Possible May challenge idea - you scratch my backing track, I'll...

....have my wicked way with yours. The idea here is very simple. Upload the backing track of something you've previously posted to MeFiMu (that's not strictly necessary I guess but it sort of closes the loop) and the challenge is for anyone who fancies it to have a go at writing and recording a new top line/melody and, if you want to go the whole hog, lyric. You could of course try to use the existing lyric but with a new melody - that's even more difficult and may cause the masochists in the community to become moist. Go right ahead and swap stems if you so desire, but that's not essential for this bit of fun. Stating the bleedin' obvious: upload the result when you're done. 'andsome!

I'm currently finishing off a rewrite of a track I posted to MeFiMu recently which, on reflection, sucked a large, flaccid one. I was trying with increasing loss of enthusiasm to polish the turd when I decided to scrap what I had thought was the key part of the track, open a mic and just see what came out. It's actually completely transformed it - it's not a completely different thing in mood as well as melody - and just goes to show that when you think something's done if you just reach a little deeper you can pull something much better out...... And there's something too in the back of my mind - I think it's one of Eno's cards actually - about being brave enough to get rid of something that you think is absolutely key. Not explaining that very well, but it's an interesting approach I think.

posted by Hoops McCann (6 comments total)

it's not a completely different thing in mood as well as melody should of course read " it's a completely different thing in mood as well as melody".

How come we get to correct mistakes when commenting on a post but not when we are the poster???
posted by Hoops McCann at 9:52 AM on May 3, 2013

I like this and think it could be a longer running kind of thing if not just a challenge for the month.

Any suggestions for tagging the before and afters? And maybe list contributions and finished product in this thread So we don't have to search too hard for the base tracks as they come in?

I'm celebrating Cinco de Mayo already (con tequila), so if this response doesn't make any sense...Cheers!
posted by snsranch at 4:15 PM on May 3, 2013

Oops, already missed the May thing but I have a May challenge all ready to go. But this is a very worthy challenge, Hoops. I would call it the Topline challenge and open it out to uploading a backing track (maybe or maybe not something already uploaded) and have at it.

Toplining is a big thing in contemporary pop songwriting so I like it for that reason too.

I think we'll do this for June.
posted by unSane at 8:04 PM on May 3, 2013

Any suggestions for tagging the before and afters?

Before: mefimusicchallenge backtrack
After: mefimusicchallenge trackback (i.e. giving the track back with a new melody or whatever)

How's that?
posted by Hoops McCann at 12:06 PM on May 6, 2013

That works for me!
posted by snsranch at 4:25 PM on May 6, 2013

GREAT idea
posted by greenish at 6:32 AM on May 7, 2013