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Some ideas for the challenge (Input, please~)
Posted 13 years agoAlright, guys. I sat down today and started thinking of a way to help the
challenge along. I've been doing this by myself, and it gets difficult to come up
with a really good prompt or challenge on time. Soo...I came up with an idea that
might work pretty well, the only downside is that we're still a pretty small group,
and we don't get much traffic. Request journals in the past have gone without
a single reply, which is unfortunate, but understandable.
So maybe we should take a hint from the format that
furrymusicians use for their spotlight.
Instead of a journal, I could post a recording to introduce the challenge (with
a typed transcript, of course!) Alongwith the challenge would be a journal taking
suggestions for the next challenge. That would clear up some clutter, make the
challenge a bit more fun, and give us a chance to get a few ideas for next time.
Not to mention it would also add a bit of style.
And we're all about style.
How do you guys feel about this idea? Also, are there any other suggestions that
you'd like to make? Feel free to post suggestions right here in the journal~!
Also, if you know someone who writes, sings, or plays an instrument, let them know
we're out here! This group exists to try to help others find inspiration when they're going
through blocks in music. Responses to the challenge can be text, music, or visual
art if that's what you get inspired to do.
Spread the word, and together we can help one another. We've witnessed
the breath of creation here already, and I intend for us to keep on creating!
-Styles
furrymusiciansStyles Challenge 1/26/12
Posted 14 years agoBeen a while, hasn't it?
Let's talk music.
Today's Challenge
Telling a story is pretty straightforward. If done well, you can
captivate your audience and put them into the mind of someone
they've never even met. Real or fictional. Through words,
placed carefully, we can share an experience, or create
one of our very own.
One technique for storytelling is perspective. Having more
than one perspective in a story lets the listener (or reader as well)
experience another part of the story through a fresh set of eyes.
A song about a bad breakup can really tug at the heartstrings,
but if the third verse rolls around and gives the other half
of the story, it can have a much larger impact.
So, this time, the challenge is to write a song with
at least two perspectives.
Subject matter is up to you. Feel free to comment with any
ideas that you might have. We can all brainstorm a little bit
to help each other out.
Remember, it's at least two. Meaning that there isn't
a limit to how many you can include. Now...it might be difficult
to write from more two perspectives. The challenge is for fun,
so just do what you feel more inspired to do ^^.
Sorry I was out for so long, guys. Much love, and keep the sound hummin.
-StylesYour muses?
Posted 14 years agoWe all have things that inspire us; that motivate us to create. Whether it be music, images, poetry, movies, places, people...any number of things can give you ideas.
Since we've been pretty quiet here for a while, I was hoping that maybe we could break the silence ^^.
So, what is it that inspires you to create music? Let's talk about our muses ^^.
Tell us about what inspires you, things that it has helped you create, and perhaps some of the reasons why you think that particular muse helps you so much. Feel free to link us, if you can, to songs and lyrics you've made, or to pictures, songs, poems and such that have inspired you to make them.
You can (of course xP) have more than one muse, and you can share multiple muses here, or post as many times as you'd like. This is for discussion, and promotion of creativity~!
To give an example, I'll start us off...
Rain is one of my muses. I like to play guitar on the porch on rainy days, listening and playing along with the sound. When I'm playing in the rain, I usually play softer music. For some reason I focus more on the beauty of the music when it's raining.
Since we've been pretty quiet here for a while, I was hoping that maybe we could break the silence ^^.
So, what is it that inspires you to create music? Let's talk about our muses ^^.
Tell us about what inspires you, things that it has helped you create, and perhaps some of the reasons why you think that particular muse helps you so much. Feel free to link us, if you can, to songs and lyrics you've made, or to pictures, songs, poems and such that have inspired you to make them.
You can (of course xP) have more than one muse, and you can share multiple muses here, or post as many times as you'd like. This is for discussion, and promotion of creativity~!
To give an example, I'll start us off...
Rain is one of my muses. I like to play guitar on the porch on rainy days, listening and playing along with the sound. When I'm playing in the rain, I usually play softer music. For some reason I focus more on the beauty of the music when it's raining.
No challenge today, guys
Posted 14 years agoThose who watch my normal account might have already saw the journal.
I'm really sick right now and can't really breathe. It's been a lot to deal with, and the creative side of my brain might as well be switched off.
I'll either try to post a challenge once(/if) I feel better. If not, I'll see you guys next month for the next challenge.
I'm really sick right now and can't really breathe. It's been a lot to deal with, and the creative side of my brain might as well be switched off.
I'll either try to post a challenge once(/if) I feel better. If not, I'll see you guys next month for the next challenge.
Styles Challenge 5/13/11
Posted 14 years agoHad to drive to Lansing and back yesterday after work, otherwise this would've been posted sooner.
