Challenge suggestions
August 27, 2010 3:05 PM
A handful of ideas for future challenges.
(If any of these have been suggested before, please disregard...)
1) Reggae (including ska, rocksteady, etc.) is all about covers, having put the riddim on myriad hits over the decades. But how about covering a reggae song sans the reggae? Take a reggae tune (native original as opposed to a reggae version) and cover it any fashion but reggae. Bob Marley goes country, Heptones inna jazz stylee, psychedelic Culture, etc.
2) The concept album, the rock opera, the Broadway musical: what if we began with nothing more than an enigmatic title? No book or libretto, no plot or characters decided up front, just the title. Let the song submissions be parts implying the whole of some unknown sprawling epic. I have no title suggestions at the moment, do you?
3) Zero Views was recently posted on the blue. Is it "the bottom of the barrel" or is there gold in them thar hills? Not saying to get all Autotune-The-News with it, but making a musical interpretation of a vid posted on Zero View could be a fun challenge.
4) Songs extolling a particular brand or model of vehicle are essential to the blues and rock canon. The challenge would be to sing the praises of a previously uncelebrated rod. Save bemoaning your lemon for a blues challenge, this should be about how boss your sweet little Daewoo is!
5) Take some original lyrics and run them through a translator, choosing a final tongue in which you are not fluent. Now cut a version of your song for the foreign market, singing as best you can in an unfamiliar language.
posted by bonefish (23 comments total)
(If any of these have been suggested before, please disregard...)
1) Reggae (including ska, rocksteady, etc.) is all about covers, having put the riddim on myriad hits over the decades. But how about covering a reggae song sans the reggae? Take a reggae tune (native original as opposed to a reggae version) and cover it any fashion but reggae. Bob Marley goes country, Heptones inna jazz stylee, psychedelic Culture, etc.
2) The concept album, the rock opera, the Broadway musical: what if we began with nothing more than an enigmatic title? No book or libretto, no plot or characters decided up front, just the title. Let the song submissions be parts implying the whole of some unknown sprawling epic. I have no title suggestions at the moment, do you?
3) Zero Views was recently posted on the blue. Is it "the bottom of the barrel" or is there gold in them thar hills? Not saying to get all Autotune-The-News with it, but making a musical interpretation of a vid posted on Zero View could be a fun challenge.
4) Songs extolling a particular brand or model of vehicle are essential to the blues and rock canon. The challenge would be to sing the praises of a previously uncelebrated rod. Save bemoaning your lemon for a blues challenge, this should be about how boss your sweet little Daewoo is!
5) Take some original lyrics and run them through a translator, choosing a final tongue in which you are not fluent. Now cut a version of your song for the foreign market, singing as best you can in an unfamiliar language.
Perhaps bonefish has just volunteered. (raises eyebrow)
posted by davejay at 11:53 PM on August 27, 2010
posted by davejay at 11:53 PM on August 27, 2010
Erp, was just throwing some ideas out there. If not who, then how the next challenge is to be chosen remains unresolved. How about a new thread to discuss it, particularly by the regular participants? Flapjax could pick a successor or cortex could admin a vote or something, I don't know, I'm just a newb around here!
posted by bonefish at 1:15 AM on August 28, 2010
posted by bonefish at 1:15 AM on August 28, 2010
Over in this thread it was suggested that challengemeister be a rotating position with a stint of a few months, after which it moves on to someone else. MajorDundee comes up with the idea here, specifically, and he also volunteers to do it, so I think we should let him take first whack at it.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 2:50 AM on August 28, 2010
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 2:50 AM on August 28, 2010
Sorry guys - no can do at the mo. I have some other priorities at present that will limit the amount of time I have to be active on this site and I don't want to commit and then let everyone down. But, yes, I'll take a stint at the helm at some point in future. Actually I thought the admin people on here were going to sort this out, but they seem to be very busy with other priorities right now.
posted by MajorDundee at 7:46 AM on August 28, 2010
posted by MajorDundee at 7:46 AM on August 28, 2010
Yes, Karlos, the Major's rotation idea is great. And as far as finding a new challengemeister, if you guys don't mind, I think I'll open a thread about it in MeTa so we can have a wider audience.
posted by snsranch at 2:08 PM on August 28, 2010
posted by snsranch at 2:08 PM on August 28, 2010
I just post this to MeTa. I'm thinking about nominating bonefish since he brought this up.
posted by snsranch at 2:31 PM on August 28, 2010
posted by snsranch at 2:31 PM on August 28, 2010
2) The concept album, the rock opera, the Broadway musical: what if we began with nothing more than an enigmatic title?
"the life and times of ceiling cat"
hmmm, maybe not enigmatic enough - too jokey - but you have an interesting idea here
posted by pyramid termite at 11:08 PM on August 28, 2010
"the life and times of ceiling cat"
hmmm, maybe not enigmatic enough - too jokey - but you have an interesting idea here
posted by pyramid termite at 11:08 PM on August 28, 2010
2) The concept album, the rock opera, the Broadway musical: what if we began with nothing more than an enigmatic title?
