It's all fun and games until someone wears themselves into submission. I've spent quite a bit of time writing about dedication, repetition, and perseverance. I'd like to talk about taking a step back.
I will be the first one to tell you that quitting time for me is about 2 hours after everyone else has told me to take a break. I'm a bit better now but I bet I get some of those same feelings you other musicians get about walking away from a challenge. My reservations? Will I leave and come back and not have the same flow creatively, or loose sight of what I was working on? Even worse, might I forget some of my ideas? Once I can let go of those issues, I've still got pride to contend with. We all know about that. Taking a break or leaving and coming back does not equate to weakness or giving up.
It's funny to think after all these years of playing and writing that I still haven't completely caught on to the benefits of taking a step back from a challenge. I say this because just about every time I do take a step back, I end up coming out on top in the end.
The spark for this blog came to me yesterday while I was trying to work on some new material. I had one idea I wanted to pursue. To my frustration, not much else was happening. I tried things but nothing was fitting, complimenting or as strong. Thanks to my bladder, I had to walk away for a few. Abracadabra! One 2 minute pit stop equated to two new sections that I heard in my head full instrumentation included. This is because I let my mind get in the game. Makes sense right? We are creating after all. How often though do we hear ourselves or other fellow musicians play the same thing or within the same patterns and shapes?
I wanted to write a shorter blog today on this particular subject because it ties in with a few other subjects. For now, I'd like to ask you to think about the difference between writing inside your head vs. writing with an instrument in your hands. Over the past many years most of my sparks for songs have come when I've not been playing and I've had to grab an instrument to see it through after the fact.
Is there a difference between writing music and thinking up music?
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