I'm not superstitious myself, but it wasn't planned
for the challenge to fall on the 13th. I tossed around
a few hilarious ideas, like "FIX a Justin Bieber song",
since "Never Say Never" came out on the 13th
(If you work in retail, then you know that shit
whether you want to or not...)
You guys are welcome to do that one, but it
won't be the real challenge for this month.
Today's Challenge
In lieu of Justin Bieber parodies...
The last prompt we had focused on the musical side
of songwriting. This time I think we'll focus on lyrics.
Every once in a while you'll hear a song where the
lyrics just keep going, and going. They don't seem
like they're really making much sense until it's over,
and you realize that you've just heard pure genius.
So, this time 'round I thought it would be fun to give
it a try ^^.
Train of Thought lyrics.
We're going to try to set our minds free, and let
them tell the story. Forget structure, and forget what
the song is "about", and just write whatever we write.
Now, it might turn into something more
structured, and don't feel bad or worry if it does.
We're not Nazi's; just (hopefully)
a catalyst for creativity
Here are some examples of songs
that use Train of Thought Lyrics:
R.E.M - "It's the End of the World as We Know It"
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY
Billy Joel - "We Didn't Start The Fire"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g
An example from FA would be Pepper's
response to the 6/28/10 prompt
PepperCoyote - "This Suit"
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4088533
Good luck, guys.
-StylesStyles Philosophy
Posted 14 years agoThis is part of the cleanup process for the group's page. If you've read the group's profile BEFORE this journal, then you've read this before. Just keeping stuff organized.
A TALK ABOUT ORIGINALITY
"Hey, that kinda sounds like..."
*****
With the amount of music that surrounds us in our everyday lives, it's nearly impossible to create a sound that is truly original. Many bands have created amazing music by fusing many different sounds into one. The often receive great praise for this, but in reality they just took two things that sound good and mashed them together. Peanut butter? Meet jam.
Artists often find themselves in a rough place when trying to find a sound to call their own. What most of us don't realize is that there's no need to scour the earth for the most obscure genre that we can fathom just to feel like we've done something original.
Every single song that you've ever heard in your life is going to leave an impression on the music that you create. If you liked the song, you might make something the emulates certain aspects of it. If you disliked the song, then chances are you won't find any trace of it inside of your creations. On the other hand, that millisecond that you DID like just might show.
Every single musician has heard the words "Hey, that sounds like..." at some point in their career. Some feel very offended to have their original composition compared to popular music. Some, however, find being compared to a band that they love to be a great compliment. I've always tried to be the latter, understanding that the music that I love and the many different sounds that I've heard are going to impact my own creative endeavors.
To end this little chat about originality, I would like to quote a song which really put the quest for originality into perspective. And I feel that it would be appropriate to share it with those who choose to participate here.
"And our sound don't belong to anyone. You don't have to justify, man, you just take it if you want."
-Jaya The Cat, from the song "Foreword".
"Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing."
-Salvador Dali.
-Styles
A TALK ABOUT ORIGINALITY
"Hey, that kinda sounds like..."
*****
With the amount of music that surrounds us in our everyday lives, it's nearly impossible to create a sound that is truly original. Many bands have created amazing music by fusing many different sounds into one. The often receive great praise for this, but in reality they just took two things that sound good and mashed them together. Peanut butter? Meet jam.
Artists often find themselves in a rough place when trying to find a sound to call their own. What most of us don't realize is that there's no need to scour the earth for the most obscure genre that we can fathom just to feel like we've done something original.
Every single song that you've ever heard in your life is going to leave an impression on the music that you create. If you liked the song, you might make something the emulates certain aspects of it. If you disliked the song, then chances are you won't find any trace of it inside of your creations. On the other hand, that millisecond that you DID like just might show.
Every single musician has heard the words "Hey, that sounds like..." at some point in their career. Some feel very offended to have their original composition compared to popular music. Some, however, find being compared to a band that they love to be a great compliment. I've always tried to be the latter, understanding that the music that I love and the many different sounds that I've heard are going to impact my own creative endeavors.
To end this little chat about originality, I would like to quote a song which really put the quest for originality into perspective. And I feel that it would be appropriate to share it with those who choose to participate here.
"And our sound don't belong to anyone. You don't have to justify, man, you just take it if you want."
-Jaya The Cat, from the song "Foreword".
"Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing."
-Salvador Dali.
-Styles
Suggestions/Ideas?
Posted 14 years agoThe Styles Challenge kinda comes out of nowhere every month,
and it's pretty hit-or-miss sometimes since I've been doing it
all myself ^^;;.
So...with the next challenge a little more than a week away,
(meaning I'm actually going to be prepared for once!) Ifigured
it wouldn't hurt to see if you guys have any ideas that
you'd like to share for future challenges ^^.
