How do original music? ¯\(°_o)/¯

[Methadrenal]

What everyone else said, forget about thinking about it.

Wait until you have some kind of emotional event that inspires you to write a song, it will usually then just come to you without needing to be constructed. Whereas if you try and think something up it sounds forced because you don't really have anything to work with to create a song around.

 

[lordtech]

ive been writing songs for the past 12 years and all i can hear is tht all my songs were influence by bands tht i have been listening to. The outcome doesnt sound original. Its just up till now tht i have find a way to create tht 'originality' in my music. Im always bz wif school work and with my family. Whenever im free to pick up my guitars, thts the time inspiration comes. I cant really sit down and hear other bands music all the time to get ideas. My way is to get bz wif other shits for a few days without playing any instruments... thts just my recent way of getting sumthing new and fresh musical ideas.

 

[El_Gato]

My best compositions (maybe not original) came when broke up with girls:Smug: maybe sounds typical but true as emotional factor is essential in songwriting or any creative process.

And, as someone once said: Inspiration suddenly comes, but it gotta find you on work. Don´t know the exact translation...

That makes me wonder how many "one-single" bands have been... Only knew and recognized for one song. Well, that´s more than the majority will reach.

One method I found useful to me is that the next song must be better than the last. Just to force you not to say to yourself "well its good enough" just to fill tracks.

 

[Dom Ostarig]

Nebulous.... this problem is inside you.....because the most people could see something special in your music.... but the problem is that you REALLY KNOW where your music comes from... then you be able to see how deepless it could be and how randomic it was beeing.... i'm 100% sure of that.

 

[stargazer7]

Best advice I ever received as far as music theory goes is to learn as much as you possibly can - then forget all of it.

+1

Thats essentially what I did. Now ideas come to me in a very natural and subconcious way. I never have to "think" about the theory. Its already ingrained in my subconcious. I can just let inspiration take me where I need to go. If I hit any roadblocks, my knowlege of theory quickly gets applied by second nature, and I keep on truckin' ;-)

 

[Chryst Krispies]

Irrespective of what others may have said before:

Maybe you are one of the people who just "don't have it"? 90% of all musicians never write anything remotely unique and many never even write at all. If you struggle so much, maybe you are just not made to be a songwriter. There's nothing wrong with that and it's actually liberating to know/accept it.

I don't want to sound discouraging, but I don't have the ability to understand tax law. Others may not have the ability to write music. It's normal.

Maybe you are just too critical of your own stuff and give up too easily. Maybe you just need to force it. If you got an idea, stick with it and finish that goddamn song, no matter how much you think it's a rip-off. Then play it to other people. Maybe you are just over-criticizing yourself and others think it's the awesomest shit ever. Maybe you don't write anything unique because your "unique" attempts are just crap and the "not-so-unique" ideas are actually listenable songs (cause they are not as "far out" or "weird")? Also: If you don't finish anything, you won't find out.

I have been writing songs for 20 years, most of which are ANYTHING but "unique" or "original". Some are just straight rips. Over these 20 years I think I averaged about 50 songs per year (do the math, that is 1000 songs in my lifetime so far!). Some of them I never record. Some I just sing into my iPhone and never listen to them again. My phone, harddrive and even old 4-track tapes are full of riffs, beats, ideas that are called "rock idea 15". Some of them are utter shit. About 20-30 get fully produced every year and 10-20 get officially released. That's only 20% of the songs I finish writing. And I am not even counting the 4-bar ideas here, just the fully written songs.

Music is 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration, but most musicians think it's all "play" and some "divine gift" which is frankly bullshit. I recommend buying books on pop-songwriting. They teach you a lot that can be used for any other style too.

Hope this doesn't come across as harsh/condescending, because it isn't meant to be. It's just very difficult for me to phrase it differently

Really glad to hear I'm not the only one with ASSSSLOOOADDDDSSSS of "Blasting Song 15-1," and "Pour Some Shuggah 07" on my harddrive.

I wanna say also, I don't think you should discount ripoffs. Most of the grreat songs were "borrowed" or as my little brother likes to put it, "inspired by."

