Quite the opposite here!

I write tunes like I wrote songs. It's the only way I know how to write music. I start with a chord scheme and then am a few hours busy building the base of the tune: drums bass and rhythm guitar. Sometimes Farfisa and/or piano. When that is all sorted, I put the song in the fridge for a few days and then I take it out again. Since it's all mathematics anyway, I usually come up with acceptable melodies.
Once I am happy with it, I put the mixture again in the fridge for a few days and when I take it out again, I see if it's still acceptable to me. If it is, I start mixing the thing. If not, I come up with a new melody and rinse repeat. Or I throw the whole song out. That's it. No alcohol needed.

Albums:
_Introducing; Impala '59; An Evening with; Herr Magnatech Bittet Zum Tanz; Europa

Changing label.

https://magnatech.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/magnatechmusic
https://www.magnatech-music.com

I confess I'm not writing a lot lately. More interested right now in practicing. Guitar and pedal steel. Takes a lot of my time these days.

But - I do write sometimes, and certainly have over the years. And if I happen to have hoisted a few and come up with a song idea, great. But I think getting drunk specifically to write songs is a very slippery slope. Beyond the potential addiction issues, I would not want to rely on drinking for inspiration. And I often find alcohol actually inhibits my ability to get anything done. Not to mention the fact that - for me and I think many - a lot of the stuff that seemed so clever after drinking doesn't stand up to the cold, sober light of day. YMMV, I'm not being judgmental - I acknowledge that a lot of great music has been written, shall we say, under the influence of something. But I've also watched a lot of good people go down like this.

For me, inspiration comes from many sources. Sometimes I'm just daydreaming away and something hits me. Sometimes something has happened, to me or just in the world, that inspires me. Sometimes I am more deliberate about writing. I am, more or less, an applied mathematician by trade, and I think logic and mathematics can contribute ideas to music at a lot of levels, including writing. But I agree that, for me, there has to be some type of inspirational spark - I get bored quickly with overly mathematically-generated music. I know some people think 'hit songs' can be, more or less, algorithmically generated. And I can often detect an algorithm in a lot of popular music these days, which drives me nuts.

Hey, whatever works. But I personally think about that phrase at a number of different levels.

The Delverados - surf, punk, trash, twang - Facebook
Chicken Tractor Deluxe - hardcore Americana - Facebook and Website
The Telegrassers - semi-electric bluegrass/Americana - Facebook

DaveMudgett wrote:

I confess I'm not writing a lot lately. More interested right now in practicing. Guitar and pedal steel. Takes a lot of my time these days.

But - I do write sometimes, and certainly have over the years. And if I happen to have hoisted a few and come up with a song idea, great. But I think getting drunk specifically to write songs is a very slippery slope. Beyond the potential addiction issues, I would not want to rely on drinking for inspiration. And I often find alcohol actually inhibits my ability to get anything done. Not to mention the fact that - for me and I think many - a lot of the stuff that seemed so clever after drinking doesn't stand up to the cold, sober light of day. YMMV, I'm not being judgmental - I acknowledge that a lot of great music has been written, shall we say, under the influence of something. But I've also watched a lot of good people go down like this.

For me, inspiration comes from many sources. Sometimes I'm just daydreaming away and something hits me. Sometimes something has happened, to me or just in the world, that inspires me. Sometimes I am more deliberate about writing. I am, more or less, an applied mathematician by trade, and I think logic and mathematics can contribute ideas to music at a lot of levels, including writing. But I agree that, for me, there has to be some type of inspirational spark - I get bored quickly with overly mathematically-generated music. I know some people think 'hit songs' can be, more or less, algorithmically generated. And I can often detect an algorithm in a lot of popular music these days, which drives me nuts.

Hey, whatever works. But I personally think about that phrase at a number of different levels.

Nice point of view, thanks! Surely I was somehow joking, that’s not like I am getting drunk every night to write surf tunes) Inspiration comes from different sources, but yes, sometimes the best ideas come when I sit with guitar late at night with a glass of good whiskey or beer. It frees my mind a little from all the troubles and really helps to go off the treaded path. Surely it’s no good as a recipe or whatever, just a fact.

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

Here in CA we're lucky that cannabis is legal, and I find it more conducive to writing music than alcohol. Listening too

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

"Here's to the man who drinks dark ale and goes to bed quite mellow. He lives as he ought to live and dies a jolly good fellow"

Jojobaplant wrote:

Samurai wrote:

« Since it's all mathematics anyway, I usually come up with acceptable melodies.»

Sorry, but I strongly disagree)

Of course you do - but that's the point of confirmation-threads like this. You asked how ppl write songs and I told you how I do it. You probably wanted to hear that there are more ppl that use alcohol for inspiration. I am sure there are, but I am not one of them.

It’s all about inspiration if it’s not a math metal or something.

Lol, music is based on math relations.
The magical mathematics of music

Yes, math can magically decide whether a melody sounds great or not. Even if you don't use math, it still will come down to it for else a melody simply doesn't sound great.

Of course I am inspired at times, everybody is, but after the inspiration only lasts for a very limited amount of time and when it has gone you still have to work on the song for inspiration itself will not finish the song, it will just be the kickstart of it. But then again, when a musician says he/she/they are inspired by this or that song, it usually means he/she/they are just copying the song with slight variations, lol.

My method to tell if I have a great melody at hand is when I get goosebumps or tears in my eyes when I play it. And that is usually when everything falls together perfectly.
This has worked so far for all the tunes I had this feeling with as they all ended up being in any of the Dripfeed top tens for months on end, which means that ppl keep requesting them over and over again, which in turn means that it must be a beautiful tune.

Thanks, man, really nice input!

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin