Creating Music

[all_sins_undone]

I'm quite positive that you guys make music in your spare time, as most of you are musicians in some way. Well for me I play the guitar. I was wondering what kind of mood you guys get into before creating music? Is there even a mood you have? Or are you just going on with your life when a cool guitar riff pops into your head? The latter applies for me.

On the same note, doesn't making your own music make you appreciate such musical geniuses as Mikael Akerfeldt and Opeth more?

 

[RDreamer]

As for myself, I am the lead singer of my band and the primary songwriter.

The mood I get into depends on what sort of music I am writing. I detest happy songs, so normally I'm in a melancholy or at least an angry mood. This tends to bring out the best in my musical stylings. Often I will come up with a particularly compelling chorus or a wicked riff this way. I have had problems with this recently, as my life is pretty damn terrific, and it's hard to get angry with much of anything anymore. So, I have to really focus on something I don't like.

Music is pretty much what I do with my spare time, so most of the day I have time signatures and riffs going through my head. Mostly it's songs I've heard, but sometimes one comes along that's totally original, and I'll try to remember it. I don't have to be doing anything in particular to come up with these riffs, they're pretty random actually!

But yeah, Mikael's fucking amazing because not only does he write all the lyrics, but all the guitar, bass and drum parts too. I can come up with words and maybe a guitar riff but I'll be bum-fucked if I can write a bassline or a drum fill.

 

[all_sins_undone]

Wow thats pretty similar to myself.

I'll be making a fucking burrito in my kitchen and I'll have time sigs and riffs going through my head, haha I can't stop it.

 

[Kenneth R.]

my ideas come from strong feelings of any nature, which might of course seem obvious. joy, pain, rage, loss... they come to life in my mind and i express them with sound. i'd say my life experiences are a strong influence on my music

 

[Ermz]

I find these days if I want to write I have to actively sit down and play around with ideas.

Not sure about emotions, but I gauge the quality of songwriting based on the emotions it can evoke. I like a lot of grand ambient music, as well as guitar and synth driven industrial. I like music to be a collection of movements, and the greatest feeling of all I think is when there is a big climax towards desolation. Something that makes you feel so full yet empty at the same time.

Having said that, I haven't really sat down in recent times to start writing serously. I keep putting it off, and telling myself I don't have the skill to do it. A better knowledge of theory and how to actually play piano would go a long way for me, but sadly I don't have the time to work on either.

 

[Ganza]

I play the guitar, write lyrics and also sing.

For me inspiration comes anytime, anywhere, and can be evoked by anything.

Usually I write about things that have happened to me or to people I know, but sometimes a melody, an image, or something else will just make me think of something that then translates itself to a song.

Some times though, it's like blimey said. I just sit there eating a fucking sandwitch or walking down the street when a melody pops into my head.

 

[Julian Zembrowski]

I just try to compose something at least once a day, I just sit down, think of melodies then write them down, then I practice for a few hours, come across some riffs while improvising, etc, I compose a little later at night again, when my creativity is recharged. Or anytime I suppose when I think of something. But I need to be in the mood to write anything I find of value.

I write for any instrument basically, and I'm starting my first symphony : ) as well as working on a second album for my bm project.

 

[Misseriah]

I like a lot of grand ambient music, as well as guitar and synth driven industrial. I like music to be a collection of movements, and the greatest feeling of all I think is when there is a big climax towards desolation. Something that makes you feel so full yet empty at the same time.

Blut Aus Nord


Also Blimey, writing music is the same as writing a novel. If you mimic other people's style of writing, then chances are, your music is going to sound the same. Don't listen to anyone's advice on music, because in order for YOU to be satisfied with your music, it has to be 100% from the depths of your own soul, not a cheap mimic of some genre you like.

 

[all_sins_undone]

Blut Aus Nord


Also Blimey, writing music is the same as writing a novel. If you mimic other people's style of writing, then chances are, your music is going to sound the same. Don't listen to anyone's advice on music, because in order for YOU to be satisfied with your music, it has to be 100% from the depths of your own soul, not a cheap mimic of some genre you like.

Of course . Originality is a big factor.

 

[Disgustipated]

I detest happy songs

Bad trait for a musician.

 

[vampyrouss]

Well, I have no musical talent at all, I'm slowly learning, but its never going to be my intention to write songs. For that I have my friend who has been playing keyboard since he was 4. He is a great musician, and is not a fan of metal or extreme music at all.

