Ways to stave off Fatigue in our own music

[tea for two]

Some of us perhaps don't feel fatigue working on our own music.

I sure do.

Sraightforward is to stop making music lol.
Else to take breathers.

One reason I stopped making music nearly a decade was because of fatigue in my music.

These days things that seems to be working for me :

*Working on upto 5 pieces at a time. As soon as I feel fatigue on one piece, I switch to another.
*Different arrangements, structures for different pieces. I try not to have too many similar arrangements, structures. There's some pieces without arrangements structures.
*Different sounds. I try not to use same sound twice.
*Different accompaniment harmonies for every piece. This is important to me.
*Different scales. There's some favourite scales I have, I consciously look to move away from them.
*Different drum grooves from different genres.
*Not overusing a riff. This is hard so I like having variations on a riff.
*Something unexpected, not in every piece just in some pieces.
*Stopping over tinkering.
*When a piece, an album, is completed including mastering that's it I won't listen to it except to check the mastering. I won't beat myself up over it.

[Arpangel]

Fatigue in music making is unavoidable for me, especially if I’m expecting something to sound like an idea I have in my head, and it doesn’t match.
That’s why I like leaving things to chance most of the time, I wait until something comes out of nowhere, that I like, rather than constructing it from scratch, it’s a bit lazy, but it works for me, it’s also a very equipment intensive way of working.
I watched 30th Century Man, about Scott Walker, that made me feel like I was complaining about nothing, and my life, musical or otherwise, was a complete bed of roses.
If Brian Eno had produced one of my records, I can rest safely in the knowledge that I wouldn’t have thrown the master tapes in the Thames, that was a big mistake, I would have just buried them in the garden.

[Drew Stephenson]

I find having a day job pretty effective in stopping me getting any fatigue in creating music!
More seriously, but in the same vein, having other pastimes is key for me.

[RichardT]

Yes, I do too!

I often experience that when I’m finalising a track for mastering. Fixing all the faults is very hard work and not particularly satisfying. There’s no way round this for me - but it’s possible to spread the work out over time.

I also experience fatigue when I’m struggling with a difficult piece, especially if I’m outside my comfort zone and I can’t get it to work, or I can’t come up with some new material that I need to fit with what I already have. The best thing here for me is not to force things. If I come up with new ideas, let them be what they want to be and don’t try to shoehorn them into a place they don’t work.

[Folderol]

For me it's not usually a problem, because I don't compose 'to order' but just when the muse strikes. Other times I'll just doodle around on the keyboard.

The big exception was my latest release, (Tribes) and this was when I did plan out a series of tracks to fit a story. For 7-8 years it was stuck with only three of the six tracks done - even though I was occasionally composing other odd material in the meantime.

I think what cleared to logjam was completion of a heavy-going software project, which, in the first place, gave me more free-wheeling time, and secondly the desire to relax into something quite different. Getting back to Tribes suddenly became enjoyable, while still work - sort of.

[awjoe]

YMMV, but for me, as soon as I start to feel either fatigue or pressure with musical projects, I pick up an instrument and play. That gets me into body and feelings, and then all's good again. If I'm too physically tired to play, then sleep's required.

It's one of the reasons I abandoned 12-tune albums with multiple overdubs - it was becoming not fun. I'm okay with 'not fun' if it's episodic. But if it becomes chronic, it's time to read the signs.

[tea for two]

One other thing I've done is listening to music from various parts of the World. Such a breath of fresh air for me.

Most of my life I've listened to Western music.
Most of music I make is Western.
I've only got 4 pieces that sound Non western.
I've started including samples of World instruments into my music.

::

I watched 30th Century Man, about Scott Walker, that made me feel like I was complaining about nothing, and my life, musical or otherwise, was a complete bed of roses.

Yep. I'd say the same. When I see homeless near where I live, when I see families with toddlers in refugee camps, my life been a comparative bed of roses.

Still I would say without the things we see in the world, I don't think I could make some of my music.
Personally it's as if the barbed wires were necessary for some pieces.

::

More seriously, but in the same vein, having other pastimes is key for me.

1000%
It's exploring my interests other than music for a decade that's enabled me to return to making music.

::

Yes, I do too!

I often experience that when I’m finalising a track for mastering. Fixing all the faults is very hard work and not particularly satisfying. There’s no way round this for me - but it’s possible to spread the work out over time.

This is just a pain in the.... for me too.
It's gotta be done yet I put it off as long as I can lol.

The best thing here for me is not to force things. If I come up with new ideas, let them be what they want to be and don’t try to shoehorn them into a place they don’t work.

I can say I was guitly of forcing things, getting scores from library to make something fit into something.
Was quite distressing in a way. Once I left this method, the result were better musically as well as for my well being.

::

I think what cleared to logjam was completion of a heavy-going software project, which, in the first place, gave me more free-wheeling time, and secondly the desire to relax into something quite different. Getting back to Tribes suddenly became enjoyable, while still work - sort of.

Yep I think this is it. For me music making is something to feel energised to make.
Doing something else that's mind numbing or taxing, then returning to music for relief.

It's probably why I can't make music to order, commission, I'd get fatigued very quickly. I just don't have this makeup.

