Crossroads
 

I dont know what direction to go with my music.

Backstory, ive been working on a project for a few months now and it sounds good to me (much better than anything ive done in the past) but im just not really into it anymore. My playing has been heavy on the post rock and experimental side of things but it just doesnt feel natural to me. When i first started listening to music i grew up with Rage Against the Machine, Papa Roach, Alien Ant Farm, Linkin Park (Hybrid Theory), Incubus. Then early high school i got really into this local band called Opus Dai they had a prog metal sound that was really earthy and like it came from the soul which i loved. Later on i started listening to death metal and hardcore/deathcore stuff. By senior year i was listening to post rock bands like DREDG, Kaddisfly, As Tall As Lions, and Portugal The Man. After that was The Mars Volta and things just got stranger and stranger. through it all i still listened to everything i came across over the years and never really abandoned my influences. This was only in listening though, throughout all the music i have played either in bands or solo recorded, they were all like imitations of whatever i was into at the time. It was all good practice and i learned so much from it all.

Problem, now im feeling like its time to stop imitating and really dive into myself to play the music thats inside of me, but i am having so much trouble because my influences are so strong and widely varied.

Question, How do i write music naturally and let my influences be secondary while the main piece comes from my personality?

Keep writing until you really dig what you've done. :)

I've always thought that, one is just a mixture of his influences. Something will always show, and it's not a bad thing. It's what's inside you I mean I grew up listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and though I don't let that side out it always can be found(though I'm more Satriani-ish RHCP are always there). When I do, well things get funky. But I guess what I'm trying to say is:
If you're talking bout finding your own style, don't exclude anything. Anything you like can be milked.

thanks freepower and poisonousmetal. you're right about how my influences will always show and ill have to manage to what degree it does. i will work on my compositional skills and utilize certain influences for what the song requires or what im going for, rather than let my influences make me just imitate and copy songs.

Listen to the music in your head. Play it on guitar. Learn your own song by ear, so to speak.