Inspiration and Music Composition

[Sam Spoons]

Definitely most of my downfall when starting projects off is a lack of confidence in my own ideas and therefore I should just try to make the effort to not be afraid of making stuff that's sub-par in the short term. Trouble is a lot of my spare time -like a lot of people- is spent listening to music that I admire and anything I create comes across as being nowhere near as good (in my mind) and that stops the flow.

I'm not really a composer/writer* but a guitar player. I always used to listen to other local guitar players and think they were much better than me (and, TBF, many were). What turned my confidence around was when, one day, another local guitar player expressed the same sentiment about my playing. I realised then that I was better at what I do than him and he was better at what he did than me, he admired my playing for exactly the same reasons I admired his. Put another way, the fact that you do it makes it 'ordinary' 'cos you do it every day, what others do, however familiar to you, is automatically 'different'.

* I have composed the odd thing but my focus has always been on playing.

[ManFromGlass]

So true, Sam. I consider myself a terrible guitar player and yet I have a few moves I do well. I even performed in public last year for 3 nights which was a very brave thing for me, well it scared the sht out of me but I got through it.
And this ties in to the OPs insecurity. I finally said the hell with it, I’m going to do this thing for me, in spite of my insecurities. I don’t need other people’s approval. And I won’t die if I muff a few notes, which I did do.

[Folderol]

A piece of advice I was given by my piano teacher in 19{mmfty}{mmmf} when I fluffed a test.
"Never stop playing. Always play though your mistakes. Most times the audience won't even notice, and you'll gain respect from those that do."

[MOF]

Another thing I might try again is writing music to video. When I dabbled with it in university I found it so much easier to have a finite block of time to fill rather than the infinite possibilities of a blank screen. The material on screen also got the ideas/emotions flowing a lot more too, Maybe I could compose the music then remove the video.

What type of music do you want to compose, is it the catchy melody/theme tune or supportive mood music for a film?
If it’s the former, then removing the video will leave you with something that generally doesn’t cut it, since mood enhancement rarely uses the catchy bits. I hear examples of this on Classic FM where they’ll play ‘the battle scene’ from a film and personally it doesn’t work for me.
I saw a BBC 4 programme about film music and one composer said he actively avoids using recognisable themes because it distracts the viewer.

whenever I stop trying to make music for a short while I always feel drawn to go back to it eventually, that magnetism of being drawn into composition

I would say concentrate on getting melodies down, I use the sound recorder utility on my iPhone, I sing and click my fingers for a basic rhythm and then transfer the best ones into Logic Audio to work on.
I also use Garage band on the phone to work up more involved basic tracks and then put those into Logic to finesse. The Alchemy sounds and automatic Drummer styles get you quickly to what sounds like a finished track.
The other method is sitting down with Logic and a decent keyboard in my studio. The latter method is fairly rare these days as I tend to play the same old riffs and chord sequences.

[The Bunk]

Possibly a controversial idea here but why not try a bit of plagiarism?
I would by no means think of myself as a composer, and TBH that's not really what I want to be. But I would like to be able to at least have a go at it. The trouble is...give me a blank sheet of paper from which to start something and it will stay blank.
However if I try and create something very much based on a particular chord progression (ideally a not particularly obvious one), melody or "style" that I have basically lifted from someone/something, what few creative juices I have start to flow. And you can actually be quite subtle about it once you add your own ideas to things. Or you can be bleeding obvious about it and somehow get away with it if your name is Gallagher.

[The Red Bladder]

I don't write music. But I have spent a lifetime watching people who do write music - and they ALL have one thing in common. They all had something to say.

Story -

I was working backstage (well, back lawn, as it was an open-air) and the star was holding court with a few of his musicians and others. We were sitting on the grass, drinking beer and he had a guitar in his hands and talking about music in general.

He was one of 'those' people who just produce massive volumes of successful work, both for himself and for countless others. 23 LPs, 11 number-ones, 19 top-10s, seven film scores, 14 prizes and five books - so no doubting his creative talents!

Someone asked him how he gets his ideas for songs and tunes and he said: "Something must be burning before there can be any light."

He went on to tell us that if you have nothing to say, nobody will want to hear you saying nothing! That, he told us, is the foundation upon which all art must be built. Yes, a jobbing composer-arranger can bang out a pretty tune using known patterns and progressions, but that he said is not art. It is only art when it is saying something - something that you think is important.

That burning need to tell the world something is the foundation upon which art can be built.

[Marcus D]

This is a very interesting subject and there are lots of relevant information in the replies above.

I’d like to share my own experience and recommendations as I was previously in the same situation as the threadstarter.

1. Focus on melody
I used to focus on chord progressions before, trying to find elaborate chords and building around these. This led me to nice grooves but usually not much further.
What I am doing now after having done some online courses in songwriting is to focus on melody. I start as before with a chord progression but directly after, I focus on the melody.
I also try to create several melodies to the same chord progression in order to identify the strongest ones. A great example of this is Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of you”. Throughout the song he uses the same chord progression but he has different melodies for the verse, pre-chorus and chorus. Try this as a challenge to yourself - Use a simple four bar chord progression and work on different melodies according to your preferred song structure.

