Lack of inspiration

[Jesusetc84]

Didn't know if this went here, but I've been writing songs since I was 12 years old.

 

I've suddenly lost all interest in my songs, and can't stand them, and haven't been able to write for a good 8 months now, and it's really dragging down my self-esteem a bit. Does anyone have any advice/ what they do when they can't write? Should I maybe just stop playing music?

[stickman]

I was in the same boat as you....

Songwriting rut

[In a little rowboat]

have your wife/girlfriend break it off with you

 

 

worked for me

 

 

 

j/k really, i often find the act of songwriting is in and of itself work, and so i will sometimes try to break the process down into any creative endeavor (random chords or melodies, stream of consciousness lyrics or words, draw or scribble, take pictures)...expose yourself to multiple stimuli, read blogs, engage in conversations...

 

then take these experiences, scraps etc, and record it in a manner in which you can later access them as inspiration or even just shots in the dark

 

when making up songs, melodies, extemporanious lyrics---get a minidisc or something and RECORD EVERYTHING! Might kick you into something later on

 

i also recommend keeping you instrument in your hand as often as possible...i watch movies/tv/news, surf the web, listen to music, talk on the phone etc, constantly holding my guitar...you never know when youll hear something or think of something...plus bonding with your instrument is key to bonding with a song

 

 

good luck!

[BigWheeledWagon]

I've been there too. Don't give up. I often find that just playing an instrument without really thinking about it often yields some results (sort of the like the musical version of stream of consciousness writing). Also, playing an instrument with which you're less familiar can often inspire a new song (same thing goes for alternate tunings -- I think the older thread mentioned that). Who knows, maybe you'll just wake up some morning soon with a melody in your head. Anyway, good luck.

[Golden Smoghead]

Sorry to hear it, man. Definitely don't give up on it entirely, but that other thread goes into the pros and cons of "taking a break" for awhile.

 

For me, I do have a few tricks for when I can't come up with new musical parts:

 

- new instrument -- either buy a totally new one of the one you play, or (better yet) try to write on non-primary instruments you already own. For me, I write almost all songs on my guitar, but I can play some simple keys / piano. So when I'm just getting stuck on guitar for music, I'll try writing on the piano instead. For me this works really well. I have also written songs around drum beats, basically as an exercise. (I wrote a song around one of my Yamaha keyboard's preset drum tracks earlier this year.)

 

- alternate tunings -- GtrPlyr does a good job explaining this in the other thread. But for most of us, we usually play in one particular tuning most of the time when writing; try mixing it up. Earlier this summer I strung one of my guitars in Nashville Tuning just monkeying around, but a few songs popped out right away, just because the structure of the chords sounded different to my ears. Our thread talking about that is here.

 

- write in a totally different genre -- This one is a little trickier and never works for me, but I hear it works for some people.

 

As far as being sick of your songs, I really have to take a break from songs sometimes. I know that's trickier if you're in a band (I'm not), but really if a few songs aren't doing it for you, let them be for awhile. Another tack is to put them in a different key or play them at a different tempo; I have a song I liked OK but not great, I moved it down a full key and for whatever reason I like it better now. In fact it went from being borderline will-not-play to being one of my signature tunes.

 

Now LYRICS? Good luck there man. Sometimes I can write them and sometimes I can't. I wrote 30ish songs in the last year and a half but have hit the wall this last month or two. Melodies still come but damn I think I am tapped out in terms of new shit to say, for awhile. I may go back to working on my concept album that is half songwriting exercise anyway (around the idea of a rock and roll messiah). But yeah as far as "natural" lyrics pouring out, for me sometimes I'll stall for a long time.

[lamradio]

The best advice I have ever received is to listen to A LOT of music. Listen to several different genres. You will end up coming up with some really cool ideas. All the great song writers have done it.. Every song ever written was inspired by something. And don't worry about it sounding too much like the music you are listening to. When it comes from you, it will be your own unique sound.

[In a little rowboat]

The best advice I have ever received is to listen to A LOT of music.

 

 

yup +1

[TCP]

I'm in the same boat. I went to audio school between 2006 and 2007. Now I am graduated and I rarely listen to music anymore. Every 3 months I get inspired by something and begin writing songs but that lasts about one night, maybe two. I think I am broken

[lost highway]

Didn't know if this went here, but I've been writing songs since I was 12 years old.

 

I've suddenly lost all interest in my songs, and can't stand them, and haven't been able to write for a good 8 months now, and it's really dragging down my self-esteem a bit. Does anyone have any advice/ what they do when they can't write? Should I maybe just stop playing music?

 

Have you been performing? That can help.

 

Have you bought any albums that you hadn't heard before that are knocking your socks off? That can help.

[jff]

Try learning some cover tunes in a variety of styles. Even if it doesn't break you out of your rut, at least you'll be playing music. Chances are you'll pick up some ideas from these songs that you can use in your own songs.

[In a little rowboat]

"To catch a song, you have to think like a song" - Tom Waits

[rockinrob]

you just have to chill out. you have to be ready to catch a song, but dont force them. I bought a zoom h2 pocket recorder, and I carry it everywhere. Usually for me, driving is my inspiration. I will be driving along, with the radio off just sitting in silence, and suddenly I will start singing a song. I pull out the recorder, and record as many ideas as I can, until the whole thing kind of dies off. then later, I listen to my recordings and try to work out some songs. You cant be afraid to go a long time without writing.

