One note wonders!!! (AKA a HUGE ass constraint)

[randomblockfilms]

Following a set of constraints can make you improve! :D Which is why twitter works so well. you can only use 140 characters to say something and often times people write great sentences!

so why not constrain yourself while making music??!?! with all these DAW's now adays, it can get a bit overwhelming and frustrating. But if you add a constraint to yourself, (not physically, production wise) you will be able to focus on certain parts of production and ideas will most likely pop into your head about how to make a good song with absurd constraints!

for example here is one you can do.

RULES
1. you must only choose ONE note and can use that note and its octaves with any instrument to make a song!

2. percussion can be used and doesn't really need to follow the one note constraint rule UNLESS it is a tom or kick. But if all your percussion follows the 1 note rule then it will sound better!!!

3. note glides are allowed BUT they must be very short and subtle. no long pitch glides. (by long i mean like not any longer than 100ms)

4. NO white noise filtersweeps!! because that is like involving main pitches other than the one you picked. bad! LFOs filters on synths n stuff are ok.

5. Detune saws and squarewaves n stuff are allowed and so are phasers and ring modulators and chorus effects. But dont go overboard on them! simplicity is what this is sortof about.

-ill probably add more if need be-

and yeah those are teh rules!


here is what i was able to come up with. the note i choose was G. its a rather cheezy sort of tune but i managed to make a good sounding synth out of it and learned that octaves create a very solid sound!

https://soundcloud.com/bobbysmackems/ggggggggg


now im not sure if anyone has posted something like this before so dont get mads at me if this has been suggested or somethin'. kthxbai!

[Nine Volt]

Creative, I'll give you that. We'll need more info though, like a deadline, where to submit, etc. Unless this is literally just a challenge and you're not actually looking to make an album.

Either way I may come up with something.

[Alycs]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry so congrats on giving me such conflicted feelings; I'm currently at equilibrium at "What the hell", so that means I'll probably end up making something.

[Ocular]

I rather enjoy this idea. I guess it's time for moombahton.

[randomblockfilms]

@Nine volt
yeah not really ment to be an album. just kinda a random thing i thought of that might be kinda fun to do. and i am a bit curious to see what people make n stuff. didn't really think of a deadline for this. kind of like a never ending challenge sort of thing?? can i do that? idunno lol. but for submitting, maybe ill make a sound cloud group thing and people can submit there n stuff. idk.

@eery
oh yes i kinda didn't go in depth with teh rules. hmm i guess that would work. as long as its not changing the main pitch of the note. but yeah ill update some rules that i forgot to add.

[vladnuke]

Ill make trap lawl

[LoreRD]

May try something for this when I have the time to record. I've actually already experimented a little with only-playing-one-note improvisations, so this should be fun

[Alycs]

I'm thinking of doing a piano improv for this as well. Because in that case even with one note you have eight options and infinite tonalities to choose from.

[FLAOFEI]

Lol, this would be hilarious! Gonna do something her

Btw, is it ok with pitc LFOs? like:

[KillianDunne]

http://soundcloud.com/killiandunne/one-note-song

A distorted organ is actually a pretty cool synth.

[Alycs]

^Thats actually pretty badass

As for mine... I hope y'all like the letter "D" (and god damn I need to fix my metronome)
The hardest part of this for me was that I kept on almost hitting the fifth by instinct to form an open chord, and kept remembering that I wasn't allowed to.
https://soundcloud.com/alycs/one-note

Also, I think I accidentally hit a "C" around 0:58 but seeing as I was playing 5 octave streches at around 250 bpm I'm going to just say I don't care

[randomblockfilms]

@FLAOFEI
umm id rather not use them LFOs like that. it needs to be very obvious that its only octaves. in that example you can easily hear other notes that arn't in the same octave. so in short, no. But you can use LFOs on filters.

@KillianDunne
ahaha that iz pretty sweet. very nice sounding organ indeed!

@Alycs
wow! that sounds very dramaticfull! using the piano was good idea. and i know what you mean by resisting the urge to play 5ths. i was doing it all the time when i was messing around with only octaves.

[XXDarkShadow79XX]

This is already what I do...

[luukg2]

https://soundcloud.com/luukg2/gumbum-wip
is something like this also allowed?

[Mush]

Ooh, this seems fun. I'll give it a shot!

[Mush]

I gave it a shot.

https://soundcloud.com/stevenmagnet/one-note-for-one-minute

[Goggles]

I had an idea to do something like this a while back. This just gives me an excuse to actually do it.

[topitmunkeydog]

Alycs yours reminds me of the opening of Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals.

This whole contest reminds me of Terry Riley's In C, although I know that song is not just the note C. I'm tempted to make something like that though, a gradual buildup of every instrument available.

[Alycs]

Alycs yours reminds me of the opening of Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals.

It was actually based on the opening of "U.N. Owen's was Her", but I guess Carnival of Animal's works too. :3

[Nosnibormada]

Hmm, here's a question. Can I use microtones above and below the chosen note? I've got ideas in my head now.

[ExoBassTix]

I'm thinking of joining this. I already got an idea. Mainly based on Acid bass!

[topitmunkeydog]

Is Acid Bass a pun on Acid/Base? (like chemicals)

[Alycs]

I would like to start a petition to change the name of Acid Bass to Salt Water

Anyway, is this thing still going on, or did it kinda die

[Nine Volt]

Is Acid Bass a pun on Acid/Base? (like chemicals)

Acid bass is a specific kind of bass, like how a reese is a specific kind of bass. I doubt it's an intentional pun, but that's a nice pun anyway :3

[ExoBassTix]

^what Sparky said.