arrgh , writers block
- Thread starter Pablo333
- Start date
cloy26
d00d
What I do if I have writers block is just walk away... totally completely... unless I have to get the song finished for some kind of deadline ill just put it on the back burner for about a week.
Ill also cut down listening to any kind of music that resembles the genre of the song I'm writing and put on something totally diametrically opposite to it. Like if im writing power metal, Ill cut down on the amount of power metal I listen to and listen to grindcore, classical music and stuff. It can work the other way too I've found but I tend to find that my ideas are way less original if I listen to the genre im writing for during a songwriting period.
Also, fuck about with tones, samples, different styles of music, etc. A lot of time inspiration will hit me just because I've used a particular snare sample or guitar tone or cab sim or bass synth whatever. Same with samples. Try and come up with something on a different instrument and then port it to guitar and vice versa even.
Also try and think outside the box. Try and move away from 4 blocks of a 2 bar riff and stuff. Try and deliberately write in a different time signature or come up with something with an uneven number of bars. Way too many musicians will just hit 4/4 without thinking about it and there are just as many who write in 7/8 just to try and look cool without even putting any kind of effort into establishing a good rockin' groove. Also dont even worry yourself if you think you're crossing genres. Thats the way forward for metal in my opinion rather than all these little cliques that have rules of what a song must contain.
Ill also cut down listening to any kind of music that resembles the genre of the song I'm writing and put on something totally diametrically opposite to it. Like if im writing power metal, Ill cut down on the amount of power metal I listen to and listen to grindcore, classical music and stuff. It can work the other way too I've found but I tend to find that my ideas are way less original if I listen to the genre im writing for during a songwriting period.
Also, fuck about with tones, samples, different styles of music, etc. A lot of time inspiration will hit me just because I've used a particular snare sample or guitar tone or cab sim or bass synth whatever. Same with samples. Try and come up with something on a different instrument and then port it to guitar and vice versa even.
Also try and think outside the box. Try and move away from 4 blocks of a 2 bar riff and stuff. Try and deliberately write in a different time signature or come up with something with an uneven number of bars. Way too many musicians will just hit 4/4 without thinking about it and there are just as many who write in 7/8 just to try and look cool without even putting any kind of effort into establishing a good rockin' groove. Also dont even worry yourself if you think you're crossing genres. Thats the way forward for metal in my opinion rather than all these little cliques that have rules of what a song must contain.
cloy26
d00d
Jind
Grrrr!!! (I'm a bear)
- Mar 7, 2009
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When I have writers block I switch instruments. As I do most of my writing on guitar, if nothing is coming to me i will load up a softsynth and switch to keyboard and see what comes out, or I'll load up a drum kit and see if some sort of rhythmic pattern will spur me on to an idea. Sometimes I will simply go for a walk with my dogs and something will pop into my head (I use the recorder on my cell phone all the time to hum or whistle ideas into - my neighbors probably think I'm the strange guy who sings to his dogs while walking down our road, but it works for me.) Just getting out of the studio environment sometimes does it for me. Also when the music is not flowing I tend to switch to writing lyrics as sometimes thats gets something going.
cloy26
d00d
Ha I assume thats a non-english term. Thanks lolP
nah. reputation. This board doesn't have it unlike many other forums.
Yeah I agree with that, also, your drummer/bassist/2nd guitarist may/may not hate you for this, but writing in something like guitar pro and writing the drum, bass and overdub tracks as you go along will help you discover where you want to take the tune and then you'll just have to work a comprimise on it with who you're playing it with. 
just find a song you dig, look around for shit you don't listen to, jam over it.
Wack off.
Smoke.
Wack off.
Smoke.
reg3n
Señor Miembro
- Jan 13, 2009
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