How do YOU beat musician's block?

[Kim Lajoie]

Simple: I don't rely on inspiration.

-Kim.

care to elaborate on this a little?

Music inspires me.

Music is the cause of inspiration, not the other way around (where inspiration is the cause of music).

I make music because it makes me inspired, not because I am inspired.

Inspiration is fickle and unpredictable, so it's not wise to rely on it for making music if you have any aspirations of being consistently productive.

So I've learned to make music in such a way that doesn't require me to be inspired, or even to feel anything at all. It is process, it is work.

It is process, it is work, but it is enjoyable because it makes me inspired!

When I'm sitting in my studio, working, I don't consider that I'm creating anything new - I'm just rearranging and bringing to life the music that's already in my head. There is no creation - I'm making music that already exists.

The actual creation - where I create new music - is done away from the studio. When I'm walking to the shops, sitting on the train, having a shower, any time I'm not actually creating or listening to music. There's actually not much of this time in my life though, because I spend almost all my non-studio time listening to other people's music (as a composer, I consider music to be my literature, and I buy and listen to a couple of albums every week, in all different genres). The lack of time isn't really a problem though. It only takes a few hours of ideas and planning to generate a year or two of work for me to do.

Hmm... I guess that means I only need to be creative for a few hours every year.

As it is, I've got projects in the pipeline to keep me productive for years before I start to run dry.

.

I don't know if that's helpful to anyone.

.

-Kim.

[vespers75]

The actual creation - where I create new music - is done away from the studio. When I'm walking to the shops, sitting on the train, having a shower, any time I'm not actually creating or listening to music.

This part is often true for me as well, though inspiration still comes to me through experiences and such that are non-music related.

[Acrobat]

Do other things, make something happen in your life, then go back home and you'll find inspiration renewed. A.

[mojogigolo]

The actual creation - where I create new music - is done away from the studio. When I'm walking to the shops, sitting on the train, having a shower, any time I'm not actually creating or listening to music.

This part is often true for me as well, though inspiration still comes to me through experiences and such that are non-music related.

good point. sometimes i think that perversely enough, my least creative space is my little room sitting in front of my computer.

[MikeInOttawa]

I think Kim, Vespers, Acrobat, and Mojo are bang on.

Music is part of life, not hidden away in a room. I try to find inspiration in things I see and feel in the real world.

But what I REALY REALLY hate is coming up with a great bass or lead line when I'm goofing around at the piano, stopping to put the kids to bed, getting back to the PC to work on the riff, only to realize I've forgotten it altogether. That blows big time.

[kajiotaku]

LSD?

[aallvor]

How do YOU beat musician's block?

T

Buy new stuff.




I know, it doesn't work, does it?

[eduardo_b]

Inspiration comes from having something to say -- be it words or music. If you have talent for it, the odds are good you will find inspiration more often than not.

Yes, there are various ways of trying to jump start inspiration. They may work sometimes or not at all. What you need is a reason. It might be to earn a living, but even then you want to take pride in what you do. It might be emotional responses to events or places or thoughts.

Changing locations can work, but it can be a temporary fix. The quality of the results is, to me, a direct link to feelings and the need to create. It's like the difference between technical writing and writing a short story. One is about facts and information, the other about life, love and all the things in between. Huge difference, and only one absolutely requires inspiration.

[Aroused by JarJar]

How do YOU beat musician's block?

T

Buy new stuff.




I know, it doesn't work, does it?

[shamann]

I just wait it out, it'll come back. I'm in no hurry, and anything that might require me to be in a hurry isn't done on inspiration.

[dirty oscillators]

I just wait it out, it'll come back. I'm in no hurry, and anything that might require me to be in a hurry isn't done on inspiration.

i'm with Shamann... just wait it out. the worst thing you can do is sit there and stare and a computer screen with a two bar sequence looping over and over again. if i'm not feeling it, i'm not going to force it.

[cryophonik]

How do YOU beat musician's block? You know, when you sit there and stare at your synth/DAW for hours,

Well, for starters, I try to avoid getting writing blocks by not sitting at my DAW when composing, which I find usually kills my creative side by demanding my technical side. My studio is set up such that my "music desk" has all of my synths in front of me, but no computer. My DAW is off to the left as you can see in my studio photos (see link below). I don't find staring at a DAW very conducive to creativity at all, but I do find playing an 88-key piano and having synth controls within hands-reach very good for stimulating creativity. It's not the most convenient setup, especially when it comes to mixing, but I have workarounds for that.

http://www.cryophonik.com/studio/index.html

Other ways that I deal with blocks is to collaborate with others - you'd be amazed at how quickly fresh ideas can lift you out of your rut. Or, re-visit old ideas. When I am in a rut, I usually just do what I can do and use that time to learn a new/old piece of gear/software better, troubleshoot ongoing issues/bugs, program synth patches, etc.

edit: I should point out that the studio photos are a bit outdated - the Nord is gone and has been replaced by a DSI MEK which sits on top of the keyboard rack (i.e., NOT next to my DAW ).

[ZenPunkHippy]

While I totally agree with the comments about the inspiration being "received" when away from the working environment - which seems to be how most inspiration for art occurs - you need a certain technical ability, be it playing, producing, engineering - to express the ideas that come to you. Without the technical ability it will be impossible to lay down the ideas as intended, leading to a frustrating experience, and a stagnation of output. Technical skills can also feed creativity.

As a small example, today I read a simple blog entry about LFO's, which introduced me to a technique that I had not previously known. Very simple stuff - creating poly-rhythms with variously timed / shaped LFO's. Next time I hear a rhythmic sound in the real world that I would like to synthesise, I might have a better chance where none existed before. And perhaps tomorrow I will be paying more attention to those rhythms because I understand something about them that I did not understand today.

So if its suitable for you, maybe take a little time out to focus on something technical which may result in an insight on another day, away from your current situation.

Byork said in an interview once "I hope there's enough time" ... is she implying that her artistic vision is already in place and that she now has to dedicate her life to executing it as best she can?

Peace,
Andy.

[t00nz]

Hmmm... not sure if this is the right forum, but here goes:

How do YOU beat musician's block? You know, when you sit there and stare at your synth/DAW for hours, noodle a bit, get a nice 2-bar loop going but nothing ever develops. The inspiration muse is utterly quiet. When that happens, what do you do?

For that to happen I'd have to be bored.. and if I was bored I'd stop.. I've still got bunches of stuff to do and try on the TODO list..

Inspiration kicks in after an hour or so of playing around, improvising, looking for something.. usually once it's there its there for the session..

but next day same slog to kick off the creative juices..


I'm sure this is a common experience?

[dan_s]

the world is your instrument to play. drink that bottle then bang on it with your remote control. type your post to a beat, - record it,

dont make music cause you have to. if you aren't feeling like it, do something else. creativity is a well, you can drink it all, it needs to replenish sometimes.