How To Write Music When You've Got Writer's Block

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 12. 07. 2016
  • Check out our weekly blog here:
    thinkspaceeducation.com/blog
    For more free tutorials, information and free sample units on our courses in film scoring, orchestration and composition, visit:
    thinkspaceeducation.com
    Do you want to learn how to write music for films? Download our free guide:
    thinkspaceeducation.com/youtube

Komentáře • 114

  • @RamonRodgers
    @RamonRodgers Před 8 lety +33

    Brilliant! I'm going to break out my D&D dice! 12-sided for the key. maybe 8-sided for melody. Great idea to break the block!

    • @arthurmee
      @arthurmee Před 4 lety +1

      Me too. I'm using my trusty 8 sided dice from my D&D sets. Trouble is, I want to relive my youth and play D&D again.

  • @Xaero188
    @Xaero188 Před 8 lety +17

    So simple and genious at the same time! Thank you so much!)

  • @wizmos74
    @wizmos74 Před 5 lety +2

    One of best video i've seen on you tube,thanks a lot for wonderful idea when writing is blocked. Cheers

  • @juliegagnemusique
    @juliegagnemusique Před 6 lety +7

    This is such a cool way to deal with writer's block. I will definitely try it out, thanks for the tip!

  • @augmentedu-turn5071
    @augmentedu-turn5071 Před rokem

    i love this method of breaking music block, especially if you have a lot of dice and a lot of types of dice, it allows for you to work with so many different bases for a song
    this method even helped me write one of my best songs about a year and a half ago too!

  • @Channel-Z
    @Channel-Z Před 4 lety

    Such a easy but creative solution! Amazing, respect!

  • @Moujemusic
    @Moujemusic Před 5 lety

    Genius technique... And amazed by the outcome... Definitely trying it out!!!

  • @jwatt002003
    @jwatt002003 Před 8 lety +10

    I like this! You should do these more often because I like pausing the video after the dice roll then comparing what you made with what I attempted.

    • @guym1428
      @guym1428 Před 8 lety +2

      Great idea! Post some of your tunes

  • @mattboscan
    @mattboscan Před 4 lety

    I really liked the 1st one! Quite stirring. The 3,3,6,1,3,3 reminded me a bit of Bat For Lashes.

  • @oskararnarson
    @oskararnarson Před 7 lety +6

    I've never had writer's block when it comes to music but that looks insanely fun.

    • @ethansprague2005
      @ethansprague2005 Před 6 lety +2

      oskararnarson you will if your like me. I have written lyrics for 10 albums, 2 eps, and alot of bonus one off stuff, along with work in progress music. You will, it's awful

  • @Tk5869
    @Tk5869 Před 8 lety

    So good. Thank you.

  • @FedericoSolazzo
    @FedericoSolazzo Před 7 lety

    Awesome trick :) Thank you, Guy!

  • @adamkris
    @adamkris Před 8 lety

    What a great tip! Thank you, Guy! :)

  • @ihaveriffs8261
    @ihaveriffs8261 Před 3 lety

    That’s pretty darned neat!

  • @craigberry4051
    @craigberry4051 Před 4 lety

    Cool idea!

  • @TheHManShow
    @TheHManShow Před 5 lety

    This is GENIUS!!!

  • @andrewdeck7945
    @andrewdeck7945 Před 4 lety

    Thanks for this tip!!!

  • @bouffantmoose
    @bouffantmoose Před 6 lety

    Just your talent is inspiring

  • @DigitalX2008
    @DigitalX2008 Před 4 lety

    A realy fantastic idea.

  • @AlexNutaMtl
    @AlexNutaMtl Před 4 lety

    And you don't have to use it exactly the way it comes out on the dice, but I hope it can get me started. Certainly better than just staring at the keyboard.
    Brilliant.

  • @wyldwolf
    @wyldwolf Před 7 lety +33

    Be right back, gonna bribe my nephew for a pair of dice from his monopoly set.

  • @jaredlane29
    @jaredlane29 Před 5 lety

    Even if you don't have writers block this is a great way to practice tons of things. Workflow, harmonization, improvisation, etc.

