How Do You Start Making 'Music' Again?

well...

I hadn't "written" music since oh, 1997, when I graduated college. Around the turn of the century I started playing a lot. By myself. Music too. Playing guitar and keyboard a lot. But never recording, or writing. Just rocking out. And buying stuff. Occasionally I'd think about recording, then my computer would crash. I set up my "studio", carefully, in a manner to avoid making too much a mess. Then I told friends I'd work with them. I invited them over. They forced me to start playing and making the shit work again. I did this like 3 times. Then just a few nights ago I had a sudden urge. And I recorded something. It's terrible, but it's a start. I feel...re-born. I can make lots of excuses why I hadn't done anything in so many years, but who knows.

moral of the story? collaboration. puts on the pressure.

buy an instrument that you've never played before and work out how to make it sound good.

Stop listening to any music. Seriously. For like, a week, or up until you have such a desire to hear some music, that your mind will start generating it itself. At this point, pick up an instrument, and write something.

If at any point you stop having fun, then put down the instrument and walk away. The key is to spend some time only enjoying making music. The hard work part can be successfully deferred for a short while.

Good Dog OTM.

I recommend forcing yourself to play with other people. I know not everyone likes to do that, but for me this was a way of forcing myself to make the compromises that making a finished musical product inevitably requires. I used to noodle endlessly and never finish anything, and working with a band helped me focus.

Yes, Good Dog speaks wisely. Early last year ,my old band had ground to a halt and I hadn't played for a year or so when another band asked me to join on keybds, which I hadn't played before. I think it was really important that I was forced to get up to speed on a new instrument, rather than instantly fall into old habits on the guitar.

Also - as Hurting says, play with others. Make a commitment and have a plan, even if it's just to get a piece complete and recorded by the end of the month or whatever. I think you have to have a reason to play, rather than just mucking around with ideas.

wahoo! thanks good ideas. I think I shall buy one of those Kawai autoharp/zither things (I'm not really sure what they are, or if my memory is right, for this was 5 years ago) that I saw in the window of one of those music shops down near Tottenham Court Road.

Any more tips? I am quite tempted by this NaSoAlMo thing (I know, we're already a third of the way through Nov and I haven't started...) but it's been a long time and I was never much good. I live in the middle of nowhere, so finding fellow musicians is out of the question, and I just plain don't play anything well enough for that.

(ps jel I liked your music! I should've sent you something in return, sorry... long time ago, you probably don't even remember)

I suppose I need to find a way to focus on building up some kind of structure before I get bored so I can develop it into something anyone else would want to listen to and not get distracted by tweaking fx chains on 30-second loops endlessly. Software just didn't have realtime FX tweaking back when I last took the music thing seriously, and it's all a bit overwhelming now.