Struggling for inspiration?

We all do from time to time, but what if I told you there was a way you could improve both the quality and the speed of your ideas – starting today?

You’ve probably heard me talk about references when it comes to production and mixing, but I want to show you why referencing can be one of your most powerful tools when it comes to idea generation too.

I’m going to cover:

1 – Why you should be using references 

2 – How to use references to massively speed up idea generation

3 – What to look for in a great reference track

Why You Should Be Using References

The music you write = the combination of your many influences + your own idea generation.

So here’s the key: Without your own ideas your music sounds derivative, but without the influences you become paralysed by a lack of direction.

We need both.

I have covered (and will continue to cover) how to generate your own ideas numerous times, but now it’s time we tackle the other half of this equation.

Once we’ve got a good method for referencing (and don’t worry it’ll be fun) we can speed up this whole process!

How to Use References to Massively Speed Up Idea Generation

What we’re not going to do is just listen to your favourite Architects song and go “I wanna write something that sounds exactly like that!”

Not only is this approach just lazy (and has led to the terribly stale modern metal scene, a story for a different day) but it lacks a proper analytical approach which we’ll need if we’re trying to get the most out of this.

Here’s how I would go about it:

1 – Once you’ve found your reference track (we’ll talk about how you do that in just a minute), you want to first map out the song structure. 

2 – Notice one or two key things about each section – does the chorus sound much bigger than the verse? Why? What techniques are being used to achieve the effect of each section.

3 – Once you’ve got a short list of things you’ve found work well in your reference track(s), go about trying them for yourself. I would recommend spending some time on each thing separately in order to really dial in on the techniques/parts.

4 –  As you try to recreate the things you like in your reference tracks, you can start to combine them with your own ideas and Boom! Ideas + Inspiration = Music!

You don’t have to take such a formal approach every time you do this but it’s worth doing it a few times just to get your brain used to really analysing music, especially if you’re used to listening to music more passively.

At this stage, my brain automatically starts analysing music I’m listening to – whether I want to or not!

What to Look for in a Great Reference Track

So we know how to use songs to inspire our music now, but where do we find good inspiration?

The way I do it is I create a library of songs to reference.

Simply creating playlists of different songs which create a similar feeling is a great way to start.

For example I have a playlist called “Journeys” which is just full of songs which are often quite long and take me on some sort of musical journey. It’s hard to be objective about what makes something fit into such a playlist but it’s the kind of thing where if the song is right you’ll be able to feel it. 

Once you’ve got a few playlists set up which capture a different emotion or mood, you can begin to populate these with appropriate songs.

As I said before, this doesn’t have to feel like work. You can incorporate it into your regular listening:

Shuffle through your “Sad Songs” playlist or your “Huge Anthems” playlist or your “Heavy as Balls” playlist (oh, just me?) and approach each song with an analytical mind.

You don’t have to get a pen and paper out or anything but just make a mental note of what each song does to deserve its spot in this playlist. Go one step further and try to figure out what each song has in common – What makes a ‘sad song’ a sad song to you?

For my “Journeys” playlist the common theme is the songs are quite long and the songs feel like they evolve so that by the end you feel like you’re in a different place to where you started. I try to then incorporate the inspiration I get from these songs into my own music