Whether it's a prompt, a band with a unique style, or even a
simplistic track that people might be able to play along with;
we're not really that picky~. It might not hurt to take a break
from the instrumentation and focus on lyrics as well, so
we're definitely open for writing suggestions and
prompts, too.
So...show me what'cha got!
-StylesStyles Challenge, 4/12/11
Posted 14 years agoHello again.
It would appear that it's time to issue another challenge. We've
had a few prompts in the past, and while they're all fine and dandy,
prompts aren't exactly what we're about here.
3/13/11 and 6/28/10 were good.
Let's keep with that.
Today we're doing a Style's Study
We learn from experience, thus we must experience to learn. While
I don't particularly regard music as a science, I do think that there is
a certain science to it. There's a method that we can harness, and
in turn we stimulate, and even empower, our own creativity.
Today we're going to try to harness the power of Rishloo.
Rishloo is a very interesting group, boasting and incredibly
versatile band and vocalist, and seemingly endless creativity. They have
one habit in particular that is very noticeable...
Very few of their songs have a refrain.
Some of their songs are known to have multiple "bridges". The
"chorus" of their songs is generally just a few repeated bars and
a familiar vocal melody, while the lyrics continue with the same train
of thought, never really repeating. Two parts of the same song could
easily be mistaken as two completely different songs.
So, here are a few examples of Rishloo's songs. Be sure to pay
close attention to how they melody keeps oscillating, and how there
seem to be seamless transitions between two very different pieces.
Freaks And Animals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0caU0lIeyII
Eidolon Alpha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FW3sqo934g
El Empe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGQ_BYa622U
Feathergun in the Garden of the Sun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBYOgS7USGk
Let's try to harness this style of writing.
Let's learn to fuse two very different melodies into one song.
It's possible that a technique like this could even allow us to move
past a writer's block. Half a song here, half a song there...
Because 6 melodies CAN be fit into 1 song.
-StylesStyles Challenge, 3/13/11 (2 days late - apologies)
Posted 14 years agoA two-day delay due to a sinus infection and a work schedule
that's running me ragged.
Anyway, apologies on this one. Challenge will continue on the 12th
of next month, as scheduled ^^.
Today's Prompt
Let's try to write something completely impractical this time.
Let's focus on time signatures for a moment. We've become fairly
accustomed to hearing 4/4 or 3/4 time in music. It's popular, it's
easy, and let's be honest...those wacky time signatures are just
so darn CONFUSING!
For this challenge, let's try to write something with more than one
time signature.
It might be easier to start off making an instrumental. It's very
difficult to write lyrics to go along with an alien time-signature.
But first, we should get an idea of what having two time signatures
in one song sounds like.
Here are a few examples of some pieces that have more than one.
My own personal pick for an example song is actually going to have
to be "Horse, My Body" by The World/Inferno Friendship Society,
since the time change is a constant 5/4 verse, 3/4 chorus.
Since I couldn't find a vid for it, I uploaded it to tindeck~.
Horse, My Body, by The World/Inferno Friendship Society
(As I said before, this song has a 5/4 verse, 3/4 chorus)
http://tindeck.com/listen/zqnk
Money, by Pink Floyd
(7/4 time, changes to 4/4 during the guitar solo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkhX5W7JoWI
Broken Arrow, by Neil Young
(4/4 to 3/4 and back. Skip past the live intro for the studio track.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ErV23emfM
And, since its always good to have an example right from home,
peppercoyote brought to attention one of his and 
Shiacoft's
songs that I honestly don't know how I missed! It's a great example,
and it's also a great song. Be sure to check it out.
Thanks, Pepper!
Breathe In, by PepperCoyote and Shiacoft
(5/4, 4/4 chorus)
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4496069/
I'll see if I can make time to post an example track myself.
-Styles
peppercoyote
ShiacoftStyles Challenge, 2/10/11
Posted 15 years ago
Something tells me that this journal will be a surprise to everyone that reads it.
I'm not sure how to apologize for 7 months of silence.
There's no longer an excuse at this point.
Someone I respected very much suggested that this challenge should occur every month and
a day. He passed away not long ago. In that time, I never posted another challenge.
So it will be. Expect a prompt every month and a day from now on. If you don't see a prompt
bythe 11th of March, then I expect you to leave a shout that says "You promised." on my
personal user page, which I'm adding a link to on the group's information page.
Without any further delay...
Today's prompt:
Look around you. Pick one thing in the room you're sitting in and describe it. Whether with
words or with music, make the listener understand what it is or what it means to you. Was it
something you found on the street? A gift from a relative that means a lot to you? Everything
has a story, and you're welcome to tell that as well.
