Running into a Brick Wall

"Running into a brick wall" is, in this case, a metaphor for getting stuck, something that everyone who has tried to create something (music, books, art, science, relationships, etc.) has probably experienced. Things may go reasonably well up to a certain point, but then you begin to struggle with whatever it is you are trying to create, and, if the struggle continues, you begin to feel like you are stuck; you've tried x, y, and z, but none of them worked, and you may feel at a loss as to how to proceed.

I wrote about this in part 8 of my "Composition Issues" series that I posted last August, and, because I know that at least one of you is feeling stuck right now, I thought I would revisit and significantly expand the part of that blog that deals with this issue:

There is no simple solution for feeling stuck, so you may need to try several approaches until you discover one (or more) that helps you get out of your predicament. Here are some options:

1. Stop the piece you are writing and begin again. I keep a compositional "recycling" bin for ideas that didn't get very far. I once spent about 6 months working on a composition, but I eventually became so frustrated with it I packed it away and started a new and completely different piece ("Steppin' Out"), which I think I finished in about a month. The abandoned piece had something like 15 minutes of music completed, but I could never bring myself to even look at it again; too many bad memories.


2. The "boot camp" approach, AKA Suck it up, soldier! Bull your way through that brick wall until you break through! The main requirements for this are stubbornness on an epic scale and an extremely hard head. The upside is that it sometimes works! [This was the approach I used to finish "Dream Dance", for instance, ten years after having started it; the opening 30 seconds had been gathering dust in the compositional recycling bin mentioned above during that time.] The downside is that it can really make your head hurt.


3. When feeling stuck, we tend to focus our energies on getting unstuck from that point forwards. It sometimes turns out that the root of the problem was much earlier in the composition. We may need to go back several pages to identify the point where things began to go awry, and then 'fix' it from that point forwards. We may need to scrap (or at least set aside) several pages of music, but it will be worth it if doing so results in a better piece.


4. Take a break – do something else for a while. Frequently all we need is a different perspective, which may be gained by simply not thinking about the piece for a couple of days.


5. Analyze your music. We learn analytical tools to help us understand music better, but you might be surprised at how often composers don't fully understand their own music until they analyze it. The composition process is inherently subjective, which makes it easy to lose perspective on your composition, but analysis forces you to think more objectively about it. Don't just scan the score to figure out where the major sections are; do a full structural analysis that includes pitch centers, cadence points and types, phrase structure, musical character, and formal structure.


6. Did you have a plan? If not, now would be a good time to make one. A good starting point would be to analyze what you have written, then make your plan based on that (but don't be afraid to change what you have written if it doesn't fit the plan).


7. Lower the bar! Stop trying to write great (or even good) music! We can sometimes put too much pressure on ourselves when we do that. You may have to lower your level of expectations in order to finish the piece. You can always come back to it later, if you wish, and tinker away at sections that are less than you feel they could be. But frankly, my advice is generally to finish the piece, then start your next piece; your tenth composition will likely be better than your first one, or your first few, but you won't get to your tenth composition until you finish the one on which you are currently working!


8. Exercise. Some scientists suggest that strenuous exercise releases endorphins in the brain that make us feel better. And if you feel better, you might be able to think more clearly about how to get out of the 'writer's block' that you are experiencing.


9. Perspective; use it or lose it. That comes from a Richard Bach book (Illusions) – the point being that you may be stuck because you have lost perspective on your music. Aside from taking a break, analysis, or exercise, another way of gaining some perspective on your music is to show it to others (your teacher, another teacher, your classmates, a non-musician) to see what they might suggest. I have gotten some great suggestions about my music from my wife, who is not a musician.


10. Listen to other compositions that are in some way similar to yours. If you are writing a string quartet, listen to a few different models and study the scores as you do so. If you are writing for a non-standard collection of instruments, just listen to different examples of chamber music while studying the score. The models don't have to be of music composed in the last 50 years, but it probably would help if some were. Or just listen to any music, even if it has nothing to do with what you are writing; you may get some ideas that way.

• Getting stuck is common, so perhaps the most important thing to remember is that it is a normal part of the creative process. If you can learn to take it in stride you are less likely to stay stuck for very long.

• Sometimes, the solution(s) you come up with to being stuck end up being the the most inspired part of your composition. Here is an axiom that may sound trite or corny, but it is true, or at least it is if you allow yourself to see things this way:

Challenges present opportunities for inspired solutions.