Beat block: What it is and how to overcome it

Have you ever had periods of time where, no matter what you do, inspiration just doesn’t seem to strike?

If so, you might be experiencing a case of beat block, the nebulous and frustrating inability to create new music. It’s an obstacle that musicians of all skill levels face from time to time.

“As creators, we aren’t machines,” veteran producer Isaac Duarte tells us. “We aren’t always 100% ‘there’ creatively. We all struggle with the resistance of starting, which can lead to us procrastinating in the process. It doesn’t matter if you just picked up the DAW yesterday or you’re a multi-GRAMMY-winning hitmaker—everybody struggles with that resistance.”

How to overcome beat block

In the tutorial video above, Duarte showcases two tools that he uses to navigate beat block, Create and Splice Bridge. Putting together two contrasting beats in FL Studio, he demonstrates how each tool allows him to find complementary sounds that he can then transform to create a track that’s his own.

“At the end of the day, these are just tools,” he says. “It’s all in the way that you use them, and if you’re having fun, progressing forward, and building your motion, that’s all that matters.”

For even more tips on using Create to find inspiration, check out Duarte’s previous video below:

And for more tool-agnostic tips, take a look at these practices for overcoming creative blocks, which span everything from using prompts to deliberately working under a time constraint:

Go forth and make some music

“Right now, time is more important than ever for showcasing who you are, your journey, and your identity,” Duarte reflects as he wraps up his session. “All of those are things that AI can never replace. But, you can use AI to help gain more freedom in what you do—and more freedom means a more meaningful and fulfilling life.”

And there you have it! What was your favorite insight that Duarte shared? What sorts of topics would you like to see us cover next? Let us know in the comments section of the video, and subscribe to the Splice YouTube channel for more tips, tutorials, and insights.

Find inspiration with our sample discovery feature:

October 30, 2024

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Harrison Shimazu

Harrison Shimazu is a composer, content strategist, and writer who’s passionate about democratizing music creation and education. He leads the Splice blog and produces vocaloid music as Namaboku.