Interesting thought...

[ccnokes]

Have you guys ever been in an english or writing class and everybody has to write one sentence that then makes up part of a collective story?

I was thinking that would be a sort of a cool idea for music composition.  Somebody could post a sibelius file with 2-8 measures of their music and than another person adds to that with their own original music and so on and so forth.  It would work especially well in a forum like setting that we have here on pianostreet.  All sorts of people could contribute. There would have to be some rules so that the song doesn't sound like trash at the end, for example: no changing time or key signatures.  I think that could be fun and at the end we would have a collective song that a lot of people worked on.

What do you guys think?  Let me know:)

[invictious]

Problem Number 1) Not all of us have sibelius, or finale or whatever
2) Our varying musical styles..can make it sound VERY disjointed

[jre58591]

I think that could be fun and at the end we would have a collective song that a lot of people worked on.

so, it has to be sung?

2) Our varying musical styles..can make it sound VERY disjointed

agreed. someone, like me, can easily make it sound very painful for some of your ears. although, i would like to see how alistair makes it sound haha.

[pianistimo]

i think we should start with a score already written and then try to mangle it.  each of us taking 3-4 bars each and trying to adopt at least one thing that the previous person did - and state what that thing was. 

[ccnokes]

No obviously it wouldn't be sung.  Sorry I don't use the most appropriate term there("song" what was I thinking?!)


As to varying styles; hopefully one could still contribute to the music and it's mood and style yet still maintain their own uniqueness.  I would say that's reasonably doable, unless your totally locked into one mode of doing things.

[ccnokes]

i think we should start with a score already written and then try to mangle it.  each of us taking 3-4 bars each and trying to adopt at least one thing that the previous person did - and state what that thing was. 

Explain more fully what you mean by "mangle."

And I agree you would definetely have to "adopt" somewhat to what the last person did so as to maintain musical flow throughout.  No one would have complete creative control. 

[pianistimo]

or, everyone is given the same blank piece of score paper (or 4-5 pages) and the same melody to start off (or motive).  we each go and create something and then compare later.  the form would be announced (prelude, fugue, sonata, fantasy, whatever) before everyone goes to do their thing.  or, perhaps everyone is given a different form.

i find working alone most satisfying to the result and would become highly frustrated by others dabbling on what i did.

[jre58591]

or why not take a famous theme and write a huge theme and variations on it? paganini variations, maybe?

[pianistimo]

that's a great idea!

[invictious]

Wait till you hear my musical styles...

*watches nearby audience barf*

 

[phil13]

I dunno, don't you think that theme has been varied enough? 

Why don't we pick something else suitable for variation form, but from which there have not been 1,000 different variations already written.

Phil

[dnephi]

I propose Tchaikovsky's Symphony Number five motive, the one which appears throughout. I like the latter idea a lot and it is very flexible and should provide good soil for ideas.