Question for the musicians

[Marius]

I play the piano and Im self tought. I never took a class on it just sat down one day and started playing and have been playing ever since. Lately ive had a hard time finding inspiration for new material. Basically I sit down when Im at an emotional high and start playing and then I try to make something of this... kind of like shape my feelings into sound.

Does anyone else here do this and if so how do you create something new when you lose your inspiration? Also for those piano players out there... where are some good places online that I can use to find some advanced techniques/chords/scales to create that emotional descending sound? (what I really have in mind off the top of my head is Moonlight Sonata and how it descends in chords but then always returns to a more happy inspiring feeling.)

[reb]

i had done the same with guitar. i never learned notation; music teacher denied i needed it.

perhaps, too much time at the keyboard is the problem? maybe do something physical, or perhaps go and stay somewhere that would be conducive to internal or external reflection?

[uncon]

Here's a simple idea that works for me. Just play what you like that's already written. That's it and it's how most great artists started. At some point you just aren't derivative any longer, you start to integrate it into your own style.

I played nothing but Brazilian style guitar for like 4 years. I just loved it. Then one day, I wrote a song and it had a lot of those elements in it without really trying. After writing nothing for years I recently have become surprisingly prolific. I just finished an album with another one on the way - it just comes pouring out. When it stops, I'll simply revert back to playing what I love - maybe a new style I'll get into - and the cycle will repeat itself.

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[Flamethrower]

I am assuming you are meaning inspiration for writing your own stuff. I've learned a few of good things that work for me.



A couple of songwriter friends of mine have recommended trying to write something every day even when you aren't inspired because you generate inspiration better by starting anything than waiting around for inspiration which never comes. I guess the principle is that inspiration does not appear out of thin air. So I just start playing anything on my guitar/piano and often some accident will just happen that starts off an idea.
I write sort of doodle art style and don't think too much about what I am doing and just see what happens spontaneously. Pulling stuff randomly out of my subconscious. Neil Finn put it a good way once by saying when he writes songs it is like doodling absent-mindedly on a piece of paper when you are on the phone and you look down and you see something a little bit like a face so you add the details for a face and then that inspires a new thought and you doodle some new addition to that and you continually spark new ideas etc..... So sort of like free association.
I used to try to write ABOUT stuff (e.g. pick topic and try to write about it). But then I noticed anything good I write is generated by writing about an emotional experience. So I pay attention to how I feel about things and that provides fodder for really good song ideas. So what is some strong emotion you had lately? That can be good inspiration.
Try writing on something you are not competent at. I am not a very good piano player so if I doodle around on the piano I often come up with really interesting ideas since I am not regurgitating practised mechanical sequences. I can transfer what I've created to guitar to finish the idea later.
I usually start an idea and take it as far as it will go (even if not far) and then leave it and come back to it several times until it is shaped into something. I've found chipping away at songs just as effective as writing the entire thing in 5 minutes.

Hope you find something helpful in there. Let us know if you find some other cool technique.

uncon your stuff is really cool! Wow.

[Brittle]

I'm also a self-taught player (albeit, not brilliant), but often I'll find myself humming tunes to myself which are of my own invention and so I'll try to flesh them out on the keyboard. Sometimes they have stemmed from existing songs and I'll rearrange them to make them my own, other times I'll get a certain phrase/lyric pop into my head which I try to build on, or sometimes it's just from aimlessly humming and hitting a bunch of notes I like.

I dunno... I guess pay attention to the fluff in your head is what I'm getting at.

I don't have any advice on the technical side of things I'm afraid.

[Flamethrower]

Does anyone else here do this and if so how do you create something new when you lose your inspiration? Also for those piano players out there... where are some good places online that I can use to find some advanced techniques/chords/scales to create that emotional descending sound? (what I really have in mind off the top of my head is Moonlight Sonata and how it descends in chords but then always returns to a more happy inspiring feeling.)

Oops, missed that bit.

Losing inspiration - yep. Don't worry about it anymore because the stuff I wrote seems to work.

Descending stuff. I do that quite a bit. As in bass lines that descend while the chords remain the same or go in the opposite direction. I guess creating that illusion of returning to a happier feeling could be created by suddenly switching from playing in a minor key to a major one. Using jazz chords can be interesting. I guess surf around on the net because there should be stuff around. In my local Borders store there are heaps of books in the music section on scales and chord types so I think it's fairly easy to just try a few techniques from other people out and see what appeals. I don't usually bother though - I just try adding extra notes to chords I am already playing around with to see what effect I get. My favourite trick is taking out the 3rd because then it obscures whether the chord is major or minor and makes it more interesting.

