Composing: How do you get around those musical roadblocks in your head?

[exigence]

I dabble in composing every now and again. Nothing serious; I'll get inspired by some random thing in some song I'm playing (something the right hand does, a key signature I happen to be partial to, whatever), take from that, and try to extrapolate something else entirely.

So I've got this Ebm theme stuck in my head, and I've developed it through a couple sections - I dunno, roughly 1:30 in length - and I cannot figure out where to take it from there.

(Would post a recording if I had a means to do so at the moment.)

How do you guys get around such things? Do you sit there and hammer away until something clicks, or do you let it be, or... what? It's pissing me off.

[Derek]

You might find improvisation can lubricate the flow of musical ideas, with time. I've found the more key signatures, melodic fragments/figures, accompaniments, progressions, harmonies, rhythms I'm familiar with, the more ideas seem to spring forth from my fingers. I've also found that by recording myself improvising and listening to those recordings, I can hear little things I did which I would have forgotten otherwise, facilitating what I'd call musical "natural selection."  Maybe that would work for you also.  Early on, I'd find it frustrating also when I couldn't add something to what I was doing....but eventually when you gain enough fluency improvising it can flow whenever you want it to.  You'll still have lulls now and then, everyone does...but it'll get better.

[jabbz]

I recommend getting away from the piano. Use your voice, or your inner ear, whatever, My reason? You tend to have a set of shapes and patterns you play on an instrument. Thats party what technique is. Very good improvisers don't seem to have this flaw, but most who are new to improvising do.

if you feel you've hit a wall, try to write a contrasting theme, or section, but make sure it's not totally out of character and jarring with the first theme.

[Derek]

My reason? You tend to have a set of shapes and patterns you play on an instrument. Thats party what technique is.

That is why I recommended recording oneself and listening to those recordings. It is through that process that one can develop one's vocabulary of shapes and patterns. If you never work at expanding those shapes and patterns, of course one will fall into habitual regurgitation of the same shapes and ideas.

I don't think it matters really whether you use an instrument or not---but whatever you do use, recording yourself and listening to yourself is immensely useful. Or at least, it has been for me so I believe others may benefit from it also if they try it out and see how it goes.

[Bob]

Do a little each day so habits become automatic.

To make the form larger, just spin more out of what you've got.  Take one element and expand it.  Or try to make it flow into a larger form, like an arch -- start, development, climax, resolution.  If an idea has spun out, go in a new direction and do something a little different but related. 

What else can you do?  Do more with what you've got, or do something new. 

Maybe break up the elements and take one thing and play around with it.  Or just play around with the elements, even if it's forcing things a little on the idea side -- Can you take the melody in the top line and put it in the bottom line?  Can you change the harmonies?  Introduce a countermelody?  Use the original melody, but change the character?  Major to minor?