  • @shauncollins5029
    @shauncollins5029 Před 3 lety

    Great Idea.

  • @arnoldchristian9501
    @arnoldchristian9501 Před 6 lety

    Thank you !

  • @JoshuaHults
    @JoshuaHults Před 8 lety

    The best tip I ever seen

  • @actualchrisreid
    @actualchrisreid Před 4 lety

    Never thought of this an idea. Will have to use this the next time I am stuck writing a song.

  • @ShamStalin
    @ShamStalin Před 7 lety

    wow this is actually fun!

  • @dubtlils3071
    @dubtlils3071 Před 5 měsíci

    You are so smart and such an amazing musician I love you ;) … oops didn’t mean to add that last bit

  • @richardboyer210
    @richardboyer210 Před 7 lety +3

    Thank you Your are very funny love what you do ;)

  • @JeffMuzerolle
    @JeffMuzerolle Před 8 lety +1

    Brilliant! Of course it's easier when you're as creative as Guy Michelmore!!!

  • @MarkBowenPiano
    @MarkBowenPiano Před 7 lety

    Nice idea and one I've used in the past although with me I tend to lean more towards minor chordal tunes instead as I've always felt they tend to give me more to work with. I just think that major structures always seem to end up just too happy and almost 'silly' when I do that. Yours were great though.
    On an aside, are those Genelec 2029A monitors you're using there? I've got a pair and love them but was wondering if they're those or perhaps another model?
    Thanks for all the great videos. Wonderful work.

  • @Textra1
    @Textra1 Před 5 lety

    And you can change up the mode to get exotic pieces. Brilliant. I'm doing this tonight.

  • @PaperMario64
    @PaperMario64 Před 8 lety

    That's awesome :)

  • @StefUllrichMusic
    @StefUllrichMusic Před 8 lety

    I occasionally use a deck of cards (German version), which contains eight different types. Very useful.

  • @VidadeProducer
    @VidadeProducer Před 7 lety

    Just Awesome

  • @audionrg7840
    @audionrg7840 Před 7 lety +1

    Lol ah ha what a clever idea! That was great thank you!

  • @sunnylazic3597
    @sunnylazic3597 Před 8 lety

    This is fun!!!

  • @MyOwnWayMusic
    @MyOwnWayMusic Před 4 lety

    Love it 😊 where do I buy dice is the question..

  • @frostgfx
    @frostgfx Před 2 lety

    Nice way to start someting. I'd need 5 days to do the same thing though.

  • @igorkovalenko7425
    @igorkovalenko7425 Před 8 lety

    cheers! cheers! cheers!

  • @laaarsas
    @laaarsas Před 8 lety

    Hey Guy!
    I know you've recently made a switch from DP to Cubase. Now, I've heard that Cubase has problem with making use of multicore processors under certain conditions, for example when dealing with group tracks. Since I know you use to work with huge templates, I wonder what CPU you have in your master computer, and how well it handles your templates in Cubase. Cheers!

  • @kenapplegate904
    @kenapplegate904 Před 7 lety

    I know there was a note-picker linked below. But if you really want to stick with dice and you've got a quick deadline coming up and can't take time to shop/wait for them, this random dice roller can be of help. Standard RPG dice are included and there is a slot at the bottom so that you can call for dice with different numbers of sides. www.wizards.com/dnd/dice/dice.htm

  • @stanstevens6289
    @stanstevens6289 Před 4 lety

    Would it be an advantage to use 12 sided dice to include all the semi tones?

  • @dhudson0001
    @dhudson0001 Před 2 lety

    I just wrote a chromatic scale on several small squares of paper then scrambled them up and randomly chose six. It works well.

  • @tolisgamer
    @tolisgamer Před 7 lety +1

    What midi keyboard is this?

  • @denis4older462
    @denis4older462 Před 5 lety +1

    Which Midi controller is that?

  • @everythingability
    @everythingability Před 4 lety

    Love it. You could get 7 if you ever (optionally) make two numbers next to each other that make 7, e.g 1,6,2 ,3,3,4 becomes a number of alternatives with 7 at the beginning and end. Love your vids. If you want a "digital" seven-sided dice I can whip one up in no time.

