This is something you might want to do when nobody else is at home. Keep the volume down. You’ll have your friends asking if you are ok. It does work! Tom Waits is known to use this method when he writes songs. This type of music is aleatory, where some parts are up to chance. The perfect storm is the best place to find song ideas.
It’s worth a try if it worked for Tom Waits. Turn on the radios and see what interesting overlaps you can find. A skylight is located in the small room where I compose music. It’s a very limited view, just a blue square, and the odd cloud, plane, or bird. It’s taught me more personalized gift about myself than any manual, guide or walkthrough could. This helps me to think clearly. You don’t need it to be an actual window. It can be anything quiet to look at. You can choose a tropical fish aquarium or an interesting piece of artwork.
You have to physically pull yourself away from the constant distractions (computer, cell phone, etc.). Find some quiet time. Create a free account to browse LANDR’s exclusive sample packs. You can explore many different genres, whether you want to make electronic music, pop, R&B trap, or even country and Rock! LANDR has so many sounds–just look around and find a few you like, then arrange them in your DAW to create a completely new piece.
The best part is that LANDR Samples has the Creator beat-making tool, which makes it easy to combine and mix samples. It will pitch-shift and time-stretch up to 8 different loops to your selected key, and BPM. This is the easiest way to hear what different loops will sound like when they are played together. It is also a great tool for sketching ideas and experimenting with arrangements before you commit to a final arrangement.
After you are happy with the Creator loop, download it and arrange it on your DAW. This Spanish form asks the writer to use four lines of a poem to create a new piece, essentially using these as markers. You can use four lines of “Ring of Fire”, by Johnny Cash, as your first, second, or third verse. Fill in all the gaps between your remaining verses. You can only “hide”, or make your lines your own if you can do so. A whole day might be a bit much. Besides, you HAVE to talk to lay down that earth-shattering vocal of pure genius. Even an hour of silence is more than enough time to reset your brain.
Whether you know it or not, talking is a huge and complex task for your brain to carry out. Putting it aside for a little while will put you in the right place to write. And during all that silent time all those deep memories and feelings will have a clear path to the top of your mind. Y’know, all those thoughts that make great songs. So take a break from the chatting and try silence for a while. Let your brain do the talking and find all the inspiration you need.