Where will my inspiration come from? (part 2)

I love to drive. Thoughts run freely through my mind while I have the steering wheel in my hand and I am maneuvering the turns. I will drive to the beach (a quick hour and a half away). For the first 20 minutes I will listen to my favorite musicians or bands. Try and pick the ones that really blend into the style of music you want to play. You don't want to copy these musicians but you will gain ideas and inspiration from their music. Your music is your own art. If you want to play someone else's art then join a cover band.
Last week I was listening to Avenged Sevenfold and I really started to hear those scales that Synister Gates practices meticulously throughout almost every one of their hits. I did my research and found that Syn uses many classical scales and modes in his guitar playing (the outcome of being raised by a classical musician). So I started to think back to my roots. What I grew up listening to. I took some samples into my guitar mentor and we started working on some riffs combining modern Jazz guitar styles into rock/metal music. The outcome was unreal and it only started from that moment.

So go to your favorite place or do something that really gets you into the right mood for your music and let the ideas flow.
When you actually sit down and start writing. Don't give in to the temptation of stopping and starting again the next day. Sometimes all that inspiration is gone when you stop and do something else. I am a smoker so although I will sit down for a few hours and write a piece, I will stop every now and again for smoko break. But throughout that break I will hum the tune and search my mind for ideas. If you lose that moment of inspiration the song will never be completed the way you wanted it to be.


MAKE SURE YOU RECORD EVERY IDEA YOU HAVE!
If you don't you will kick yourself when you get home.
Most mobile phones have a voice recorder built in. Use it. Hum your tune out loud and record it. No matter what instrument you play you can always hum. You will get home and it will just flow.
Another good tool is a chord finder that you can download free from the Hughes and Kettener website (www.hughes-and-kettner.com). It is for guitarists but you will find it