Boost your musical creativity!
Category: Miscellaneous
Believe it or not, the best time to get started on creating music is before you have a solid understanding of classical musical theory. Some of the most creative musicians have no formal classical music training, and create their music solely on the basis of sound and feeling (think Thom Yorke from Radiohead). These steps should help you get the basis for creating your own compositions.
1. Know all kinds
Expose yourself to all kinds of music: classical, country, hip-hop, gospel, rock, alternative, blues, jazz… the list goes on and on. Try to find independent artists that produce their own music. This would be the best place to find music that hasn’t been produced and manipulated to satiate the masses. The internet is a great way to find new artists and new types of music. Try YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, etc. Support local artists by trying your local entertainment listings.
Another way to boost your creativity is to listen to music that is not based on Western classical form. Non-western music is any music that grew out of a tradition other than the European. Non-Western music has different tuning systems, different scales, and different approaches to melody and harmony. Try Indian, African, Caribbean, and Latin music… You might find they have a unique and exotic sound.
2. Try different melodies
Melody is the focal point of music. Play with different notes and different rhythms. Feel them out on the keyboard. Use both the black and the white keys. You only need to play one note at a time. Try making a melody that would fit a country song, a rock song, a classical song. Try a song with two different melodies played at the same time. Make a melody for your favorite poem. The key idea is to try try try… the more familiar you are with the keyboard, the more creative you can get. Try to do something that you think no one has ever done.
3. Try different harmonies
Play any two notes together. Do they sound good to you? Do they sound bad? Familiarize yourself with the sounds are produced when you play two, three, or four different notes together. Integrate melody and harmony together. As you learn more techniques like staccato, syncopation, accents, and legato you will be able to integrate them into your creative efforts.
4. Record your efforts
Record your endeavors with a microphone and play them back. Listen to them carefully. A lot of what you play will be experimental and may not sound wonderful. But once in a while you will find that you have played something that is appealing or exciting, or a riff that was going in the right direction but didn’t quite make it. Build upon these moments. Build upon the riffs and the harmonies that you have created. Play them over and over and refine them.
Follow these four steps, and you will be well on your way to creating your own masterpiece. Just remember to give me credit when accepting your Grammy for Song of the Year 
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Posted on November 1st, 2008 by sharlene
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