Need inspiration help

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Need inspiration help

Postby KvackPack » 18 Jun 2013 10:04

Hello there!
As you might've guessed I'm having some troubles with my song making. I simply can't come up with something to make. :cry:
Do you guys know something that might help me get on the track again?
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby JSynth » 18 Jun 2013 10:30

https://soundcloud.com/jasper-synth/back-at-me
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Orange » 18 Jun 2013 10:34

remix
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby itroitnyah » 18 Jun 2013 10:53

Take your time. Ideas aren't something that you can just make appear out of thin air, they come and they go.

Like Orange said, you could try remixing

You could try collabing with somebody

Stop listening to any music for a week or so, I'm trying to do that right now, hoping it'll sorta give me a blank page to start from again in terms of music ideas, so that I'm not trying to force a song type or emotion based on songs I've been listening to recently

Work on sound design or something

Practice composition by throwing together a basic song in a set amount of time on a regular basis. This can be really useful, because let's face it, a lot of the melodies and chord patterns aren't ones that you've spent long periods of time mulling over. They're often patterns that you've started by laying down a random chord or note, laying down a few more in succession and then placing down more and more as it started to sound good.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby ExoBassTix » 18 Jun 2013 11:00

Go to FL, take a synth or bass VST that you like, insert random preset (maybe one that you know and like) and go to piano roll. Just click. You got the key signature.
Now click on the piano part a few times, starting with, (perhaps staying on,) the key signature.

Observe. You're making a melody.

This doesn't work this way with all genres though.

EDIT - forgot to mention that only later should you worry about the sound, as in, creating your own synth/bass or whatever. This is just to get a base melody.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby KvackPack » 18 Jun 2013 15:26

Thanks for the help guys! :D
I think I feel more confident in just experimenting with stuff in my DAW now.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby ExoBassTix » 18 Jun 2013 15:39

I must say that I do occasionally get a melody in a my head at random. If I don't have my laptop in front, I write down the keys in a way that I can read. One advantage of absolute hearing -_-
But when I don't they come at me when I start experimenting. I like to add, repeat, make a pattern, then subtract to make it not too obnoxious. Then I build up.
Then I release.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby ph00tbag » 18 Jun 2013 16:07

Sometimes you just need to force yourself to make something. Start with little ideas, and develop them over time. Eventually, you'll find yourself with something that turns into a full track. It's just important not to get discouraged when you don't finish something.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Mr. Bigglesworth » 19 Jun 2013 20:13

Take things as they come. Find out what time of day you work best at (for me it's around 9 am) and use that as a sort of 'kick start' to an idea and once you get an idea started from that time it's much easier to remain creative.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby TranquilHooves » 20 Jun 2013 07:17

This is a really good resource for creative blocks as well.
http://stoney.sb.org/eno/oblique.html
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Wisp » 20 Jun 2013 11:33

Whenever I have a creative block I do one of two things:
1. Mess around in massive to see what kind of weird sounds I can make. Nothing serious, though.
2. Do something else for a few hours like walking around outside or playing some video games.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby prozeyic » 21 Jun 2013 22:01

I asked a composer who was filling in as a substitute for my theory class. I walked in on him playing around on the grand piano in the recording room. I asked him if there was any set way that he'd start composing a piece. He said that he would select a note, and then he would select another note. I thought he was joking but he was being dead serious.

Try it out, I found it pretty relaxing and it gave me a sense of freedom not trying to accomplish anything really. Just putting notes together until they sounded nice. It made me stop stressing about if I was doing things the right way or the wrong way.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Matthew N. » 21 Jun 2013 22:37

There is literally no pattern to get what you refer to as inspiration. For me, I usually try to pick a theme beforehand. Then, I either pick a vocal track to compose accordingly (or similarly) to, or begin with a random melody. As things go, my track usually quickly develops, and then... my quadcore can no longer handle my project. :roll:
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby ph00tbag » 21 Jun 2013 22:37

Prozeyic makes a really good point. Writers have a thing they often do where they just start writing and force whatever is coming out of their heads onto the page, no matter how stupid or offensive. Sometimes making music is just about that. Don't have a goal of making a tune when you start. Just make some music, and then worry about if it can work in a broader sense.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Callenby » 21 Jun 2013 23:12

Image


It's not always about finding inspiration. Sometimes it's about having just a bit of inspiration and learning how to make the most out of it.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Motivfs » 21 Jun 2013 23:20

Callenby wrote:Image


It's not always about finding inspiration. Sometimes it's about having just a bit of inspiration and learning how to make the most out of it.


I'm going to keep this picture.. I love it.

Really lacking inspiration myself too right now.. I work 5 days a week, run several programs/sites, and TRY to find time to make music, it's been hard lately, really hard, I can't even use my new setup I have because I'm so tied up in every else lately, that I sit down at night for a couple of hours, and nothing comes from it. It's aggravating, for sure.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby topitmunkeydog » 26 Jun 2013 15:02

Here's another good tip for being a creative whiz kid:

Try scoring films!! If you need inspiration, why not use someone else's? If you write a score for someone else's film, you'll already have the story, atmosphere, pace, everything! It's good practice, and I know for a fact that my friends over at bricksinmotion.com could use some good original scores for their animations.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Facade » 26 Jun 2013 15:11

JSynth wrote:Read this thread.

oh wow that thread still exists?
https://facadeofages.bandcamp.com/album ... o-the-dark
Spoiler Quotes:
DerpyGrooves wrote:The secret to a good song has everything to do with the relationship of the verse and the chorus to one another


ONEHOODASSPONY wrote:Image
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Rusko » 26 Jun 2013 17:46

Personally I just smoke a lot of weed. Solves all your problems man.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby Freewave » 05 Jul 2013 17:59

If you're not the kind of person who comes up with music first and theme next then do it in reverse. Write a song or music based on a scene or episode from the show, or by taking the charcters outside of normalcy. Look up some old toast beards and look into taking on of their old themes for a new track, make music from a new genre that hasnt been attempted by you or someone from the community. Write about the comic book, write about a fanfic, write about a piece of mlp art that inspired you. It really isn't that hard. The reason why there's thousands of brony songs out there is because its easy to imagine yourself into this show and to make music about it. If you're stuck in producer mode get in dreamer mode.
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Re: Need inspiration help

Postby KvackPack » 20 Jul 2013 17:50

Sorry for the late response everybody.
Again, thank you all for the advices, thoughts and ideas! :)
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