How do drugs affect songwriting?

Ok first let me say this,drug bashing is not welcome on this
thread. I want an intelligent discussion on this topic
Not"drugs are bad"there illegal"They will ruin your life.
I wanna hear what you guys use for recreational use
and to help your musical creativity.

I personnaly use cannibis and alchohol.
\M/(*-+)
gs2112

I use omeprazole. And Arnica.

I use love. Consult Bryan Ferry for clarification.

Afro

"Your love Your love is my drug" I think Kesha might know something about this :D

I smoke pot, quite often. I don't drink really at all, maybe a beer or two watching the game but it doesn't appeal to me. I don't get sick, hungover, etc. from smoking, and I cannot handle hangovers--I've tried, I just don't take it well XD haha

Plus smoking has really opened up my mind to a lot of really different ways to approach playing(plus I become more melodic when I'm baked), for an example, watch the recent vids from my coverbands show. The leads aren't all as glorious as some but there is more focus on melody than usual.
Pot's the only "drug" I've ever tried, and I don't honestly consider it a drug, it's just a plant all things considered. A very good one, but still just green and leafy.

@case I agree,pot does open up.your melodic sense.
It jumpstarts your melodies,It slows me down too,so
im not playing a mile a minute.

Ive expeirimented with other drugs(meth,shrooms,etc)I dont really
find any interest in them.

Beer is an occasional,social thing.

@afro How do take this "love" I hear its bad for your heart .o

agreed man, my timing improves quite a bit when jamming with the band and I've smoked. I groove it better than when I don't smoke.

I like a beer (Corona preferably) everyone once in while and red wine and champagne on certain occasions.

I personally don't give a crap if other people use drugs, but I feel that it's mind pollution. I would never get drunk or high for three reasons:

1. Because I care about my health. I hope to get into amateur boxing after I graduate, So a beer belly isn't something I want.

2. Because I feel it would have a negative effect on my song writing. I write songs based on very deep topics (Equality, Corruption, etc..) topics I really have to think about.

3. I don't like my self when I'm "buzzed", I feel stupid. I was recently on valium for back pain and I just felt out of sync. I just don't like it. But it helped my back so I won't completely complain.

So I just don't think drugs are for me. I more of a "social drinker". That's about it.

I don't use drugs. If you need drugs to help you musically, that's just an excuse to use and is BS. Loads of musicians were clean and made phenomenal music. Drugs add to the problems of society, they certainly don't enhance people's lives.

I can agree with this. I wouldn't call it BS, but most of the time that is the case.

I should clarify a little. I don't think marijuana adds to the problems of society, but the harder drugs without question do.

There are people who can experiment with things and then find something that works for them and then use it when needed. I mean this for all things. Not just drugs. I'm one who cannot control drugs or alchohol so I don't do them anymore. I'm not one of those sober people who think that just because I can't that nobody can. Marijuana causes a lot of problems for a lot of people but so does food, sex, work, etc. All in moderation and in control. If you can't do that, don't continue. If you can't control it and can't stop, you gotta problem.

Using drugs for musical composition? To me it isn't right and isn't pure. If you need drugs to write a lyrical melodic piece like Btimm said is just an excuse. For people who use drugs whatever you hear as positive about it you'll agree with and completely put aside the negative effects. You can't access your deep subconscious thoughts and have an open mind when your drunk or "baked". Music comes from the heart and comes with deep emotion, not from THC.

Just my opinion and how i feel. Feel free to disagree

Cocacola

Well Then alot of famous rockstars(led zep,black sabbath,The greatful dead the beatles etc) Use drugs to write there melodies,are they bs?

@btimm Its A matter of opinion I suppose. Drugs misused add to problems of society,but used correctly amd safely,they can be helpfulto relieve stress amd tension before playing.Its not
Bs,its just something used for inspiration.