    • @everythingability
      @everythingability Před 4 lety

      In fact.... less than 5 minutes... no fancy graphics or sound effects but editable code. a 7 sided dice editor.p5js.org/remarkability/sketches/uRSXTf-M0

    • @everythingability
      @everythingability Před 4 lety

      And with, er, sound. editor.p5js.org/remarkability/sketches/6SroxkSbK

  • @joewakeford
    @joewakeford Před 8 lety

    Lovely as always Guy! What's the audio interface you use with the nice big volume dial on the left of the screen?

    • @guym1428
      @guym1428 Před 8 lety +1

      Mackie Big Knob. Its a monitoring box. The audio card is a MOTU 2408 in my mac pro.

    • @joewakeford
      @joewakeford Před 8 lety

      +Guy Michelmore Ah lovely, you've solved the mystery for me, thanks!

  • @kylejudkins754
    @kylejudkins754 Před 7 lety +1

    if you play DnD you should have a d8 laying around...
    i'd just suggest grabbing the first 1 3 5 you can and using that as your first note so you can atleast start in the tonic... or else you'd have to hope it was a suspension that happens to resolve itself

  • @betinkerbell2447
    @betinkerbell2447 Před 7 lety

    Could you make a wright ears block for guitar

  • @cottoneyemoe
    @cottoneyemoe Před 8 lety +6

    For a full diatonic scale, you could get a set of D7 dice such as these:
    www.thediceshoponline.com/cat/41/sides/6/d7
    Or D12 if you want to go chromatic. Or a different side count for any scheme you might concoct.

    • @guym1428
      @guym1428 Před 8 lety +3

      Brilliant! I was wondering about that actually. Chromatic dice! Most interestingly of course it favours all tones equally so you are not drawn to 1 4 5 more than 236.

    • @MrSquare
      @MrSquare Před 7 lety

      D8s are a lot easier to find (they're used in RPGs); I guess you could use those and then reroll for 8?

    • @SenseiLeRoof
      @SenseiLeRoof Před 4 lety

      @@MrSquare I'd think 8 could be an octave up from 1.

  • @user-ht9fr6eh9u
    @user-ht9fr6eh9u Před 2 lety

    Nutty professor

  • @ngat0ry508
    @ngat0ry508 Před 7 lety

    I was thinking as to how you could fit 7 into this trick, then you mentioned it. There exists a 7-sided dice, but they look really odd.

  • @mickkiller
    @mickkiller Před 6 lety

    No need to buy dice, there's a big box in front of you that can do it instead. Using python: python -c "import random; print([random.ran
    dint(1, 7) for i in range(0, 6)])"

  • @antoniocristiano23
    @antoniocristiano23 Před 6 lety

    Genious! ahahah

  • @MrPaolo101
    @MrPaolo101 Před 4 lety

    What a weird and wonderful solution....
    im gonna give this a whirl.

  • @monkeymindbananas9550
    @monkeymindbananas9550 Před 4 lety

    How do you pick a key?

  • @JamieClark
    @JamieClark Před 8 lety

    use 8 sided dice. They're very common and cheap to find.
    1 for root, 8 for octave. Also has a 7 on it ;)
    No need for 7 sided dice.

    • @guym1428
      @guym1428 Před 8 lety +1

      You can do it for modes of course as well - that works

  • @RKSarathy
    @RKSarathy Před 4 lety

    Who's gonna notice your password on CZcams and steal your phone, Guy!😂😂😂

  • @mytonmusic1891
    @mytonmusic1891 Před 2 lety

    HAHAHA. And again HAHAHA. This is brilliant! As are all your other video's. Maybe you should consider a job as composer in the music industry! ;-)

  • @Harrysound
    @Harrysound Před 7 lety

    Wow! *goes to order dice

  • @musicman0423
    @musicman0423 Před 2 lety

    Would have been cool if you used the minor scale

  • @SaileRetuer99
    @SaileRetuer99 Před 8 lety

    I wonder if any famous score started like this, just going random...
    Do you use it often, Guy?
    Where did you get that idea?
    Its a big help

    • @guym1428
      @guym1428 Před 8 lety +2

      Who knows! Every now and again the dice throw up a famous tune so it's not fool proof. The idea comes from the insight that originality often springs from some kind of restriction. Only use these notes or these samples and see what you can do. Often too much choice is what leaves you staring at the wall.

