Finding inspiration

[Kanthos]

I've been around OCRemix for nearly a year and haven't gotten a remix even to the stage that I'd want to post it as a WIP. I know jazz really well, and have a pretty good knowledge of classical, both in terms of performance and theory in those genres. When it comes to other styles, I either lack the skills to play the right instruments (like guitar for rock/folk/other music) or don't really understand the style enough to write anything in a specific genre. When I've tried to do a remix so far, I've either been uninspired or have broke down on the details of making a particular instrument sound realistic, particularly for bass or drums in a jazz setting. The same thing is pretty much true with respect to original music; I either don't like the direction a composition is headed in or I can't make it sound good enough (obviously, that wouldn't be important for jazz if I was writing a leadsheet for the tune to be played live, but since I don't know a band and am not in one at the moment, what's the point in writing something for others to play and having no one look at it?) I'm also limited with regards to sequencing in that I've had tendonitis for the last 10 years so my playing ability is much worse than it used to be in high school because playing too much or too fast aggravates an otherwise dormant injury.

My question for anyone is where do you start? Is there anything I can be doing, whether listening or mini composition exercises or anything, to start getting ideas that will actually work? How do you go from playing other people's music to coming up with your own style? Is it just a creative gift that you either have or don't have? Is it something you can work at?

[suzumebachi]

Is it just a creative gift that you either have or don't have?

That's the one. There are some people who can squeak by, randomly changing around notes in their "arrangement" until something sounds good, but otherwise it's something that pretty much comes naturally. But that's not to say you can't build up some arrangement skill over time. After a while changing around notes randomly, you might begin to grasp on what works and what doesn't. If not, you're screwed.

[Kanthos]

I guess my question is more along the lines of "where do you start?" I have a good ear for reharmonization and altering chords, and could probably put together something that was an enhanced midi rip with some reharmonization, but I doubt that's up to par for OCRemix, and it isn't for my own standards either. I don't have any problem listening to remixes and saying "I'd do this differently", whether it's with respect to harmony, instrumentation or something, but to actually do something on my own...there's probably some kind of mental roadblock that I can't get past at the moment and I'm trying to figure out what it is.

[avaris]

There are usually a couple different ways I start off.

1. I write pretty much the whole song in my head beforehand.

2. I take the midi and just start throwing instruments over it to if I can get a collection of sounds that go really well together. Then the arrangement follows after that.

3. This always yields the quickest results. I simply rewrite the chords to something I believe is better. Then I throw the melody on top of the chords and rewrite the melody to fit the chords and also try to improve on the melody.

4. I know I want to do a song in a specific style, so I start listening to lots of songs in that specific genre to get further ideas on how to really make a good song in that genre.

Nowadays I pretty much do the entire composition first using crappy sounds. If you can make something sound good and interesting like that once you start using better instruments the shite is gonna sound good.

IMO do whatever comes best naturally for you. I'd say rewrite the chords and then work on integrating other parts of the source. Some people sketch out an entire song and then work on adding stuff in. Others work on a section at a time until it's done.

[OverCoat]

My question for anyone is where do you start? Is there anything I can be doing, whether listening or mini composition exercises or anything, to start getting ideas that will actually work? How do you go from playing other people's music to coming up with your own style? Is it just a creative gift that you either have or don't have? Is it something you can work at?

I think at my core, what I do is borrow techniques from others or discover completely new ones on my own when just dicking around. I don't really do exercises, though I bet if I did I'd probably get bored with scales and mess around with them. Maybe having ADD helps. Your own style is something that develops or changes over time. I don't think I've ever actually TRIED being derivative, a lot of my music is still just accidents that happen while experimenting. I don't really go into my sequencer expecting many specific things to pan out.

You said you're big into jazz so I dunno why you can't just pull something out of your ass like I do . Being a perfectionist might be hurting you more than helping, especially when it comes to realism of sampled instruments. Keeping down this path, you'd really only be halfway satisfied after spending lots and lots of money.

The best thing I can tell you to do right now is to join a compo, on IRC or in the forums [nobody reads the "competitions" section, I guess] because there are lot of 1 week or 1 month [or one hour!] compos that will force you to develop speed-writing skills, and how to "critically think" about your music in a short amount of time. That'll force you to abandon any perfectionist qualities and soon you'll just be able to write. Enough compos and you'll make MIDI sound like this without even thinking about it. Of course not many compos are MIDI anymore but lol nario!!!!!!111

[zircon]

Trust me, Kanthos, I have been in a similar situation. Here is what I've found after years of dealing with lack of inspiration and general writer's block.

* There are definitely some people who are naturally inspired. They can hear songs in their head, develop melodies and chords naturally, and can basically write constantly without ever running out of ideas. Their only obstacle is the implementation of their ideas. I for one am not one of these people.

* Worrying too much about implementation (detail, production, realism) is counterproductive. Establish a workspace and set of tools so that you can get right to writing. This may involve tweaking your computer specs or buying a new one altogether, creating templates for your sequencer with sounds pre-loaded, creating synth/effects presets (eg. a "mastering" preset for the master track, orchestral multis for Kontakt) and so forth and so on.

* Along the same lines as the above point, try to limit the tools you are using. It sounds dumb, but if you can just get to know a few tools really well it will make things easier in the long run. You can still HAVE a large library of stuff to choose from, if your "go to" tools don't get the job done, but not having to think about which synth or sample you want to use for a particular passage is helpful.

* Listen to music you don't normally listen to. You like jazz? Go listen to some ethno/new age. Orchestral? Try some country. Buy entire albums from artists you like if you only have their singles. Constantly expose yourself to as much music as possible. If there are songs you particularly like, ANALYZE them. Break down the chords. Figure out why you like them - then try to replicate the effects. Don't worry if it feels like you are just copying someone else's music. Some of my better songs have come out of tracks that were merely copies of another artist's work initially - they just naturally ended up being different.

