 The Halfway point... |
rstar 
Newbie
Registration Date: 28-11-2005
Posts: 6
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Some of you might know what I'm talking about...
Lately, I will start a track, get a bomb intro going, establish the beats and themes, and get halfway into it, then I go blank. I save...give it a rest, and come back the next day, hoping for new inspiration. However, I just cannot seem to get past this point. I will try different structures, sounds, themes, ect, and nothing has found its way. So far, I have five could-be-amazing half tracks.
Does anyone have some advice for my problem?
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hip drop da beat
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19-02-2006 05:48 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
Posts: 11,238
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Yeah, got that a lot lately 
I never delete anything though!
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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19-02-2006 11:34 |
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Friscko
Aron Tinnitus
Registration Date: 12-03-2005
Posts: 4,467
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| quote: |
Originally posted by cynik
lmao, by now I have like a hundred of such half-works that will never be done. and I've been deleting massive |
2nd
and also total finished tracks, but where i keep thinking "somethings missing" 
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www.myspace.com/arontinnitus
www.myspace.com/djfriscko
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19-02-2006 11:34 |
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fogga
Steppa
Registration Date: 23-10-2005
Posts: 85
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I'm like that as well, I seem to have permanent writers block! I start a tune and thats all I do, just cannot finish it, the ideas just go!
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19-02-2006 12:12 |
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baz
7
Registration Date: 19-02-2005
Posts: 1,531
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Surya
Yeah, got that a lot lately
I never delete anything though! |
same here
u neva know when u might find em usefull
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"shotgun ; slammin in yo chestpiece ; blaw"
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19-02-2006 14:05 |
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Muad'Dib
Andrejnalin
Registration Date: 02-12-2003
Posts: 4,197
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Well, I happen to have the same problem that occures frequently. And I've found a way to solve it, but onto that later.
As for Friscko, yeah, there is always something missing, something I can do to make the track more interesting. The key is experimentation - the more ideas flow in your head, the more you will render in your tune.
That writer's block feature - well, I have it too, but somehow I force my brain not to respect the empty imagination and to create beyond desire for creation - and I manage somehow to create, but it is mentally devastating. After much time like that I'm getting very weary and sleepy, and I need a rest that day, but the tune is finished!
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-Bene Gesserit
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19-02-2006 14:06 |
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@1$-)
unregistered
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take some gawd damn drugs. 
ok it will probably sound shit the next day but its a good way to waist some time, ya never know ya might have some kind of epiphany 
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19-02-2006 14:31 |
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Rude
I'm gonna get you
Registration Date: 06-01-2005
Posts: 1,600
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hahaha that's no problem!
You give it a rest, start a couple of new projects & afterwards, you can put 'm together. You just need to find the project that fits in your track you where working on.
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19-02-2006 15:30 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
Posts: 11,238
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When you get stuck after the first half, you probably need more elements to bring in more variation. Too bad I can't seem to find the right elements
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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19-02-2006 16:07 |
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rstar
Newbie
Registration Date: 28-11-2005
Posts: 6
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I've slept on my problem, and found a couple possible reasons:
~Im moderately new to electronic music, and need to develop new techneques
~I tend to make things more complicated than they should be
~Im a perfectionist
~Im sober (but i think thats a good thing)
Thanks for your help...I'll push through it...
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hip drop da beat
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19-02-2006 18:22 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
Posts: 11,238
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| quote: |
Originally posted by rstar
~Im a perfectionist |
Lol, yeah, that makes things quite difficult!
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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19-02-2006 21:23 |
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TechDiff
Hetty Jakes Pretentious Cheese Wog
Registration Date: 14-06-2005
Posts: 1,028
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I think everybody gets this problem at some point. But dont let its bother you. If you dont see anywhere to take the track, then just leave it and come back later.Just start something else. There are few things worth remembering. I think its really important to keep the same frame of mind when youre making a tune. It often happens that you'll come back to carry on with a track you started the day before, and you cant get anything to sound right. I think this is because your in a different mood from the day before. So the stuff that comes out is different too. However I think the main problem is that a lot of people sit down at their computer and just expect to be able to write a track. I think is just a stupid thing to do. Its far more important to sit down with an idea already in your head. Admitadly a lot of my stuff sounds random, but I dont ever start a tune until its cemented in my head first. This way I always have a launch pad for the track, and once I get up to where Id got to in my head, then I start allowing the ideas flow from what Ive already got. If youve got at least a good solid idea then youve got something to build your track around and the ideas will flow more freely, but if your just expecting a track to happen, then your more likely gonna end up with a jumble of little ideas and nothing more.
Another good thing to continue on an idea is to burn the track to a CD and turn your computer off. Go for a walk and listen to the track. I find it much easier to "listen" to the tune when Im not watching it. Plus if you take the same walk every time your stuck on a particular tune, then chances are that the inspiration will come from the same place. For example, if I come up with an idea while walking to a friends house, every time I get stuck on that tune I'll take the same walk to go back to where I got that idea from.
