Improving Ideas— 6 Quick Tips for Generating New Music

I’ve been writing and composing music for a little over 9 years, yet I still have a lot of trouble writing good music.

It’s not the sound design or melody that stump me, because I’m reasonably good at both. It’s more about being adept at creating good content and expressing myself in just the right way.

Over time, I’ve developed a variety of methods for generating ideas. They’ve helped me open up to new sources of inspiration and they might do the same for you, too.

1. The Musical Mind Palace

Being original in a world obsessed with innovation is paralyzing. In fact, trying to come up with something original is most likely an exercise in futility. Whether you know it or not, someone, somewhere, somehow has done what you’re trying to do.

And they’ve probably done it a lot better than you.

Embrace the fact that other people have already established a framework of musical endeavors by compiling a library of music you enjoy and use it as a reference for your own work. For example, get a subscription to Google Play Music and start creating playlists based on different genres, moods, or time periods (the built-in stations are a great jumping off point).

This serves a number of functions:

• You’ll have songs on hand that you can use as references for a mix.
• You’ll have a plethora of music available to fit any emotion you may be trying to convey. By taking the parts from songs you like and combining them, you can create a starting point for something entirely new.
• You will also be supporting someone else’s dream by listening to and taking an interest in their work while you express your own style.

Most important of all, though, is the fact that you’re cataloging a virtual library of songs with the potential to spark fresh ideas. From The Eagles to Enya and Overwerk to Owl City, there is more than enough music out there for your library.

2. Write in Front of a Window

I did an interview a while back for The Archives, a radio show that hosts musicians from around the world and discusses their work. During the show I was asked to give some advice to up-and-comers. I said to enjoy the natural world — and I meant just that.

The path of the musician is a solitary one. We separate ourselves from others in order to nurture our skills and improve our musicianship. Minutes become hours and hours become days. Sometimes it ends up being a week and all you’ve got to show for it are weary eyes and an aching back.

My solution? A window.

When I started producing music, it was just me, my bed, my desk, my keyboard, and my computer all jammed into one tiny room (the bed took up so much space my chair was crammed against the desk 99% of the time). Something had to go. It ended up being the bed.

What about sleep, you ask?

Most musicians will say that it’s at the end of their to-do list, if it’s on there at all. I also had the option to transfer my studio to a bigger room with better acoustics. But instead, I opted to stay in my shoebox. Why? Because it had a huge window that gave me a great view of the woods and the sky.

Writers go to coffee shops, painters do the plein air thing — so why shouldn’t we adopt a similar methodology in our own work? Try it. Your creative juices will thank you.

3. Read a Book

Reading is an incredible source of ideas. In fact, reading may very well be the best way to inspire new ideas which are completely your own.

Why, you might ask? Because no two people imagine a passage the same way.

Take the concept of death. One person might see it as the traditional shadowy figure holding a scythe, while another might see it as a game of chess between an angel and a demon, both vying for control of a person’s soul.

Whatever your process for visualizing words and stories, the resulting idea will be your own and be reflected in your music.

Oh, and do yourself a favor: get a real book, not an ebook.

4. Pretend You’re [Insert Favorite Musician]

If there’s one thing I’ve learned by being an artist and musician, it’s that the people we idolize are rarely who we imagine them to be. In fact, we often put them on pedestals for achieving what we could do, too.

To counteract this phenomenon, put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you’re Hans Zimmer. Ask yourself questions about his style and use his library of work as a guide.

• Where does he pan his strings/horns/church toms most of the time?
• How does he separate instruments in the frequency spectrum?
• How did he make a particular sound?

If you can’t figure out the answers on your own, go to a forum. There are plenty of knowledgeable people out there to point you in the right direction.

While this might not generate ideas, it will give you a better sense of others’ workflows. You can use this information and channel it into your own projects. Who knows: maybe you’ll find a way to resuscitate and rethink one of the hundred songs you’ve scrapped.

Above all, remember this: the people we idolize are only gods until we surpass them.

5. Change How You Compose

I compose most of my music harmonically, which means that I start with the chords and build a melody on top. It’s much easier for me to hear what a song will sound like when the harmony is there.

You don’t have to stick to one method of composition, though. You can experiment with different creative processes:

• Melodic composition : writing the melody first and matching the chords afterwards
• Holistic composition: writing the chords and the melody at the same time
• Layering: writing by layering elements (This is the most popular method in electronic music. Philip Glass’s work is a good example of this style.)

In addition to these techniques, grab some books on composition. They can be a huge help in turning ideas into songs.

6. Get Ahead by Slowing Down

The unfortunate side effect of how we communicate today is that everything is so fast paced. The result is that we bypass the fundamentals and reach straight for the main course, when we should be learning how to chew first.

I read for thirty minutes to one hour every day not only because I want to rest my eyes, but because slowing down is how I outperform those around me. Coming to a project with a clear, relaxed mind is important. If you’re straining to come up with a new idea or pushing yourself to create THE song, you won’t be able to do it.

Do yourself a favor and call friends you haven’t talked to for months because you were too busy working on music.

Better yet, go out and do something completely unrelated to music, like taking a walk in the park.

Conclusion

Above all, the most important thing to remember is that there is no easy route to composing good music. Trial and error is the process of creation. All that matters in the end is that you put in the hours and put out the work. People respect quality, no matter what their taste in music.