Writing and playing music on psychedelics

[Splitz]

I'd be very interested to hear what people have to say about this.

Who writes music/lyrics on psychedelics, and how do they compare to your sober work? What about electronic music, anybody got themselves tripping balls and opened a DAW to lay down some cool beats? And, for those of you who play instruments, how do you find yourself affected, for example, do your improvisation skills improve or worsen? I'd also be interested to hear how people in the process of learning have found their learning to be affected (well, musicians never stop learning, but I mean beginners).

Also, I'd like to know people's thoughts on music theory. I am involved with music myself, but whenever I write music I just do what feels right. I can't read music, I'm rubbish at remembering scales, and what chords are best suited for a particular key, and things like that. For those who are knowledgeable in these areas, how do psychedelic drugs affect your interpretation of 'musical rules'? And one last thing, weather you write music or just jam about, how does tripping affect the mood and emotional tone of your creations?

One thing that is quite odd, is that despite making music all the time, and tripping quite often, it's rarely that I've actually tried both at the same time. This is usually due to circumstances such as not being at home or simply just being too distracted by other things.

And so, over to you lovely people.

 

[Jinux]

I've yet to try this properly as my guitar is currently missing a string and I have no tuner to get it sounding right. When I did try it once on aMT at new years, I found that my improvisation skills improved immensely. To the point where my friend upstairs could hear me playing but didn't realise it was me and not part of the backing track I was jamming to.

In the same night I also managed to teach my friend some guitar to the point where he could jam alone for a while and have it actually sound really nice.

 

[Dr.DruNk]

I love playing with my synths when I'm tripping. I get totally immersed knob twiddling creating new sounds textures. My performance skills are somewhat lacking, which can be frustrating trying to play something from your head that you just can't, but I defiantly can get sucked into a (simple) groove or and abstract soundscape. I imagine if you are a skilled musician, improvising musical compositions would be awesome. If I have the presence of mind, sometimes I remember particularly the particularly novel ideas and flesh them out later.

 

[Jesusgreen]

^ I'm the friend Jinux mentioned and I noticed while on aMT I sort of felt like, I could work with what I knew and just flow with the music, rather than feeling restricted or trying to make up some tune - I just played.

When I took 2C-P I sort of got the vibe that it would provide a similar benefit, and so I plan to try playing guitar next time I take it.

 

[Rorthron]

I once started a topic similar to this here. You will find there plenty of answers, at least for the "playing" part of your question

 

[1394]

Electronic music only depresses me, regardles of what's in my body.

As for psychs, yes they enhance my playing quite a bit.

Re Key/Tones: If you are a true master of your instrument it's second nature to you, you stop thinking and just start playing.
It all depends what you are consuming, when you consumed it and where you are musically.

 

[RhythmSpring]

Oh man, good thread.

I'm a hand percussionist and pianist. I improvise/compose all the time on piano, and am constantly making rhythms, on drums or tables or in my mouth or as I walk. I live rhythm.

When I trip, I MUST drum. There is no stopping me. I know the trip has started because my hands feel like they're glowing and I feel a powerful rushing/opening sensation in my ears and the brain around them (temporal lobes?). I hear music in my head. It is extremely rare for a psychedelic to be visual for me. I don't get visuals on DMT, LSD, mushrooms, Salvia, mescaline, etc. Instead of visualizing when I trip, I audio-ize.

When I trip or micro-dose, piano compositions/improvisations are more heartfelt, complex and creative on psychs. My drumming is faster, more intricate and more in-time. Often I feel that the substance I have taken is showing or teaching me musical ideas or techniques. I have a beat that DMT showed me how to do. I have a new composition I'm proud of that I believe I composed rather quickly on a microdose of DOI. Etc.

Often all I need is a tiny dose of something, like a micro-dose of mushrooms or 0.25mg of DOI to get me into this state. And I never feel like I have to use substances to achieve musical success. It makes it smoother and more fun, but I don't rely on it. I'm awesome without substances too.

Music and psychedelics are absolutely inseparable for me.
I LOVE MUSIC.

 

[bolt151]

I produce electronic music(mainly dubstep) and I find that drugs are good for producing a slew of ideas but I normally have to clean them up bare when I'm sober. also when I'm on ket I make crazy complex beats

 

[SONN]

I really like playing music while on psyches, I play guitar and drums and I write electronic music. Playing an instrument can really guide the visual and emotional experience if I do it correctly.

Also, drums and percussion are just about the best things ever while tripping. I have a pretty primal urge to 'jam' along with anything I can possibly jam to. I often find that I can keep faster rhythms going for longer than expected.

Psychedelics have also orchestrated wonderful things inside my head out of pure ambience, In rhythms very 'glitchy' yet also usually very beautiful. 5g of mushrooms in the middle of a big city= epic abstract orchestra of sirens and construction and other city ambience whilst playing hackey sack.

I write most of my music based off of ideas or concepts I have thought of while high or tripping,

 

[Ondine]

I make electronic music with Reaktor, Reason and Ableton, and I love composing with those programs while tripping, but it doesn't make me compose better per se. All though quite a few of my favorite compositions I've made while tripping or immediately after tripping.

Improvising on the piano is one of my favorite activities while I'm on psychedelics; it feels so organic and freeing. I've noticed that when I'm on LSD, I tend to get a weird sensitivity in my pinky finger on my right hand which can make playing difficult however...

In terms of how I approach music...
I know just about everything there is to know about classical and jazz theory and I use it a lot when I improvise. I would say that when I'm not tripping, I tend to fall into certain patterns of playing, unless I'm feeling really inspired by something.

