Contest March: Gossip

[Hellfog]

Let's discuss.

[Konfusius]

How about something medieval sounding?
Everything allowed (Synth, guitar, accordion;-), it just has to sound as medieval as possible...

[beanpole]

Free For All??
Not had one for a while, might get a few more entries.

[Konfusius]

Free For All??
Not had one for a while, might get a few more entries.

That would suit me perfectly......

[harvon]

How about something medieval sounding?
Everything allowed (Synth, guitar, accordion;-), it just has to sound as medieval as possible...

This almost matched something my favorite AI produced a while ago
Ottoman orchestra - Teheran

[The Noodlist]

Free For All??
Not had one for a while, might get a few more entries.

I agree +1
It also might inspire unbridled creativity.

[harvon]

Let's put this here, with other suggestions

Compose on your name on march?

Music was done differently before the chords. One polyphonic method was to think music as parallel horizontal lines, one a short repeating monophonic pattern and the other a freeform monophonic melody. The pattern could be e.g. your forum name converted to notes.

Like four part harmony? Not everyone plays from sheet or composes in this way.
How would you go about it? Would you write midi data into the piano roll.

I suggest BAD FACE DAD
Use the chord sequence above, minor or major, sharp or flat using can be used. Chord blocks can be used in any order. e.g face dad bad - B Ab Db /F# A C# Eb/ D# A D# can use enharmonic equivalents e.g F#/Gb D#/Eb etc

Much simpler than four part harmonies
- Bass plays the repeating pattern
- Guitar plays the ordinary, melodies, riffs, etc, but no chords!
- - use piano roll or repeat the pattern in your DAW and jam over it
- Can have a drum track or not
- no other instrument tracks (to disable chord harmonies)

[Laguna Rising]

I don't know, we had 'Elements of 3 instruments' this last month, I'd suggest heading in a different direction.
Themes are usually based on :
• a theory rule
• a genre
• seasonal/celebration (Halloween, Christmas, summer, etc) or any other event
• a vibe or a feeling

In the past we also did :
• Tribute to an Artist/Musician
• Re-arrange a given midifile/track

So we just finished a rule-restricted theme.
This incoming month I'd like to change

[Laguna Rising]

Last themes were :

• Elements of 3 instruments
• African traditional music
• A crack in the ice at Christmas
• Cover of a National Anthem
• Fruity
• Contrasting themes
• 60’s surf twang
• Angry Music
• circular repetition
• Spring Cleaning - Create a track of unfinished music and finish it
• Country Music
• A child and their dreams in a fantasy world
• Play or sing this scale

[harvon]

I asked google AI to expand lagunas list of theme bases. There seem to be fresh theme possibilities

// Expanding on your initial list, here are the broader categories of theme prompts used to frame a creative challenge:

Structural & Mathematical

These prompts focus on the "bones" of the composition rather than the aesthetic.
1) Time Constraints: Prompts based on duration (e.g., micro-songs vs. long-form) or specific BPM ranges.
2) Rhythmic Anchors: Themes focused on specific time signatures or polyrhythmic requirements.
3) Form/Arrangement: Requirements to follow a specific song structure (e.g., AABA, Theme and Variations, or Through-composed).

Material & Source Limitations

These define the "ingredients" allowed in the kitchen.
1) Sonic Provenance: Prompts based on where the sound comes from (e.g., only "found sounds," only synthesis, or only acoustic instruments).
2) Hardware/Software Kits: Limiting the palette to specific tools or "era-appropriate" technology.
3) The "One-Sound" Rule: Forcing the use (or exclusion) of a specific singular element.

Extra-Sensory Translation

These require the artist to translate a non-auditory medium into sound.
1) Visual-Spatial: Based on images, architecture, or physical landscapes.
2) Literary/Textual: Based on a poem, a single word, a headline, or a dialogue snippet.
3) Tactile/Physical: Based on textures (e.g., "Gravel," "Silk") or physical sensations (e.g., "Weightlessness").

Narrative & Roleplay

These ask the creator to step into a different identity or scenario.
1) Character Archetypes: Writing for a specific persona or "main character."
2) Environmental Context: Writing for a specific setting or "utility" (e.g., a menu screen, a funeral, or a high-speed chase).
3) Historical Reimagining: Placing the creator in a specific point in history (Anachronism).

Conceptual & Philosophical

These are the "brain-teasers" that require abstract interpretation.
1) Contradictions/Paradoxes: Themes that pair opposites (e.g., "Quiet Chaos" or "Mechanical Nature").
2) Scientific/Natural Phenomena: Based on laws of physics, biological processes, or astronomical events.
3) Social/Cultural Commentary: Based on a specific human experience or societal trend.

Aleatoric (Chance-Based)

Themes where the parameters are decided by external randomness.
1) Procedural Generation: Using dice rolls, random word generators, or data sets to dictate the core elements.
2) External Mapping: Turning non-musical data (like a stock market graph or a DNA sequence) into a melody.

Intertextual & Stylistic Meta-Prompts

These aren't about what to write, but how to relate to existing music.
1) Deconstruction: Taking a well-known style or specific work and breaking it down into its elemental parts to build something new.
2) Homage/Pastiche: Mimicking the "fingerprint" of a specific era, producer, or movement without using their specific notes.
3) Genre-Flipping: Taking the "DNA" of one genre and forcing it into the "body" of another (e.g., Folk melodies played with Industrial techniques).

Kinetic & Physiological

Prompts based on the physical response of the listener or the performer.
1) Biometric: Themes based on human rhythms—heartbeats (60–100 BPM), breathing patterns, or walking strides.
2) Energy States: Focusing on the "arc" of intensity (e.g., a constant crescendo, or a "plateau" track with no peaks).
3) Ergonomic: Music defined by the physical act of playing (e.g., "only use your left hand," or "only use the black keys").

Quantitative & Data-Driven

Using external "hard data" as the framework.
1) Sonification: Converting a specific set of numbers (weather patterns, stock jumps, population growth) into musical parameters.
2) Mathematical Sequences: Using ratios or sequences (like Fibonacci or Prime numbers) to determine intervals or measure lengths.//

[Wicker Man]

Hi harvon...that's a lot of words.

Rather than consult a search engine/AI...let us know what your actually head is thinking.

In my own mind, free for all sounds good at the moment.

[Patrick9]

Free For All liberates contributers to follow their individual musicality rather than be constrained be an unfamiliar format or genre. A set theme is fine but may limit the numbers of people wanting to have a go.

[harvon]

Hi harvon...that's a lot of words.

Rather than consult a search engine/AI...let us know what your actually head is thinking.

In my own mind, free for all sounds good at the moment.

The point is to increase the size of theme selection pool, to make it easier to avoid repeating just a small number of themes.

click the small upwards arrow for theme I suggested ..
Generally I like having a theme, it's a starting point, a limiter of possibilities, a shape when other shapes don't exist.

[Hellfog]

March: Free for all 3 min

[jens]

Hi harvon...that's a lot of words.

Rather than consult a search engine/AI...let us know what your actually head is thinking.

In my own mind, free for all sounds good at the moment.

The point is to increase the size of theme selection pool, to make it easier to avoid repeating just a small number of themes.

Sure, but I think Wicker Man's point was that this could (and should?) be done without the use of Ai.

I don't think many here could be bothered to read through such an extensive amount of machine generated words, some of which may (or may not) be relevant and/or accurate.