When it comes to writing music, finding inspiration can be one of the biggest roadblocks an artist faces. Especially if you're staring at a blank screen, sometimes figuring out where to begin can seem impossible. So here are a few secrets to finding that elusive spark of inspiration.
Secret 1: Start Writing Anything
This may sound a little silly, but if you are struggling to start a song, sometimes all you need to do is start writing a few notes. I would pick your favorite key; my two favorites are A minor and A# minor. And if you are new to producing, I would probably stick with A minor because it's all the white keys. But once you figure that out, start putting anything down on the screen.
I personally begin by writing a melody. I know several people that will begin with a chord progression, but one thing I've noticed when they do that is they follow the same exact progressions (though in different keys). These standard progressions do not allow for much variation form song to song, and many songs produced this way end up sounding pretty similar to one another. I believe starting by writing a unique melody helps you to write harmonies that fit the song better.
Secret 2: Listen To Your Favorite Song
If you're writing music, I think it's safe to say that you love music! If I'm being honest, I'd say I have about twenty favorite songs. Which song is my favorite at any given time really depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes when I'm looking for inspiration, I'll open my library and listen to one of my favorite songs.
I believe finding inspiration through listening is effective for a couple different reasons. The first reason is that it will put you in the "zone". Whenever I listen to music I really like, I get extremely hype and get dozens of ideas flowing through my head. But when you listen to your favorite song, it can help you identify what instruments you want to use in your production. And from my experience, once I figure out what I want my sonic palette to be, it really helps me start my song.
Secret 3: Turn Off Your Computer And Go Do Something
This may sound counterintuitive, but sometimes you really just need to step away from your computer and take a step back so you can move forward. Currently, I'm challenging myself to produce a brand new song every week, and sometimes turning my computer off and doing something else, anything else, besides writing music is exactly what I need to move forward.
The reason for this is simple; if you actually spend some time doing something new or exciting, you're going to have inspiration. If the first two secrets just aren't working for you, try the third, then go back to your computer a little later and see what happens!
In Conclusion
Music is both a passion and an art. It requires a huge amount of time to excel at creating it. But every struggle you go through will magically be okay once you finish your song. I can't express how many times I've been frustrated because I couldn't think of what to write or even what style I wanted to produce in. But I eventually found my way, and I hope you can too!
Let me know if you have any tips that help with your inspiration as well!
Ah.... does it make anyone else nervous that that coffee is on that laptop? Am I the only one clumsy enough to be freaked out by this?
My wife's studio is set up so well now... that's it's totally intimidating now. She has 3 guitars, a drum kit, a keyboard and a mixing desk. So tonight she just started to memorize a couple of songs (she can play sheet music fine but doesn't have anything memorized.
Then I came in and started tapping on the drums... I have zero musicality, but it was so much fun... we had a ball... so my tip to add to this post is get other people involved if you can. She's now going to try and find some like-minded locals to jam with her on Friday nights while I'm training. Other people are heaps inspiring... and give you deadlines.
Lol, I didn't even think about it spilling when I took it!
That's awesome! It sounds like you both will have an amazing time in the studio :) And yes, deadlines help more than I'd ever thought. Until I decided to set one week deadlines on all my music, I would spend way too much time doing everything except for writing music.
Definitely let me know how everything goes!
my favorite is the power chord
Power chords always sound nice!
Hahahaha, I read this as "power cord" - I thought you were being funny... but I get it now.
Hahahaha, this comment made my day :D
One of my all-time favorite pieces of advice was that a computer can sometimes be a lite-brite for bad ideas. While this can be hard when making electronic music, sometimes I get a lot of inspiration from shutting the screen and just playing with my hardware synths, doing some field recording, or even just physically writing down what you envision your song to sound like can be a great help. You would be surprised if you sat down with a notebook and paper and described what you wanted in a song how much that can help you visualize what you are trying to make. Good article!
I hear you and I like that advice. I may try writing how I want my song to sound and see what happens :D And thanks for the support!!