Inspiration for Composition - Music Banter Music Banter

Go Back   Music Banter > The Music Forums > General Music
Register Blogging Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Welcome to Music Banter Forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with over 70,000 other registered members. After you create your free account, you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 1,100,000 posts.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-22-2018, 02:56 AM   #1 (permalink)
Groupie
 
Waddles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Colorado
Posts: 27
Default Inspiration for Composition

If you write music, what do you use for inspiration? I have been learning a little about music theory, and while I feel I've grown in my knowledge, I can't seem to find anything to inspire me.
__________________
“I doubt sometimes whether a quiet and unagitated life would have suited me - yet I sometimes long for it.” George Byron

Waddles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2018, 03:38 AM   #2 (permalink)
Account Disabled
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Aalborg
Posts: 7,636
Default

Same approach when I need inspiration for both the music I make or the games I make:

Just stop working on your material for a while. Spend time playing interesting games/listening to good music. Explore and don't worry about inspiration. Then it will come on it's own. You can't force a genuine feeling of being inspired to create.

Just go and explore music instead. Maybe even for several weeks.
MicShazam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2018, 03:40 AM   #3 (permalink)
Account Disabled
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Aalborg
Posts: 7,636
Default

If you're looking for something more "about" the art of music, then I highly recommend Rick Beato's Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/pegzch
MicShazam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2018, 07:26 PM   #4 (permalink)
AllTheWhileYouChargeAFee
 
DriveYourCarDownToTheSea's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 1,155
Default

Do you mean for lyrics, or for the music itself? Or, both?
__________________
Stop and find a pretty shell for her
Beach Boys vs Beatles comparisons begin here
DriveYourCarDownToTheSea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2018, 08:35 PM   #5 (permalink)
Groupie
 
Waddles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Colorado
Posts: 27
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by MicShazam View Post
Same approach when I need inspiration for both the music I make or the games I make:

Just stop working on your material for a while. Spend time playing interesting games/listening to good music. Explore and don't worry about inspiration. Then it will come on it's own. You can't force a genuine feeling of being inspired to create.

Just go and explore music instead. Maybe even for several weeks.
Thank you. This reminds me a quote by Thoreau: "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." I have been neglecting to really get out and happen to life lately, so that could be where I'm stuck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MicShazam View Post
If you're looking for something more "about" the art of music, then I highly recommend Rick Beato's Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/pegzch
I have run across Rick's channel before, though at the time I was looking for something else, so I'll go back and give him another look. Thank you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DriveYourCarDownToTheSea View Post
Do you mean for lyrics, or for the music itself? Or, both?
I tend to focus more on strictly instrumental music, but for the purposes of discussion and benefiting the forum, we could certainly talk about inspiration for lyrics as well. Poetry comes easier to me than music.
__________________
“I doubt sometimes whether a quiet and unagitated life would have suited me - yet I sometimes long for it.” George Byron

Waddles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2018, 09:24 PM   #6 (permalink)
Paragraph President
 
Unitron's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Burning Star
Posts: 837
Default

I second Mic's suggestion, when I try and force myself to come up with music it doesn't end up as good. Listening to a variety of music helps, and eventually I'm sure something will inspire you to come up with something of your own.

Usually the kinds of riffs I come up with vary upon what kind of music I've been listening to lately. When I'm in a creative funk and just can't come up with anything worth keeping while jamming, I usually just take a break or play other songs just to keep in practice. I like having go-to songs to play when I just can't come up with anything, the main one for me being Anthrax's "Caught in a Mosh" with how fun it is on bass.
Unitron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-2018, 01:50 AM   #7 (permalink)
Account Disabled
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Aalborg
Posts: 7,636
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Waddles View Post
Thank you. This reminds me a quote by Thoreau: "How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." I have been neglecting to really get out and happen to life lately, so that could be where I'm stuck.
That Thoreau quote really hits the nail on its head. Creativity is a response to experiences. All sorts of wonderful things might be brewing in the back of your mind without you even knowing, but that's only if you let yourself take in new impressions.
I find that if I don't try to squeeze my brain for ideas, I get all sorts of good ideas at the most random times. I like to keep paper and pen next to my bed, because I sometimes get ideas just before I'm falling asleep.
MicShazam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2018, 04:16 PM   #8 (permalink)
AllTheWhileYouChargeAFee
 
DriveYourCarDownToTheSea's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 1,155
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Waddles View Post
I tend to focus more on strictly instrumental music, but for the purposes of discussion and benefiting the forum, we could certainly talk about inspiration for lyrics as well. Poetry comes easier to me than music.
If you're stuck on what to write, how about doing something like, "OK I'm going to write a jazz-inspired song." And then pick a jazz artist and try to imitate him/her. Or any other genre, or artist. If you can't think of what you want to write, try to imitate something or somebody else, just for the heck of it. Who knows, maybe it'll take you somewhere you never thought you'd go.
__________________
Stop and find a pretty shell for her
Beach Boys vs Beatles comparisons begin here
DriveYourCarDownToTheSea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2018, 05:08 PM   #9 (permalink)
Ask me how!
 
Oriphiel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: The States
Posts: 5,355
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Unitron View Post
I like having go-to songs to play when I just can't come up with anything, the main one for me being Anthrax's "Caught in a Mosh" with how fun it is on bass.
__________________
----------------------
|---Mic's Albums---|
----------------------
-----------------------------
|---Deafbox Industries---|
-----------------------------
Oriphiel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2018, 06:03 PM   #10 (permalink)
Groupie
 
Waddles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Colorado
Posts: 27
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by DriveYourCarDownToTheSea View Post
If you're stuck on what to write, how about doing something like, "OK I'm going to write a jazz-inspired song." And then pick a jazz artist and try to imitate him/her. Or any other genre, or artist. If you can't think of what you want to write, try to imitate something or somebody else, just for the heck of it. Who knows, maybe it'll take you somewhere you never thought you'd go.
I do this in examining concepts in music theory, and have tried saying, "I'll write a tango bit like..." or "I'll take that bit from that Billy Joel song and..." While I haven't produced a full composition doing that kind of thing, it does help me understand music, and get a feel for how certain musicians or composers write.

Thank you for the suggestion. It tells me I'm headed down the right track.
__________________
“I doubt sometimes whether a quiet and unagitated life would have suited me - yet I sometimes long for it.” George Byron

Waddles is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Similar Threads



© 2003-2024 Advameg, Inc.