[PeterIMC]

I play the piano and Im self tought. I never took a class on it just sat down one day and started playing and have been playing ever since. Lately ive had a hard time finding inspiration for new material. Basically I sit down when Im at an emotional high and start playing and then I try to make something of this... kind of like shape my feelings into sound.

Does anyone else here do this and if so how do you create something new when you lose your inspiration? Also for those piano players out there... where are some good places online that I can use to find some advanced techniques/chords/scales to create that emotional descending sound? (what I really have in mind off the top of my head is Moonlight Sonata and how it descends in chords but then always returns to a more happy inspiring feeling.)

What about Boogie Woogie Piano?

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Pinetops Boogie Woogie. First 50 seconds intro is in french with 1 english word, but just skip that. This music is great. I'm just a beginner on the Piano, just started like 6 months ago, but my goal is to play this kind of music. I love it.

The left hand in Boogie Woogie is so amazing, really sounds great!

[dylanamus]

Do you know an awesome guitarist? Ones with a different style to you whose vibe you still enjoy. Jam with them. Learn their songs. Learning how to see things from someone else's perspective will give you more creative freedom and you'll develop some new ideas.

The reason why i suggested a guitarist is you don't want another pianist - they'll deflate the perfectionist in you if they're better than you. Unless you're actually patient enough to be inspired. I know I'm not :D

I'm self taught and I found that learning new voicings and/or approaches to playing the same chord differently allowed me to be more creative without necessarily changing the feel of my compositions too much. Generally speaking though, the more you play existing compositions, the more likely you are to start appreciating patterns; such as what chord changes denote particular emotions and how to apply the knowledge you've learnt in theory. Exposing yourself to other creations will allow your musical instinct "map" to expand. That's what you need.

[Shadowgraphs]

As a fellow self-taught piano player, I'd recommend taking a song you like and working out an arrangement for it on solo piano. It's kind of a fun challenge to see which ones work and which ones don't... plus, it'll get you playing in keys and scales you might not use too frequently.

[Rho1334]

I am a self taught guitar player...also taught myself the trumpet and the bass guitar. Am currently working on the violin. Never took a leason just read a book and do it.

[Marius]

I know few people around town that play the guitar but non of them can really freestyle like I like to do on the piano. What I really wanna do is find someone that can play the violin really well and just jam out with them. I've always wanted to do like a duet (and mind yout his is kinda like a fantasy) with a girl that can play the violin really really well and that can freestyle. I think that a violin is a very sexy instrument and a girl owning the shit out of it is just so attractive.... sorry I got off subject. What I ment to say is that i get what your saying about freestyling with other people and pick up on their grove. I actually have a friend that I make music with and if we sit down we can almost always create something new, but sometimes it feels generic.

I guess what I really wanted to know is what your guys creative process is and how you cope with the loss of inspiration because to me its kinda depressing to have something in your head and not be able to put it into sound.

Oh and I kinda want you guys to hear some of the stuff I made... its mostly kinda like trance but is there a way I can post the mp3's on here or some other sight other then myspace?

[Shorgenfunkel]

If you haven't already, learn your theory. Only idiots say it'll kill your creativity. The only way theory kills your creativity is if you let the "rules" govern what you do, otherwise it's merely a vehicle for writing what you want.

What I do when I hit a creative drought with one piece, is I start writing another, usually for different instruments. Maybe you should take up another or a couple other instruments. Even simple ones, like harmonica or Jew's harp, can kick-start your creativity on your main instrument in ways you wouldn't expect.

If I can't think of anything for all pieces, sometimes I take a bit of a hiatus. That almost always works, and I come back with new ideas. The length of the hiatuses varies, but it's usually about a few weeks to a couple months.

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One thing I sometimes do, is I go at music empirically. That's right, using Te. Put down a chord, any chord, and experiment for the next chord, and experiment for the next chord, and experiment for the next, blah dee blah dee blah. It's a last resort, but it works and some of my best stuff has been written that way. The melodies can also be written that way.

[uncon]

A girl owning the shit out of the violin is indeed sexy: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



Well, only if you're already sexy ;)

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Sorry, that really was sexist of me.

I saw an interview with Wacko Jacko and they asked him how he wrote Thriller. He said that he didn't write it. He was a conduit for music that came out of the Universe. The trick is letting it flow through and not blocking it with rationality (or ego).

