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. Getting
the most out of your creative time
When I work
with someone who's about to record I often get them to treat
themselves like an athlete: more rest,
less stimulants, healthy diet etc.
Because as you know, music is both a mental
and physical exercise
demanding as much as you are willing to
give.
Whenever I have had issues in my relationship
with music it is invariably
that I am not spending enough time with
it. So, what is "enough time"?
That depends on your process and how complex
your writing is.
I can have a cool groove happening and
then try something and realize,
quite quickly, that its cliche or histrionic.
(im overly prone to proggish
dramatics in my composing). Usually this
will happen if I'm running out of
creative time. A much better way to look
at bad tendencies in composition
is labeling them "sonic bookmarks" which
denote that section of the piece
being "under construction".
If you don't catch yourself in the act
of falling into usual shortcut habits,
play the piece, (what you have so far)
head to toe. Does some section keep
coming back at you?. I call this a "niggly
feeling" that happens when a certain
part is not quite right and that feeling
is a sure sign that it needs more work.
Coincidentally, that niggly feeling comes
from the same place as the feeling
you get when you are on to something creatively
exciting - a physical
manifestation of the "spark."
Are you writing lots of riffs that go
unfinished? this can happen in clusters.
You may want to experiment with piecing
them together as often you may
be writing variations on the same theme.
A rule I've found useful; unless you
are writing an opera, aim for one main
groove, one anchor, one theme that
has variance. You can go way outside that
theme but if it can be bookended
by a recurring theme, this can be powerful.
Remember, this is only a suggestion if
you have many unfinished works.
Touching briefly on other things that
can interfered with composing: ego.
If you have a bad head-space, it often
is derived from an overabundance
of ego or a serious lack thereof. If you
view performances in a competitive
format or personal comparisons interfere
with the enjoyment of watching
someone play... you might want to have
an internal chat.
Having an external chat with a pro is
also a great idea, Zappa called it
"getting a second opinion on your thoughts."
Do you have a descent work space?
According to Feng Shue, the NE
corner of a house or building is the most
conducive to creativity. Do you
have visual barriers to keep out the rest
of your life? ie TV, phone, family
members? Your space must be relatively
private and free of distraction.
If that is impossible, steer your work
station away from the distraction and
visually separate with wall dividers,
curtain or cloth hung from the ceiling
and plug headphones into your amp. You
must have some privacy/space
to create.
Ultimately, keep writing, keep practicing
and keep cool.
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Thanks Dale for
your exposure the importance of a positive attitude
to get the best
results
Epakta
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