Re: chain tape

["Dennis W. Leas" <dennis@mdbs.com>]

I'm interested in making this a true chain or serial tape.  Something that
we do together as in the sense of later compositions are influenced by
earlier ones.  This distinguishes the project from a random selection of
unrelated tunes by strangers.

Here's an idea.  To provide some unity or coherence among the participates
of this project, we could try the following:

1) pick a theme or idea - I'd suggest expressing the theme or idea using a
phrase of three words.  Hopefully, it will provide a starting point but
nobody will feel "hemmed-in."  I got this idea from a local music co-op 
(the
Friends of Bob see http://dcwi.com/~fobob/Welcome.html ).  They have had
"hoot nights" with themes such as "Indiscretions, Indecisions, and
Institutions" and "Escapes, Exits, and Farewells".  It seemed to work well
for them.  For our tape project this theme could be quite abstract.  Some
brainstorming on my part yields
    a) air, breath, or atmospheres
    b) colors, textures, and timbres
    c) pulse, beats, hearts

2) pick something from a previous composition on the tape and incorporate 
it
in your composition - This could be a rhythm, sound, or motief.  You
wouldn't have to sample the actual item; a cheap imitiation will do.

We could do 1 and 2.  I.e., you can pick your own starting point
corresponding to the theme as you interpret it; or you could pick something
from a previous composition and interpret it as you like.

My intention is not to limit or restrict but to have a thread of continuity
in some sense.

Does this idea appeal to anybody?

Dennis Leas
------------------
dennis@mdbs.com