Can Drugs aid the process of composition ?

[Adrian Allan]

Or is it a myth ?

Did you ever dabble with any drugs and find that your compositions improved ?

I am including all legal and illegal, from caffeine upwards.

Does a cigarette help you to concentrate.

Did you write a great tune while stoned ?

And listen back to it the next day and decide it was garbage ?

Didn't the Beatles' music improve after they discovered weed (Rubber Soul) and LSD (Sgt Pepper etc) ?

Did composers of the classical period get high in German coffee parlours ?

[Calle Edlund]

Now I haven't read through all the replies so maybe someone has said this before but I think drugs may aid in an awakening process for the person in a whole, and give a lot of inspiration. However I think that one should strive to have that inspiration without drugs.

Also, David Lucas Burge says that people's perfect pitch abilities tend to diminish after using drugs so it's probably not a good idea to take drugs extensively.

[Liam Harvey]

I will usually drink a fair amount of tea whilst composing. Especially green tea and peppermint tea. I find they help me stay focused. I've never tried composing under the influence of other substances.