When I'm tripping, I tend to take more risks or approach melody and harmony in a different way than I usually would when sober. In general, I guess I spend less energy thinking about what I'm playing and what I'm going to play next, and just play instead, relying on my intuition to produce some pretty notes instead of gross noises.

The problem with composing is that I'll often have abstract or intricate ideas, but because of my altered state of mind, I'll have a difficult time implementing them with the software, or I'll get distracted by something else, which is why I don't always take psychedelics when I want to compose or perform; they can make it hard to focus.

Also, I often ask myself if I'm actually playing better or being more creative, or if I'm just more open minded in my perception of what I hear myself playing... I think its a combination of the two.

 

[bolt151]

Who?

If you're gonna name-drop; at least drop some names!

Haha! - Sorry man, just being a twat for no reason at all except my own amusement. I once had a drink with Klause Schultze - true story that - I know you'll appreciate it, electro-man.

Sorry again - still going to press the button though. I'm on a posting-roll...

This made me laugh

 

[Ondine]

Who?

If you're gonna name-drop; at least drop some names!

Haha! - Sorry man, just being a twat for no reason at all except my own amusement. I once had a drink with Klause Schultze - true story that - I know you'll appreciate it, electro-man.

Sorry again - still going to press the button though. I'm on a posting-roll...

klaus i love you

 

[Splitz]

Wow. Amazing responses. Although I have no idea what the hell x-sun-x-moon-x is chatting about. Nutter

 

[PippUK]

I like a musical brainstorming session from time to time on Psychedelics. Reduced inhibition and openness to novel ideas is enhanced. However I usually end up with rough raw material to show in terms or recording. This can often be worked into a decent idea the next day. Medium dose phens (2Cx, or DOM) are good for intense and rigorous practice. The enhanced awareness of structure and attention to detail provided by these materials is a usefull tool with which to nail down a tricky manoeuvre. Similarly threshold to medium doses or 4sub tryptamines also go well. Higher doses are less usefull from a practical playing point of view, but music appreciation is usually enhanced. High dose tryptamines have, for me, their own accompanying soundtrack of buzzing/chirping/clicking music, which I deeply enjoy. I cannot transcribe what it sounds like easily, because the pitches are more akin to rhythmical white noise to my senses. This music has nothing to do with my ears. It erupts spontaneously alongside the other effects, right from the creative source behind my eyes! The artist Flying Lotus has come the closest I've heard to capturing Elf music, using crazy collages of beats and cut-up slabs of synth riffage.
As firstly a Bass player, the deep warm buzz of DMT appeals to my sensibilities, as do higher doses of a 4sub-trypt. The plateau phase of a 4-sub is a splendid situation from which to meander randomly on the accoustic.
I've made oodles of fairly cheesy dance/house music whilst enthusing with empathogenic shininess, but end up scorning it the next day as too formulaic or slightly embarrassing.
Psychedelics and empathogens are a useful and enjoyable adjunct to musical matters. They should not be the whole story though. The cold objective light of the sober mind can rein in the extremes. All psychedelic users are probably somehow aware of the fine line between genius and madness. The fun thing is being able to put one foot over the borderline for inspiration to bring home with you. However, you still need your artistic wits to weparate the wheat from the chaff.
Enough of my bad analogies and mixed metaphors. This is a topic close to my heart and I've enjoyed reading peoples' thoughts.
Happy strumming - Peace - Pipp

 

[Splitz]

Well I enjoyed your post as I have others here, it's always clear when people are passionate about something, it definitely comes across. I feel that when it comes to drugs, they make you perceive differently, and go about things differently. And so when it comes to music, this can be interesting and useful, although if drugs became the only way one can approach music, then music isn't really for that person.

By the way, x-sun-x-moon-x, that was a compliment. I can't abide ordinary people

 

[bansheebeat]

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[ParappaTheRapper]

Honestly, I don't think they go well together. Depends on context I guess tho. In a loose environment, or one where everyone's on drugs for example, its okay to play tripping, but no one is going to play at full potential in that state. I think that's just a given. Even the grateful dead at the acid tests had to take breaks when they were too stoned.

I think writing while tripping can go either way too. I think it can help a person be more creative in general, just by expanding their mind when they're not writing, but may suffer while writing songs. I'm thinking of the stereotype from "walk hard," ..."this isn't good at all, this is like 4 songs on top of eachother with didgeridoos." Which of course is an exaggeration, since a great deal of good music has been written on drugs, and some styles specifically call for it. But still, those people probably make revisions sober. I guess it all depends.

Personally, I think jamming while tripping is extremely fun. But doesn't really go anywhere else.

 

[harvester]

Who?

If you're gonna name-drop; at least drop some names!

Haha! - Sorry man, just being a twat for no reason at all except my own amusement. I once had a drink with Klause Schultze - true story that - I know you'll appreciate it, electro-man.

Sorry again - still going to press the button though. I'm on a posting-roll...

I don't get it. Those are software programs...

 

[Splitz]

See this is the thing. If one's passionate about music it should always be about fun. I'm under no illusions that I'd somehow 'unlock the secrets' by creating whilst tripping, but I love music, and I love tripping, so I would just not be myself without seeing where I could go when I combine them.

For the record, most of my songs and indeed most of my creative work is done sober. But I'd be lying if I didn't think of some neat things while I'm balls-to-the-wall out there.

 

[kingme]

i am curious as to what others think of the music skills of the tripper... like, perform for a friend sober, then tripping, and ask for a comparison...

im pretty sure the level of the tirp is also important, as i cant really see how an earthshattering immersive experience could let anyone produce music at the same time...