@ Mezzie Calling it bs is a little bit Disrespctful man.
The is no set rules to music,oh you cant do this or that
if that were the case,alot of great tunes written(straight or high)
wouldnt be here. No music is pure minded unless.....
You dont drink caffeine
smoke cigarettes
drink alchohol
smoke weed
Eat any sugar or natural stimulants(guarana etc)
Have never seen another musician you like and were INFLUENCED
By him in anyway way.
Then you can call it "pure emotion".
Other than that,your going to be influenced by something
Illegal.or not,its never gonna be pure* music

Yeah, I use drugs... but do I use drugs to "write" and "create" music? Perhaps... one's brain is completely different while on drugs than while not on drugs, we all know this. So the music coming from each place can be completely unique, and neither way is right or wrong, in my opinion. Don't just think about people we all know who used like crazy - rock bands, Led Zep, Ozzy, Keith Moon, etc... think of all the genuine music geniuses out there who have used and created because of the inspiration it gave them. John Lennon, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Thelonius Monk, John Frusciante, etc... I personally see both sides of the argument to be right. If you write better music while you're stoned, then get stoned. If you dig what you do when you're sober, then stay sober... but there's no right or wrong when it comes to it... just how you perceive yourself to be while you're either on or off drugs.

Drugs might inspire lyrics but really, They don't create melodies no matter how much you want to believe that. Drugs distort the mind; They don't enhance it.

'Tis true. But a distortion doesn't have to be a detriment. Just another way of looking at something - not necessarily bad.

So if I distort your sight, Will you see better?

Is some cases maybe it can be another way of looking at things but, Like I said drugs just make me feel stupid. So whatever.

Distortion is used on a guitar. Why not the mind?

@Darkriff Thats your personal expierience with drugs
not everyone elses,so you cant judge how other
people will interperet something,just because
you dislike the feeling.

And yes it can inspire melodies. Ask case,or me for example.
It gives you a different outlook and mindset while playing
guitar,to.try something,create something new.

Btw Everyone should clarify the drugs they are talking about
instead of just saying drugs,you could say pot,or coke w/e .

Also I should clarify,i only use natural drugs,nothing synthetic.

It's not opinion. It's been proven already that some drugs such as crack canbe addicting after the very first use. So if that is the case, you can make a very strong argument - backed by science - that it is impossible to use responsibly. Also, I already said I am not talking about marijuana, I am referring to harder drugs.

Furthermore, I am too lazy at the moment to do the research. You point out many people who used drugs and made good music. I can point out many, many musicians who made great music without the use of drugs. And some played rock as well. In fact, there is an entire genre of music that is called straight edge, where the musicians refrained from the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Chris Cornell never used.

Also, tell me with a straight face that you don't think those bands you mentioned could have made amazing music without the use of drugs.

Many great musicians had their lives cut short due to drugs as well: Jimi, Joplin, Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain (before you say the gunshot, realize that his ability to make any music took a serious hit in the latter stages of his life when drugs dominated his existence), Andrew Wood, singer of Sublime, and sooooo many more. Drugs don't help - they kill. If you care to debate this and disagree, please give me some sort of actual hard evidence to the contrary.

So if I told you guys that I wrote while baked, you would look down on me? Music is music regardless of what vehicle is used and what 'preparations' one needs to make. I write more entertaining rhythms and melodies when I'm smoking btw.

@btimm I agree with you for the most part.
But there are some things i need to clarify that i mistated.

#1 I dont approve of the use of synthetically made drugs
such as heroin,crack,meth,speed,pills,cigarettes(with,added chems) etc.

#2 I do approve of the controlled use of marijauna,Alchohol,naturally
grown tabbacco(with no additives),and mushrooms. They come from the earth and are natural. Though some may have certain side effects if abused too much,for the most part there legal and safe(maybe not shrooms).But cannibis is getting there.

#3 Drugs are not for everyone. They are a matter of personal
choice,for musicians also. Whether you believe drugs can or can't
inspire music,alot claim they do,alot claim they dont.THAT is personal opinion.