2. Finish the song
It is more important to finish a song than to make it “perfect”. Most successful songwriters are very productive. The more you write, the more you will get better at it. Even though you are not always finding the “holy grail”, finish it.

3. Build on creative ideas
I have listened to numerous famous songwriters and how they develop songs. There is one thing in common - they all use different approaches! Therefore, there is no “right” way, you have to discover what works for you.
Many of them however start with a conceptual idea or a title. Based on this, they usually ask themselves “What does this title MEAN?”. Then they take it from there, mostly starting with the chorus or the hook and work their way “backwards” to the verse, bridge etc.

4. Explore new music categories
Choose a new category of music which is not usually part of your songwriting style.
I for example decided to work on a blues song which was something I hadn’t done before. I tried to learn how the blues scale works, looked at common chord progressions and listened to blues classics and instrumentation. After a couple of days I had a finished blues song which I was very pleased with. This experience brought me new ideas for other song categories as well and helped me as a songwriter.

5. Find a professional who can give you tailor-made advice
This is probably what can really make a huge difference in your songwriting.
I had the opportunity of working with professional people who gave me very specific advice and made me progress immensely. There are numerous professionals offering this type of service and if you are serious in your ambitions, it can be worth the investment.

Good luck!

[zekeyheathy]

Awesome stuff Marcus! Thanks very much for giving to time to lend such thoughtful advice. Will investigate further

[Siruiz]

You could also try the opposite: not looking for inspiration, but knowing firmly everything you need is already inside your self. Trusting this to the core. You just have to make It appear, and the moment of appearing is always the now. Is It valuable? Well, extracting value of things is a diverse discipline, not the same as making things appear.

[Arpangel]

Inspiration and composition only come into play if you’re actually "creating" something based on your own personal experiences, if you have something to say.
If you are involved in any other type of musical activity you don’t need inspiration, and you’re not actually composing anything, you’re just doing it parrot fashion, and you can do that anytime, it’s like a nine to five job.

[John Egan]

Inspiration and composition only come into play if you’re actually "creating" something based on your own personal experiences, if you have something to say.
If you are involved in any other type of musical activity you don’t need inspiration, and you’re not actually composing anything, you’re just doing it parrot fashion, and you can do that anytime, it’s like a nine to five job.

That's pretty harsh and seems to rule out most of the work of the creators of the Great American Songbook. And a lot of the output of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, etc.Regards, John
l

[Martin Walker]

I agree with John on this one, especially since I spent six years writing game soundtracks on commission.

Yes, you have to have a different discipline to create a minute or so of music a day (my typical goal for that time), but it still involves inspiration. The only difference to my mind over writing music for yourself is that working to commission you have to force yourself to move ever forward because you're aiming for a deadline, whereas with your own music you can let ideas come in their own time (or not as the case may be).

Martin

[Arpangel]

Inspiration and composition only come into play if you’re actually "creating" something based on your own personal experiences, if you have something to say.
If you are involved in any other type of musical activity you don’t need inspiration, and you’re not actually composing anything, you’re just doing it parrot fashion, and you can do that anytime, it’s like a nine to five job.

That's pretty harsh and seems to rule out most of the work of the creators of the Great American Songbook. And a lot of the output of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, etc.Regards, John
l

Yes, it was a bit harsh, on reflection, maybe a bad choice of words on my part.
Don’t know why it should rule out the output of those you mention though?

[John Egan]

Inspiration and composition only come into play if you’re actually "creating" something based on your own personal experiences, if you have something to say.
If you are involved in any other type of musical activity you don’t need inspiration, and you’re not actually composing anything, you’re just doing it parrot fashion, and you can do that anytime, it’s like a nine to five job.

That's pretty harsh and seems to rule out most of the work of the creators of the Great American Songbook. And a lot of the output of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, etc.Regards, John
l

Yes, it was a bit harsh, on reflection, maybe a bad choice of words on my part.
Don’t know why it should rule out the output of those you mention though?

