Staying creative is tough – especially when making music is your career. There are times you’ll step into the studio and no matter how hard you try, nothing gets created. (Nothing you like anyway).
Creative block is something a lot of artists (not just musicians) have to cope with.
But one of the sneakiest ways of overcoming this creative block is to limit yourself creatively.
Weird, I know…
Be more creative by limiting your creativity? How does that work?
ONE SYNTH TO RULE THEM ALL
Synth VSTs nowadays are super versatile. You can literally do everything with them.
And you should.
The next time you’re stuck in the studio with no ideas coming to you pick a synth out of your arsenal – just one.
And use that synth to create every single part of your song/beat.
From top-line melodies to harmonies, chords, bass and even drum/percussion sounds, make everything using this one synth.
Why Does This Work?
Sometimes, when you have limitless options like most modern pro and bedroom studios offer, you get overwhelmed and stuck. You’re not sure where to start, and even when you do it’s not full-hearted because of all the other things you could be doing/using.
By forcing yourself to work with just a single instrument to do everything you need to do, you unleash a part of creativity that can be dormant inside you.
After all, this is kind of how hip-hop music evolved. The kids in New York back in the day didn’t have a lot of different equipment available to them so they made due with what they had.
They used their samplers to do everything – drums, breaks, basslines, melodies, etc.
And it birthed what has become the biggest genre of music in the world.
So constraints can become your competitive advantage. By limiting yourself, you can often come up with some really cool shit.
TRY IT YOURSELF
The next time you’re in the studio, choose a synth and make every sound you need on it.
Start with the chords. Pick a patch that has multiple voices, and lay down a nice chord progression. Tweak the preset if you want.
Next duplicate that same synth on a new track and lay down some melodic elements. Do it again and find a kick preset. If your synth of choice doesn’t have any drum sound, try creating your own kick sound on it. Now a snare and some hats.
Keep going.
Before you know it you’ll have a brand new beat that might just be a really dope idea.
Once you’ve got it layed down, you can switch out the synth/instrument for something else if you want. That’s up to you.
The point is to just try and limit yourself to inspire your creativity. After that dreaded “beat block” is gone, all bets are off.
SOME EXTRA CREATIVITY INSPIRING TOOLS
Beat Building Blocks are a great resource for any musician, songwriter or music producer to keep in their tool-chest. With hundreds of fully customizable music patterns and sounds, you’re able to break through creative block with drag-and-drop ease.
Not only will they help you overcome “beat block” they’ll help you make more music, faster than ever before.
Download your free sample today and see for yourself what other producers around the world have already discovered.