#4 Id like to thank you for the intelligent discussion
on this topic,you make informed statements.But calling people
who use drugs claims bs is not respectful,its an opinion,please
respect it.

Frank Zappa never used either and we was one of the greatest minds in the history of music (IMO).




I certainly wouldn't.

I just feel that the better musician is one who doesn't need drugs to make good music. Not to say that those on drugs aren't good musicians. Certainly one could argue that some of the greatest albums of all time were written while the artists were stoned. But I just feel that it's kind of a "cheat" for lack of a better term. But if one feels they write better music while high then whatever I don't care. Weed is one thing, but I would never advocate the use of anything stronger, and with everything there should be moderation. Thats just my opinion.

Smoking pot is like meditation, it shows you the same thing you've always seen, but with a different perspective.

Some of that 'out there' stuff like the Dead or Coltrane is probably drug induced. If Coltrane wasn't a junkie, would he have expressed himself the same way? I don't think so. but what do i know?
Yeah, Zappa is a great example of what happens when popular culture followers assume that weird stuff is always drug induced. I used to do crazy art as a junior high student and everybody thought I was on drugs, cause people naturally assume crutches. I have never made better art messed up than sober, I'll bet that is true for most people.

To say that either doing drugs or not doing drugs is good or bad in relation to writing good music is an argument no one can win. I was inspired, wrote, and recorded a great song while totally baked. Not just by my own opinion but by others as well. I also had the opposite experience while baked. Drunk was never good for me either way.

I remember seeing aerosmith in the 70s and they were wasted and it sucked. Ive seen them when their sober and they were great. Zappa's body of work is crazy, complicated, and awesome. He never did drugs.

To me, only the user really knows if he or she is truly inspired by drugs or using inspiration as an excuse. Who are we to judge.

Also, what's the cheating thing all about? Is it cheating to pay a great teacher? To use more expensive equipment? To listen to blues?No matter what you do, you're inspired by something or somebody. Why is using drugs cheating?

Absolutely not. I believe I said twice that I am not referring to marijuana.



I am not calling people BS. I am saying that thinking drugs improves your ability to make music is BS - a big difference.

@btimm Its not bs. It may not improve per say,but it helps
to create a state of mind where its easier to create.

I just feel like it can be kind of an "enhancement" to music writing, depending on the person. Not in all cases but some people would be bad songwriters if it weren't for their drugs. Don't get me wrong I love the groove of Stoner Rock, but a lot of times they have nothing else to talk about except their experiences with drugs. It's was just a thought. Słowa puste rzucane na wiatr. That's a polish saying meaning "Empty words thrown in the wind" (You learned something new today if you haven't already) Kinda just a bad word usage on my part.

I get ya DarkRiff. I guess as I get older I care less and less what people do to create great things.

@Btimm

Yeah, I saw that you have already stated that twice, I was more throwing that out to Darkriff and Mezzie but also as a general thing as well.

@Darkriff

I don't think that my smoking pot makes me any less of a musician than anyone else to play, in fact it's just like TSB said, it's the same things you've thought and seen millions of times before, but with a differing perspective and new light to shed on it. If you watch my latest lick upload, the video is me after enjoying a bowl to myself. I don't know how it's a cheat to smoke and then play guitar, it's more of a treat than a cheat to me. Playing music while baked, is soooo much fun.
Besides, what's so bad about something enhacing the already great thing that is music?

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn_garden/poison/poison.html

Just because something is natural and comes from the earth doesn't mean it isn't harmful and/or dangerous.



If it doesn't create, then it's the person, not the drugs. Saying it creates a state of mind that is easier to create, if simply using marijuana, well just do some mindful breathing and you can achieve the same mindfulness to create music. Drugs don't create music and don't cause people to improve their creativity, they harm it.

And don't get me wrong, smoke all the weed you want man. I won't do it myself though. The idea of intentionally inhaling poisons and toxins is just beyond me. Or intentionally injecting them, snorting them, etc...

