Writer Block Tips

[paravrais]

Personally I find I can program drums any time any place and find it really easy to do a bit on them then leave it and come back to it. So I always have several projects on my computer that are just drum loops which I then expand into bare bones of a song with little variations in the drums all the way through etc so I've got the drums and structure of a song all ready. After I have that I go through and mess about with making patches and putting samples in so in the end I have an almost fully complete song but without any melody written yet because that's the bit that I find needs that spark of inspiration to get on with.

Because I have several projects lying around in various stages of completion like this whenever I do get that inspiration I can jump right in with the keyboard and not have to worry about any of the technical stuff that blocks the musical creativity, I can just play

[ogunslinger]

Honestly I just blaze fat, start making patches and then I come up with ideas

[BOOMBOOMCLAP]

exercise. and don't start a song w/ drums.

I agree with this 100%

[Phigure]

don't touch your DAW for a week

come back and write 2 songs in one sitting

[Electric_Head]

Sample packs

[Mapledelux]

you gotta let art come naturally[*]

yup yup those words alone helped

[JFK]

I always find having a good weights session followed by a knob crushing wank cures my writers block.

Truth.

[Mapledelux]

I always find having a good weights session followed by a knob crushing wank cures my writers block.

Truth.

we all got our own techniques

[Basic A]

I always find having a good weights session followed by a knob crushing wank makes me forget all aout production n pass straight the fuck out.

Truth.

[gnome]

I always find having a good weights session followed by a knob crushing wank cures my writers block.

Truth.

This reminds me of info I read on the Ableton forum suggesting a wank and a tall glass of water

[BLAHBLAHJAH]

Really starting to suffer with writers block for mekking electronic shite... Even grown a moustache and still struggling. Tormenting

P.S. I think wanking is the quickest way to "satisfaction: day complete" mode - can't be topped, so interest just withers after that

[djake]

getting over writers block is simple, get away from your tools and do something else you enjoy.

i always take my dog for a walk somewhere new or a special place i like to walk him, getting away from the sounds we make as humans really helps me to back into the groove, nature sounds lush!!!!

[Molotov_]

exercise. and don't start a song w/ drums.

So true

[Sirius]

whenever i listen to music, something will intrigue me in the song...
next minute I fire up the DAW and im lost for hours.

I have never had writers block, but...
I always start my tracks with an experiment!

even when ya check out tutorials...
go try it straight away & see what happens!

!!chea

[-[2]DAY_-]

#1 cup o coffee
#2 serious bong load
#3 hum to self whilst firing up G5
#4 begin playback of grimy house mix/classic hip hop/Return To Forever album (or other)
#5 fucking SERIOUS cup of joe with espresso shot submerged in regular coffee, black no sugar death beverage
#6 bong load two
#7 fire up DP and Reason
#8 profit

[OlzaMK]

#1 cup o coffee
#2 serious bong load
#3 hum to self whilst firing up G5
#4 begin playback of grimy house mix/classic hip hop/Return To Forever album (or other)
#5 fucking SERIOUS cup of joe with espresso shot submerged in regular coffee, black no sugar death beverage
#6 bong load two
#7 fire up DP and Reason
#8 profit

This haha. Besides #8 for me. I need that green inspiration to do anything in life.

My new tactic is to sit away from the computer for a couple hours in front of a keyboard. I have no idea how to play, but I just go along teaching myself all the scales with 2 hands while trying to remember what intervals sound good in my head. Hopefully soon I will be writing 16/32 bar melodies off one take. Pretty big goal for me.

[-[2]DAY_-]

lol, I don't profit either... but I might someday!

I actually have to do the weed bits to get started on most anything, beats, workout, painting, homework, essay, lyrics... watevs. anything but handball, which i love so much on its own & best sober.
I am a bona fide weed head. and obv. caffiene junkie (tho this is mostly for the flavors, not the jitters).

Much inspiration comes from sitting at the piano, which I'm lucky as hell to have one. I'm basically a bassist who plays 6 string too, and drums and keys, so getting that perspective of a full piano keyboard for chords and riffs provides a lot by way of new approaches. strumming guitar is like i'm back at home.

Right now im fantasizing about tuning up my pedal steel and recording some swelling sliding grass/country-ish chord changes.... record them and process as lovely pads. Seeming like a nice inspiration point, can't wait to get home.

[Phigure]

exercise. and don't start a song w/ drums.

So true

I don't understand why. I always start my tunes with the drums and it works fine for me. Guess it depends on the person, eh?

[Molotov_]

exercise. and don't start a song w/ drums.

So true

I don't understand why. I always start my tunes with the drums and it works fine for me. Guess it depends on the person, eh?

Yea man i do also! Havin a bit of a block atm with this approach.. a good old ninja sample will hopefully sort that out!

[MB616]

Definitely a lot of good tips on here, What I like to do when i cant think of something is to learn something new. Peruse the forum for a new technique you aren't familiar with or watch some tutorials on youtube. The new knowledge may lead to a spark of an idea and even if it doesn't, you still learned something new to use when your creativity inevitably comes back........................weed helps too