-StylesSearching for a frequency...
Posted 15 years agoSo, it's been a little while since our last update...
And given the nature of this group, it's kind of difficult to determine exactly how often we should issue the Styles Challenge O.o...
I mean, I know some of you could handle the challenges being more often than monthly. Hell, some of you could probably take on weekly challenges, unless inspiration has you working elsewhere.
So here's the question...how often would you like the Styles Challenges to be held?
Also, the next challenge will be coming up very soon. I'm still sorting through a couple of ideas.
-Styles
And given the nature of this group, it's kind of difficult to determine exactly how often we should issue the Styles Challenge O.o...
I mean, I know some of you could handle the challenges being more often than monthly. Hell, some of you could probably take on weekly challenges, unless inspiration has you working elsewhere.
So here's the question...how often would you like the Styles Challenges to be held?
Also, the next challenge will be coming up very soon. I'm still sorting through a couple of ideas.
-Styles
Styles Challenge, 6/28/10
Posted 15 years agoThis time, we're going to take a trip into the mind of chaos.
I've found an astonishing amount of inspiration to write from this
man, both his music and his outlook on life. I believe that there
is something that we all can learn from him.
So this Styles Challenge is dedicated a fellow
conduit of perpetual rhythm.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3381096
Sentience
DrummingRaccoon
I've found this song to be very inspiring in many ways.
Whether it be the backbone of tribal drums behind this
ever-shifting musical maelstrom the pulsing, primal energy,
or how he uses this sound to explain something that is beyond
our understanding without saying a single word, proving
that music really is the universal language of the soul.
Whether you choose to give the tribal drums a try, or perhaps
you've a feeling that you think is best described with vibrations
rather than words. Let the song take you into a trance, and let
the forces of sound take over. Open your mind, and let the
music write itself through you.
Become a conduit of perpetual rhythm.
-Styles
DrummingRaccoon...and we're patched.
Posted 15 years agoHad to channel the inner Herbert West, and R'lyeh's a tough neighborhood.
Alright, so due to some computer troubles (Which included my computer not allowing me to log out of my main account, which I still don't completely understand), I haven't really been able to keep any tabs on this account.
Now that this problem, among others, has been rectified, I'd like to apologize for not giving any updates. I'm very sorry about that, and the timing could not possibly have been worse.
I've made sure to favorite the submissions that were linked in the first Styles Challenge, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to have a second challenge in the near future, if you guys are still interested.
I've noticed that we've picked up a few more watchers recently, and I'd like to welcome all of the new members! I'm glad that we caught at least someone's interest!
Alright then...I'm pretty much out of things to blather about, so I'll get on with the show. Last but not least, I would like to thank Peppercoyote and 
randomonlooker for starting off the challenges strong. Wonderful work to the both of you! I'm sorry that I couldn't say something sooner.
If you'd like to check them out, they're here-
peppercoyote - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3869422
randomonlooker - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3863366/
I'm looking forward to getting things rolling again, and I hope you're all still with me!
-Styles
randomonlookerStyles Challenge, 5/5/10
Posted 15 years agoAlright, I figured it's about time that we got started!
Since we're still a small group, we'll start with an easier genre, and perhaps work on a bit of songwriting for this particular prompt. Also, since we haven't really carved out our identity yet, I'll offer a prompt for musicians performing acoustic, and electric.
So, without further adieu...
This week's prompt is:
Tell me a story.
We'll be focusing on songs that tell a folk or fairy tale. It's fun to write about, and you can pick any story you'd like =D.
Now, this doesn't mean that you need vocals for your story. Many a time I've seen artists here leave a story in their description of an instrumental song, and if you read the story while listening, it makes for a wonderful experience!
*****
Our electric musicians!
Check either this link or the video below. But, for a great example of a wonderful tale, you should listen to this song, done by peppercoyote
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3547530/
Our acoustic musicians!
Check out this video. I know it's rather simple, but we're just getting started ^^.
The Highwayman - Loreena McKennitt
*****
Please post a response to this journal with a link to your song once you've uploaded it =D. Makes it a lot easier for the other group members to share their songs
-Styles!The Challenge Room
Posted 15 years agoWelcome to the Challenge Room; our list of past Styles Challenges.
All of our previous challenges will always remain open to anyone who wants
to try their paw at them. They are as follows, in chronological order.
Styles Challenge 5/5/10: A song that tells a story.
Styles Challenge 6/28/10: Styles Study - Perpetual Rhythm
Styles Challenge 2/10/11: Writing Study - Prompt
Styles Challenge 3/13/11: Writing Study - Song with more than one time signature
Styles Challenge 4/12/11: Styles Study - Rishloo
Styles Challenge 1/26/12: Writing Study - Story told from two perspectives
-Styles