Though I haven't publicly released new music for a while, I'm currently working on my live performance/album. I am constantly coming up with song ideas and I often go through the process below. I regularly have people (online and offline) ask me about my process, so here is the way I most often come up with music ideas.
Step 1: Do Something.
Nine times out of 10 I come up with music inspiration away from my Ukulele, Piano, or Computer. Go outside and take a walk (Seriously, walking boosts creativity significantly (Stanford Study)), or just do any form of activity that works best for you. I find cleaning helps take my mind off of things and gets my creative juices flowing.
Step 2: Make Some Noise.
I hum and sing out loud a lot, but I'm an extravert and process most things externally. I've found even by forcing myself to sing, hum, or tap a little beat, I come up with some reasonable sounds that can be used as the basis for a song. Remember, we're not specifically looking for the entire world to come crashing down around us, we just need a couple of notes (or a beat) that sound good together. If you came up with some random lyrics or words that you like, that's great as well!
Step 3: Record it.
As quickly as I've formed the idea, I try to repeat the tune over and over again while I scramble to get my phone out and ready. I open the Voice Memo app and get the tune into the phone. One thing I try to avoid is following the tune too far away from where I started. Sometimes I run into trouble where I forget the beginning of this little theme because I started following it to the end. After I'm recording, then I'll take the time to mess around with the tune, to push it and stretch it and try to make something new out of it.
Step 4: Do Something pt.2.
I say this to myself as well as to everyone reading this, these tunes aren't useful unless they've been used. I'm guilty of sitting down in front of Ableton and trying to come up with tunes even though I have hundreds already packed away for a rainy day. I aim now to make it a point to go through my voice notes, make note of which one I want to work with, and make sure that next time I sit at the computer I work on that theme specifically.
I was recording a video a few days ago, and happened to catch this process naturally. If you're interested, here is the video where I go through my process on camera (The relevant part starts at 0:43). It's a little embarrassing because everything is so rough, but I thought others could benefit from my time in front of the camera.
I've been reading r/edmproduction for a very long time, but I haven't posted here often. If this was beneficial, I'll be sure to make more posts like this. I know everyone has to start somewhere.
Submitted October 31, 2016 at 05:42PM by thejarren https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/5aeugj/im_often_asked_how_i_come_up_with_tunes_for_any/?utm_source=ifttt