Last Saturday, SJT held an internal Composition Retreat. The goal was less about coming up with a product and more about helping people know how they create, the tendencies of other people, and some creative exercises to get the juices flowing.
To that end, I found the day a success for the group; less so for me because I find I already know how I work best.
Still, I did get one crazy idea: I want to try writing a song a week for 12 weeks. Why 12 weeks? Because 52 weeks is insane! Seriously though, three months just sounded like a manageable chunk of time, and it'll be over just as the gigs start getting more and more plentiful.
I'm giving myself some rules.
- No working on a song until Monday. This includes thinking of a concept or idea that I want to develop.
- Sunday deadline. No matter what, Sunday is the last day I can work on a song started the previous Monday. If I'm out and have ideas that I can't put down until Monday or later, it's ok to do so.
- Beginning, middle, end. I may have more than this, but those three sections are the minimum requirements to make a "song."
I may come away from this with absolutely nothing, but I hope that even if none of the songs are actually workable, I'll be able to use some of the ideas for future pieces. It'll force me to dump a lot of product in a short amount of time and might help me build creative momentum.
As for documenting, I'll try to figure out a way to make an mp3 of each "song" and perhaps also put up the sheet music somewhere for people who are curious. I'll blog about it once a month to give a summary of what I've done.
Stay tuned!
When do we get to hear some of these things? Or will we have to wait for SJT to perform them?
ReplyDelete--sean
Ideally, I'll have mp3s just after the end of each month (4 songs' worth.) After the 12 weeks are over, I'll take some time to compile the sheet music + notes for download if anyone is interested, perhaps along with some video footage of movements (if any).
ReplyDeleteAs for SJT performing them, If there any I feel like continuing, I'll probably have to wait until next year since we're just about to head into concert prep for October!