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I'm Technical I don't have an ounce of musical creativity in me.Ok I play Guitar,probably, some might say, quite well.But, what I want to know is,how would describe your approach to music.Do you compose in a dark room with Pink Floyd in the background,or do you lock youself in a dark room with Kraftwerk in the background do you write your music in a song format or a more progressive approach.I'd be very interested to hear your replies.
Personally I think my creativity is being dragged down by television.




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: H-Rave on 2006-05-29 11:52 ]</font>

i can't do ANYTHING new with other music to listen to in the background. i do new music because there isn't any.

Yes, of course. During composing every noise disturbs. Not only music (it makes it impossible for me to have an own thought, I can't switch it out in my brain), TV or language make my ideas fly away. I need concentration on a high level.
The method is different. Sometimes, when I got a poem to make a song, I read it without rhythm, with rhythm, with parts of a melody ... So a melody is born. Sometimes I fiddle with certain sounds on my keyboard (some sounds are very inspiring for me) or I try to make a living piano-accompainment. Sometimes I take paper and pencil and write, without any sound except scratching of the pencil and the noise of my eraser.
It depends on what I have to create. The more complicated the result, the less a viewer could hear watching me.
Did I say it correctly?

My main Songwriting and composition technique is switch off PlanetZ and KVR audio...
Sometimes I think that internet is the last kind of "opium" for contemporary humanity!
Sadly I use daily PC as job (average 8 hours x day) .
After exactly 1 day away from computer/internet my mind becomes clear and I can start to compose with my guitar.

My main influences at the moment are mostly dance music, such as garage, house, techno & breaks. Somehow I think dance music was injected into my soul 14/15 years ago, but I've yet to harness the true idiotic power of this disability

Right now I'm getting a lot of enjoyment & satisfaction from programming the basic groove of a track on the Elektron MachineDrum. I'll often include a baseline or reference to one in this initial groove/sound creation.

The MachineDrum is just amazing for fast step sequencing. With 16 parts, global & per part shuffle, live mutes, advanced parameter locks including the ability to slide between several locked parameters etc etc etc. It's the best hardware drum machine ever made & with the sort of synth & bass tones it's capable of, it's just a stunningly inspirational start point for making dance music & electronic beats.

Beyond that, a good start point for me is chopping my own breaks into varying sized loops for further mangling elsewhere.

On the occassions when I've got a decent vibe going, I'll often play with synths bouncing around the groove, but as I like the minimal approach to electronic music, I usually end up ditching standard sounding synth patches (familiar sounding) in favour of odd blips, bleeps, weird noise & more bass.

I get so pissed off at the TV being so important to others around me, that it inspires me to make music or even just start a groove.

It won't be too long before we're all jacked in & our creativity is sucked into cyberspace for a price (call it work)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Shroomz on 2006-05-23 04:30 ]</font>

I am classically trained but I did take electro-acoustic courses. Anything can be an inspiration. For example, today I was working with a copying machine that put out the most exquisite rhythms. I think I'm going to sample it...

A chord progression is probably the most common starting point for me. I'll be noodling on my keyboard, tweaking a sound or just playing piano and I'll come across a chord change I like, write it down and work on that, or perhaps come back to it later.

One very important factor in my creativity, I never try to work on anything if I am too tired. My ears are too dull, my ideas get blurred and I lose the focus on my end product easily if I am tired.

I have several different approaches, and I subconsciously choose them depending on the mood I guess.

Sometime it's just a loop with a specific rhythmic quality, and I'll base everything around that specific groove.

Sometimes it's a specific chord progression like paul, and I'll build everything else around that. When it's a progression, I guess it's more melody and harmony than groove.

Sometimes it's a specific technology I want to encorporate or emulate. A sound effect, or even a specific trademark "sound", say, from a bossanova recording in the 60s.

Other times it's just a cool synth I got, and I gotta show it off.

But basically, the three main ingredients are: harmony, rhythm, and technology(technique). Right now, the thing for me is practicing my salsa piano chops and improving my timing. I guess that's not composing, but indirectly, it will effect my composing.t>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2006-05-23 20:00 ]</font>