Disquiet Junto Project 0615: Introspective Failure
The Assignment: Fall short again, this time on purpose.

Thanks to Junto member XHG (aka Alex) for having proposed this week’s project.

The goal of this project is to purposefully produce an unsatisfactory piece of music in a systematic way, in the hope of potentially learning from the experience. Your approach should be introspective and technical but also lighthearted and humorous.

Step 1: Think about a piece of music you have produced that you were not satisfied with.

Step 2: Try to analyze why this was the case. Is it possible to identify a main reason — like the concept, the process, the instrumentation, or simply the outcome?

Step 3: Take a break and let these thoughts simmer for a while.

Step 4: Try to produce a different unsatisfactory piece of music than you analyzed in Step 2, purposefully replicating the failure. (It might be sensible to keep it short so as to torment yourself not too much.)

Note: Before you start the process, plan something fun and gratifying to do after you finish your piece of music, in case the process lowers your mood.

. . .

Deadline: This project’s deadline is the end of the day Monday, October 12, 2023, at 11:59pm (that is, just before midnight) wherever you are. It was posted on Thursday, October 16, 2023.


. . .

Thanks to Junto member XHG (aka Alex) for having proposed this week’s project.

More on this 615th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Introspective Failure (The Assignment: Fall short again, this time on purpose), at: https://disquiet.com/0615/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0615-introspective-failure/

Disquiet Junto Project 0615: Introspective Failure

Sorry!! Too boingey, noisey and random!! Sounds like a broken arcade game ...

Thanks to Junto member XHG (aka Alex) for having proposed this week’s project.

More on this 615th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Introspective Failure (The Assignment: Fall short again, this time on purpose), at: https://disquiet.com/0615/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0615-introspective-failure/

more halF unusuaL

halF failurE [disquiet0615]

Disquiet Junto 0615: Fall short, this time on purpose.

I desperately want to make strings work in my music. Like, "real" strings. They fit the epic moodiness and cinematic nature of all the big feelings I'm often playing with. But I'm terrible at it! I have no formal training nor do I practice. I have a cheap violin I impulsively bought on sale that doesn't hold it's tuning. I can't quite figure out how to rosin or tighten my bow adequately...so I rely on effects and very short flourishes, if you can even call them flourishes. 

Sometimes it's worked out (though I'm always nervous it's incredibly obvious how terrible a player I am), other times I give up and use midi strings or ditch the strings or do a super simplified version of what's in my mind. It's such a bummer, the amount of times I've tried and failed at something I know I want (but not enough to commit to learning how to play well because I have too many other hobbies and interests).

So for this week's Junto, "Fall short again, this time on purpose", I'm going all in on violin. But keeping it short so we can recover from the trauma. 

Actually, I don't think it sounds 100% terrible. In the right horror movie it might work.

abrasion (disquiet0615)

This is linked to my track from last week, in both of which I intend to create changing rhythmic patterns. I made a couple of tracks similar to this one but was not entirely satisfied with some of the uneven & glitchy sounds, which were not exactly what I was aiming for. Of course, this is only my opinion & I am probably not the best judge of my own work. At least, although not exactly humorous, it is quite jaunty & light-hearted.

More on this 615th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Introspective Failure (The Assignment: Fall short again, this time on purpose), at: https://disquiet.com/0615/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0615-introspective-failure/

Not Quite Right (disquiet0615)

I chose to replicate my failed submission for Disquiet 0612, which was a chaotic Tambourine disaster. The track failed because of much too dense original recordings that should have left space for some additions (but didn’t). Another reason was an unwillingness to admit failure early on and to start again (or the stubborn will/wish to develop any idea into something at least semi decent).

To replicate this, I chose a recording I made some days ago at the beach. I snipped a piece out of it where a disco beat is audible. I then added another beat, a bass-line and some chopping effects to the recording, to maximalist effect, then went back to the original. I tried to keep it as listenable as possible but because of the chaotic nature and sonic quality of the original, the result is pretty much a mess. Maybe with much more effort, this could have gotten better but it would have probably been more fun to just ditch this early on and start anew.

What I will to take away from this is maybe try to be a little less process oriented, less stubborn (in the sense of “I know this idea is bad but…”) and think about the desired outcome (e.g. “something fun”) earlier in the process.

More on this 615th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Introspective Failure (The Assignment: Fall short again, this time on purpose), at: https://disquiet.com/0615/

About the Disquiet Junto: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Subscribe to project announcements: https://tinyletter.com/disquiet-junto/

Project discussion takes place on llllllll.co: https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0615-introspective-failure/

Disquiet0615 - Doomed Beach Disco

**Production Notes**

My favorite musical instrument? Hm. What first came to mind was my computer. I dig the possibility of „painting with sound“; and the computer makes the task so much easier for me. I adore good instrumentalists, but that‘s just not me. Also, my computer continues to surprise me, especially when I let go of the control on a digital musical system (such as Reaktor, MAX / MSP etc). 

The ensemble I chose was Reaktors „Metaphysical Instrument“. Set up some sine waves as an atmosphere, then a voice sings „Der Mond ist aufgegangen“ (backwards) - an traditional german lullaby, which has vaguely to do with the assignment. 

Next night I’ll record my computer while I’m sleeping. Maybe it makes funny noises. 

* * * 

**Disquiet Junto Project 0181: Instrumental Dream**

Imagine your favorite instrument is dreaming while it sleeps — what does it sound like?

Step 1: Focus on your favorite instrument.

Step 2: Imagine that your instrument sleeps.

Step 3: Imagine that your instrument dreams.

Step 4: What does it sound in your instrument’s dreams?

Step 5: Record what it sounds like.

Step 6: Upload your completed track to the Disquiet Junto group on SoundCloud.

Step 7: Then listen to and comment on tracks uploaded by your fellow Disquiet Junto participants.

Deadline: This assignment was made in the early evening, California time, on Thursday, June 18, 2015, with a deadline of 11:59pm wherever you are on Monday, June 22, 2015.

Length: The length of your finished work is up to you, but between one minute and four minutes is probably best in this context.

(…) 

More on this 181st Disquiet Junto project (“Imagine your favorite instrument is dreaming while it sleeps — what does it sound like?”) at:

http://disquiet.com/2015/06/18/disquiet0181-instrumentaldream/

More on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://disquiet.com/junto/

Join the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

Disquiet Junto general discussion takes place at:

http://disquiet.com/forums/

Image associated with this project by Tim Patterson used thanks to a Creative Commons license:

https://flic.kr/p/7bhwdM

0615 Disquiet Junto 181 Die goldnen Sternlein prangen

Welcome tσ th!s εvσlving space … inspired by thε playful sp!rit of hai (meaning “fun” or unμsuΔl, like in haiku) …

I dig around thε edges t0 uneΔrth non-mμ§ic musics — sliding into nσ!§ε, glitch, chΔnce, Δ$MR, and σther soundwσrlds that feel oddly familiar in their oddity …

✨👂 L!§†εn cΔrεfu!l¥ … 👀 εxplσrε dεεpl¥ … 🎵💫

And for the full hΔlF unμ§uaL trεΔ†ment for your eyes Δs well as your εars, check σut the Yσutubε channel… ░▒▓█ ᵒ(≧▽≦)ᵒ ░▒▓█▒░

Thanks f0r joining thε journey! Your support kεeps this all afloat — HUGΣLY Δpprec!Δted 🙏🥰

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