Coming up with music ideas can be a struggle for most people.
Some times you don’t really know where to start from and sometimes you don’t really know what kind of music you want to make.
The reality is that; no matter how great of an artist you are, every now and again you’ll get hit with a roadblock,
where you’re stuck and don’t really know how to go about creating a song.
This is true for beginners and even the most advanced song creators.
Therefore this post will explain some tips of how you can come up with music ideas a lot easier.
Write to an instrumental if you have one
One of the easiest ways of making music is basically writing to an instrumental.
This can help you greatly come up with a precise record.
Hire a song writer
One of the easiest ways to come up with music ideas is by hiring a songwriter.
A song writer can easily sell you lyrics or can write a song for you, this way you can easily edit out parts, keep some parts in and basically add in your own stuff.
Work with a different producer
Let’s face it, working with the same producer always carries the risk of you beginning to sound monotous.
This can lead to writers block because sometimes we crave something different.
Therefore try to work with a different producer and bounce ideas off each other, this can be good for you.
Listen to variety of music
One of the best ways to easily get into a music creating mode is playing and listening to a bunch of music.
Try to leave your comfort zone and listen to genres that you would not otherwise listen to on a normal day.
YouTube can lead you down a great wormhole of music that you have not heard before.
Also search for indie artists because you’ll definitely find some gold there too.
Use this listening opportunity to get into the mood of creating.
Lay down some random chord progressions
One of the easiest music creation hacks is simply putting something random down like a piano loop for instance,
then try and build some ideas around that.
You’ll eventually find your self with a whole song.
The fact is, creativity can be random and you may not know where your random jolts of inspiration may come from.
Therefore lay down some chords and go from there.
Use Metronome to your advantage
Metronome is the easiest way to figure out what you’re in the mood to create.
You can easily play around with tempo and see what sticks out and then run with it.
This way you now have a place to start from, you can easily then start incorporating in some sounds, play around with some ideas and so forth.
Go through various sounds
Most producers will attest to the fact that sometimes going through sounds and landing on one that you like can inspire a great song.
Sit with your producer and listen to sounds from different plugins and find a sound that perks up your ears.
From there you can build a chord progression or lead depending on the sound.
This can be a great way to start a song.
Use midi kits
The internet is flooded with a variety of midi kits from all genres,
you can easily purchase one or look for some free ones that you can then use with your DAW.
Splice and Cymatics have some great Midi kits and other types sound kits that you can use.
Inspiration can easily be sparked by listening to a variety of midi chords.
Use loops to create a song
Loops are the modern day producer lifesaver.
Most producers and creators use loops to build songs around because it is easy to find relatable material that can spark your curiosity and therefore have you make a full song.
Visit Cymatics or Loop masters for all your loops and figure out which ones you resonate with and then try and create a song from there.
Figure out what Key you like working in
Every artist or producer has a pattern, it maybe in the way that they write their music or layer drums or something like that.
Artists usually have a key that they like working in, if you do already know the key or keys you like working in,
you can simply try and build some chords in that key and see what happens from there.
Combine this with some metronome and you can create a song from scratch with less pain.
Don’t create under pressure
Theres really nothing more worse than trying to create art under pressure.
Only two scenarios come out of this; either you create something you don’t like or fail to create completely.
Don’t put yourself under pressure when it comes to coming up with music ideas, try and work at your convenience if you can.
Don’t try to work when you’re under pressure.
Try out various instruments
If you can play live instruments or you have a band on speed dial,
try out a variety of instruments, play random notes and chords.
Inspiration can be random.
You might just play something that gives you a whole path to creating your song.
Hum melodies and then fit in lyrics and music
When you have an instrumental that you wish to record to or not, humming melodies is the easiest way to start a song.
It’s not always that you have to write lyrics down, sometimes creating a vibe with melodies can help you get started.
Then all you have to do is fit lyrics into the melodies that you have created.
have these melodies recorded for easy reference.
Sample old music
The easiest way to create a song is to find a sample that you can use as a means of reference because it will already have a melodies or rhythm.
YouTube is your friend in this kind of situation.
You can easily search for something and find it.
Take a break
Whenever you feel uninspired it’s a good idea to take a break and try to do not-so-musical things.
Take your foot off the gas, relax and then get back to music after a while.
This can help you approach music creation with a fresh approach.
Meet up with a song writer
If you’re a song writer it may be a good idea to surround yourself with fellow writers,
good vibes resonate.
Try and create something with them and basically bounce ideas off each other.
this can be a great way to come up with good musical ideas.
Watch music creation videos
One way of finding inspiration is watching people create music.
This can done by you physically visiting a studio and being immersed in the creation process.
You can also go to YouTube and watch various studio sessions and get inspired off that.
Do something different
Doing the same thing over and over again can be draining.
Try and do something different, get out of your comfort zone.
This can be a great way to explore new areas and develop something new.
Record ideas on your phone
Sometimes inspiration may hit you unexpectedly this is why it’s always good to basically record any ideas that may pop up in your head.
This can allow you to easily drift over to a recording whenever you feel like grabbing a fresh idea to work with.
Transform existing ideas into your own
Listening to music and creating something similar to it maybe frowned upon but It can be really helpful.
You don’t have to replicate a song down to the snare, but you can easily create something new from it.
Just start
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” –Pablo Picasso
The key is to start something and see what develops from there.
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