* Change your work area. If this is not possible, try to vary up your daily routine in any way that you can. I don't know the exact neurological terms to describe the effect, but generally speaking, doing new things (even if they are minor) or doing old things in a new waye (walking home a different route) forces your brain to think slightly differently and expand. This expansion can carry over into other functions, possibly leading to more creativity.

* When it comes to ReMixes, try to take things one step at a time. I find it intimidating to try to conceptualize an entire arrangement all at once. Find a simple part of the source tune and use it as your anchor. Worry about "OCR standards" later. This might be 1/4 of the total chord progression, a simple part of the melody, a rhythmic motif, or a set of harmonies. Personalize this first and take as much time as you need to do it. By breaking down the source tune into bits and pieces it becomes far easier to remix, and your remixes will probably be far more creative in the end.

* You said you are limited in sequencing? BS! You don't need to play in things live. Use the mouse. If you didn't have tendonitis I would say that either method works, but you do, so I'm straight-up telling you that you need to develop your mouse input skills. This may also involve upgrading to a sequencer that has a better piano roll. Learning keyboard/mouse shortcuts and mastering mouse-sequencing will enable you to get your ideas down FAST no matter how complex they are, and regardless of whether you can play them or not.

Just my 2 cents. I once read in an interview with BT, perhaps one of the greatest musicians alive today, that he is no stranger to writer's block. He said his solution is simply to WRITE MUSIC. He said you shouldn't care if it sounds crappy or cliched. Eventually something good will come, you just have to keep writing. He also noted that if less than 50% of what you end up with makes you want to throw up, you are doing better than he is! Worth noting also is that BT is extremely prolific with his work, so reading this surprised me.

[Blake]

BT is awesome. I'm extremely happy I got this laptop. Now I can compose downstairs, in the kitchen, under a tree in my backyard, or whatever instead of my tiny and stuffed room. Changing your surroundings really does help, not necessarily in giving ideas but clearing your mind a bit and helping you focus.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I have no fucking clue where my ispiration comes from. The ideas just come to me. Or don't come to me.

I'm utterly unhelpful, aren't I?

[Kanthos]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. Sometimes a little encouragement makes a big difference

You said you're big into jazz so I dunno why you can't just pull something out of your ass like I do .

Because for me, jazz is all about performance. Sure, you can be a jazz composer or arranger, but the true life of a jazz piece is in its performance. My problem with jazz is that I can produce way better stuff in my head than I can actually play, especially if it's a big band or combo chart with horns (I only have an alto sax, and don't know any decent players for other horns, having lived in Toronto for only a few months, and Garritan jazz and big band sounds like crap for horns if you want something realistic; I wasn't impressed with their demo tracks and wouldn't spend money on it). I have a piano trio arrangement of the Black Omen from Chrono Trigger worked out. If I can get it where I want it musically and not screw up the production, it should be OCR-worthy. I just have to spend hours trying to play it out and hope I don't aggravate my arms in the process.

You said you are limited in sequencing? BS! You don't need to play in things live. Use the mouse. If you didn't have tendonitis I would say that either method works, but you do, so I'm straight-up telling you that you need to develop your mouse input skills. This may also involve upgrading to a sequencer that has a better piano roll. Learning keyboard/mouse shortcuts and mastering mouse-sequencing will enable you to get your ideas down FAST no matter how complex they are, and regardless of whether you can play them or not.

Again, with any style other than jazz, using the mouse and keyboard wouldn't be a big deal. I just know that I can capture the nuances of jazz piano at least much more easily on a piano keyboard than with a mouse and computer keyboard, and from what I've seen of FL Studio's piano roll, notating swing rhythms and triplets isn't that easy if you want it to sound authentic. I can handle playing a piano most of the time; slow pieces don't bother me and fast ones are fine if I don't stay at fast speeds for too long (although the lack of dexterity I have from not playing regularly over the past 10 years makes a difference).

I'll definitely try some of the things you suggest about workspace and tools. I don't really have the option for a different workspace at the moment; we're saving for a house and my wife needs her laptop replaced soon (it crashes fairly often when viewing movies, which is the main thing she uses it for), and it won't go over well if I get a new laptop in addition to my current desktop before she gets a new laptop.

I don't have that much time at home during the week, since I work full-time and spend 2 hours commuting on top of that, so I find it easier to try and compose in my head than on an instrument. I probably just have to force myself to work at the keyboard more rather than trying to do things in my head or writing down notes at work (I finished my Black Omen mix idea in my head during a meeting yesterday and wrote down a description of each section along with the chord progression when I got back to my desk).

As for different styles of music, while the majority of music I own or have downloaded is jazz, classical, and video game music, I also have some music from other genres. I've heard enough rap and hip hop to know I'm really not into that, but my knowledge of electronic music and ethnic/world music is almost non-existent, so I'd appreciate any recommendations from those of you who know the genres better. I did discover Jaga Jazzist from Last.FM and bought two of their albums on iTunes this week, so I'm trying to diversify, but since most of my real-life friends have music interests limited to classical and the mainstream 3-chord rock you hear on the radio, they're not much help

[Villainelle]

Digitally Imported Internet Radio is a great place to listen to EDM (electronic dance music) in general.

It's hard to give blanket recommendations for electronic music...if someone asked you "What's some good guitar music?" you'd have everything from country to prog to death metal to jazz etc. to choose from.

If you find some specific electronic music genres you're interested in, we can offer specific suggestions for further listening. Wikipedia also has pretty good definitions of all the various electronic subgenres, so don't be afraid to search for terms that are unfamiliar.