5 Ways To Overcome Beat Block
In this video we’re going to discuss WHY we get beat block and reveal five proven techniques to overcome it.
Now in order to overcome this sort of creative block we first have to understand why we’re running into it in the first place. The best way to find a solution is by identifying the root of the problem which could be different from person to person. With that being said I’ve identified four main reasons for beat block.
Reasons for Beat Block
1. Distractions
Social Media, YouTube, your Email, and life in general will easily pull your attention away from being productive so keep that in mind the next time you find yourself slipping away from creating.
2. Boredom
You could be tired of what you’ve been working on because it’s not challenging you creatively. Are you making music at that moment because you’re inspired or because you’re bored?
3. Lack Of Motivation
If you’re doing music as a hobby and not as a business it’s a little easier to lose motivation, but that ok. You don’t have to be inspired 24/7.
4. Self-Imposed Overwhelm
If you’re like me, then you like to make the most of your time. So when you sit down with the purpose of creating music you want to be as productive as possible, but when nothing seems to sound good and you’ve blown through a couple hours without anything worthy of saving it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed by anything other than joy or excitement will definitely put a choke hold on your creativity.
So that was a quick overview of some of reasons that we experience beat block or creative block. Now let’s get into the five techniques to overcome it.
5 Techniques to Overcome Beat Block
1. Take A Mental Break
Dedicate a set amount of time each day to getting out of the studio and stimulate your brain with other activities. Sometimes we spend all of our time in front of computer screens and cut ourselves off from the outside world. This type of solitude can have a negative effect on our brain activity and mood. Going to the gym, reading, and participating in group activities are great ways to let your brain reset creatively.
2. Feed Your Brain with Fresh Content
When you listen to the same types of music on a regular basis your brain becomes numb to it and far less stimulated. By switching up what your brain is processing you effectively jump start mental stimulation which can have a profound effect on your imagination and creativity. Try listening to a different genre of music for a few days. Switch it up and be open minded to new types of music. Spotify and Pandora are magical when it comes to this. In less than 10 seconds you can add random new stations and be listening to music that you’ve never heard before.
3. Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone
We all fall victim at times to the dreaded comfort zone. We find a genre and style of music that we excel at producing and eventually we get frustrated when we realize that all of our music is starting to sound the same. Now developing your own style is a great thing, but in order to continue to grow and develop as a creative entrepreneur we have to force ourselves out of the comfort zone. So even if you’re not experiencing beat block at the moment I highly recommend switching things up once in a while. So if your go-to genre, for example is R&B, focus on producing something else, such as Top 40 Pop, or a specific niche of hip-hop such as west coast or classic New York style tracks. By switching up the style of your compositions it will trigger your body to release powerful neurotransmitters which are chemicals that effect your mood, focus, and creativity such as dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. That’s not just my opinion either. That’s science.
4. Collaboration with Friends or Peers
As a music producer we like to gravitate towards other music producers. So you most likely know a few people who you could contact to see if they’d be interested in working together on a project. Collaboration can be a fun way to create some really fantastic music, and at the same time develop long lasting friendships with those you work with. It’s also a great way to expand your technical knowledge because you’ll end up learning from one another. Now not everyone likes collaborating on compositions, but that’s ok. A lot of the time just talking music, life, and business with other likeminded people is enough to breathe some fresh air into your work.
5. Go Back and Finish Older Unfinished Beats
We’ve all come down with a case of beat block at some point in our lives and I’m sure I’m not alone when I say it can be really frustrating. One thing that has helped me personally is going back into older unfinished beats and finding one that gets my attention. Sometimes it’s hard to create from scratch, but if you have something with loads of potential already started it can be a lot easier to focus on the task at hand.