Last summer I created methods to incorporate chance into creative writing, art and music. This post is all about the latter and how my latest release (MUSIC BY CHANCE: ONE [EP]) came to be. Needless to say the first bit of this post (The Buskers' Bamboozle) is quite dry, and unless you're planning to use it for your own musical endeavours (or you're interested in it), I suggest scrolling down the page until you get to the track-by-track overview of The Music.
THE BUSKERS' BAMBOOZLE
{an elaborate creative randomiser, that utilises dice, coins, and hats to make creative decisions}
At this level of 'The Buskers' Bamboozle' all you'll need to join in is dice and a coin, as things remain relatively simple. More steps will be revealed with the release of the third EP, which introduces hats and multiple chord formulas to the 'Bamboozle'.
This EP however is structured around simple major chords (1-3-5) and the second EP, simple minor chords (1-♭3-5), so there was no use for the hat to pick out the chord formula, as there was only one type of chord in play in both occasions.
TEMPO
Decided by rolling a dice four times. The first roll will specify the rough value of your tempo.
1 = 50-70BPM
The next roll will then pin down the tempo in-between the three given values.
1 or 2: First value in the given tempo field (for example 50BPM)
3 or 4: Second value in the given tempo field (for example 60BPM)
5 or 6: Third value in the given tempo field (for example 70BPM)
To further the variety, roll twice again, then multiply the result given by the second roll.
So for example, if you roll a three on your first throw, then another three on your second, your tempo range is 120BPM. To add more variants then roll for a third and fourth time (let's say you get a 5 and a 6) and add them to your 120BPM resulting in: 131BPM... Long winded I know, but it gives chance leg room which is sort of the point.
You need to make two rolls of the dice. The first gives you the rough value (so if you roll a three the root of your chord will be either a B or an F for example), and the second roll determines the group. You go through this process until you've established note values to all your chords:
GROUP A.
If the second dice result is between 1, 2 or 3.
If the second dice result is between 4, 5 or 6.
6 = A♭/G♯
FURTHER NOTES
Feel free to customise the lists and add/omit things. You may be a singer/songwriter and 220BPM may not suit, or you may fancy mixing up the time signatures so they're more math-rock. Just change it to suit your needs.
Also, for balanced results I never let the dice bounce off anything and I always throw it on the same surface (my art table).
THE MUSIC
With musical chemistry all mapped out by the 'Bamboozle', I then spent several months toying around with the three tracks that make up the first 'MUSIC BY CHANCE [EP]'.
The basic crafting of each of these tracks was pretty quick and painless. Things seemed to just fit... for a while at least. Nothing has caused me as much bother as...
0101: THE MOIST GO BETWEEN
RESULTS FROM THE BAMBOOZLE:
Chords: Major (1-3-5) only
Root of Chord: F, D♭/C♯, G♭/F♯, D, E, G
I was pleased. The chords seemed to fit okay, they weren't too orthodox, but they weren't too weird either. The perfect balance really. The first track that would spearhead my work with chance in music wasn't going to be too hard to pull off... or so I thought.
The bare bones of what you hear (drums and guitar) is pretty much from a few minutes work. I recorded it quickly and let it sit for a while, coming back to it every once in a while, adding stuff here and there. When it finally came to making a finished morsel of music though, boy, it had me in tears.
I stumbled by trying to reference things that I liked. I wanted something full and orchestral sounding, like Frank Zappa's 'Peaches En Regalia'. Then I thought of going down a route more a kin to what Beck does, but it just didn't seem deep and colourful enough for either.
I left it for a while, went off and recorded a chance-free sound-alike 'King Skirmish', among others.
Eventually I think it all came together. The pressure of making something big sounding to kick this EP off with, sort-of became less of an issue. As soon as I relaxed, the track did too. I added the rest of the guitar and the bass. Now I don't mind it, I can see past its flaws.
0201: BREADSTICK BOY
RESULTS FROM THE BAMBOOZLE:
Chords: Major (1-3-5) only
Tempo: 126BPM
Time Signature: 7/8
No. of Chords: 5
Root of Chord: D, A♭/G♯, C, G♭/F♯, G
I knew that I wanted to continue the high energy of 'The Moist Go Between', but 7/8 time isn't something that I was all that familiar with. All I knew was if the rhythm was right I could get away with just about anything, so most of the crafting of this track was in the drums and percussion. It was the sounds I really struggled with. I eventually settled on a Casio Rapman patch for it's punch and a homemade kit comprising of percussive guitar sounds that I uninspiringly call 'Guitar Kit'.
I had no real plans for how the other parts of this track would sound. The main riff sounds a bit like Devo, but that's possibly the slap-back Memory Boy treatment on it. The other embellishments are one off recordings mixed together to make something coherent. The only thing that didn't make it on to this track was a bluesy-meaty sounding riff as it just seemed to throw everything else off. But I've saved it. It's in the bank for later.
0301: INVINCIBLE BARK
RESULTS FROM THE BAMBOOZLE:
Chords: Major (1-3-5) only
Tempo: 136BPM
Time Signature: 6/8
No. of Chords: 2
Root of Chord: D♭/C♯, C
The main riff is a sample of a zip (recorded using a contact microphone way back in 2010), which I oscillated by finely looping it on itself. And the vocal kit (renamed "Breathbox" by pretsels malone) is just that; a batch of samples of me breathing into my cassette dictaphone, chopped up and arranged to make something playable. After that it's just riffing on the D♭- C progression with various plug-ins, found sounds and keyboards.
CONCLUSION
I started working with chance to escape myself creatively, but I never wanted to lose the human element. I could've made it so that everything from the instruments I could use, to the length of silence between each note, to how dynamic I play each note was dictated by chance (John Cage), but that didn't interest me.
I left some headspace to be creative, making it more of an exercise than an out-and-out experiment on what music by chance would actually sound like. A way to push myself into a different way of thinking, that didn't involve the music theory that I have struggled to teach myself over the many years (although it has come in handy).
Anyway, I'd love to see other musicians tackle my 'Bamboozle' approach (that's if I've not bored you to death with this monstrously long post). I know it's not the most honest way to make music. It's a little anal if anything, but it's there for anyone who's up for the challenge.
Happy thoughts,
- The Wormling
![MUSIC BY CHANCE: ONE [EP] - Artwork](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR4vALMFeDHdfRw0KCuGMCVFk8315RExdroWQ3_KFD9eUSiKgyefNsqC1DMIxLSpG1dEDMxOF9VgyC27D4cggGUoMQSH7l-AI9fqathLexioQ_TvHXePB5UD0Uf-P8QhEILUT8fMdHiw/s1600/MBC---ONE.png "MUSIC BY CHANCE: ONE [EP] - Artwork")