@darkriff Music aint a competition man. Its fun.
If pot enhances your
music playing experience,then there's
no harm done.

Weed isn't dangerous or harmful. Like at all.
Let's not argue about the drugs themselves guys, that's just an ugly arguement rather than good debate.

@Btimm People ingest chemicals all day.
You knowingly eat proccessed food thats full of chemicals
and dyes.

No need to preach this man,we all know drugs are unhealthy
Thats not with this thread is about,its about how you use
drugs and how it effects your music,thats it.As I said in the beginning of this topic

If you dont do drugs,why do you care if others do?
Just say"I dont use drugs,thats it.

I know its a open forum,and your opinion but do you really
have to bash?

Its a free country,people can do as they please,regardless of
the harm it brings them. Hell they let mcdonalds stay open,thats worse foryou than weed.

You're right, but you're wrong because of what you meant. Sure, you can do what you please, but you aren't always allowed. It's also naive to have that kind of faith in a free country, which I am sure you'll figure out on your own.

I'll be honest- If I wasn't in the military and my wife didn't hate the idea of drugs, I would smoke pot every now and again. Not for musical benifits, because I think there are none, just because I like it.

I agree with Btimm, the thought that drugs enhance your musical ability is, well, something I don't agree with; at all. It may change your scope of playing styles, but it doesn't make you better in any way.

We all do things we know we shouldn't. I love booze and like I said, I like weed too. The difference is, one is legal and the other isn't (in America). I don't like getting S***faced or stoned to the point where I feel like the rock on the ground would score higher on a geometry test. But I do like something to take the edge off.


But to each there own. Like Btimm suggested, mind relaxation techniques such as Yoga, tend to have the same affect. I'm just not into that kind of thing. I am negative, anxious and uptight, and I prefer a stiff drink over nature sounds. That's not to say I don't appreicate it; about once a month my wife and I meditate and it is fantastic.

My point is this. There are things that are very wrong with taking drugs, first of all. Any kind of drug- weed or otherwise and alcohol included. However, that is not the point. Different people require different things to keep a level head. I believe everybody needs some "me" time. For Btimm it is hitting the gym, for me, it's drinking beer or whiskey while playing a video game or guitar, for others, illegal substances while participating in some other activity. It is really a simple concept. People need to get away: fact. Your brain needs a break from normal activity every now and again or things become dull and lifeless.

If you are smoking weed because you think it will help your playing, more power to you, but you're a bit naive. And for the majority of todays population, being naive is normal. Some people need to believe in something and if that makes them naive, then so what? If your buddy tells you he slept with Jennifer Aniston, you should believe him. But not because you really believe him, but because you should want to believe him, because that is awesome. That's not to say there isn't a point where you go from naive to ignorant, though.

Think I got my point across.

Rock on!

Not even LSD? I understand the examples you gave I wouldnt't touch em but I'm open to LSD.

I had cannabis in a cookie once in Amsterdam, it was my 18th and my mum was against smoking pot and any other drugs like ecstasy etc. I wouldn't do it all the time but it was fun, (took 3 hours and some glasses of wine to fully kick in)

On that very same day I also spent the night (once I sobered up thank god for coffee) in a jazz club, though this bit isn't relative I just wanna share how I had a cool 18th :P

Also does heroin really count as synthetic it is an opiate and comes from the seeds of the opium poppy, you could make something like heroin with no synthesis I think.

Drugs will affect song writing, whether it makes it better or not is subjective it just makes it different.

On a note on drugs I've seen some people who used to be quite sharp and could have achieved something who now spend most of the month completely baked on pot and pills and can't remember the month before who decide to get baked before going to the job centre and then stumble there barely able to walk. As with all things moderation is key.

When aerosmith quit herion thier music went to hell. IMO.

@guitarslinger You make a valid point. But hey man
Ignorance is bliss.

@DanielM I guess lsd is a somewhat acceptable
but its all a matter of opinion. Heroin is a hybrid I suppose
Im still Iffy on it though.