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20-02-2006 03:04 |
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turnstyles
Producer
Registration Date: 03-02-2006
Posts: 55
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haha i have a whole directory of such tracks. i might finish 1 out of every 5 tracks i start. what ever you do, dont delete them at first. give them a year or so to sit by themselves in a safe folder. another good plan is to go through those tracks and weed out the good samples. put those in a new folder just for safe keeping.
you might find yourself humming a melody or with a beat stuck in your head, and sure enough... its in that folder full of samples from unfinished ideas.
im a perfectionist as well, so let me good you a few tips:
1) it takes a lot of practice to reproduce the sounds in your head.
2) not every track is golden.
3) settle for the close approximate and keep moving forward.
4) have fun.
5) dont give up.
the worst thing you can do give up.
so ya man, you are not alone at all 
peace
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...let there be drum
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20-02-2006 04:36 |
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J. Wells
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 10-02-2006
Posts: 45
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A couple of thoughts:
Don't bother with it if you're not having fun. I'm a prefectionist too, I know where you're coming from. When a project ceases to fulfill its purpose, IE it doesn't sound good and it's no fun, then get rid of it! (but don't delete it, that's baaaad)
You don't have to finish everything you start. Why knock yourself out with anxiety and regret looking at a collection of half-finished tracks when, instead, you could choose to look at it as a growing sample library? Delete nothing. Cut it up and use it later instead. (this goes a long way to establishing "feel" and "themes" in your overall body of work, too)
Take your time. Great works are rarely spontaneous.
Finally, learn to push through it. Herman Melville is often quoted as saying something like "The secret to writing is to sit down and write, every day, even if it's only a few minutes a day." The same is true of music. Learn to work through your problems and you'll get better at it, faster.
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I only post here when I'm drunk.
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25-02-2006 17:58 |
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PEAHEAD
Wicked Producer
Registration Date: 27-07-2005
Posts: 416
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YEP I AGREE NEVA DELETE UNFISHED SONGS
MORE SAMPLES!!! (own made)
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25-02-2006 19:24 |
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optikal_assassin
|da jungle snipa|
Registration Date: 18-07-2005
Posts: 582
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| quote: |
Originally posted by rstar
I've slept on my problem, and found a couple possible reasons:
~Im moderately new to electronic music, and need to develop new techneques
~I tend to make things more complicated than they should be
~Im a perfectionist
~Im sober (but i think thats a good thing)
Thanks for your help...I'll push through it... |
omg, i've had this problem sooooo bad for like the last year now and i thought maybe it was just me. thats a big part of the reason why my releases have hit a serious stump cuz i get a serious bomb ass track going then most of the time right after the first drop im like "shit, this sucks" and your reasons you've stated above make perfectly good sense and are prolly a big part of the reasons why i just can't finish any damn thing. its irritating as hell. wish i was one of them people like dave akuma who can shit a track out like every two days and still make them sound just as good as the one before.
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Jungle Snipa on MySpace
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26-02-2006 01:07 |
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optikal_assassin
|da jungle snipa|
Registration Date: 18-07-2005
Posts: 582
Helpfulness rating:
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| quote: |
Originally posted by J. Wells
A couple of thoughts:
Don't bother with it if you're not having fun. I'm a prefectionist too, I know where you're coming from. When a project ceases to fulfill its purpose, IE it doesn't sound good and it's no fun, then get rid of it! (but don't delete it, that's baaaad)
You don't have to finish everything you start. Why knock yourself out with anxiety and regret looking at a collection of half-finished tracks when, instead, you could choose to look at it as a growing sample library? Delete nothing. Cut it up and use it later instead. (this goes a long way to establishing "feel" and "themes" in your overall body of work, too)
Take your time. Great works are rarely spontaneous.
Finally, learn to push through it. Herman Melville is often quoted as saying something like "The secret to writing is to sit down and write, every day, even if it's only a few minutes a day." The same is true of music. Learn to work through your problems and you'll get better at it, faster. |
damn good points man. i never really thought much into keeping all my half assed tracks and using them for samples again. i think im gonna try that and see how it works out for me. 
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Jungle Snipa on MySpace
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26-02-2006 01:09 |
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Tenbucc2
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 06-03-2006
Posts: 49
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i hate to follow all of you singing the same fuckin' tune but damn!
i too am in this mode.
but you know what... every time i make a tune (well mostly everytime) i always have some trick or idea i try out. so everytime (almost) i learn something new. i look at it as progression. so when i finally am able to "finish" a track it'll be damn good.
also i think getting someone to collaborate helps push you and also get an outside perspective.
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06-03-2006 23:51 |
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