Tips for breaking out of ruts?

Stompbox

A pop-rock/alternative songwriter here, just wondering how you manage to break out of ruts once all your songs seem to mould into one? How do you approach your arrangements and song construction and such?

humberklog

1. Listen closely and intellegently to music you wouldn't usually like (or listen to). Try expand your sphere of influence.
2. Another thing to try is get an extensive chordbook (Mel Bay perhaps) and pick a chord that's new to you and has an interesting sound and fool about from that chord to one or two others of novel value. Try playing one string at a time whilst doing this.
3. Smoke a lot of hash and drink a lot of cheap wine all the while trying to fcuk everything up in your world.

hellbent

If you haven't seen this website, its well worth a look.
http://members.aol.com/ptpattison/lyricpages/tips.html

iMADEtheBBC

Some things that work for me:

Get a book of cliches (there's a couple of these out there) and open it on a random page and blindly pick one. start a lyric on this. your song will unlikely be about the cliche but it's a good way to get an opening line for a verse. goof around with it and let your mind wander. keep a dictaphone running to capture stuff. rewind when you work out a section that you like - that way you dont' forget it.

Pick a song you like and decide why you like it. It could be any reason at all - even just the fact that it uses a descending bassline for example - and then try to play it. You'll end up playing something else and next thing you know you'll have started something.

Even if you're in a rut just write something. Anything. Even a 12-bar blues. Nobody need ever hear it.

Start with a lyric. Often songwriters get stuck on a chord sequence which isn't much help because , with rare exceptions, chord sequences don't make interesting songs. Something about the melody or the lyric does it.

If you're really serious, try a workshop. I did this one in 2007 and have never looked back : http://www.tomrobinson.com/stand/index.htm


hope that helps

http://myspace.com/imadethebbc

artvandulet

The simplest way....

Try a different time signature.



Try writing a tune in 3/4 if you don't normally. If you do, then try something a little more unusual, like 7/4. Loads of new ideas will come.
Works for me.:D

Otherwise try alternate tunings, and not just Drop D - Try BEBEBE (i recommend a capo) or another unusual one. DGDGAD is one I like too.
Lots of possibilities to explore...

Good luck.

G-izzles

I often get into ruts, so much so that you could say my 'ruts' are short bursts of influence in the middle of long periods of uninspired frustration!...write that down. But in all seriousness, the problem's in your head. You've probably got one song you really love and every song you write's just a Part II of that one.

Broaden your horizons. Listen to some Eastern-Bangladesh singer songwrite with a lisp. Anything that's different and inspiring. I'm not saying rob ideas. I'm saying take something and make it you're own (rob and disguise?! No!) Experience something new and build on it.

But even at that, if all you're songs are basically 'So happy with you baby' 'You left me baby' 'I miss you baby' 'You bastard, you're cheating on me, baby' - then maybe you need a new subject choice. I did this and I'm now over halfway through two concept albums on different subject matters. It's a refreshing approach.

Do something crazy in your life too - a bunjee jump? Skydive? Watch a movie you wouldn't normally watch. Always watch comedies? Watch a horror, or a thriller. The heart of music is expressing yourself. So find something good that you want to shout about and the music will practically play itself.

humberklog

artvandulet wrote: »

Otherwise try alternate tunings, and not just Drop D - Try BEBEBE (i recommend a capo) or another unusual one. DGDGAD i

This is brilliant advice.

Morzadec

was just abput to recommend the same thing - different tunings can really open up a whole new sound to your music. some goodies -

DADGAD, DADF#AD (open D), CGCGCE, CGCFCE, BEBEBE

or just make up your own tuning!

actually on this topic anyone have any cool tunings they want to recommend??

artvandulet

Try any of these Nick Drake tunes. He had some great tunes in unusual tunings.

FlipperThePriest

Get wasted (or just tipsy) - helps open your mind, and you'll forget about the rules.

kevin_de_big

Spontaneity and abruptness can harness the core feeling you're attempting to convey. The time to be fastidious is when you're aware of everything you wish to display and have a gut feeling of what goes where.

shakespeare

try listening to other types of music...

finding things to appreciate in types of music ya might not usually enjoy...
beats and rythms...differetn instrumentation...i find that movie scores are great...especially if ya like the film cause it gives you a picture to go along with the sounds in your head...

moves youre head away from what youre subconciously trying to achieve i reckon.

ie. ya listen to joy division/interpol/the national/editors and such and you see yourself as a songwriter in that kinda vein...ya end up writing with a similar focus...without realising it.

look elsewhere for inspiration i guess. (could of just said that couldnt i!?)