 

Maybe you should get another hobby. I know that Neil Young is obsessed with toy trains, and that he has spent large portions of his time off just playing in his garage.

[j4lackey]

Go to poetry readings. Or coffeehouses where weirdos hang out. Eavesdrop. Play the bongos for an hour. Make up a chord no one's ever heard before. Google the absurd. Write about the thing that pisses you off the most in the world, then invert the feeling. Smell lots of things. Remember.

[Whitty]

I find great poetry an inspiration. Read some of the greats (my favorites include Walt Whitman, ee cummings, and William Carlos Williams among many others) and bask in reflected syntactical glory.

 

And if I find myself frustrated with my own compositions, play some of your favorite songs by other artists. Strumming along to "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" can be inspiring in and of itself.

 

I guess my basic advice here is to surround yourself with creative greatness.

 

Keep at it. I'm sure you already know that you've got to write stuff you hate in order to sort out the gems that really fire up your passion.

[Reflectedinthemoon]

stop thinking about it. put the issue (not necessarily the guitar) aside, and read a book. or go hike a mountain or watch a movie or something. songwriting cant just come out of nowhere. you have to have life experiences to feed the creative juices. so go out and lead a fun, interesting life (not saying you dont already). maybe explore some other artistic outlets. songs come from the weirdest places, and when they want to, they WILL come. you'll get thru it!

[Jesusetc84]

It's been really frustrating. I'll sit down at the guitar and I'll play a chord. and I'll sit there. As soon as you go to the second chord, you're locked in.

 

I know a decent amount of theory, decent enough that I've taken apart tons of songs and analyzed the chords and melodies. Like I completely understand why things work on an intellectual level, but I have trouble applying that to my own songwriting to make my songs better. Also I feel like studying music and tearing it apart has demystified it for me, and makes everything I write feel like such a struggle to not be trite and to not write the same song everyone and their mom has written 15 times.

 

I'm not saying I want to change rock n' roll, invent a new genre, spearhead a movement, or wind up on the cover of Rolling Stone; that would be stupid. I just want to be able to write a song and know it's mine, and that it has some sort of value, that it doesn't suck completely, and that I'm not just wasting my time.

 

How do you reach that point where you can feel satisfied? Maybe the point is to never be completely satisfied, so that you keep striving to improve?

[Jesusetc84]

Well I finally wrote a new song...it's sort of an inarticulate mess, but it's something...I might post it later.

[MattZ]

I know a decent amount of theory, decent enough that I've taken apart tons of songs and analyzed the chords and melodies. Like I completely understand why things work on an intellectual level, but I have trouble applying that to my own songwriting to make my songs better. Also I feel like studying music and tearing it apart has demystified it for me, and makes everything I write feel like such a struggle to not be trite and to not write the same song everyone and their mom has written 15 times.

 

I'm not saying I want to change rock n' roll, invent a new genre, spearhead a movement, or wind up on the cover of Rolling Stone; that would be stupid. I just want to be able to write a song and know it's mine, and that it has some sort of value, that it doesn't suck completely, and that I'm not just wasting my time.

 

I would also like to add in that once I am done writing my version of the same song that everyone else has written 15 times, a Dylan or Beatles song comes on the stereo and I wonder why I am even wasting my time.

 

And then I realize it's because, as you said, the goal isn't to change rock and roll. It's to find my own voice. It doesnt have to be as good as Dylan. Or, let me put it this way, if it's honest, and it's me, then it IS just as good. Maybe not on a "number of albums sold" level. On a different level. On a "this is me" level. I have no idea if that makes any sense. But it's what i tell myself.

 

Well I finally wrote a new song...it's sort of an inarticulate mess, but it's something...I might post it later.

 

Post it.

[dondoboy]

I went through a stretch of not getting any ideas. I went back to older songs and started at the same point as a previous song and wrote in another direction. Worked really well for me.

[pmancini100]

try rewriting everything. take old ideas and make them all new and cool. im doing that right now actually. going through my old notebooks and such.

 

listen to yourself in the car, if you can record. its pretty cool.

[pmancini100]

...the goal isn't to change rock and roll. It's to find my own voice.

 

 

this is awesome. i wish more people felt that way.

[BreezyGrass]

I find that having someone give me a set of chord changes helps me through. My bass player recently played me something he was working on and I asked him if I could take it and write words. He said yes and a week later I came to rehearsals with the new tune. A little different than he expected but he liked it. We will be recording it soon and I'll get it up on the old myspace.

 

Watching Man in the Sand now - thats feeding the creative juices for sure.

 

Have a good week all.

 

Matty

www.myspace.com/breezygrass

www.myspace.com/mattylyons1

[GutenAbend]

Best thing to do is read a few good books and don't fret the inspiration p(art).If you do the research you'll find that alot of awesome songwriters don't think that songwriting depends on waiting for the muse,more along the lines of work and being open to everything.

[pmancini100]

also, taking a break works wonders. approach it with a fresh mindset later.

[Ghost of Electricity]

if you drive to work, take a different route. Or better yet walk. If you like your peanut butter creamy, buy chunky. if you write on guitar, try plunking some notes on the piano. call up someone you've lost touch with. get up and hour earlier. grow a moustache. listen to chinese traditional music. cross the tracks. go buy a short you don't like and then wear it. change your level of personal hygeine. perform random acts of kindness to complete strangers. experiment with paper clips. buy a goldfish. play games with salt. seek and destroy your routines. establish new ones and then destroy them too.