Inspiration Ideas?

[k3ph3r]

So I come to find out that I'm definitely weird. I won't delve into extreme details, but I was taking a shower and I was humming a tune I pulled from the top of my head along with lyrics to go with the melody. As soon as I got out I ran straight to FL Studio to use edison to hum my tune so I could work on it later.

I was wondering if anyone has other means to obtain inspiration, or something they do to help them release their creativity? I'm looking to find ways that might work for me to help stop the reality in my mind and release the creativity in a much easier fashion than just sitting and trying to focus on working like crazy. Since, I noticed my best songs and my best lyrics come out when I'm not bogged down by reality.

[DivoFST]

I usually play a game i like for about 1 or 2 hours with the music turned off and i put my favourite artists playing (Opeth, Radiohead,The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd...) gets me in the mood for writing music most of the times.

[k3ph3r]

At 10/5/12 04:06 PM, DivoFST wrote: I usually play a game i like for about 1 or 2 hours with the music turned off and i put my favourite artists playing (Opeth, Radiohead,The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd...) gets me in the mood for writing music most of the times.

Sadly all the games I play use voice and the games aren't as fun without it, a few years ago I could have done that. Lol.
(by the way all good bands)

[Step]

At 10/5/12 03:46 PM, k3ph3r wrote: So I come to find out that I'm definitely weird. I won't delve into extreme details, but I was taking a shower and I was humming a tune I pulled from the top of my head along with lyrics to go with the melody. As soon as I got out I ran straight to FL Studio to use edison to hum my tune so I could work on it later.

This isn't weird at all. It works.

Now of course if it were me doing the humming, the sheer terribleness of my humming skills will put me off every turning the melody into a whole song so it probably won't work for me. But still.

[k3ph3r]

At 10/5/12 06:35 PM, Step wrote:

This isn't weird at all. It works.

Now of course if it were me doing the humming, the sheer terribleness of my humming skills will put me off every turning the melody into a whole song so it probably won't work for me. But still.

Well My humming isn't the best either, but I got most of the melody transferred over to FL. Just had to tweak the piano roll a lot to get it to sound like it was suppose too. Lol

[k3ph3r]

At 10/5/12 07:37 PM, zelazon wrote: I usually hate when ideas come at the wrong time (working outside and such where I'm nowhere near my comp to start the melody)...

I usually have an interesting baseline that I can later influence to my liking... but as of late, I've been taking many random ideas and work with mastering them so at any notice, I can work with a melody (even one that I don't even like) and create something nice from it.

Being afk when a great idea comes really does suck.

I do like the idea of working on random ideas. it would be like if you do get a good idea that one of the random pieces works well with you can just use it.

I guess that's where I would have a hard time though, I tend to work on a random idea and if it doesn't work out how I imagine it I tend to scrap the whole project and then start over trying to get a different sound that I find acceptable... Which now that I consciously think about it... Sounds like a horrible way to do things. Lol.....

[samulis]

In the course of a day, I will come up with between 1 and 10 ideas or motifs for songs, generally while walking (almost always while walking!) or resting. However, I rarely have time to get to a computer and write them down, or other times, they go into a new variation before I can figure them out and thus just get lost. The loss of much of this material is simply a hard fact in the creative process, I have found.

[k3ph3r]

At 10/5/12 10:08 PM, zelazon wrote:

The important point is that you keep trying, and if something does come out of your song, then grats.

It would be congratulations to anyone who can turn something they don't like into something they do. Especially, if others find it appealing as well. Then I kind of have to drop many many kudos. Ha.

I have been thinking into investing in a small hand held usb recorder, to carry with my at all times. then if an idea comes to mind no matter where I am I could do a quick tune or pace a tempo. It would definitely save the day when creativity comes spewing out of your ears.

[k3ph3r]

At 10/6/12 04:10 AM, zelazon wrote:

That does sound like a good idea... and the investment would definitely be paid for since you'd always have a method of recording idea.

Indeed. I'll do some searching for one tomorrow. As well as see about trying to obtain some new ideas for being able to be creative or ways to save the moment if you don't have a recorder. I know, though, when I first started making music, not using pre-made loops, I would use a piece of lined paper and draw dashes at different heights representing pitches. So it was kind of having a paper piano roll, of some sort. Though the downside to that was I had a few tunes jotted down based on pitch, but the lengths of each 'supposed note' got lost in translation and it turned into a pile of mush and needed to be scrapped.

And as an addition, I thank everyone who joined in with me on this discussion, it was enlightening, entertaining, informative, and just down right fun.
(should have joined the forums sooner.... lol)

[Calamaistr]

sometimes i wake up with a new melody, sometimes i sit down start a chord and the rest of the track makes itself.
i rarely or never take from music that exists already, i think inspiration is in everything though.

[k3ph3r]

At 10/6/12 05:24 AM, Calamaistr wrote: sometimes i wake up with a new melody, sometimes i sit down start a chord and the rest of the track makes itself.
i rarely or never take from music that exists already, i think inspiration is in everything though.

I think it has a great deal of impact on the music you make, well anything you make not just music. However, I'm curious on other people's methods of pre music making. Unless they are just music drones who just run into it head on and randomly make everything? Ha, but still for me, it's when I actually have those creative streaks, that my best stuff comes out, everything else I have to diligently concentrate on always seems sub par, in comparison.