I mean originality is key, but being one of those pricks that is always saying "THAT'S TOO STOCK MAN.." Is goijng to get you nowhere.

Just gotta cock out with yer rock out.

 

[-J-]

Force yourself to write a tune with no stringed instruments at all, just noises, percussion, keyboard, vocals, whatnot. I think it's a study I'll do myself soon.

 

[Skinny Viking]

There's only 1 solution having 4 simple steps. Anything else won't do, sadly.

1. Arm yourself with as much as music theory as possible. Overload your brain with it. You may also consider doing those online courses in music theory that Berklee offers - http://www.berkleemusic.com

2. After you've humbly done the no.1, put it to use, and yes, use your imagination.

3. Never be fickle-minded. Be dedicated to what YOU want.

4. Smoke lots and lots of weed. It helps you concentrate, opens up your perspective, and get creative.

+1 to #3

I have to strongly disagree with the other points mentioned. I play in the same style you mention (power/prog - something like that) I know almost NO music theory, everything I do and have ever done for the most part has just been by ear. Don't get me wrong, I know the basics but theory should be used as a tool not a crutch. I also don't smoke pot, haven't since the 4 or so times I did basically in high school. I'm not saying these methods wouldn't work or help, I'm saying that they won't help or be needed by everyone.

I write mostly everything for my band. Not just the songs but the parts for the other instruments. I have no formal training, and I only took about a year's worth of lessons ever in my life. Everything I have ever done has been by ear. I hear something in my head, I play it until it sounds like what I hear in my head. Then I try different variations. Same riff or melody at different tempos, different grooves, different keys, etc ... sometimes I'll take a melody and switch it completely over to a different instrument like the bass. Does it make it better or worse, can I write something new and cool on the guitar if the original idea is now a bassline. Stuff like that.

There has never been a song that I have written in less than a couple months. Its not because I work slow or am lazy. Its because almost every song I have ever written, I have 9 other completely different versions of the song laying around somewhere. I try everything and every combination of things to hear what works for me and what doesn't until I'm happy.

Thats all I got chief

 

[TravisW]

The key is to write songs, stupid as that may sound.

1. Don't worry about being a (fill in the genre blank) band. If you're writing to the particular subgenre, you're going to have a lot harder time.

2. I don't care what style the song is, force yourself to write some complete songs, even if they're lame-o "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" ditties. This will pay off later.

3. Record your playing as much as possible.


Most of all, you're going to have to find your own writing style. I had a huge writing glut over the summer. I'd get an idea, grab a guitar, and figure out how to play the idea. I then forced myself to hit two more related riffs while the idea was still fresh. Once you have a basic flow, you have something that's a lot easier to work with than honing a riff to razor perfection, beating it to death in your mind, and then trying to come up with something else to go with it that's anywhere near good. Don't sweat the details of a riff until you have worked out where you're going with it. Who cares if it sounds like a Metallica riff from 1984 at this point---you can go back and change that. What matters is that it was fun to play, sounded good, and gave you the bump to start writing the next thing.

 

[Metaltastic]

Really glad to hear I'm not the only one with ASSSSLOOOADDDDSSSS of "Blasting Song 15-1," and "Pour Some Shuggah 07" on my harddrive.

Hahahahaha, yup, same here, especially with the clever/ridiculous titles

 

[Torniojaws]

Hahahahaha, yup, same here, especially with the clever/ridiculous titles

It's fun in Relativity. We have a load of songs called "new one", "new", "newer new", "new fast one", "new faster one", "new slower", "new midtempo"

 

[damas]

this one may sound strange but:

learn to listen to yourself and write music you "can" write, dont force yourself into a genre

this was probably been said before

 

[xmidihcx]

lolz @ "pour some shugga 07" that shit was straight halarious

oh, and dont forget: shmoke weed eyday!

:Smokin::Smokin::Smokin:

 

[Skyweaver]

Start a "Riff Bank"
Collaborate with other muso's, learn how they write and it will influence your writing
Jam along to drum tracks and see what you come up with
Keep every riff/song you write and build upon it
You play in a folk band, could only imagine some of the melodies and chord structures you could tap from that
It takes some time, but just keep chipping away at it - you don't make a stratovarius from your first block of wood