Writers Block

So... it's pretty simple. Have you ever had the famous writers block? If so... how do you go around it, what did you do, any remedies to recommend?

Write a tune on Rhythm Changes

I get writer's block all the time. I find that trying to force something that isn't there generally doesn't work very well so I'll table it and move on to something else. Usually, sometime later, when I'm least thinking about it, it'll hit me how to finish that spot that got me stuck in the first place. For example, in my last piece, my violin fantasy, I was really stuck on the ending for a long time. I took a break from it and a few days later while I was grocery shopping, I was just humming some random melodies and the ending finally came to form. I literally dropped everything, drove home, wrote it all down before I forgot it and then went back to the store to finish my shopping.

I only write when I feel like it, and that is enough for me to prevent getting a writer's block. I never had one I believe.

Maybe I would have if I had to write certain things within a given time.

Really, it's all in your head; just stop running the thought "I can't write anything I can't write anything" through your mind and it'll clear itself up

I think writer's block is a problem every artist faces at least once in their life. I hope these suggestions help:

1. Pick up a copy of What to Listen for in Music by Aaron Copland (who is perhaps the most famous American composer). It has a whole chapter on the creative process. It's a pretty famous book, so most libraries will carry it. If you cant find it at your library, or you're not near a library, then you should be able to find it at your local Barnes & Noble or Borders. I believe the chapter--Chapter 3--is only about 10 pages long, so you could totally just read it in the store and not have to buy it. Still, if you do want to buy it, it's a good read. It's music appreciation told from the POV of a composer, as opposed to a teacher or performer. I think it's about $15.

2. Quiet yourself. This is a more spiritual method I think, but I'm pretty sure the composer Eric Whitacre swears by this technique. It doesn't work for everyone, but if you generally consider yourself a sensitive, deep, or artistic person (as most composers do), then it should work for you. Take a walk, or sit/lie down by yourself and just relax. The idea here is to push as little as possible and let the music fill you. Don't picture it as notes flying into your head from thin air. This image will make you want to pull/force the music into your brain. Picture instead, that music is filling you from within. Keeping your soul quiet, your body relaxed, and your mind open is the key here. Keep it simple.

3. Sleep on it. Just tuck it away in your head and don't worry about it. Let your subconscious deal with it and then come back to it after a while. Something will probably come to you eventually. A good example of this is @bkho 's story about grocery shopping. The risk here is that if something doesn't come to you, you're in trouble! But I find this rarely happens. :)

4. Listen to music. Listening to different sorts of music can help you to broaden your own compositional style. This is good if your songs start to sound all the same melodically or rhythmically or stylistically. It's also good if you can get a hold of the scores for the songs you listen to. That way, you can see what the other composer is actually doing to achieve the sounds he makes. I usually use this technique if I want to start writing a new piece and I want it to sound different from my other pieces--less stale.

5. Collaborate. If you collaborate on a piece, then you have more that one mind working on it, so if one person gets stuck, someone else can rescue them. Most bands collaborate on music they write at least to some extent. That might mean one person writes lyrics and the other does music, or maybe one person writes the guitar part and another writes the keyboard part, or maybe one person writes the intro, another writes the main body of the piece, and another writes the coda. Collaborating can also take a lot of mental pressure of you. The downside to this is of course, that the end result is less personal or individualized. A lot of artist want to do things their own way, and there's nothing wrong with that. Still, if you do choose to collaborate with someone, make sure you get along and can work well together.

6. Show the piece to another person. This obviously only works with pieces that have already been partially written. If you show the piece to someone else, they could try banging out a few suggestions for you. You can do this with the forums here on YC, but I strongly recommend a one-on-one chat with a teacher or musician who knows what their talking about and can be sensitive to you as a composer. That way there's immediate feedback, and you can both voice your comments and questions right away and face-to-face.

7. Use a bit serialism. One cool technique is to assign a number (1-12) to each of the twelve pitches, and then do the same to twelve note durations. Then get out a couple of dice and write music based on what you roll. The results can be pretty freaky, both melodically and metrically, so you can always change things once you get going. Still, it's not a bad way to start, just for some inspiration.

I think that's all I got. If I think of any more techniques I'll be sure to post them. Let me know if these help! :)

--Miggy Torres

Since I work for a music library, I take composing as a full time job. Wake up at 8, finish writing at around 5-6ish. As you can imagine, a crapload of writers block appears throughout the day. You know what Im talking about, writing half a piece, listening to it 500 times, and having absolutely no idea where to go. To get around it, you just have to keep on writing, trying new things until something works. Listen to others music, take notes how they transition, etc.