::

It's one of the reasons I abandoned 12-tune albums with multiple overdubs - it was becoming not fun. I'm okay with 'not fun' if it's episodic. But if it becomes chronic, it's time to read the signs.

Chronic. When it stops being engaging meaningful, we've had it. It took me a while to read the signs. When I did, that was it.

[Drew Stephenson]

Revisiting this and building on your last post, I generally try and make sure each 'collection' of music I release, be it an EP or an album, has a distinct style. And I'll try and do something different with the next one. This forces me to push myself a bit more each time and does help to avoid some of the potential ruts.

[EDIT - the previous comment disappeared! Now it looks like I'm talking to myself.]

[tea for two]

Revisiting this and building on your last post, I generally try and make sure each 'collection' of music I release, be it an EP or an album, has a distinct style. And I'll try and do something different with the next one. This forces me to push myself a bit more each time and does help to avoid some of the potential ruts.

[EDIT - the previous comment disappeared! Now it looks like I'm talking to myself.]

Lol i put it back again. Was just editing with replying to comments.

This is something been doing since I returned to making music.
Each album has a theme, with pieces in the album to correspond with the theme. Somehow it's made composition easier.

[Arpangel]

Still I would say without the things we see in the world, I don't think I could make some of my music.
Personally it's as if the barbed wires were necessary for some pieces.

::

The barbed wire is the reason I make music, the music is there for one purpose, to take my mind off of the world, and what it is capable of.

[Drew Stephenson]

Interesting, you make music to keep the world out, I do so to let it in.
We're a funny old species aren't we?

[tea for two]

To the list is added

*Not forcing things. Letting an idea arise naturally. Letting an idea be what it is instead of shoe horning it (from Richard T).

*Returning to making music as relief from whatever taxing, excruciating, mind numbing thing we are having to do (from Folderol).

*Taking a breather from a musical project by just picking up an instrument and playing.
Also if the musical project is chronically not fun any longer, then it's time to look elsewhere musically (from AwJoe).

*Selecting a distinct style for an Ep, Album. Making it different from the next Ep, Album.
Then making music to fit this distinct style (from Blinddrew).

*Having other past time interests to explore (from Blinddrew).

*Listening to music from other genres, other parts of the World. Thereafter including aspects of them into the music we are making.

*Making music to give something to someone whomever this maybe including Animals.
Making music some people could relate to, could mean something to some people.

[awjoe]

Wow, you've applied yourself to this. Okay, set up a Zoom session with each of us and get some backgrounds, some elaboration, some more pithy quotes and you've got a research paper on the way. Maybe get a microcredential! Maybe write an article for SOS!

[tea for two]

Wow, you've applied yourself to this. Okay, set up a Zoom session with each of us and get some backgrounds, some elaboration, some more pithy quotes and you've got a research paper on the way. Maybe get a microcredential! Maybe write an article for SOS!

Oh no that would be quite scary.

A forum thread is as far as I'm comfortable drawing any attention.

But anyone is welcome to do this, add to this.

[awjoe]

Not a serious suggestion. But your list shows the possibility.

[awjoe]

'Neurosis and Human Growth' by Karen Horney is a recent read of mine, and excellent. On p 59-60, there's a bit on fatigue and how unconscious claims along the lines of 'what I want should all just come to me' can mean inertia. She would sometimes suggest to a patient with this attitude that they take on what needed doing as a challenge to their ingenuity, like a game or a puzzle. It didn't get to the root of the patient's attitudinal problem, but it got things done.

[Arpangel]

'Neurosis and Human Growth' by Karen Horney is a recent read of mine, and excellent. On p 59-60, there's a bit on fatigue and how unconscious claims along the lines of 'what I want should all just come to me' can mean inertia. She would sometimes suggest to a patient with this attitude that they take on what needed doing as a challenge to their ingenuity, like a game or a puzzle. It didn't get to the root of the patient's attitudinal problem, but it got things done.

Getting things done, hhhmmm?
I used to collaborate with a guy, he used to infuriate me immensely, he never used to finish "anything" his excuse was it can always be better.
It was a shame, as he was very talented, extremely so, but he had no focus.
We fell out, big time, and I haven’t seen him for about fifteen years.
I hope he went on to do great things, but like a lot of people, no confidence, scared to stick his neck out in case it got chopped off, if we all thought like that, we wouldn’t do anything, criticism just makes me stronger, and builds up my resolve to carry on.

[tea for two]

Another to add to the list is exploring different Feelings in our compositions.

I get that if we make music of a particular style then our tracks will end up expressing a set of similar feelings as Adele, Ludovico Einaudi.

Here is a small list of diverse Feelings we can go through, that we can compose for
https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/view ... hp?t=80476

[Drew Stephenson]

Another to add to the list is exploring different Feelings in our compositions.

Very good suggestion this, I was challenged once to write an 'ugly' song and it was a very interesting experience and allowed me to examine a whole range of feelings and vocabulary that I wouldn't normally touch.

[Arpangel]

I’m almost tempted to record something today, emotion? Yeah, I know what I’ll be doing.

"NOISE"

I need acoustic power today, not electronics, I need to hit something, blow something, drums, percussion, brass, you can’t beat the power of an acoustic instrument, also a guitar through an amp up full, I’ve done this before, with useable results, but I don’t have access to any of these things right now.