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GMC Forum _ PRACTICE ROOM _ Songwriting Motivation

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Aug 23 2019, 01:19 PM

So, for more than a year I haven't really written any songs (besides the riffs for the Metallica collaboration). I wrote a few Danish songs about a year ago, but nothing in the style I really like; progressive metal. I feel like I've lost my mojo, my motivation and it feels as if every idea I come up with is a bad one, which I then end up deleting again. The ideas I come up with doesn't feel original or like my own style, or rather, I can't find my own personal style again. I felt with Celestial Voyage that I had found some niche genre and style that I liked and that I felt comfortable with. I was even in a good place in my head in terms of song writing where I accepted any idea as something that could potentially be used. But that's a long time ago no that I wrote that, and I've lost that spark and lost touch with that.

What do you do in regards to writing your own material when you lose motivation?

I know some obvious answers are: "Listen to your favorite band, analyze their songs" or "listen to something completely new", but what else have you got for advice?

Posted by: klasaine Aug 23 2019, 01:36 PM

"Write" for 1/2 and hour every day. Preferably in the morning if you can or late at night. It doesn't have to be structured. Record the entire session.
There's nothing wrong with forcing it. Listen back after a few days or a week or two weeks. I bet you find something you like that you can now work off of.

Also, read this ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Artist%27s_Way
It may seem like some new age BS but it's not.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 23 2019, 06:17 PM

Hi Cael!

I do those things that said in the last part of the post. It's so powerful to listen to new music and analyze songs. I can add going to live concerts and watching youtube channels like Rick Beato's.

I try to make music every day, I do it as en exercise. I don't use most of this stuff, but there always appears something cool if I force myself to write. I compose music without judging it, I do it and I enjoy it.

One weird thing that has helped me in the past is to "borrow" drums from songs and work on riffs and song parts over it. It seems that well produced and arranged drums inspire me more to create music. Then, I re-arrange this drums.

I remember reading something inspiring about Julian Lage, that I also tried with great results.

"9. Compose a lot, edit a lot
When asked about his approach to composing, Julian said that he loved to write with pencil and paper. He thinks of composition like a blueprint. He doesn’t have perfect pitch so sometimes when he writes, it doesn’t sound the way he imagined it. He noted that he spends a lot more time editing his compositions that writing them. He also challenges himself to compose 20 songs in a day so that if he gets one good song from that session, it would be worth it. According to Julian, he throws out a lot more songs than he ever uses. "

Posted by: Mertay Aug 23 2019, 07:37 PM

With prog. metal I think the composing style isn't in a time-line, meaning you compose/record various parts and simply glue them together.

So you'll need both simplistic and advanced stuff in your library, meaning nothing you do can be in-out of your style or even considered "bad".

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 24 2019, 02:15 AM

I usually get a new plugin (demo) or some bit of kit that sorta moves me in a new direction. Just hearing different and unexpected tones tends to do it for me.

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Sep 9 2019, 10:45 AM

Thanks for your inputs, guys