I was struck by lightening while sitting on the toilet.

Glyn Barnes
Finding subject matter is not really my problem. Pulling that inspiration into its final form is where it all falls down.
 
I have several projects in various stages of completion, mostly inspired by historical events. The most ambitious to date is a three song "suite" about the death of my Great Great Grandfather at sea in 1881 and my Great Great Grandmother's dream at the time of the incident.
 
Some of the ideas pushed aside from this project have started, in the last few days, forming up in to a tale of the rescue of survivors from the battleship Formidable, sunk in 1915.
 
There are also a couple of unfinished contemporary political songs which I am wary of completing.

Hello Glyn ,
 
I can certainly identify with your first comment .
I'm glad you talked about personal / historical stuff . A great deal of the music that inspired me as a listener relied heavily in using those two categories  as the main form of subject matter .
thanks for sharing
 
I'll be skipping around for a moment.
 

eph221
I get my inspiration from nerdy jazzers.

 
I heard someplace that there are some Mariachi's that have been posting music over at the songs forum.
It seems they are really only a group of classical music nerds that got tired of getting picked on and having their lunch money stole at school every day . So they dressed up as Mariachi's for the street cred and continued to play & post Classical Orchestral Music
 
thanks for sharing
 

BassDaddy
My inspiration comes from careful note for note copying of other peoples work. Plagiarism, in other words.
But seriously, I will make song parts. An intro, a chorus or nifty lead line. Start with a small part and sometime a song might attach itself to it. Don't believe the BS. If you ever had it you have it now. 

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
I Love your post BassDaddy  ...it is so true ...I'm an effing lick crook
 
all the best,
 
Kenny
 
 
 
 
 
 

I've always found it difficult to write about abstract things or things that I haven't actually experienced and as I lead a very simple life this inevitably leads to dry spells lyrically speaking.
Last week I thought I'd struck gold with a little ditty about a man who longed for a canine companion and and whose curiosity was piqued when he passed a pet store that appeared to be selling some. He liked the one that seemed happy to see him, but he wasn't sure that he could afford it as there were no prices on display, so he went in to ask the storekeeper..........
But the more I listened to it although I couldn't quite place it, it seemed too familiar somehow so I dropped it.
I did once write a song about a grumpy, drunken Norwegian bloke with a superiority complex, but I've no idea where that came from.

Anger

bapu
I wish I had the answer to that question so I could bottle and sell it.
 
I would give it away to a very special friend who needs it most right now.

I'm sure we all wish we had the answer to that question
 

Zargg
Hi. I get these dry spells as well but try (at times) to power through it.
Other times I just have to wait until it strikes again.
Inspiration usually strikes when I least expect it. At night, when trying to sleep is a favorite.
I'll take a few bottles when you get it figured out, Ed
All the best.

Sure I know that feeling .
I just do my best to stay busy doing a little something in music while I ride  out the dry spells . With a little patience and luck it may start raining  inspiration again .
thanks for sharing .
 

davdud101
I don't listen to a lot of music, but when I get on a kick (like with Snarky Puppy or Vulfpeck or I'm feeling like writing a folk pop song or show tune), I'm typically analysing and reverse enginerings the things that make those arrangements and recording "pop" musically and sonically and then trying to create something original based on the sound impression.
 
Still tryna find my sound... I'm not too original 

+1 on the part of your share on ,
"I'm typically analysing and reverse enginerings the things that make those arrangements and recording "pop" musically and sonically and then trying to create something original based on the sound impression.
 
I find that when it comes to learning and incorporating new musical things such as phrasing , arrangement or  harmonic / melodic content that I have reversed engineered , my best way of doing this is to go with small bite sized motifs that I can use in my sounds and music .
 
I have sort of given up on trying to be an original ...what ever that is
I happen too prefer too look at all my experiences musical and life time as I'm an individualized person having an experience in an individual way since I'm the one doing the activity while attempting to share and express myself .
 
ex , I can be doing the same thing that thousands of people may be doing at any given time .
Since I happen to be in my own Orbit doing what I'm doing I'm just having an individualized experience of doing what I'm doing
When people want to enter my gravitational field usually I may have put out  an invitation . Stuff like posting a new tune or creating a thread ...These type of activities give me the opportunity to share
 
The pressure of having to climb and ascend to " Mount Original " can be alleviated since I'm not interested in projecting my thoughts outwardly as to what I would like people to think ....too me that was a trap because in my twisted mind I found myself reacting to a mental picture of my own creation that I had projected outwardly as a script for others to follow ...
 
I have learned to put out what I'm putting out there with the hope and the desire that I may reach someone .Then I let the chips fall where they may.
 
 
thanks for sharing all the best,
 
Kenny
 
 

I also just try to remember:
 
There is no spoon.

 
What ! There is no Spoon
 

 
Kenny

kennywtelejazz
 
What ! There is no Spoon
 

 
Kenny

There may not be a spoon but there is definitely a barber around. Lordy looks like a pool cue with eyes.

I think I'm getting some inspiration about something hairless and magical.I feel a lyric coming....never mind.

Jimi Hendrix and Bapu. Knot necessary in that order