So first of all, I want to thank everyone that posted music to our listening last week, and everyone else that listened and posted comments, upvoted etc. That was a lot of fun! I think I’ll try to do it again in another few months…I’ll try to come up with another challenge that will hopefully kickstart some creativity for anyone that might need some inspiration or just a general kick in the butt.
I didn’t have much of an idea for this week’s thread, but then I thought “well that could be my idea!” How do we go about finding ideas when nothing seems to come to mind? Personally, I’ve been in a dry spell for a really long time, but I felt kind of obligated to do something for the challenge so that kind of forced my hand. Sometimes telling myself that I have a deadline can be a strong motivation to just do something…anything!
Thinking of ways to deal with writer’s block reminded me of the Oblique Strategy cards that Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created back in the 70s. Wikipedia explains that “each card contains a gnomic suggestion, aphorism or remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation. A few are specific to music composition; others are more general.”
The original decks are rare and quite valuable, but a new edition is available at Eno’s webshop. And there is a online edition that you can check out as well. For instance, a card I drew suggests to “Steal a Solution,” and that’s exactly what I want to do!
So let’s hear from the rest of you…how do you come up with songwriting ideas? Do you just noodle around until something strikes you? Or do you start with some lyrics and then try to find the chords that fit? What methods do you use to clear out the cobwebs and get the creative ideas flowing?
As always, these ramblings are just meant to (hopefully) spark a little conversation…feel free to talk about this or anything else you want!