I hate creative blocks, but I don’t really believe in ‘Writer’s Block’, especially because it feels like an ‘excuse to avoid work’. There are a LOT of things you could do instead, and here are some thoughts on that:
4 THOUGHTS FROM ME
1. To avoid Writer’s blocks, you have to keep your composition in shape as any other muscle in your body. Don’t fall into the trap of only trying to compose new melodies when you’ve just finished the song you’ve been working on because this will leave your ‘develop ongoing songs’ muscle in shape, but not your ‘composing new melodies’ muscle. Sit every week to only compose new ideas (two or three weekly, ideally), but only compose. By the time you have something interesting, move to the next one. The practice is the composition, not the development.
2. Go study/do something else. Composition is not sharp? Go study sound design and you might come up with a new idea from a new patch you’ve made. Or maybe you can just organize your sample library, and this could make you bump into a loop that triggers a creative idea (My song ‘INCA’ started like that)… There is plenty of stuff to be done, and often forcing your composition to happen may leave you frustrated. Try it every day, but don’t force it, and it will normally come back to you since repetition will lead you to better melodies every day you practice.
3. Imitate someone else. Humans are imperfect mirrors and even if we try to copy something, we always put our spin on our craft, making it more our own. In addition, the goal is not only to get you to work, but to get you moving again by producing something. Creativity and momentum go side by side, and freaking out about not being creative will only enhance your creative block. The more you create, even if it’s garbage or if you copy someone, the quicker you’ll get over your creative rut. It’s not a phase, it’s just a lack of practice.
You can also read this post in which I mention 20 techniques to come up with new ideas for your next track.
1 QUESTION FOR YOU
1. Have you ever felt like you were out of ideas on how to create new melodies? How do you normally get out of this rut (also know as Writer’s block)? Here are a few things to try out:
a. Reverse a song you like. Pick the song and reverse it and listen to the break (or any ‘mainly melodic’ part). Reversing a good song may be a trigger for a good new melody;
b. Listen to other genres and think about how you could implement elements from that genre into your main genre. Possibly, you can come up with your own sound like this. I often listen to Liquid Drum ‘n’ Bass to come up with new melodies, for example;
c. Pick an acapella you really like and create a melody on top of that vocal. After you find your melody, take the vocal out and you have a new original song to work with.