I think that many great songwriters are shrewd readers and observers of the world around them with a good eye for a story line . They often show their personalities/beliefs in their writing and they certainly demonstrate empathy in bucketloads but don't necessarily write from experience.
Just as as an example, Rodgers and Hammerstein were New York based Jewish musicians and I'm not sure how much their backgrounds and experience could have helped them with Oklahoma, Carousel or indeed The King and I. Plenty of Bob Dylan's work draws on his reading and musical influences, rather than direct experience.
I do agree, however that who you are undoubtedly has an influence on your writing and certainly on the perspective you bring to the table.
Regards, John

[Arpangel]

I think that many great songwriters are shrewd readers and observers of the world around them with a good eye for a story line . They often show their personalities/beliefs in their writing and they certainly demonstrate empathy in bucketloads but don't necessarily write from experience.
Just as as an example, Rodgers and Hammerstein were New York based Jewish musicians and I'm not sure how much their backgrounds and experience could have helped them with Oklahoma, Carousel or indeed The King and I. Plenty of Bob Dylan's work draws on his reading and musical influences, rather than direct experience.
I do agree, however that who you are undoubtedly has an influence on your writing and certainly on the perspective you bring to the table.
Regards, John

All true, I heard Stevie Wonder make some interesting comments on this subject, they weren’t a million miles away from what I said, and he was very firm about it, you can hear the interview here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIXU5ExruI0

[MOF]

Do you ever find yourself singing one of your own songs? If so, that’s a sign that you’re a composer and in theory that those songs are catchy.

[John Egan]

Do you ever find yourself singing one of your own songs? If so, that’s a sign that you’re a composer and in theory that those songs are catchy.

If only that were true!
Regards, John

[Arpangel]

Do you ever find yourself singing one of your own songs? If so, that’s a sign that you’re a composer and in theory that those songs are catchy.

I often hear a piece at a friends house, either by me, or by me and him, and I say, who’s that? that’s interesting, then he says, it’s us! So I must be doing something right.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

This is a really great book on creativity in any art-form, and I've found it hugely helpful:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Fear-Obser ... 714&sr=8-1

I think "focus on melody" is an attempt to solve a common problem by doing the exact opposite, which then creates more problems. In popular composition there's often an over-emphasis on chords. Block chords. This is probably because the guitar facilitates that. Previously we would have worked with harmony, but in the form of counter-point, which is rooted in singing and therefore melody.

There's plenty of good stuff out there with little or no "melody". Writing melodies has been done very well for hundreds of years, it's gonna be hard to be original or better previous art. So don't even try to be original or better! As has been pointed out- imitation is valid.

So I think better advice would be- don't get too hung up on chords, but don't get hung up on melody either. Quite literally, don't get hung up on ANYTHING. Because anything can be the germ of an idea.

What type of music do you want to compose, is it the catchy melody/theme tune or supportive mood music for a film?

In direct opposition to this idea: Brian Eno's "Music for Films" and "Music for Airports" and all of the subsequent ambient music genre. You probably don't like it, but people make careers out of that kind of music.

Writing for a non-existent film is a perfectly good catalyst for composition.

That burning need to tell the world something is the foundation upon which art can be built.

I genuinely think you make a good point, and I'm not trying to knock it, but there is a caveat. It's A foundation. Not THE foundation. I think creative concepts in painting and sculpture are much further ahead than most music in this regard. Anything presented as art IS art, a concept first proposed (successfully) by Marcel Duchamp with his urinal in 1917. Frank Zappa was of the same "frame" of mind and he was among the most productive composers ever. So it's not gonna be pop, but it can be a successful approach. There doesn't need to be any message or ideal implied. That's the classical concept.

[Arpangel]

I’m not interested in what other people have to say in their music, or their experiences, music I like reminds me of my experiences and that’s why I like it, I always see something that I can adapt to fit my own life, that’s the secret of good writing, making it flexible enough to apply to a lot of different scenarios.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

I’m not interested in what other people have to say in their music, or their experiences, music I like reminds me of my experiences and that’s why I like it, I always see something that I can adapt to fit my own life, that’s the secret of good writing, making it flexible enough to apply to a lot of different scenarios.

I agree. Music goes beyond regular communication, it's on another level. It is its own message. Consciously trying to put a message or a meaning in is a great way to create writer's block. But if you're writing pop songs, or musicals, or operas, then yes go for it if that is where your skill/ love is.

[Drew Stephenson]

Chap I know really likes instrumental music, "It doesn't tell you what to think."
This has made me think about the stuff I write - muting the vocals can be very revealing of when I really haven't made the whole composition/arrangement work as hard as it could.

[MOF]

Chap I know really likes instrumental music, "It doesn't tell you what to think."
This has made me think about the stuff I write - muting the vocals can be very revealing of when I really haven't made the whole composition/arrangement work as hard as it could.

Do you put in the vocal line as an instrumental top line or do you just listen to the track without vocals?

[Arpangel]

Chap I know really likes instrumental music, "It doesn't tell you what to think."
This has made me think about the stuff I write - muting the vocals can be very revealing of when I really haven't made the whole composition/arrangement work as hard as it could.

Music is like radio, it encourages me to use my imagination more, and create my own worlds, unlike television.
I was listening to Sibelius Karelia Suite at 6am this morning, I saw marching armies, and oppressive 1984 style bureaucracy. Really depressing.

[IAA]

I was listening to Sibelius Karelia Suite at 6am this morning, I saw marching armies, and oppressive 1984 style bureaucracy. Really depressing.

.....which is not what motivated the composer, I hear uplifting and fervent belief, but that’s the nature of art, we rarely all share the same reaction.