As a musician, do you ever find yourself stuck writing the same thing over and over? Once you start writing music, it can be very difficult to break out of the musical habits you build when playing and practicing your instrument.
In my experience as a piano player, it seems like I know the chords and notes that always seem to sound good. When I attempt to write something new, I often feel like I fall into the same patterns, writing the same exact song repeatedly. Recently, I’ve learned a few key things that have helped me escape this musical rut. Hopefully they’ll inspire you to write some new songs and develop your ideas better!
Don’t play the butter notes
I learned this valuable lesson from one of my jazz heroes, Herbie Hancock, who learned it in a rather humorous round-about-way from another jazz legend, Miles Davis
At one point, Herbie Hancock was in a ‘musical prison’ just like I often find myself in. He felt as though he couldn’t come up with any new chord voicings or anything interesting to play for his solos. In one interview, he even explains that the lack of creativity was leading him to experience depression. One night while playing out with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock got some advice that changed his life forever. Miles leaned over to him between songs and said “don’t play the butter notes”.
Herbie had no idea what this meant, but he assumed it meant not to play the easy notes, like the third and the fifth, and instead lean more on the more dissonant or unusual notes. After that Herbie explains that he played his best solo ever. That advice changed the way he thought of music entirely.
The most entertaining part of the story is that after all the influence this advice had on him, Herbie later learned that Miles Davis had actually said “don’t play the lower notes” and his entire inspiration was based on a miscommunication.
From this story I’ve learned that following this advice usually leads to me coming up with something interesting and completely different from what I would normally play. However, it’s important to remember this next rule…
Don’t be afraid to mess up
All of us have a slight fear of failure. It’s important to remember that without messing up a few times, it’s impossible to learn.
"The master has failed more times than the beginner has tried." ― Stephen McCranie
Practice by yourself in a place where nobody can hear you, or just become comfortable with the fact that everybody will make mistakes and each time you do, you’ll become a better musician and songwriter.
Switching Instruments
Now that you aren’t afraid to mess up, this is a sure fire way to write something creative that you wouldn’t normally write. Find or borrow an instrument that you aren’t as skilled at playing. If you don’t know what notes you’re playing you can easily write new melodic ideas purely by ear.
If you can’t find any instruments or don’t have access to any, remember that really anything can be an instrument. Pick up a box or can and drum on it with a pencil. Write a new song with a rubber band! No matter what, if you’re trying to be creative and make something new, odds are you’ll come up with something interesting! You can also make some homemade musical instruments to inspire you.
Play with other people
One of the absolute best ways to get out of a musical rut is playing and writing with other people. You can bounce ideas off each other and become inspired by their creativity.
Personally, I’ve written some of my best songs through improvisation jamming with my friends. Just start playing a chord progression and solo or add parts to it until you’ve got a song! Remember, it's okay to mess up a ton, just keep trying and eventually you’ll get something that works!
Improvising is just like anything else, the more you do it the better you’ll get and the more fun it will be. So practice improvising!
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