on YouTube called something like "Composing when you don't feel like it" where you can tell he's trying to force something that doesn't really want to come out. But he powers through that block, just as an exercise. Sometimes we need to reprogram our brains; as a hobbyist, especially, it's way too easy to just say "you know what, I'm not feeling this," and then just close the DAW and do something else. And after doing that enough times, it just starts to become your brain's default reaction when trying to enter or maintain a creative mode. So I think it's a great exercise to start something, that's pretty simple even, and then make yourself see it through all the way, no matter how bad a song it might be.

Professional composers often aren't afforded the luxury of being able to say "you know what, I'm just not feeling this." They get the music done, no matter what. It's just a muscle you have to train yourself to flex, I believe. They might not even be great musicians or songwriters, but it's that "muscle," that tenacity (as opposed to just raw talent), that pays their bills.

Of course, this is just one perspective on the issue. Some say that taking a break from music is healthy, and even essential, to maintaining creative output in the long term. But I still think that it's important to at least practice an instrument during that time, or maybe listen analytically to a bunch of new (to you) music. Perhaps practice transcribing music, or maybe take a class on Coursera (currently doing the "Write like Mozart" one that just started, and it's not terrible). I think it's entirely possible to take a break from creating music while still enriching your musical ability on some level.

Creating from scratch is always going to be hard work, but it's definitely not the only way to maintain musicality in your life.

[Ed A.]

Become celibate like George Costanza:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvfZnCNFPJQ

[himalaya]

Or film yourself having sex with your girlfriend and then you will be able to make music to your own porn movie. This should get the creative juices flowing....




....I’ll get my coat....

[harryupbabble]

Branch out. Maybe even force it. Write a dumb/bad song on purpose. Sometimes if I'm really beating myself up because I'm not outdoing myself, not getting work done on that symphony, not making the greatest thing I've ever made, etc., I'll step back and try to do something silly and simple, like making up a I-IV-V children's song or some strummy 2-chord whiny acoustic shit. I guess the idea is to practice actually finishing a song, no matter how bad it is. It's an exercise in discipline, trying to train myself to see things through rather than just abandoning them because I'm "not feeling it."

There's a Mike Verta video out there on YouTube called something like "Composing when you don't feel like it" where you can tell he's trying to force something that doesn't really want to come out. But he powers through that block, just as an exercise. Sometimes we need to reprogram our brains; as a hobbyist, especially, it's way too easy to just say "you know what, I'm not feeling this," and then just close the DAW and do something else. And after doing that enough times, it just starts to become your brain's default reaction when trying to enter or maintain a creative mode. So I think it's a great exercise to start something, that's pretty simple even, and then make yourself see it through all the way, no matter how bad a song it might be.

Professional composers often aren't afforded the luxury of being able to say "you know what, I'm just not feeling this." They get the music done, no matter what. It's just a muscle you have to train yourself to flex, I believe. They might not even be great musicians or songwriters, but it's that "muscle," that tenacity (as opposed to just raw talent), that pays their bills.

Of course, this is just one perspective on the issue. Some say that taking a break from music is healthy, and even essential, to maintaining creative output in the long term. But I still think that it's important to at least practice an instrument during that time, or maybe listen analytically to a bunch of new (to you) music. Perhaps practice transcribing music, or maybe take a class on Coursera (currently doing the "Write like Mozart" one that just started, and it's not terrible). I think it's entirely possible to take a break from creating music while still enriching your musical ability on some level.

Creating from scratch is always going to be hard work, but it's definitely not the only way to maintain musicality in your life.

The first one, I do that whenever I have to test a new music-making method.
The second one, that one sometimes brings me to tears.

[Deep Purple]

I just stared at screen with this tiny "iiiiiiiiiiiiii" sound ringing in my ears

What can I do

Get away from the screen and just play an instrument without thinking about recording it.

[BONES]

I thought I gave my sensible answer but I can only see the stupid one. I went 10 years without writing a song, then last year I wrote half-a-dozen. I never let it bother me. It doesn't define who I am, it's just a thing I like to do. I never forced it, I just went with the flow. These things wax and wane, don't worry about it.

[Lotuzia]

After I met my girlfriend, I haven't released a one single song, I haven't finished one single song and pretty much I haven't really even made any music in months.

Now I really really tried to make some but I don't have any ideas and mostly I just stared at screen with this tiny "iiiiiiiiiiiiii" sound ringing in my ears

What can I do

Study classics or make covers. Music playing is not 'always and only' 'express yourself and be a composer and satisfy your ego'. It's also simply the amazing joy of playing and understanding what you do, and improve all that while still performing and having fun. Idea is simple : If you can't atm find it inside you, just let other people works and genius feed you and find again the eternal and basic root of music : Just PLAY, and enjoy at once. Ideas will come back after a while : It's a magic recipe.

[Dasheesh]

you got to realize you are still you. you have to give up your ego and pride. it won't be immediate. it will take a long time, but eventually, you both will get over your lust, yet still somehow love each other...you will go in different directions and yet not hate each other for it. then the music will come back. you can make music she isn't a part of.

[trampofnine]

The revival of your musicality requires you to surrender to the God of Art Rock. Meditate for a moment upon the deity of art rock, Barry Andrews, and whisper "Parthenogenesis" 5 times. You way if you wish watch the music video of that name on Youtube. But that step is optional.

Then. Time for action. You will need the following gear:
- vampire costume. Dark red cape preferred. Fangs preferable but optional.
- Fake blood in a bottle. As above easily obtained cheaply from nearest costume store.

Wake up at approx 2 am. Put on vampire costume. Then chant in a demonic voice "My musicality is dead. I found my girlfriend instead". Chant this many times until your girlfriend awakes to say WTF. Then open bottle of fake blood. POur onto girlfriend and scream! You could feel a suddenly one ness with Black Sabbath. If so that is fine. It's a common side effect. Just don't eat any bats.

Your musicality will soon return. Probably of a harder form than ever. Your girlfriend may or may not want any part of your new musicality.

[Dasheesh]

^^^ that. she loved you because she wasn't a part of your musical nature. once she becomes a part of it, you are no longer you. she will suck you dry to remain important. if she is for real she will want you to remain intact.

[jancivil]

I take breaks.

Get out of yourself, you have to experience music holistically, the initial post looks like your own well is dry but the water is out there. Take things off records, transcribe things that aren't within your grasp in order to extend it, learn new things, try to cover something to make it your own, help somebody else do one of these things at some level...

[Aleatoriac]

It'll come and go.
Almost everything we do is about some kind of death anxiety avoidance.
Helpless slaves to the haphazardly self-replicating DNA molecule, frail, desperate, apopheniac sentient meat.

[nasenmann]

apopheniac

thanks, new word.

good thread, sounds real enough.

do you love her? do you love each other? it would seem the essence but me saying it may be a little cheap.

i mean i'd still be happy to be with someone without that elusive thing they call love, or somewhere under that threshold wherever i define that (or others). no one knows love basically, and any kind of positive cameraderie is good -
but -
if you love music and if you love each other, you'll probly find a way long term.
it would seem...correct.

maybe you're just too different when you make music. time to verbalise that with that girl if it's important to ya.
is it important? not sure