I like this idea too. And maybe this could be the September or October challenge...? Trouble with a concept album is you need a concept (duh..) and a title won't necessarily yield a concept. And, for me at least, it has to be something meaty that people can relate to - not wizards and spacemen and all that old bollocks. I mean Dark Side Of The Moon works because the underpinning topic, although arguably a bit puerile in realisation, is universal and not "fantasy".
Tell you what's just struck me - how about an album about those poor miners trapped in Peru? A concept album about that could have a lot of scope. But would it be tasteless and exploitative, or could we do something with the album to kind of help out somehow? I don't know. Maybe it's a crap idea....
posted by MajorDundee at 12:07 PM on August 29, 2010
I like this idea too. And maybe this could be the September or October challenge...? Trouble with a concept album is you need a concept (duh..) and a title won't necessarily yield a concept. And, for me at least, it has to be something meaty that people can relate to - not wizards and spacemen and all that old bollocks. I mean Dark Side Of The Moon works because the underpinning topic, although arguably a bit puerile in realisation, is universal and not "fantasy".
Tell you what's just struck me - how about an album about those poor miners trapped in Peru? A concept album about that could have a lot of scope. But would it be tasteless and exploitative, or could we do something with the album to kind of help out somehow? I don't know. Maybe it's a crap idea....
posted by MajorDundee at 12:07 PM on August 29, 2010
[bum shuffling embarrassment] it is of course Chile not Peru.
posted by MajorDundee at 2:09 AM on August 30, 2010
posted by MajorDundee at 2:09 AM on August 30, 2010
Tell you what's just struck me - how about an album about those poor miners trapped in Peru? A concept album about that could have a lot of scope. But would it be tasteless and exploitative, or could we do something with the album to kind of help out somehow? I don't know. Maybe it's a crap idea....
I suspect it's too ambitious and would never actually come together.
I think in general -- and I have no numbers to back me up here, just biased gut reaction -- challenges are more successful when they're kind of vague. Stuff like "write a song about this subject" or "do this and this and this" don't go as well. Maybe the more specific the challenge, the more it feels like homework.
(There was actually a "do a song in a language you don't speak" challenge previously, but it looks like no one did anything with it.)
Personally, my favorites are those that encourage me to think about music theory and about how songs are constructed, but that have a low barrier to participation -- the "two chord" challenge and the "one minute" challenge are perfect examples (and were both popular). I'd like to see more challenges like that, and in that vein, here are some ideas:
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 4:03 AM on August 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
I suspect it's too ambitious and would never actually come together.
I think in general -- and I have no numbers to back me up here, just biased gut reaction -- challenges are more successful when they're kind of vague. Stuff like "write a song about this subject" or "do this and this and this" don't go as well. Maybe the more specific the challenge, the more it feels like homework.
(There was actually a "do a song in a language you don't speak" challenge previously, but it looks like no one did anything with it.)
Personally, my favorites are those that encourage me to think about music theory and about how songs are constructed, but that have a low barrier to participation -- the "two chord" challenge and the "one minute" challenge are perfect examples (and were both popular). I'd like to see more challenges like that, and in that vein, here are some ideas:
- Make a song in a time signature you've never made a song in before (3/4 waltz, 2/4 polka, 6/8 jig [or 9/8 slip jig!], 7/4, 5/4...). This has the advantage of scaling to your ability -- never made a song before? You can use 4/4!
- Make a song with a tempo of 240 bpm or higher. (If you've already done this, make a song that's faster than that.)
- Shhh! There's a sleeping baby in the room! Sing and play as quietly as you can. ...Are you sure that that's as low as you can go? I bet you can be even quieter!
- Make a song based around a loop, digital or analog.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 4:03 AM on August 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
"Low barrier to participation" really should be a guiding rule for the challenge, but simple "high concept" ideas are usually the hardest to come up with. Luckily, MeFi has got plenty of ideators. Here's hoping the next challenge meister is anointed soon!
posted by bonefish at 11:44 AM on August 30, 2010
posted by bonefish at 11:44 AM on August 30, 2010
Here's hoping the next challenge meister is anointed soon!
It sounds like people are pretty darned okay with snsranch as the next meister, and I'm wholly down with that as well. I'm not sure how much more official the nomination process is likely to get, so, well:
If anyone here has reason why this snsranch and this temporary rotating volunteer music challenge idea coordination position should not be wed, speak now or hold your peace for a few months I guess.
posted by cortex at 12:54 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
It sounds like people are pretty darned okay with snsranch as the next meister, and I'm wholly down with that as well. I'm not sure how much more official the nomination process is likely to get, so, well:
If anyone here has reason why this snsranch and this temporary rotating volunteer music challenge idea coordination position should not be wed, speak now or hold your peace for a few months I guess.
posted by cortex at 12:54 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure how much more official the nomination process is likely to get
Ah, well now, let me give you the benefit of my experience as an officer and gentleman. We know how to do this kind of thing properly over here in the old country. There is general consensus that the challengemeister must have a uniform. And that has to involve a ceremony. So..... we're talking pretty damn official I'd say. White House lawn, that Obama chappie shimmering about, flunkies in white tails with trays of drinks, one or two press snappers - usual form. Bit of a bore, but no escaping it. Off you trot then young fellow-me-lad and make it so.....
