Assignments
Assignment #21
- 1Choose a chord progression with no more than four chords in it and never deviate.
- 2Create three distinct song sections by focusing mostly on melody.
- 3No hiding! No effects other than EQ and compression.
Assignment #20
- 1Base your song off of a dream you’ve had—recurring or otherwise.
- 2Feature two interweaving musical elements.
- 3Involve your subconscious by including some amount of improvisation in your recording.
Assignment #19
- 1Set your song at a motel during a meteor shower.
- 2Feature a “cascading” melody.
- 3During your process, spend some time outside at night alone.
Assignment #18
- 1Pulling from any three songs on the all-time Billboard Year-End Chart, borrow a lyric from one…
- 2A melody from another…
- 3And the vibe from a third, to bring a new original song to life.
Assignment #17
- 1Without being ironic, write in a genre you’ve never written in
- 2Address something new in your life
- 3Include a breakdown of some kind
Assignment #16
- 1Start your song with a chorus.
- 2Take lyrical inspiration from the Jurassic Period.
- 3Include some kind of primitive percussion.
Assignment #15
- 1Introducing them one at a time, create a stack of four equal-length, non-drum loops.
- 2With the loop stack running, add a fifth element on top—lead line, melody, whatever you please.
- 3Allow the fifth element to end and remove the loops, avoiding the reverse order in which they were added.
Assignment #14
- 1Write a theme song for an imaginary TV show.
- 2The show’s premise is equal parts your real life, and very much not your real life.
- 3Feature an instrument you have never featured before.
Assignment #13
- 1Borrow a phrase or line from Poetry Foundation’s Poem of the Day.
- 2Before considering any music, write all of the lyrics, including the borrowed line.
- 3Include at least one a cappella moment in the song.
Assignment #12
- 1Set a drone note to B2 (the resonant frequency of the Earth transposed up 5 octaves).
- 2Write over the drone—allow it to sustain throughout the piece.
- 3Derive inspiration from a specific geographic location on Earth.
Assignment #11
- 1Write a new main theme for any well-known movie (replace the score)
- 2Use a freakin’ huge dynamic range (quiet quiet parts, loud loud parts)
- 3Have the main melody appear in at least 2 distinct ways
Assignment #10
- 1Cover another chef’s NCBC song from weeks past, and do not tell that chef.
- 2Identify what you think the main instrument is, and replace it with something else.
- 3Use a piece of the song’s lyrics as your title.
Assignment #9
Assignment #8
- 1Write in a mode other than Ionian or Aeolian
- 2Use the rhythm of a vocal refrain to influence the rhythm of the instruments.
- 3Include at least two alliteration groupings of three [for instance: "bad backyard barbecue"]
Assignment #7
- 1Find the inspiration for this piece in a childhood memory that affected you emotionally in some way
- 2Lyrically, write a metaphor or an allegory to represent this memory
- 3Musically, include a hypnotic element
Assignment #6
- 1Compose your piece backwards (i.e. from outro to intro)
- 2Incorporate walking sounds into your piece—footsteps, stomping, etc.
- 3Include a modulation in either key or tempo.
Assignment #5
- 1Retell an existing fairy tale
- 2Use a Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
- 3Only use instruments that don't require electricity to function
Assignment #4
- 1Wiki: On this page, click the random article generator three times, and let one of those articles inspire your piece.
- 2Wind: Incorporate a non-vocal instrument that uses air to generate its sound.
- 3Waltz: Write this song in triplet time.
Assignment #3
- 1Write a lullaby
- 2Keep it under one minute
- 3Include a melody from a song that came out the year you were born
Assignment #2
- 1Feature a palindromic melody
- 2Make the title of your song a palindrome
- 3Structure your song as a palindrome (ex: verse, chorus, chorus, verse)
Assignment #1
- 1Use only one chord
- 2Feature sounds made with non-musical objects found in your home
- 3Write about a place you miss