Inspiration and creativity

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Hazel
Posts: 76
Joined: 29 Sep 2016

15 Dec 2017

I try to save everything, but I only complete probably %10 or less of what I begin. Sometimes I go back and try and finish something previous. With a little luck sometimes I do actually finish them. Sometimes I open up the program and just do audio experiments for an hour, or two. I save these for possible use later and if nothing else I've learned something while experimenting. Sometimes I'll have a strange tune in my head all day for some reason and I'll open up the program long enough to record the notes on a default subtractor, or something. Dreams are also a good source of inspiration in my opinion. I wouldn't go back and delete anything though...a skeleton of a track even using cheesy flat sounds can easily and quickly be turned around into something special when changing the details, or devices around later.

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NekujaK
Posts: 631
Joined: 09 Oct 2016
Location: USA

15 Dec 2017

I find the easiest way to conjure inspiration and fuel creativity is to have a specific purpose, mission, or challenge. It could be as simple as trying to copy (stylistically) a particular piece of music, or more directed, like composing music for film/video. It's very rare (like hardly ever) that I can "force" creativity and get good results. I work best when there's some kind of external motivator.

I once heard that Robert Smith of The Cure wrote "Let's Go To Bed" because a fellow musician bet him he couldn't write a pop song. I've since learned that story is untrue, but if it were, that's a great example of external motivation :)

Your girlfriend leaving you is the ultimate external motivation :o Just look back through the history of popular music at all the phenomenal albums and music that were inspired by a broken heart. Pretty powerful stuff...
wreaking havoc with :reason: since 2.5
:arrow: https://soundcloud.com/nekujak-donnay/sets

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WeLoveYouToo
Posts: 202
Joined: 01 Jul 2017
Location: portland, or

15 Dec 2017

i usually try to finish a song in my head (almost) completely, then sit down and figure out how to make the sounds i heard and sing the lyrics i wrote.

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Ahornberg
Posts: 1904
Joined: 15 Jan 2016
Location: Vienna, Austria
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16 Dec 2017

The more music I make, the more inspiration comes along my way.

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teddymcw
Posts: 432
Joined: 13 May 2016

16 Dec 2017

-Caffeine: can't not get musical on caffeine, hard alcohol too probly but I try to stay away
-Messing with a newer mode or scale
-Restrictions: whatever those might be
-Changing body state: dancing around a bit and many forms of exercise and a shower
-Thinking of making something weird musical, knives as open hi hats, guitar harmonics into Grain, traditional pipe instruments whatever fits the fancy of the moment

-Creativity killer: listening to a really complex and polished track. Like looking up to Everest while still kneeling to tie your boots.
-Stimulator: listening to something like more open and experimental aforementioned Radiohead, Air or Ween
-Stimulator: Watching something like an AlexCVX video

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dvdrtldg
Posts: 2386
Joined: 17 Jan 2015

16 Dec 2017

Big thing for me is remembering to listen to music. Sounds like a weird thing to say. But I'm constantly trying to find time to make music, so any spare time I might have for listening tends to be given to making instead. As a result, I can go for ages without listening to anything apart from my own work, and it can really make the well of inspiration run dry.

The other big thing for me is remembering to compose first and build sound second. I love to disappear down the rabbit hole with FX and tinkering, which means I have twelve million Reason sessions that are a cool drum pattern with lots of elaborately sequenced synth lines and crazy FX and everything beautifully mixed and polished... and it's 30 seconds long and it goes nowhere. The more work I put into it, the harder it is to take it apart again & try to build on it. The stuff that actually gets finished is a minority, but it always happens when I resist the temptation to tinker and just work out an idea compositionally from start to finish. Composing can be an unexciting slog sometimes, but for me it needs to come first, and always pays to leave the creative "painterly" stuff until later.

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