I find my self stuck in a loop

[Jakos]

Hi everyone.

As the title says I found myself in loop when I'm trying to do a remix or even a original song.

The loops start since the begining : I choose one song and then I do the main melody in piano, and next the harmony. What happens in this moment is that I get sick of my own work, it doesn't sound good to me, maybe is because I listen to it over and over and over and over again trying different instrumentation, pads or ideas. In that moment I just have to close everything and sometimes (most of the time) I don't even save my work because I hate it.

Then time to choose another song, another song that probably I will hate.

What I'm asking here is if I'm the only one who suffers this or it's normal? and how can I overcome it?

[timaeus222]

It's pretty normal. It doesn't happen to me anymore, but it used to. Now I just imagine it first and if it sounds good before I write it, then I write it out.

I think you should save what you write, even if you think you hate it. You might like it the next day under a new light. Really though, if you seem to not like it, I think it's a combination of your instrument choice and the notes you write; I often see people writing notes that aren't suitable for the instrument they're writing for. So, maybe study more on the instruments you're writing for.

You might also want to try writing the chords first for a change, to see what happens.

Edited April 21, 2015 by timaeus222

[Nase]

write originals imo. you seem stuck in a loop because you can't let your originality flow into the things you start. i think i know the feeling, i get it when i write some basic 4 to the floor shit for shits. like, i put all the notes in the right place and then look at the pile of turd i created in 5 minutes. this is writing from memory. creative outlet requires another mode of thought.

seriously, write originals. it's not gonna rid you of the problem (i just read you get it with originals too, like me), but it's easier. you know from the start that you're doing something new.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Nase

[Eino Keskitalo]

For me it often happens that even if I'm sick of it when writing it, it might sound passable, or at least inspiring at a later time. I try to save everything I make (and with sensible file names, too).

[Jorito]

What works well for me is having a pretty good sense of what I want before I even start (couldn't make that out from your description, so I thought it's worth pointing out). Basically what timaeus says with "Now I just imagine it first and if it sounds good before I write it, then I write it out."

For me that means at the very first that I need a source track that inspires me. That might go through quite a bunch of tracks before inspiration strikes. Bt when it does I already have a pretty good idea of what style I want to use and (partly because of the style I imagine) a global idea of the song structure, instruments and whatnot. Most of the process after that flows quite naturally and I can end up in this creative and inspired cycle quite easily.

But yeah, picking a source (or idea or style) that inspires me is key. It seems to me that you are missing this. It should be fun, not a chore

[AngelCityOutlaw]

I used to get this all the time and for me the solution is this:

Get away from the computer if at all possible. Swear to god half the time when I have a DAW open I spend more time listening to what I've created than actually creating. Every once in a while I find it's best to write music with just a guitar or piano and some sheet music or the recorder on my phone. You don't even have to do the entire song this way if you don't want too, but it gives you some ideas you can put into the DAW later.

[Nase]

I used to get this all the time and for me the solution is this:

Get away from the computer if at all possible. Swear to god half the time when I have a DAW open I spend more time listening to what I've created than actually creating. Every once in a while I find it's best to write music with just a guitar or piano and some sheet music or the recorder on my phone. You don't even have to do the entire song this way if you don't want too, but it gives you some ideas you can put into the DAW later.

yeah this is important. i remember so many times where i was whistling tunes on my way home, and then i open the sequencer and it's gone.

computer studio work can get stale. taking a break may be advisory.

[Jakos]

Oh, it seems that its normal after all.

Probably I should stay away from the DAW until I have the full idea (or part of it) on my head and save more often my works even if I don't like them that day. Also study more about the instruments that I'm about to use and try to do more creative stuff than doing remixes when I'm overloaded.

Thanks everyone for the tips and answers.

[Nase]

Oh, it seems that its normal after all.

