What gets you out of a musical slump?

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SteveJL
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2009/03/16 20:57:22 (permalink)

What gets you out of a musical slump?

For me, it is most often listening to other peoples' music of the genres that I play (Prog/Electronica/Chill/Ambient), OR messing with another artistic form (photog for me). Or sometimes I just have to wait it out

You?

 
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    Guitarhacker
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/16 21:15:16 (permalink)
    Mostly wait it out... kinda take a break from music for a period of time... then hit it fresh again.

    Sometimes that works..... sometimes it doesn't.

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    RobertB
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/16 21:20:41 (permalink)
    Funny you should mention photography, Steve. I tend to dive completely into an art form, music, photography, painting, woodworking, in cycles. Of late, that cycle has been broken, and I feel phenomenally stagnant.
    Listening to other's music helps for a short while.
    Maybe it's time to break out the camera, or set up an easel. Too much stress, and I don't seem to be finding the right outlet.
    Thank you. It's time for a photo run.

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    Roflcopter
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/16 21:26:58 (permalink)
    woodworking


    Funny, that's one of my new hobbies too - taught myself to do wood-lathing. Really great fun, and useful too.

    That, plus working out on the muk yong (that's a Chinese wooden dummy used in wing chun boxing, kinda like a boxing bag for masochists).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iMYCAICTao

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    post edited by Roflcopter - 2009/03/16 21:36:42

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    CLEAN
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/16 21:38:30 (permalink)
    Time.

    I also practice guitar licks - after a some time - something will hit me.


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    RobertB
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/16 21:54:04 (permalink)
    Ah yes. Maybe some of that. The lathe is probably the most intense and gratifying tool I have.
    It demands the utmost focus. Launching a large piece of wood from a lathe is something you do once, and remember never to do it again.
    Keep your bits deadly sharp, and don't dig too deep. Stop every 20 minutes or so to put a fresh edge on the bits. Really.
    I use a 1954 Shopsmith Mark V. Mountains of torque.
    The smell of the wood, the feel as you shave it into shape, the glass smooth cuts. There's nothing like it.
    Hmmm... the camera may have to wait.

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    Fog
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/16 23:58:56 (permalink)
    apart for recharging the batteries and not doing any music.... try a different genre that you don't normally do. I mean , I couldn't do the same thing I do all the time.

    it's bit like eating, 99% of people can eat so much till they are full.. .you need to be hungry again.

    sketches.. also.. errmm short idea's. you have projects from before unfinished? go back to them with fresh ears.

    prep work.. so your work flow is slightly faster when you do get aorund to working on something esp. if it's samples in my case.

    learn something..e.g. I learned drum maps , posted a fair few.. if your not using something look into using it, anything.. e.g. if you don't use the step sequencer normally, try knocking up some drums in that etc..

    different quantising, bar structure, time sigs etc. (long list , thats a few of em anyway)

    or go thru what you already have,, even a synth patch / sample can trigger an idea.

    post edited by Fog - 2009/03/17 00:05:48
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    foxwolfen
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 00:13:44 (permalink)
    As Steve has, I think, got me in his ignore list so he wont see this, but anyway...

    For me, sometimes its just pushing through it. Keep going until it suddenly starts again. Bump start the creative muse if you will.

    Cheers
    Shad

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    Fog
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 00:19:34 (permalink)
    Shad , sometimes if it ain't happening .. it ain't happening.. I can tell within about 20 minutes of something isn't right sound wise. some days you just can't force it.

    although I know what your saying , but I put it with more to do with focus.. it's a bit like putting off things till the last minute.
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    Bristol_Jonesey
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 06:17:46 (permalink)
    I like to do a bit of carpentry from time to time - thoroughly therapeutic at worst!

    I'm currently working on a new rack unit to house my dwindling stack of outboard gear.

    Music wise, I find that inspiration comes in great big chunks - so when I'm jamming or just noodling around, I will ALWAYS have Sonar recording, just in case a gem or 2 presents itself.

    Of the 10/11 or so songs I'm currently working on, at least 7/8 have been developed from a simple hook/phrase that I came up with whilst simply playing. Not all of these little snippets can be expanded into full songs, but a surprisingly high percentage of them can.
    post edited by Bristol_Jonesey - 2009/03/17 06:18:04

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    godino
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 07:54:26 (permalink)
    Buy a new piece of eqpt

    always works for me - Trouble is if you go into a slump quite often could prove expensive

    plus - you'll help restart the economy also - double whammey!!

    gordo

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    Roflcopter
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 07:59:25 (permalink)

    Of the 10/11 or so songs I'm currently working on, at least 7/8 have been developed from a simple hook/phrase that I came up with whilst simply playing.


    That's true. Most people forget to record or write down their little moments of inspiration, and forget them. Then when they *have* the time, nothing presents itself, while they probably would have loved working on those same lost snippets - forever lost, cuz that's the deal. Gawn.

    I'm a perfectionist, and perfect is a skinned knee.
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    jackn2mpu
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 08:33:05 (permalink)
    What gets me out of a musical slump?
    I go work on my train layouts doing scenery or maybe scratch building a structure or railroad car. Gets me away from the tech world altogether.
    If I want to semi-stay in tech, I'll muck about with Photoshop.
    With the weather getting warmer, when the music muse goes bye-bye my wife and I will go out train-chasing with our cameras.

    Jack
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    Slugbaby
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 08:46:15 (permalink)
    I've found that watching an inspiring documentary (or concert video) of a musician will usually give me the kick I need.

    Spinal Tap, Sid & Nancy, De-Lovely, Ray ... they all work!

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    dlogan
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 08:48:50 (permalink)
    For me, it could be getting out of my normal environment - taking the acoustic to the park or something. Or watching a good movie, an art museum (the Salvador Dali museum in particular was very inspiring for me), a lot of times something non-musical that gets the creative juices flowing. But then sometimes, getting out the chord book and learning some new guitar chord that breaks the creative gridlock.

    Dave

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    space_cowboy
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 09:36:49 (permalink)
    Does a wild weekend of total debauchery count? No

    OK
    Listening to music.
    I have been going back to listen to certain classic LPs - lately re-examining the way the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars went together - how the mix worked - what the instrumentation was - what effects were put in it - all the while considering that this was likely done on 8 or maybe 16 tracks.

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    foxwolfen
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 10:38:27 (permalink)
    That's funny as I was listening to some bowie myself to analyze the sound of it. I was surprised at how wet much of it was.

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    Roflcopter
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    RE: What gets you out of a musical slump? 2009/03/17 10:42:12 (permalink)
    The lathe is probably the most intense and gratifying tool I have.


    Yes, it's intensely gratifying. The joy of working with your hands, the smells, the need for precision, the thrill moving very close to a fastspinning object - and then in the end the relief that the work came out well and you amazingly still have your fingers intact.

    Man, a male black widow spider's sex-life is probably the only thing that comes close.

    I'm a perfectionist, and perfect is a skinned knee.
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