preciouskindred
Offline
rochester ny

how do you guys get inspired? most times, i feel incapable of making music that is "about" anything, and just shoot for whatever sounds good to my ears. makes me feel like a bit of a hack. i can try and place meaning on the tunes after the fact, but that's not really what i'm after. i would love to be able to take something i saw or experienced during the day, perhaps an unusually picturesque or serene scene, perhaps a strange or interesting experience with another human, or just a strong emotion and turn it into music.

share your tips on how to catch an idea or a vision, or how to capture a mood or an idea, and express it. because i could really use some tips on this matter. thx!

CK
Offline
CA, USA

I've noticed that there are times of the day when its easier for me to write lyrics, that first hour after I wake up, and about 2 hours before bed. I've heard of other people getting ideas in the shower. Also a few times I'd get ideas while driving, by ideas I mean a lyrical hook or melody line. Getting out and seeing live shows is a great source of energy, although the down side is you might tend to get copycat ideas.
I recommend doing some music research, hunting down and listening to new artists in some way related to a style or musical era that influences you.
For example I'm really into the early 80s style music, and just a few weeks ago I discovered the group "Change" which was Luther Vandross's debut.

I think its important to say something about things that can kill inspiration. Like if you have someone thats an "antivibe" in your vicinity. Someone thats either a jerk / bitch / insane, or just on you about money or some shit. We all know that person thats just drama in a bad way all the fn time. If your stuck around someone like that then it doesn't matter how serious you are about music, your not going to be able to hone your artistry.

0F
Offline
Melbourne
preciouskindred wrote:

most times, i feel incapable of making music that is "about" anything, and just shoot for whatever sounds good to my ears. makes me feel like a bit of a hack.

There's nothing wrong with this, imo. Music for me is 100% about sonic pleasure, rather than having some kind of message or meaning. I guess that's the reason why my lyrics rarely mean anything, and are either wordplay or utter nonsense that I just wrote because the syllables sound good against the music, haha.

fc
Offline
Melbourne, Australia

Unless you work with words, music is incapable of transmitting a message or meaning.

george bowles
Offline
St Louis

it is the most sublime, abstract and greatest artform.

Devieus
Offline
NL

On uke it's very easy to get anything going, just do anything, then do it differently, suddenly you've got yourself a tune. It's not much different on a DAW, except it's kinda hard getting a groove on without any actual instruments to get you going; so in essence, to get inspiration, just drop some notes on an instruments see what works, or drop some notes on a piano roll and tweak it.

Chris Dotson
Offline
Portland, OR

I agree with other folks saying that just sitting down and playing for the joy of sound is as valid as trying to make something that 'means' something.

That said, when I'm particularly in the mood to capture a feeling there isn't an easy way to explain how I do that since everyone's tools are different (words? guitar? sine wave generator?). To paraphrase the Red House Painters, you just have to play until the thing sounds the way you feel. Honestly, the only way to get good at that is to play. A lot.

When you start to know your tools inside and out you can use them more efficiently, which is the best way to not lose the feeling you had when you started.

E-dub
Offline
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
CK wrote:

I think its important to say something about things that can kill inspiration. Like if you have someone thats an "antivibe" in your vicinity. Someone thats either a jerk / bitch / insane, or just on you about money or some shit. We all know that person thats just drama in a bad way all the fn time. If your stuck around someone like that then it doesn't matter how serious you are about music, your not going to be able to hone your artistry.

I find that having life difficulties, including those caused by being around a jerk/bitch/insane person actually help me make better music.  Maybe because I write lyrics every week and strong emotions lead to better lyrics, IMHO.

rdomain
Offline
Coastal Australia

The Inspiration Station

yan_g
Offline
France
preciouskindred wrote:

how do you guys get inspired? most times, i feel incapable of making music that is "about" anything, and just shoot for whatever sounds good to my ears. makes me feel like a bit of a hack. i can try and place meaning on the tunes after the fact, but that's not really what i'm after.

Funny, what I like most about making music is precisely that it allows me to express things I wouldn't know how to say. smile

A Thorny Succulent
Offline
East Bay

Interesting to see all of the different opinions in here! Obviously everyone's going to have a different take on it, but for me I've noticed that I can articulate my feelings far more instrumentally than with lyrics. After all, music is the universal language wink. The beauty of it is everyone that listens to your music will have a slightly different reaction, while you may intend on expressing one thing, your music may express something completely different to someone else (death of the author).

As far as inspiration goes, I like to play. If you aren't having fun then you are doing it wrong. Often I will hear a short musical phrase that I like, stop the music, and then dissect what I just heard in as many ways as possible: chop it up, add or remove notes, play it slower or faster, in a different key, distort it until it's unrecognizable and stands on its own.

Everything is stolen, thoughts aren't original, they are just reinterpreted reflections of each other, so don't be afraid to draw ideas from other artists you like. Study music theory until you can listen to a song you like and articulate precisely what you enjoy about it. A lot of people want to sound like "this band" or "that artist," I think it's more beneficial to sound like "that one part of that one song that sounds amazing." If you like a certain song, try to listen to until it hits the point that speaks to you the most. Try to figure out exactly what it is you like about that one part and try to recreate it (for study purposes). I learned a lot about what appeals to me as a composer by writing out guitar tabs for my favorite bands.

Draw inspiration for everything, as in literally everything. I've written two songs inspired by specific farts I produced this month. Are the songs good? It doesn't matter, I had fun and I learned from it. Play and write music in your head everyday until you can't stop it from happening. Hear music in everything. This will drive you insane but will make you a better artist in the end. Be prolific, instead of spending a week or a month on a song, spend 2 hours or less, make song "sketches." Artists sketch and make gesture drawings / figure drawings, game designers participate in 2-3 day game jams, it is a universally known concept that doing something quick and often will build up your skill set faster than anything.

That's all I can think of from the top of my head, hope it helps! Obviously my advice doesn't apply to everyone, but it's worked for me so far wink.

Hungee funk
Offline
Melbourne

Caveat: It is different for everyone.

Inspiration for me is derived from emotion and external input. Depending on style it may be a matter of getting into the right head state first before laying down a track.

If you write dance music it is not ideal for you to be mopey.
If you write sad music it doesn't help to be happy.
If you just heard the best track you have ever heard and you seek to emulate that your emotional state will probably allow it.

External input might be learning a new way of doing things or a new style. It could be a new instrument or a new chord. It could be playing a few bars and getting an idea... These things can cause our emotional state to line up and create a space for intuition and creativity to work.

Some of the best technical works I have created never got released cause they did nothing for me.. and at the end of the day, I am seeking to be inspired.

thats my 2 cents.

drmindflip
Offline
Ireland

Just chiming in to say how interesting this thread has been to read...for me, just trusting in your music and losing yourself to the process is the best possible approach, at least in the start. Self-trust is paramount!

Etheross
Offline
vinpous wrote:

Unless you work with words, music is incapable of transmitting a message or meaning.

But it can convey emotion, and that might be meaning enough.

Devieus
Offline
NL
Etheross wrote:
vinpous wrote:

Unless you work with words, music is incapable of transmitting a message or meaning.

But it can convey emotion, and that might be meaning enough.

It can generate emotion, but not necessarily the one the artist intended; certain linkin park songs make me happy because the sounds are nice, even if the lyrics are almost always depressing emo shit.

Jim Wood
Offline
Santa Fe, NM
vinpous wrote:

Unless you work with words, music is incapable of transmitting a message or meaning.

Tell that to Volkov.