[_detox]

Hello brethren.

I come to you with my PREDICAMENT. I'm playing in a band with a few of my homies. We're pretty cool I would say, a lot of my songs have turned out more incredible than I could imagine with the input of the rest of the band.

The unfortunate thing (or perhaps the double edged sword?) is that I've become actually addicted to songwriting. I play guitar just about every night, as I did just now..even though I get off work at 10 after going to school 8-4 most nights..exhausted, but I can't help myself.

And in playing so constantly, I'm starting to repeat myself. I'm stuck in that grim little valley of cliche metalcore riffs that can't be stopped. You know, open chugga-widdle-widdle-chugga on the 8th fret-widdle-widdle-chugga on the 10th-widdle, etc.

I like the medium I'm finding between punk, metal, and trance, but I really need to get myself out of this rut before I commit suicide during a breakdown or something. So what would the mass of intelligence that is ss.org suggest for me to do?

Much thanks, crew.

[shadowgenesis]

Take some time to learn material by other guitarists that play differently than you. Or learn some new techniques that you don't already use. Either of these will immediately open you up to new approaches to the creative ideas in your head. I find that I almost always end up writing new material after I soak up some other people's work.
And if anybody tries to write this off as stealing ideas or copying people... well they're idiots and i put that past anyone on the boards. But i'm just pre-arguing if anybody tries to bring it up. ha.
best of luck bro
-dAN

[TemjinStrife]

What he said. Learn to chicken-pick, thumb slap, slide, or brush up on your tapping. Listen to Brian May (Queen) for harmony ideas or the Young brothers (AC-DC) and Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) for some ways to get a riff to groove, or David Gilmour for phrasing and "space."

Change your tone to something different... liquidy instead of tight, or clean instead of crunchy. Try for some percussive SRV-ish stuff, or some of the singing Tom Scholz (Boston) type of leads. Hell, even Clutch has a great groove using primarily single-note lines.

Alternate tuning? Slow down and try some doom/stoner metal at 80 bpm or less (The Sword, Black Sabbath, November's Doom) or try working in odd time signatures (5/4 and 7/4 or even 6/8 can be real mind-openers). Pick four notes and try to make them into a riff, or take a riff and transpose it somewhere different.

All of these little techniques have helped me break out of ruts.

[eleven59]

Listen to music that doesn't have guitar in it. I find when I'm listening to metal all the time every time I sit down with my guitar I end up playing something really mellow, and when I'm listening to mellow stuff all the time, I end up playing some heavy riffs when I pick up my guitar.

Also, jam with the other members of your band (either all together, or just one on one) to see if one of their ideas sparks something cool.

[distressed_romeo]

Agree with everything here. Do you have access to an acoustic guitar, as writing on acoustic can be a real eye-opener?

[eleven59]

Originally Posted by distressed_romeo

Agree with everything here. Do you have access to an acoustic guitar, as writing on acoustic can be a real eye-opener?

I used to hang out at my drummers place all the time while he was playing video games and I'd just goof around on his acoustic, half of our songs started from ideas I came up with doing that.