I get an idea for a song, or a concept that I want to create, and I try not to write lyrics or anything for it. No ideas at all, just get into the concept, perhaps write a short story with all the emotions and ideas I have, and I give that to my friend. He then takes what he can from my ideas, and other ideas I mention and he will write something to go with it.

Now, since I love metal and extreme music in general the way I hear my ideas is completlely different from him, and so the final product is really original. Once we have the song written I will listen to it constantly creating the lyrics. Then if I need him to restructure it a little to accomadate the words better or whatever we will do that.

Sometimes he will just write a song from scratch and I will listen to it and write from what I get from the song, but its usually the other way around.

Its a total partnership, and it really helps us stay fresh as he brings a totally different view on music which I would never even think of using.

Oh yeah, and it really makes me appreciate people who write everything in a band. I could never do that!

 

[FRUGiHOYi]

I just decide hey, I'm gonna write a new song. So I go look/listen to some riffs I have in my riff stash and pick out one of these riffs to be in my song, it doesn't even have to be the first riff in the song. Then I write other riffs to put in the song or maybe pick some more riffs from the stash if they fit.

Or sometimes I just decide I'm gonna write a new song and I write the riff right there on the spot.

Oftentimes, I will just be fucking around on the guitar and I'll come up with something cool... usually I'll just put this in my riff stash, but sometimes I just decide ok, I'm gonna start writing a song around this riff right now.

And yeah, it does make you appreciate Opeth's genius.

 

[xXBraveMurderDay]

I have to be in a good mood to even make the most depressing songs.

 

[JoeVice]

i like to fuck around on the guitar a lot. its day to day...i have found that getting frustrated over not being able to come up with a great riff at any given moment is fucking retarted. lately i have just been jamming, not really writing anything. i do have a bad habbit of being stubborn about what i have in my head. the music in my head is far more advanced than what i can just pick up and play. i would like to devote some serious time to composing some of these ideas...someday...

i have thought of a neat method for complicated composition. i have found that i am able to whistle, or whisper-sing, and beat-box pretty well. i can listen to an arrangment in my head, sing out each voice, and the beats in succession....i would like to record this, then run all of the parts at once. then, i can just figure out how to play it on real instruments.

 

[BrandonS]

I'm quite positive that you guys make music in your spare time, as most of you are musicians in some way. Well for me I play the guitar. I was wondering what kind of mood you guys get into before creating music? Is there even a mood you have? Or are you just going on with your life when a cool guitar riff pops into your head? The latter applies for me.

On the same note, doesn't making your own music make you appreciate such musical geniuses as Mikael Akerfeldt and Opeth more?

I just make music whenever I have time. Most of my good riffs and ideas come to me while I am lying in bed trying to sleep, then I get up and start playing them, and then go back to bed.

Making my own music doesn't make me appreciate Mikael more, but I've been able to fully comprehend Mike's technique and know how formulaic it is.

 

[Braighs]

Sometimes I get in a trance state and stare out my window while playing something very melancholic on the piano - very repetitious because i'm thinking of something else (think Orom). Lately, I have been confused with life, so my music (when I'm actually into it) is avant-garde and confusing (think Vintersorg - Artifacts Of Chaos).

 

[Ermz]

Blut Aus Nord

Yep. Although I'd like to see them expand their industrial side some more. Their more epic tracks are usually repetitive and the ideas I think aren't as developed as they could be. Whilst crude, their stuff is indeed fantastic.

 

[all_sins_undone]

I just make music whenever I have time. Most of my good riffs and ideas come to me while I am lying in bed trying to sleep, then I get up and start playing them, and then go back to bed.

Making my own music doesn't make me appreciate Mikael more, but I've been able to fully comprehend Mike's technique and know how formulaic it is.

Formulaic?

 

[JoeVice]

i just read something about a new blut aus nord album being complete.

 

[intimidatingcrustaceans]

I try to make a point of playing guitar every day. When creating music, sometimes I'll stumble upon something cool while I'm playing and other times I have to actually think of what I want to play (i.e. what riffs will complement each other, what kind of "feel" I'm going for). When writing lyrics I find helpful to have some kind of context, for the words to tell some kind of story. It makes it more interesting to hear and write imo.

I'm totally impressed with Mike's writing. The fact that Mike (Opeth) has put out so many consistently good albums is a testament to his (their) mastery of songwriting.