How to be musically creative - 3
Change your starting key
Applies to all instruments but more so if you play guitar. How many keys do you play in when you compose? Chances are you use roughly two major keys and two minor keys. Maybe you stretch to three or four. We can probably guess which keys they are by their closeness to C major or perhaps even A minor if your a kinda moody person.
Try a new key today. Try A-flat major. Need to understand more about keys and key signatures, start with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_signature.
Depending on your guitar and strings (yes, the quality of strings can make a difference to your tuning), you may have to make some slight adjustments to tuning. I'm saying this from a pragmatic viewpoint, it shouldn't be necessary to retune (although if someone wants to argue about even and well tempered, I'll listen.....for a short while) but pragmatically, you may as well tune it afresh, especially if you want to include fretted and open-string notes.
Part of a series by Award Sounds offering a selection of creative ideas to kick-start or rejuvenate a composition.