does anyone else experience this...?

**digitalia** · June 8th, 2003, 07:55 PM

...you're working on a track and you're trying to flesh it out or come up with lyrics, you've got a pretty groovy hook or something going on - and then you CAN'T GET IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD?

this has happened to me a few times, to the point where i can't sleep cause it keeps echoing in my brain. right now it's the few lines of vocals from a track im working on. freakin kept me up all night...

should you be getting your own songs stuck in your head in the early stages? it's kinda freakin me out...

d

**cliffwalk** · June 8th, 2003, 08:02 PM

Originally posted by digitalia
...you're working on a track and you're trying to flesh it out or come up with lyrics, you've got a pretty groovy hook or something going on - and then you CAN'T GET IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD?

this has happened to me a few times, to the point where i can't sleep cause it keeps echoing in my brain. right now it's the few lines of vocals from a track im working on. freakin kept me up all night...

should you be getting your own songs stuck in your head in the early stages? it's kinda freakin me out...

d

you've fallen in love with one of your own ideas... go with it...

dave

**NoiseGoth** · June 9th, 2003, 08:16 PM

God, I hated that. I used to get up at 3am due to some idea I hadn't quite gotten out of my system, work on it for a couple hours, then try to get back to sleep. Gotta tell ya, this produced some reeeeeeally weird stuff... like the night I sampled Mariah Carey and mixed it with Master of Puppets (strangely successfully, too).

Anyways, I think the key here is to work at the damn thing until you've gotten it out. It'll drive you crazy otherwise.

As Dave says... go with it. Who needs sleep??

-ng

**MidiRipper** · June 9th, 2003, 08:29 PM

It's actually a good thing I'd say. Makes you wanna keep tracking. On the other side of the coin, is when I hear something over and over in my head which sounds great (driving, at work, etc), I always forget what it was by the time I have time to track it. That really sucks! I guess that's a situation where those pocket recorders come in handy.

'Ripper

**digitalia** · June 9th, 2003, 08:56 PM

i hear whatchy'all are sayin, but this gets frustrating cause i'll have the same section repeating over and over as i try to come up with something to compliment it.

i guess it's good that it seems to be something catchy that would stick in a person's head, but im also of the belief that if a song is so catchy that you can have it in your head after one or 2 listens, then the novelty will wear off just as fast.

i prefer the songs that you hear once and maybe it didnt get to you right away, but then a few months later you'll have it in your head and you have to ask your girlfriend "what song is this?" and try to hum it for her. those are the tracks that really get under your skin.

but for now, im afraid to start working on that track again. luckily, i think i came up with the rest of the lyrics, but if i take a stab at it again, im afraid of how many restless nights might follow...

cheers,
d

**Changeling** · June 11th, 2003, 03:55 PM

Insomnia is part of the game. Embrace it. I would say it's better to have one of your tunes stuck in your head than to be completely un-inspired. But like you said, it's a good idea to put a little space between yourself and your obsession sometimes. It gives you perspective and you don't wanna burn-out on what you're doing.

Originally posted by digitalia
i hear whatchy'all are sayin, but this gets frustrating cause i'll have the same section repeating over and over as i try to come up with something to compliment it.

I have the same problem sometimes. I'll spend a lot of time working on a chorus section or a bassline and the loop becomes so complete on it's on that anything else I put with it seems weak by comparison. I usually have to let those tracks simmer for a while. Sometimes months. But once I finish them up I'm always glad that I didn't force them out.
As your experience grows, it becomes easier to flesh things out. You may wanna sketch out the flow of the track early on though and put down any ideas you have about it, even if they aren't up to par with the best bits. With some tracks, I find it hard to put myself back in the "mood" for them if I've moved on to other groups of songs. It helps if a lot of the groundwork was already laid out in the track's embryonic stages.

**arronc** · June 11th, 2003, 06:00 PM

I bet you use a computer. I find if I try to write with a computer watching the screen and listening to the notes at the same time is the classic way to jam something into your short term memory.