posted by MajorDundee at 2:31 PM on August 30, 2010
Ah, well now, let me give you the benefit of my experience as an officer and gentleman. We know how to do this kind of thing properly over here in the old country. There is general consensus that the challengemeister must have a uniform. And that has to involve a ceremony. So..... we're talking pretty damn official I'd say. White House lawn, that Obama chappie shimmering about, flunkies in white tails with trays of drinks, one or two press snappers - usual form. Bit of a bore, but no escaping it. Off you trot then young fellow-me-lad and make it so.....
posted by MajorDundee at 2:31 PM on August 30, 2010
Right on, cortex. I hereby formally accept. This should be a great deal of fun.
posted by snsranch at 5:01 PM on August 30, 2010
posted by snsranch at 5:01 PM on August 30, 2010
"Low barrier to participation" really should be a guiding rule for the challenge, but simple "high concept" ideas are usually the hardest to come up with.
True, true. Here's one thing I was thinking: I like your car challenge, but I think it would get more response if it was less specific, opened up a little more -- go ahead and include those lemon blues! Include songs about road trips, traffic jams -- I don't think we've ever had a "car culture" challenge, so maybe it'd be fun to get all the various aspects in there (and additionally we probably won't get around to running multiple automobile months, so why not).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that "low barrier" should be emotional as well as technical, or something. Hopefully I am making sense; if not, it's the oxycodone talkin' and I apologize.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 6:53 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
True, true. Here's one thing I was thinking: I like your car challenge, but I think it would get more response if it was less specific, opened up a little more -- go ahead and include those lemon blues! Include songs about road trips, traffic jams -- I don't think we've ever had a "car culture" challenge, so maybe it'd be fun to get all the various aspects in there (and additionally we probably won't get around to running multiple automobile months, so why not).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that "low barrier" should be emotional as well as technical, or something. Hopefully I am making sense; if not, it's the oxycodone talkin' and I apologize.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 6:53 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
I suppose I should have been hectoring, or been hectored by, snsranch on the subject of what this month's challenge is.
HECTOR IN THE HOUSE. What are we going with?
posted by cortex at 7:56 AM on September 2, 2010
HECTOR IN THE HOUSE. What are we going with?
posted by cortex at 7:56 AM on September 2, 2010
How about............a Guinness Book Of Records attempt at the Longest Guitar Solo Ever Ever Ever. Much longer than Freebored. Live online of course. Played to a loop of something until everyone goes barking mad. Time for my medication, I think.......
posted by MajorDundee at 11:48 AM on September 2, 2010
posted by MajorDundee at 11:48 AM on September 2, 2010
Much longer than Freebored
Naturally, in homage to both Lynerd Skynerd (sp??) and guitar players everywhere, the loop would be the Freebird progression and the track would just have to be called Fretbored.......
........nurse!! NURSE!!!
posted by MajorDundee at 12:05 PM on September 2, 2010
Naturally, in homage to both Lynerd Skynerd (sp??) and guitar players everywhere, the loop would be the Freebird progression and the track would just have to be called Fretbored.......
........nurse!! NURSE!!!
posted by MajorDundee at 12:05 PM on September 2, 2010
Clearly an attempt at a very long guitar solo would have to involve collaborations between several of us recording our own respective songs from which the solo would wander, one to the next, like some strange nomad adrift in the world, anchorless, searching onward and ever for somewhere to at last call home.
Like a drummer without a girlfriend.
posted by cortex at 12:32 PM on September 2, 2010
Like a drummer without a girlfriend.
posted by cortex at 12:32 PM on September 2, 2010
Can I suggest that the "Updated!" box on the Music page be updated monthly to say "Updated for September!" or whatever? Because when it just says "Updated!" every day of the year it kinda loses all meaning. Also, I keep clicking the link and being sad.
(I realize that this is an additional manual step, but I don't know how much of a hassle it is.)
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 12:49 PM on September 2, 2010
(I realize that this is an additional manual step, but I don't know how much of a hassle it is.)
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 12:49 PM on September 2, 2010
Probably the easiest way to do the infinite guitar solo would be a circle of fifths kind of thing where each person's arrangement ended on a dominant which led into the key of the next section. Or you could do the truck driver's gear change each time... but I'm not sure that doesn't just make it a bunch of different songs.
What about using the most hackneyed chord sequence in the world (I-V-vi-IV)?
posted by unSane at 1:58 PM on September 2, 2010
What about using the most hackneyed chord sequence in the world (I-V-vi-IV)?
posted by unSane at 1:58 PM on September 2, 2010
Should have previewed. MajorDundee has it. Freebored. Love it.
Everyone should supply both a solo and a rhythm part, and a bass and drum part as well if they can be bothered. Then uncleozzy can mix it.
posted by unSane at 2:00 PM on September 2, 2010
Everyone should supply both a solo and a rhythm part, and a bass and drum part as well if they can be bothered. Then uncleozzy can mix it.
posted by unSane at 2:00 PM on September 2, 2010
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posted by snsranch at 3:46 PM on August 27, 2010