Now, even if you're less metaphysically inclined you could say that this was indeed true. Great music is unconsciously produced and best when you're not thinking about it. The more you think, the less you know at least when it comes to creativity. That's why you can do pretty good music and not be that smart and vice versa.

Just let it flow out as is and don't analyze it. Worrying can only make it worse b/c these things work themselves out over time. Or they don't, unfortunately. Look at Chinese Democracy. They point is that you can't control it anyway and any attempt can only make it worse. Start having fun and worry about results after you already have some.





uncon added to this post, 5 minutes and 30 seconds later...


uncon your stuff is really cool! Wow.

Thanks. I'm incredibly flatterred b/c of my low self esteem :) Seriously. I'm really just a diva inside but my INTJ-ness prevented me from moving to New York, so now I do IT. Oh well...I probably would've starved anyway. Lives of quiet desperation...

[theunstrungharp]

Here's an idea...

Think of a song that you've heard before that speaks the essence of what you're wanting to convey. Something you have never played before, just a song you like.

Then go to the piano and start either playing a response to it, thinking of it almost conversationally, or just like....try to play it. You probably won't be able to play it right off, but instead of gettign frustrated, just go with it. Make it your own. Like same feel, new notes, and then eventually new rhythms and such.

If this doesn't yank you into cool new territory, you might need to pick up the water trumpet or theremin or something.

[mnmeq]

Though I believe that almost any approach can yield satisfying/aesthetically pleasing results with adequate vision, I would agree that some of the best music is the result of an intuitive/subconscious rather than strict externally methodical process. That's what I've found personally anyway via jamming with other folks and working on my own.

[Deadgod]

I play the piano and I'm self taught. I never took a class on it just sat down one day and started playing and have been playing ever since. Lately I've had a hard time finding inspiration for new material. Basically I sit down when I'm at an emotional high and start playing and then I try to make something of this... kind of like shape my feelings into sound.
I could relate to this. But I could also relate to music theory. Not surprisingly, I know many people who play what they "feel" (they are ISFPs) on the piano that's usually caused by emotional high and/or low. There isn't much substance to their music and lacks feeling in my opinion. I feel their music is nothing but a product of sugar.

Does anyone else here do this and if so how do you create something new when you lose your inspiration? Also for those piano players out there... where are some good places online that I can use to find some advanced techniques/chords/scales to create that emotional descending sound? (what I really have in mind off the top of my head is Moonlight Sonata and how it descends in chords but then always returns to a more happy inspiring feeling.)

It would be too excessive to stress Music Theory. Oops! Already did.

You are in a rut and don't quite know what to do. I've been there. If Theoretical understanding doesn't suffice, then try simple trial-and-error. Combine some black notes and white notes. Also, when it comes to the Moonlight Sonata (and I assume it's the Adagio movement), you are probably thinking of how it starts from that C# minor chord and the phrase ends with E major, and it continues from there. The feeling is Euphoric but it is contained in one section, so it wouldn't technically be considered a third relation (music experts and theorists, please prove me wrong).

Anyway, whether major or minor, Key Signature is important. Intuitively, one can also know where tones tend to resolve or lead to but it also helps to understand these tendency tones for future reference; in case you don't quite know where to go with the music chord-wise.
But music theory is the key. Here's a good start:
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If anything, please message me. I'll be glad to help with anything musical.

[Marius]

Thank you for all the help and sugestions. I've had so much trouble translating the thoughts in my head to music... not like thoughts of home or something concrete like that but the sound thats in my head. Ive also gotten this idea in my head that if maybe I learn a bit more about the technical side of playing the piano the rest would flow out more easily. Its like being bound by ignorance. I've been checking out the link you posted Deadgod and it seems really helpful. its visual and thats how I learn the best. I just gotta get my synth hooked up by my comp so I can start fiddling with the lessons more.

[mnmeq]

Thank you for all the help and sugestions. I've had so much trouble translating the thoughts in my head to music... not like thoughts of home or something concrete like that but the sound thats in my head. Ive also gotten this idea in my head that if maybe I learn a bit more about the technical side of playing the piano the rest would flow out more easily. Its like being bound by ignorance. I've been checking out the link you posted Deadgod and it seems really helpful. its visual and thats how I learn the best. I just gotta get my synth hooked up by my comp so I can start fiddling with the lessons more.

some amazing things come from technique/knowledge that becomes internalized such that it's available without much conscious thought, leaving one free to focus on expression rather than what their fingers are doing for example. that goes for anything, not just music. that's why you hear people sometimes say learn, practice hard and then throw it out.