Probably I should stay away from the DAW until I have the full idea (or part of it) on my head and save more often my works even if I don't like them that day. Also study more about the instruments that I'm about to use and try to do more creative stuff than doing remixes when I'm overloaded.

i think the last point applies most to you, honestly. i might be wrong though.

having a picture of what you're going to compose...i don't think that's important for everyone. it simply works well for some.

same with saving frantically. i did that for a while and then i discovered i'm spending too much time browsing through a million little bits and fretting over which ones i should delete. it can get too much. these days, i save whenever i got something that's atleast interesting, in some way. not finished or elaborate or anything, but somehow interesting.

the main thing here is, i think, that you're stuck in a more craft related part of the work.

remixing can be extremely creative, but there's this extra part of craft because you're aiming to work with something that's already there, and as such you gotta understand its components. i think branching off from a structure you didn't make yourself is harder sometimes. that's why i said i sometimes "put in all the right notes", and it ends up formulaic and boring. with remixes, getting the notes of the original right is the "from memory" part.

[webcider]

Something that helps me is to actually say, okay this piece what kind of feeling would i like to experience, then go do it in real world while start humming some random melody feel if its appropriate and so on...

I worked this way making world map themes or towns, In the way that if i walk while thinking on the subject i can relate to the feeling of traversal better than being in a studio...

smartphone works good to get the Melodies down while it looks odd singing on a public street i don't care i need the inspiration recorded when its there

Edited April 22, 2015 by webcider

[timaeus222]

I used to get this all the time and for me the solution is this:

Get away from the computer if at all possible. Swear to god half the time when I have a DAW open I spend more time listening to what I've created than actually creating. Every once in a while I find it's best to write music with just a guitar or piano and some sheet music or the recorder on my phone. You don't even have to do the entire song this way if you don't want too, but it gives you some ideas you can put into the DAW later.

To be honest, I think you have a good point here... on a case-by-case basis.

In my case, I tried it once sometime last year, writing a motif into noteflight.com, and I ended up expanding it as I worked on it more in the DAW itself. It's not done yet, but it's going to be on an album for sure!

https://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/3829339a06f1f5fefe6c1978a5ac8a4dd86e0894

(I think I wrote this in like an hour before a class, too; thought of it the night before as I was walking to the car)

So I would definitely recommend you try that if it suits you.

---

But you don't HAVE to stay away from the DAW until you write. Sometimes I just sit down and write something because I find an inspiring sound. Whatever works for you.

Edited April 22, 2015 by timaeus222

[Jakos]

remixing can be extremely creative, but there's this extra part of craft because you're aiming to work with something that's already there, and as such you gotta understand its components. i think branching off from a structure you didn't make yourself is harder sometimes. that's why i said i sometimes "put in all the right notes", and it ends up formulaic and boring. with remixes, getting the notes of the original right is the "from memory" part.

Probably you're right, it makes sense what you said about working with something I didn't create, but I have the mindset that if something is harder it makes you learn more and better (and also getting overloaded faster...) Working in something original could relief some of this boredom. (Which doesn't mean I don't like working on remixes, I love it even if I didn't submit anything to OCR yet, but I just can't get pass through some points)

In my case, I tried it once sometime last year, writing a motif into noteflight.com, and I ended up expanding it as I worked on it more in the DAW itself. It's not done yet, but it's going to be on an album for sure!

https://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/3829339a06f1f5fefe6c1978a5ac8a4dd86e0894

(I think I wrote this in like an hour before a class, too; thought of it the night before as I was walking to the car)

So I would definitely recommend you try that if it suits you.

---

But you don't HAVE to stay away from the DAW until you write. Sometimes I just sit down and write something because I find an inspiring sound. Whatever works for you.

Thank you about that, I probably can use it in a tablet or laptop and could be a way to stay away from my computer/DAW as Chris said while I compose. My problem right now is my knowledge about music notation is not the best and I'm still learning about it, most of my knowledge comes from self-taught (In the conservatory what they're teaching me I already know it, I just need speed reading) but thank you Tim

[Nase]

To be honest, I think you have a good point here... on a case-by-case basis.

yup, it's a lot of case-by-case stuff.

it just sounds like a case that's familiar to me, that's why i feel safe in expressing my thoughts.

we're mainly trying to build a pool of several work related neuroses and then determine what fits best

everyone's a doctor. lol

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSISSSSSSSSS

Edited April 23, 2015 by Nase