How to get inspiration?

[mosc]

Here's a trick I used to use.

Play a recording of some music you like that is not in "your style". For example, I used to use Beethoven or Bach. I love that music, but I'm more into experimental electronic music.

Play along with it in whatever feeble way you can, recording what you play but not the "source of inspiration" music. Now, use that as a basis track for your new composition. You can use that track or discard it at the final mix. You probably will end up with something that has very little to do with the "source of inspiration" track. Usually all that there is left is something that follows the dynamics of the source, but that's maybe all you need.

After a while, several years maybe, you will find other creativity hacks.

I'm too old to use drum machines, sorry. But, whatever floats your boat. The concept is pretty much the same.

[Acoustic Interloper]

I'm listening to Chez Mosc right now, finding it pretty inspiring. Such sounds!

I just bounce around from soft synths driven by games or automata, to zero-input mixer, to electronic banjo with fx and ebow, to acoustic banjo, to writing & performing generative graphics / video. By the time I get back to the modality that seemed stale, it's fresh again.

[A E J O T Z]

Different sounds "tell me" how to play them. I never know which kind of sound or which instrument will inspire me. So I just go from sound to sound and from board to board until a sound suggests a musical direction to me.

Sometimes even my favorite synths have become too "familiar" and don't inspire me. Then it's time to try new patches, new effects or a seldom used instrument. (And it's a great excuse to buy new equipment.)

One such time nothing seemed to inspire me. As practically a last resort I switched on my cheapest cheesiest keyboard. An hour later I'd finished "luna," a tune which is arguably my greatest hit.

I'm a strong advocate of not worrying about the originality of sounds. A sound that inspires me to play with it is essential. I don't need to reinvent the piano every time I play. But I do need a sound that moves me.

[Acoustic Interloper]

[DES]

I've found that when creativity eludes me I'll sometimes work on doing a cover of an existing piece. Not only do you pickup ideas from the song structure but it also helps with your sound design as well as your playing ability. I've been in a rut now for quite a while (not helped by having to cancel my EM festival weekend this year ) and decided to do a cover of Michael Garrison's Departure. I've always loved that song so decided to cover it. It's been rather theraputic searching/creating the sounds, figuring out how things are played...