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Hey Ninjas
Creativeness is something that many would consider the holy grail of music production at this day and age.
Why?
With EDM tracks sounding practically the same, creative producerscan easily break through the ranks and make it to the top faster.
How do we become creative however?
Is their a magic pill like the movie Limitless?
Well sadly there isn't. However, many would argue that using mind changing subtances can cause creativity to occur I personally don't find it useful. I just find myself tripping out or getting lazy whenever I use some sort of drug.
So lets get into some ways that you could force some creativity out of you.
Produce a Song In A Genre You Don't Know Well
Have you ever heard of Tunnel Vision?
This happens when you make a genre so much that you only see 1 OUTCOME when there are various different routes you can take.
EX: Making progressive house and just making stuff that sounds similar over and over again because you use the same leads bass and chords without much thought.
If you have been producing Progressive House for 5 years why not try to produce Future Bass?
The change in genre will allow you to enter with a fresh state of mind with no predicted outcome and a fresh mind.
Changing to totally different genres will also let you create fusions from your previous genre as you have developed and honed your skills at a certain skill.
EX: Progressive House ---> DUBSTEP = Melodic DUBSTEP, Groove Dubstep, Bass House, etc....
So give this one a shot because I promise you it's more fun than you think ;)
Create A Melody With Only 5 Notes
Have you ever heard of Choice Paralysis?
Choice paralysis is when you have so many choices that instead of benefiting from the added choices you could make it actually hinders you.
EX: Your girlfriend asks you what you want for Dinner and you can't come up with an answer because she can cook all kinds of food ;).
Limiting how many notes you can use in a melody will help you focus on the rhythm alot more which as many of you who have read my article on WHY YOUR MELODIES SOUND BAD will understand plays a huge role in a good melody.
Limit yourself to only 5 notes may it be the first 5 notes in your scale or random ones.
This will help in sparking some creative melodies that sound non-generic and out there.
Try To Make A Song To AN IMAGE
While this might only work for more of a melodic producer making ambient style music or Melodic music.
Writing music to something will usually open your mind up to be more creative due to having a visual aid to go by.
How would a sunny image by the beach sound? Tropical Kalimba chords with some nice ambient sounds?
Or how about a very anthemic melody that the night is about to start?
Totally up to you on how you take this but that's the point...
Be creative and create a sound to an image.
Everyone will have different results as our life experiences will have us interpreting that image differently.
Produce A Song When You Are Tired
You might find this kind of funny but this is actually true and proven.
While our brain is in tip top shape it can make connections easier and filter out distractions.
Think using Saw Leads on Progressive House songs because we know they work and we make that connection with the music.
However, when we are tired our Brains aren't really that efficient at making connections allowing us to be more open to Ideas.
These ideas might be that creativeness you haven't been able to spark because you are always pre-designing a song instead of just going with the flow.
This Scientific American article explains how distractions can actually be a good thing for creative thinking:
"Insight problems involve thinking outside the box. This is where susceptibility to “distraction” can be of benefit. At off-peak times we are less focused, and may consider a broader range of information. This wider scope gives us access to more alternatives and diverse interpretations, thus fostering innovation and insight."
So give it a shot when you can ;).
Conclusion
Being a creative producer is all about delving into uncharted territory and making what comes from the heart. When you can start having fun instead of worrying if your song will cater to the mainstream you will find your sound. These are 4 ways I would suggest you guys go about experimenting to become a more creative producer.
NINJA OUT
Zen World