Inspiration

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sloppy dice, drinks twice
Member Since: Aug 05, 2003

What inspires you to write music?
Is it other music, something outside of music, people in your life, stories you've heard?
Why do you (or, conversely, why don't you) write music that all has a similar musical style or genre?
Have you ever tried writing something out of the ordinary for you? If not - why not?

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Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Feb 27, 2004 01:01 pm

I am inspired by moments in my life, situations that I am involved in, choices in life I need to make or things I see going on around me.

I don't consider style or genre when writing, and I think doing so is counter productive. I don't "try" to write anything. I write what comes out of my head, nothing more, nothing less. Worrying about genre or making a conscience effort to do or not do something or making a compromise or choice based on a genre/style preference or mental decision to force a direction is only sacrificing the final outcome.

In my opinion.

The three songs I have posted here currently, and the next one coming are prime examples of the things in life that inspire me to write, tough decisions, actions and moments of life.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Feb 27, 2004 01:16 pm

Listening to music that I love always makes me want to go start playing my guitar. Sometimes when I start playing, I come up with something of my own...so I guess that indirectly, listening to other people's music inspires me to write my own. At least occasionally.

I have a pretty obsessive type of personality. I get extremely enveloped in the things that interest me in my life, and usually only 1 of those interests is "active" at any one time. Everything else kind of fades into the background. It's during the times that writing music is in the foreground of my mind that I get truly inspired to write. And that really only happens a few times per year.

So I guess in a way, I kind of inspire myself :) Or maybe its nature, or chemical imbalances, or maybe just plain chemicals :)

The fat one always watches us.
Member
Since: Nov 08, 2002

Feb 27, 2004 01:29 pm

everything-a piece of a song i hear, may put words in my head, a guy here at the office dated a girl named Athena for a few weeks- instantly "athena's funeral" popped into my head and i ran to a note pad and wrote a song. Wind, rain, beer, boredom, life- everything...

Frisco's Most Underrated
Member
Since: Jan 28, 2003

Feb 27, 2004 01:33 pm

I can't help but be inspired to write music. Since I was young, I'd annoy everyone by singing whatever I was thinking out loud. Over the years, I have come up with some cool melodies. So, eventually, I decided to try and record/preserve these melodies by sequencing out some music. Also, I started learning how to rap. I actually "write" most of my lyrics while walking from one destination to another, though in reality I memorize them as I make them up and never write them down. My lyrics usually come to me as I'm trying to sort out issues in my life(which is what I do when I walk). So, I guess, it just happens most of the time.

Member
Since: Jul 02, 2003

Feb 27, 2004 02:21 pm

I don't know that I'm directly inspired by any one thing to write music, though my mood, and whats going on with life, and other things can definitley set the tone for what the song becomes.

I think my style vary's widely and I think that comes from being such a big Beatle fan. They were IMO masters at making each song they wrote unique. I just don't like writing music that borrows heavily from something I've already done.

As for trying to write something out of the ordinary for me, I did try, I tried to conciously do a disco tune <G>, but It wasn't all that disco sounding in the end. Other than that most all I do does tend to stay in rock genre at least as defined up to the 80's. :) I'm also planning a big departure from what I've done before for the next song I do, but the outcome remains to be seen.

Dan

sloppy dice, drinks twice
Member
Since: Aug 05, 2003

Feb 27, 2004 04:01 pm

I get musical inspiration from everywhere. Other artists, pretty scenery, quiet moments alone, works of art, abstract thoughts... I guess really that nothing's safe from being turned into a song. The Wiggle and Twitch song I did a while back was inspired by a mental image I had of a white box on a grey plain, undulating and twitching it's corners in time to music (yeah, weird huh?) and it's not hard to see where Melora My Love and Car Mojo (Chunk of Wood) come from, since they state it pretty plainly, haha.
My music all seems really different to me... I try to write uniquely each time I take a stab at it, not using song frameworks and ideas that I have used before. Sometimes it all comes out in a rush, naturally, and sometimes it's slow-going. Sometimes I plan out everything before recording, sometimes I don't plan at all.
Lately I've been trying to figure out what I want to do next. I'm between songs, between genres, and who knows where else. Part of me wants to do some really heavy stuff. Part of me wants to write witty, quippy, funny songs that are lyrically centered. No part of me wants to revisit where I've been, but I don't know where I'm going. So I've been nosing around the idea of doing a few collabs, filling in with hand drums and who knows what else.
Anyhow - it's 4 o'clock and my workday is done, now I'm getting the hell out of here. I'll muse more on this later... :)

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Mar 01, 2004 05:10 pm

I as well am inspired by things that happen in life. Just in the process of finishing one inspired by hanging out with Tuna and his GF, which made me think of what it was like back then and how it felt to have that first love.

I also dont try to purposely write to a specific genre of music, what come out comes out. The only time I will write genre specific is for a commercial or film, or if it asked to be a specific genre. Otherwise my own music just falls were it may.

And sometimes it does come from hearing some one elses music such as the first tune I wrote in Project 5, that was inspired by one of coolo's tunes.

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
Member
Since: May 10, 2002

Mar 01, 2004 11:10 pm

I guess I am just a hopeless bassist. I like writing my own part in a song. Finding the fill or rythem or that counter part that makes everything else shine. When it comes to moments in life, I am visual. I see moods, expressions, I feel visualy. Photograhy is how I capture moments.

Member
Since: Mar 13, 2004

Mar 15, 2004 10:01 am

I like using every possible method I can think of, because that's how you avoid going stale. E.g I once wrote a song in the following way - I had in mind the Bill Hicks gag 'If you play New Kids on the Block records backwards... they sound better'. I took the only bit of New Kids I could remember (a 5 note vocal chant 'ohhh ohh ohhh ohhh ohhh'), worked out how to play it backwards, sped it up a bit and it became the bassline of a new tune. My imagination filled in the rest and it turned out really cool. Captain Sensible of the Damned used to tape ad jingles off the TV and run the tapes backwards, and use the resulting melodies. If you do things like this as well as using the stuff that just pops into your head, it keeps you fresh because there's an element of surprise. Also, I think the talent is less in the writing and more in knowing what to use. Kelly Jones, for example, has probably written a few cool riffs in his time and thrown them away for being too ugly. Equally, I've probably come up with some pedestrian melodies that he'd kill to have written, and discarded them. That's just a matter of taste though I guess.

Member
Since: Nov 21, 2002

Mar 15, 2004 05:23 pm

when writting music, it usually just comes to me. ive written about 10 songs for every one song that has lyrics, i can always pop out an interesting progression with cool musical ideas, but when it comes to lyrics, i rarely can. Inspiration comes from everywhere, i need to get into a habit of carrying around a notebookto write down lyrics, try and observe the world and write it down as i go.

...bringing sexy back
Member
Since: Jul 01, 2002

Mar 16, 2004 08:51 am

i can write a song based around a single line ive thought of or heard and kinda ermmm, adapted. thats often how its works. i got a coulpe of notebooks kicking around with loadsa lines, ideas, concepts, sketches etc etc. good for inspiration.

sometimes the feel of a song will inspire me to write...for example 'call and i will come' on my website is inspired by the feel of a damien rice tune.

otherwise, ill just rip off someone else : )

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