Do you make music? Have you ever had music block? Do you have music block now? I have tips that might help you avoid music block in the future.
Biggest Reason for Music Block!
The number one reason for music block is the lack of experience. If you are in the box, meaning only using a DAW then you might have a ton of beautiful sounds that came pre-installed. You may also have analog gear and VST’s as well that create beautiful noises, but if you can’t play those sounds in a melodic way then you might get bored, frustrated or even discouraged before you lay down your next beat.
Imagine if you sing or rap and you don’t know how to count bars, punch in correctly, place the mic, or edit your vocals to give them the effect that you want.
Not knowing exactly how to do something might make you not want to do anything at all. Only time and practice will allow you to get over this and make the music that comes to mind on the fly.
Too Many Options?
I had a live musician visit my house once to make music. At this point I’ve been making music for a few years as a hobby but never did live gigs like he did.
I opened up my a DAW that I had that came with a TB (terabyte) of sounds to let him explore and immediately he grabbed his head in awe. There was just too many sounds and too many VST options for him to grasp. This caused him to have a music block right in front of my eyes.
This same concept translates to multiple things in your music environment. You could have too many instruments or too many DAW’s. Having too much of anything will make you think about too much rather than making music with the options around you.
Un-inspired
Being un-inspired can really take you out of the mood. If you are an introverted music maker this can really effect you. Being around people and places can really spark creativity in your brain.
Life gets repetitive and monotonous and you have to break up that monotony with variety. If you like being around people try not being around people, if you don’t like being around people do the opposite.
You are a human with a huge brain that needs a lot of stimulus. Try going out doors even if it’s to run an errand. If a dogs brain needs to go on walks to feel stimulated, imagine how much going outdoors your brain needs.
Record Your Ideas Immediately
Ideas are fleeting, one minute they are there and the next they are not. No matter how much you think you will remember them and get to them later you won’t.
Write or record whatever idea comes to you whenever it comes to you. Especially If you think it’s great, get out of the bed at 3:00AM if you need to and make sure that you record it because your idea won’t be in your head in the morning.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been through everyone of these situations and would not tell you to try any of these techniques out if they weren’t tested by myself. I hope this helps you on your journey and don’t let anything stop you from making music.