GoKawiilMusician reflects on using borrowed riffs and templates to finish songs
A writer recounts a studio jam session with a friend, Jon, where they built a song by deliberately borrowing elements from other artists: matching tempos, adopting chord progressions, converting a guitar riff into a vocal rhythm, and splicing drum loops. The author contrasts this approach with their teenage insistence on originality, which left early songwriting attempts unfinished.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account suggests that excessive emphasis on originality can become a barrier to creative output, while structured borrowing or imitation may function as a practical scaffold for finishing creative work. This personal narrative implies a broader lesson for creative practice, though it is based on one individual's experience rather than a studied methodology.
- The author abandoned teenage songwriting due to fear of relying on others' musical ideas.
- A collaborative studio session used borrowed tempos, chords, and riffs to quickly build a song sketch.
- The experience reframed imitation as a useful creative tool rather than a compromise of originality.
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Published there as: “You Might Want to Try Being Less Creative”
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