Comments on: How to Get Rid of Writer’s Block http://soundtempest.net Reporting, analysis, and opinions on the latest trends and developments in the music industry. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:20:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Musicians: How to Make Lasagna « SoundTempest http://soundtempest.net/guides/how-to-get-rid-of-writers-block/comment-page-1/#comment-1015 Musicians: How to Make Lasagna « SoundTempest Tue, 12 May 2009 06:59:19 +0000 http://soundtempest.net/?page_id=145#comment-1015 [...] music industry, but cooking is something I do when I’m taking a break from music. It helps stimulate the creative juices. And who doesn’t love lasagna? It’s relatively inexpensive to make, tastes great, and [...] [...] music industry, but cooking is something I do when I’m taking a break from music. It helps stimulate the creative juices. And who doesn’t love lasagna? It’s relatively inexpensive to make, tastes great, and [...]

]]> By: Mike Worth http://soundtempest.net/guides/how-to-get-rid-of-writers-block/comment-page-1/#comment-1004 Mike Worth Mon, 11 May 2009 13:00:46 +0000 http://soundtempest.net/?page_id=145#comment-1004 Great post, Zircon! A really important aspect of any professional writer is to learn to get on and write, no matter if you feel "blocked" or not. I especially like your point on listening to new music; that simple act not only exposes you to new sounds, but also to how other composers think up their music. An electronica piece flows in a vastly different way than a sonata form. Hearing how a composer develops a piece can really help you push through a block, by giving you a new way of thinking about your music. I would also add a point that serves me very well: "Be willing to fail." Don't feel that the first three notes you write have to be perfect. Get it down, first! You can always polish it up and tweak it later. So many composers are afraid to put anything down because it's the wrong note/drum sample/orchestral instrument. Don't worry about that, just put down anything your mind is meandering over. Often, you'll find that once you've laid out some content, your brain says, "Ahhh, now I know what to do to fix this!", and you're off! The trick is, giving our creativity something (like a rough, non-judgemental sketch) to bounce off of. Hope this helps! Mike Great post, Zircon! A really important aspect of any professional writer is to learn to get on and write, no matter if you feel “blocked” or not.

I especially like your point on listening to new music; that simple act not only exposes you to new sounds, but also to how other composers think up their music. An electronica piece flows in a vastly different way than a sonata form. Hearing how a composer develops a piece can really help you push through a block, by giving you a new way of thinking about your music.

I would also add a point that serves me very well: “Be willing to fail.” Don’t feel that the first three notes you write have to be perfect. Get it down, first! You can always polish it up and tweak it later. So many composers are afraid to put anything down because it’s the wrong note/drum sample/orchestral instrument. Don’t worry about that, just put down anything your mind is meandering over. Often, you’ll find that once you’ve laid out some content, your brain says, “Ahhh, now I know what to do to fix this!”, and you’re off! The trick is, giving our creativity something (like a rough, non-judgemental sketch) to bounce off of.

Hope this helps!

Mike

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