    • @jslaughter95
      @jslaughter95 Před 4 lety

      You should look up how Nobuo Uematsu wrote One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy 7, it’s actually not far off from this and very cool to watch

  • @PrinceWesterburg
    @PrinceWesterburg Před 4 lety +1

    No dice man!

  • @LeeGee
    @LeeGee Před 2 lety

    Musikalisches Würfelspiele!

  • @MustacheVerra
    @MustacheVerra Před 8 lety

    haha that's a pretty good tip.

  • @musicrenz24
    @musicrenz24 Před 4 lety

    Is that Aleatoric, isnt it?

  • @jamesgrey13
    @jamesgrey13 Před 6 lety

    I already have six dice... I need 500 more, and some bigger hands, to help me write a whole song!

  • @tomstickland
    @tomstickland Před 4 lety

    Brian Eno had a set of random cards for when he ran out of ideas for music production.

  • @Textra1
    @Textra1 Před 5 lety

    Shouldn't you be using 8 sided dice?

  • @brushyrunblacksmith
    @brushyrunblacksmith Před 3 lety

    I didn't see anyone recommend using a random number generator. Just google "random number generator". Then you can set the range from 1 to 12 or anything in between.

  • @MartinJG100
    @MartinJG100 Před 5 lety +1

    I'd keep quiet about that. There may be a few red faces in the industry whose cover might just have been blown! I wonder whether Mozart used a similar process. He knocked more music than was thought humanly possible. David Bowie certainly worked on randomness.

    • @SimonTebbenhamMusic
      @SimonTebbenhamMusic Před 4 lety

      Aleatory music is well documented. I even had a module on it for my music degree. I like how it forces you away from preconceived approaches and over practiced forms. Good for ostinato figures in a repetitive minimalism kind of way. I had my piano in front of me and just came up with a belter trying that first one 131613, a minor triplet thing :) cool vid.

  • @jordantothesmith
    @jordantothesmith Před 4 lety

    *...adds pack of dice to Amazon cart*

  • @bien.mp4
    @bien.mp4 Před 3 lety

    Another technique is to take an old piece of music and transpose it hahaha

  • @krissa9664
    @krissa9664 Před 3 lety

    i have ideas but my head just doesnt work with developing anymore :(

  • @Jellybeantiger
    @Jellybeantiger Před rokem

    Deep depression hereYou don’t have depression,one huge block in creating music,I hate myself too.

  • @MarinaBrunoFilms
    @MarinaBrunoFilms Před 7 lety

    Loved this video! Very helpful... Check out mine! I have different tips 😬

  • @angerock49
    @angerock49 Před 3 měsíci

    Step 1: be a brilliant composer 😂

  • @bassManDavis1953
    @bassManDavis1953 Před 4 lety +1

    Have raided all the games with dice in, oh dear what a shame😇😇😇😇😇😇😇

  • @pacomarquez3505
    @pacomarquez3505 Před 5 lety

    this guys hella weird..

  • @TheRobZet
    @TheRobZet Před 6 lety

    If you experience a writer's block you have no clue about your area of work or you lack experience. In other words you're an amateur.

    • @hillehai
      @hillehai Před 6 lety +1

      I bet typing this made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

    • @janpomerans
      @janpomerans Před 6 lety

      Oh really?

    • @TheRobZet
      @TheRobZet Před 6 lety

      Hate won’t change reality. ✌️

    • @hillehai
      @hillehai Před 6 lety +2

      You realize arrogance isn't exactly one of the most prominent signs of competence, right?

    • @TheRobZet
      @TheRobZet Před 6 lety

      hillehai arguing with a random person on CZcams isn’t either