Tune Contest (1/5/2013-1/20/2013): Prime Time

Viking · Sat 05/01/2013 04:26:06

No, we're not writing the tune to a TV show. Instead, we're going to try stretching those compositional muscles a bit.

For this contest, I'd like you to write some music using an unusual time signature -- one where the numerator is a prime number that is at least 5. Confused? Let me explain in a bit more detail.

Most music has a simple time signature, something like 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4. This means that there are two, three or four quarter notes per bar. I'd like you to write music with 5, 7, 11, 13, etc. beats per bar, or per phrase. You may think that this is difficult or impossible, and would sound really weird. I beg to differ! Lots of music has been written with time signatures like this, in lots of different styles. In popular music, there are plenty of examples:

Pink Floyd's Money is in 7/4;
Enya's Book of Days keeps changing time signature, using 5/4 most often, but also 4/4, 6/4 and 7/4;
The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun is mostly in 4/4 but has a repeated bridge section ("Sun, sun, sun, here it comes") that uses 11/8 and 15/8 patterns. (I know, 15 isn't prime, please don't shoot me.)

In classical music, it's even more common:

One of the first famous pieces to have an irregular time signature like this is the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, which is in 5/4.
The recurring main theme of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition alternates between 5/4 and 6/4, creating a regular 11/4 pattern. It's done so subtly the listener doesn't even notice.
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring keeps changing time signatures, but near the climax of the piece in the second half, there is a famous 11/4 bar.

It's also fairly common in film music. Since you're all probably getting bored at this point sitting through interminable links, I'll just give you one example: the Isengard/Orc theme from Howard Shore's score to Lord of the Rings.

How do you write something like that? Here's a tip: most pieces that are in a time signature like this subdivide it somehow. For example, in the Tchaikovsky symphony, the 5/4 is really 2/4 + 3/4. In Pink Floyd's Money, the 7/4 is really 2+2+3/4. So it can help to think of a regular pattern, say, 3/2 (2+2+2/4), then take out a beat to make it 2+3/4 or add a beat to make it 2+2+3/4. Another thing to consider is that the regular major and minor western scales repeat every 7 notes, so if you play a scale, you will be naturally forming a repetitive 7-note pattern.

So...with all that being said, here are the rules for this contest:

You must compose a piece where there is a regularly repeating prime number of beats which is at least 5. Parts of the piece can use two, three or four beats regularly, but the majority must use a larger prime number of beats.
The time signature may change constantly or stay the same.
The music must be at least one minute long.
You'll need to post your entry by the end of Sunday, January 20, 2013, in whatever your local time zone is. Yes, that means that you might slip one past me if you post it on the following Monday.
On January 21, or shortly thereafter, I'll pick a winner.

Have fun!

PeterT · Sat 05/01/2013 10:44:47

Great concept, Viking. This will be a fun challenge to take on!

(On a different note, I thought LOTR was done by Howard Shore, not James Horner?)

Viking · Sat 05/01/2013 13:55:25

Oops, you're right! Wikipedia agrees. I'm not sure why I thought it was James Horner. Anyway, I've changed it above. Thanks for pointing that out!

tamatic · Sat 05/01/2013 15:51:53

Quote from: Viking on Sat 05/01/2013 13:55:25
Oops, you're right! Wikipedia agrees. I'm not sure why I thought it was James Horner. Anyway, I've changed it above. Thanks for pointing that out!

Hehe, my understanding was that the best parts were writen by Clint Mansell.

Guess I liked the trailer better than the movies.

*edit
Also, nice idea for a challenge indeed. Started already started playing with it, hope it will result in something presentable, hehe.

Diamond16 · Sun 13/01/2013 11:31:31

Here's my entry for the competition, Seven Kinds of Cool

I was trying to create a contemporary sounding piece that didn't immediately sound like it was in an odd meter (the piece remains in 7/8 time throughout).

It was an interesting challenge and I've enjoyed composing this piece. I'm looking forward to listening to everyone's entries :-)

janleht · Tue 15/01/2013 12:03:52

Warning - may contain an overlong guitar solo.

NATURE TRAIL

tamatic · Wed 16/01/2013 09:42:54

Yay, made a song.

It is about a horse. A dressage horse with a backbone consisting out of 11 segments that each have 7 parts in 3/4.

If you count it's steps I bet there are more prime numbers in there somewhere... hehehe

LaPholieDressage.ogg

Fun entries so far!

Viking · Thu 17/01/2013 00:00:57

Wow, neat entries, everyone, and very different! Tamatic, I think yours is not really a prime number >= 5 beats per bar -- it's more like 3/4 against 2/4, which is kinda cool -- but I'll allow it anyway since I was probably not terribly clear.

Keep composing, folks, only four days left!

Problem · Sun 20/01/2013 15:23:41

And here's my entry. It's in 5/4 and it's a sad tune. Prime numbers are usually very lonely, because no one wants to divide them.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1891681/music/lonely_prime_number.ogg

PeterT · Mon 21/01/2013 07:51:03

Unfortunately I won't have time to finish my entry (or to be more accurate; won't have time to start it).

But there are some amazing entries here. Good luck to everyone! :-)

Viking · Tue 22/01/2013 02:45:25

I had a bit of chaos here today, so I will be posting results tomorrow instead. Sorry for the delay!

Viking · Wed 23/01/2013 02:55:57

Wow, this one was very hard for me to decide! Here are my comments about each one:

Seven Kinds of Cool:
+ Really nice ambiance
+ Subtle use of time signature, feels pretty natural rather than "odd"
+ Great variation, never gets into a rut or gets too repetitive
- Rather short

Nature Trail:
+ Live instruments, woohoo!
+ Also subtle use of time signature, doesn't feel too "odd"
+ Great driving metal atmosphere
- Agree that the guitar solo is a bit overlong

- The exact same ostinato in the bass throughout the whole song is a bit repetitive; some kind of bridge would flesh this out nicely

La Pholie Dressage:
+ Very unique instrumentation (I love the music box type sounds)
+ Interesting effects
+ Lots of variation in instrumentation
- Seems to just repeat the same melody several times without changing it much (except for instrumentation and background effects)
- Doesn't seem to really "go" anywhere musically (for example, it stays at approximately the same dynamic level, there's no feeling of building up to or coming down from anywhere)

Lonely Prime Number:
+ Lovely atmosphere (indeed feels lonely)
+ Also subtle use of time signature, feels quite natural
+ Nice instrumentation -- the bit where the strings come in is particularly effective, as well as having the piano and guitar playing the same tune in octaves
+ Lots of nice, very natural variation
+ Nice overall musical shape, including a lovely ending
- Some of the harmonies are a bit murky and don't quite resolve satisfactorily, and I'm not sure this is intentional (e.g. overreliance on Am2 to resolve Esus4 chords, which is really the same chord in a different inversion, so it doesn't sound like a real progression)
- Percussion is too timid when it comes in

I had a hard time deciding between Seven Kinds of Cool and Lonely Prime Number -- they're very different but both well done -- but in the end I'm going to have to give it to Lonely Prime Number by Problem! Take it away, Maestro!

Diamond16 · Wed 23/01/2013 09:22:14

Thanks for judging Viking and well done, Problem!

I thought the entry only had to be as long as the minimum time limit so I aimed to write a full composition around that. I'll flesh out my ideas next time

Problem · Wed 23/01/2013 09:24:42

Yay, thank you!

This was a nice contest with great and very different entries by everyone.
I already have an idea for the next contest, so I'll post it soon.