Once it is jammed in there, thats it. My brain gets jammed and I cant come with variation etc of the sections ive got. I spent 2 months unable to write more than 2 bar loops, and eventually realised it was the way I was interacting with the computer.

Now i write with it turned off, and when ive finished writing, then turn it on and put the track into it. I find I can keep much more perspective that way.

Or maybe its just me !

**KissTheStar** · June 11th, 2003, 06:21 PM

I often wake up in the morning with a song I am working on in my head.

**Changeling** · June 11th, 2003, 06:39 PM

Originally posted by arronc
I bet you use a computer. I find if I try to write with a computer watching the screen and listening to the notes at the same time is the classic way to jam something into your short term memory.

Once it is jammed in there, thats it. My brain gets jammed and I cant come with variation etc of the sections ive got. I spent 2 months unable to write more than 2 bar loops, and eventually realised it was the way I was interacting with the computer.

Now i write with it turned off, and when ive finished writing, then turn it on and put the track into it. I find I can keep much more perspective that way.

Or maybe its just me !

Yep, that's me. I'm 100% software right now. I've been using it for so long, it's just another thing that you get used to. I still get stuck in the "endless loop" from time to time but I've found it's best to lay out a bare framework for the majority of the track before I concentrate on individual sections nowadays. Things go more smoothly that way. Otherwise I just have another abandoned loop, intro or chorus to add to the pile.

**digitalia** · July 3rd, 2003, 10:36 PM

well, folks, the time has come to see if all that insomnia was worth it....

the song i had been working on - "Insecurity" - is finally finished and can be heard at www.digitalianation.com
the lyrics sort of lend themself to the idea that i find my work to be both soothing and torturing at the same time.

i have to say, im still getting this song stuck in my head, even after i've completed it enough to unleash on others - that is definitely a first for me...

cheers,
d

**Efreak** · July 3rd, 2003, 10:38 PM

Originally posted by digitalia
...you're working on a track and you're trying to flesh it out or come up with lyrics, you've got a pretty groovy hook or something going on - and then you CAN'T GET IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD?

this has happened to me a few times, to the point where i can't sleep cause it keeps echoing in my brain. right now it's the few lines of vocals from a track im working on. freakin kept me up all night...

should you be getting your own songs stuck in your head in the early stages? it's kinda freakin me out...

d

You sound like a musician to me!

Jamie

**PTInc** · July 3rd, 2003, 10:53 PM

THose vocals remind me of Siebold for some reason. Tis good stuff for sure. I can see why it kept getting stuck in your head. :-)

**cliffwalk** · July 3rd, 2003, 10:59 PM

Originally posted by Changeling

Yep, that's me. I'm 100% software right now. I've been using it for so long, it's just another thing that you get used to. I still get stuck in the "endless loop" from time to time but I've found it's best to lay out a bare framework for the majority of the track before I concentrate on individual sections nowadays. Things go more smoothly that way. Otherwise I just have another abandoned loop, intro or chorus to add to the pile.

I never suffered this problem UNTIL I started writing electronic music. The work flow TOTALLY ��s with me. I got an Acoustic Guitar for christmas and as I've been writing material for my album I totally walk away from the computer and just pluck out simple chrod structures and melody lines. I haven't tracked one song in probably 3 months except for some stuff for school. When I play around with the electronics, it's just that, experimenting.

My goal is to not actually sit down and start tracking until a majority of the beasts are in my head or atleast on paper.

It's old fashion but I used to write prolifically that way. Sensory deprivation.

Dave

**Efreak** · July 3rd, 2003, 11:15 PM

Now it's stuck in my head. Dammit!

The hook for me is the minor key right after the chorus. MMMMMMMMM!
Jamie

**JennVix** · July 28th, 2003, 12:05 AM

This happened to me a few times during my sessions for my latest CD.

Why fight it?

**digitalia** · July 28th, 2003, 06:44 PM

yer right, Jenn, there's no point - chalk it up as "suffering for your art"...

by the way, the track is now on the EGN charts, hovering around in the top 20 right now. give a listen if you get a chance, folks....

cheers,
d