Writer’s block is often treated as a lack of ideas. I don’t think that’s quite right. In my experience, the bigger problem is that composers start judging an idea before giving themselves enough freedom to generate one. You write 30 or 40 bars, decide they’re rubbish, start tweaking, get frustrated, and 3 hours 45 minutes later you’re still staring at the same MIDI notes trying to apply EQ and reverb, hoping it will same the track.
A better approach is to separate fast idea generation from judgment using two distinct filters. I call this the Two-Checkpoint Method. The rule is simple: Generate – Test – Decide- Move on!
Every idea gets two checkpoints. If it fails, you throw it away – no guilt, no three-hour rescue mission.
Step 1: Make a Four-Bar Idea (Even a Bad One)
Give yourself five minutes and write four bars of MIDI using:
- A simple chord progression
- One basic instrument or orchestral patch
- A short melodic idea
Don’t try to rewrite the opening theme to Star Wars. The goal is simply to get something down. The idea doesn’t need to be good; it just needs to exist.
That distinction matters because it removes the pressure to produce something finished before you’ve explored it. Resist the temptation to embellish, expand, or build out complex melodic counterpoint. Write a basic four-bar motif and move to Step 2.
Step 2: Flip It
Now you have a short motif – something interesting, but nothing you’re sending to the Oscar committee just yet.
Spend the next 10 to 15 minutes generating variations. Keep your original idea but duplicate your idea across several tracks and start changing things up:
- Reverse the melody.
- Invert some intervals.
- Turn the second phrase into a question-and-answer.
- Shift the melody into a different register.
- Change the key up a 3rd, or convert the tune from major to minor.
You aren’t trying to finish a piece here; you’re stress-testing the motif. Think of it like throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. Some will be awful – that’s fine. You aren’t recording with the orchestra tomorrow. If a variation sucks, delete it. Aim to land on at least 3 or 4 decent variations before the first major checkpoint.
Checkpoint #1
After about 15 minutes, play back your collection of loop variations and ask one simple question:
“Is there a spark of an idea here worth exploring?” Not “Is this brilliant?” or “Could this win an award?”
What we’re looking for here is simply a interesting motif.
If the answer is no, bin it. Delete the project file entirely.
Don’t hoard it for a “rainy day” or “one day I might…”. You’ve only spent 15 minutes, which is nothing compared to wasting two hours trying to convince yourself a weak idea is secretly great.
Step 3: Mutate the Rhythm
If your idea survives Checkpoint #1, duplicate your MIDI to a new lane again, keeping the original ideas intact. This time, leave the note pitches mostly alone and change the rhythm.
Try:
- Shortening or extending note lengths
- Adding rests or syncopation
- Nudging notes slightly ahead of or behind the beat
- Shifting where the phrase starts and ends
- Try a completly left field time signature
Rhythm can completely change the character of a melody without altering a single pitch. This is often where an ordinary idea becomes genuinely compelling.
Checkpoint #2: The 30-Minute Test
15 minutes later, stop again and ask:
“Is this still interesting, or am I starting to hate it?”
If the loop breaks down under rhythmic variation, it wasn’t strong to begin with – delete it.
If it passes, but isn’t quite ready to develop into a full track right now, archive it. Save the session, close it, and move on. You’ve spent half an hour validating its potential, leaving you with a solid sketch in your archive that you can revisit down the road when fresh inspiration hits.
The Long Game
Don’t think of this method as a “hack”, its not intended to provide you with a one-off solve to your current situation. This is a method to train your brain to think faster with music and to not be so emotionally attached to any random piece of MIDI.
The real power of this method isn’t the technical tricks – it’s the separation of mindsets. Writer’s block worsens when creation and evaluation happen simultaneously. Trying to generate material while judging its quality in real time creates friction.
The more you waste untold hours on unrealised songs, the more your brain preconditions you to not even want to start in the first place – a large part of writers block.
By separating the process into two clear phases, you grant yourself permission to write bad music first. Professional composers throw away material constantly; the difference is they don’t view discarded ideas as failures – they view them as necessary filtering.
So no, this is not a music hack, it’s a skill you need to practise and commit to becoming a habbit.
Next time you’re staring at an empty DAW session:
- Give yourself 5 minutes to write 4 bars.
- Spend 10 minutes flipping it.
- Spend 10 minutes shifting the rhythm.
- Make a decision.
When you’re in that creative groove, you can easily knock out 4 or 5 strong foundational ideas in a single sitting while the iron is hot.
You will find if you do this often enough, it becomes really easy to knock together quick ideas, and importantly, learn to not be scared to delete ideas that do get you inspired. Ultimatly, you should never suffer from writer’s block again….or finding yourself 5 hours deep into a track you hate trying to save it with EQ and reverb.
Good luck, and I’d love to hear your results.
