What motivates you to write music?

[XxSicRokerxX]

We all have our moments when we are motivated to write music whether its listening to your favorite tune, watching a band live, or simply humming a melody to yourself, what moment motivates you the most?


-For me....for some reason what motivates me is a nice clean room. I work inside of my bedroom (since i am still a young guy attending college). For some reason when my bed is made, no clothes are laying around, no left over plates or cups, i feel at peace and at rest. I then dim my lights, gravitate towards my guitar or keyboard and put some drum groove on repeat and just start jamming out, i find that at this moment my head is clear w not fog clouding my brain and im able to write something w great potential. In contrast when my room is a mess i feel lethargic i just want to lay down and listen to some cradle of filth or dimmu borgir, everything feels clustered and abstract i just want to do nothing but toss and turn on my bed.

 

[Audiosprite]

deadlines. seriously! that and going to shows and hearing new things. oh and showers. and one specific piano they have at my old school that's really easy to play somehow. but mostly deadlines.

 

[AeternusEternus]

being really fucking depressed heh

 

[DeclanWhite]

pretty much people being nice, giving compliments etc.

but mostly when i get new gear

 

[StefTD]

I have no clue actually, I just start to write something without an intention.
For example: Sitting on the sofa with my girl, watching tv and suddenly I want to play the guitar.
Play the guitar (most of the time my accoustic) and than I come up with something cool, doesn't
matter what style, yesterday I played something cool, thought it would sound great on bass and
20 minutes later I had a accoustic pop/funk song, but I switch through genres the whole time,
like jamming on my fretless, starting with jazz and ending with grindcore

 

[ze kink]

deadlines. seriously!

This. I've written my best songs in situations like "shiiit, there's a gig tomorrow and we haven't got enough songs for a good set".

 

[jacare]

Hard to say... I like to write melodies that I would like to hear (Though it does not mean that I always can ), and also, sometimes they come to my head.

 

[bryan_kilco]

This. I've written my best songs in situations like "shiiit, there's a gig tomorrow and we haven't got enough songs for a good set".

No offense by any means, but - there shouldn't be a gig if you don't have enough material!!

I'm one that will never rush to write a song just to fill time. If time needs filled and your band doesnt have enough material, bust out a quick cover song or something.

For me, being depressed is normally when I pick up the guitar and write/record for some reason. I normally get out of work at 5pm, then hang out with our vocalist almost every night, drink beer, headbang to music, but I find myself rarely picking up the guitar. It's rare that I'm actually sitting home with nothing to do. Always kind of out and about, raging.

 

[tarbh666]

Sleep deprivation, intoxication, chemical influences usually inspire me to write stuff. That and Satan guiding my fretboard hand.

 

[Charles J]

weed + depression

oh, what a life. haha

 

[Trevoire520]

I actually suck at writing music myself generally, I can come up with some cool riffs but getting them to flow into a song is tough.

I'm MUCH more creative when working with other people, particularly the other guitarist in my band. He's perfectly capable of writing cool songs by himself, but when we get together and work on ideas we definitely end up getting the best of both worlds, as we both have very different styles to playing and writing.

 

[Clockwork]

The bitches. Nothing makes a woman swoon like some death metal, am I right?

Seriously though, mostly anger and depression, I like to vent my frustrations into something constructive so I usually write my songs when I'm really pissed about something.

 

[professorlamp]

When I see someone else getting really into it, I immediately want to write, or if im at a gig.

 

[AD Chaos]

Hatred.

 

[JonWormwood]

pussy

 

[MindMunch]

Any strong beat.

 

[Cacoph0ny]

just wanting to make something that sounds awesome tbh

 

[Derpsicle]

just wanting to make something that sounds awesome tbh

This.
If I had to be angry to make a song i'd never get a song done

 

[LeSedna]

The anticipative perspective of other people liking it !

 

[HCL]

Groove. Much more into a good groove than mood in music. Of course, the best stuff has both.

Opposite to the OP, I hate religiously tidy places. I need to be able to relax. Although I love cleaning up before a writing session and progressively making the place a shit tip with munch and pop.