No substitutions & variations of chord progression should be used. (In reference to the wiki link)
Progression Examples:
Submitting Entries:- Entries must be received by the given deadline. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail in my inbox. PLEASE do not wait until the last hour to send me something. If there is a blackout in your area, your computer crashes, or your dog actually eats your thumb drive...I will not care. You are allowed to send in a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens & you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song & send in a better version closer to the deadline. 1 minute late is still late, people.
- Send your file in a format that Bandcamp accepts. (.aiff, .wav or .flac) (at least 16-bit/44.1kHz) You can find the specific requirements for Bandcamp files HERE.
- Name your file the song's title, but without spaces & punctuation.
- Title of the e-mail should be the title of the Challenge & your band's name.
- Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail. (If your song doesn't have lyrics...consider yourself eliminated. Instrumentals can be pretty, but SpinTunes does require lyrics.)
- Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collabed with someone.
- If you have a BandCamp account, you can just send me a link to your song on BandCamp if you include all the info I mentioned above. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option. THIS IS THE BEST FILE SHARING OPTION!
- Other file sharing options if you need them: Sound Cloud & Drop Box. Please send an e-mail as I already stated, but with the download link if you need one of these services. Please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.
Side Notes:
- Remember that you are allowed to send in a little background about your song. Some people don't like to do that, and you don't have to, but if you want to write a couple sentences about your song I'll post it on the BandCamp page for people to see. Some judges will look at the lyrics & this extra info, but they aren't required to.
- If you didn't sign-up in time to compete in SpinTunes #8, you can still complete the challenge & send in a song. It'll be uploaded with the other entries as a "Shadow Song". Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests.
- The only other way to get your music played at the LP is to cover "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown.
- Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.
Just checking... (In re: "No . . . variations of chord progressions should be used.")
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming -- as in the first four solo chords on the Axis of Awesome video -- that inversions of chords are okay. Are "extra" notes in the chord okay as well? (I'd like to believe that they are, as it doesn't change the chord progression -- but I also don't wanna be on the wrong side of a controversy...)
To help answer this question -- the first chords you hear at the beginning of the Axis of Awesome video are a D, an A, a B, and a G in the left hand -- and an F#/A/D chord, an E/A/C# chord, an F#/B/D chord, and a D/G/B chord in the right hand. It would still be acceptable if the last two chords each had an extra note -- namely, F#/A/B/D and D/G/A/B -- right?
:-)
Edric
"I think we should say no, he can't harmonize with four-note (or more) chords, he should stick to the basic chord tones. If Edric wants to add bass notes making, say, C/D (a slash chord, C major played above a D in the bass) I think we are in agreement that these embellishments should not be allowed in the portion of the song that uses the required progression. This is different than inversions, where he might play a C major chord with the lowest note an F or a G, which I think is fine (guitar players do that all the time from the day they learn the most basic chord fingerings)." - A Judge's response.
DeleteI wouldn't be changing the bass notes -- I'd be adding texture WITHIN the chords. It would still solidly sound like a I - V - vi - IV progression, just richer for the extra seconds or fourths mixed in there.
DeletePlease run this past the judge who responded to my original request. If (s)he, and by extension, the rest of the official SpinTunes officials, end up deciding that yes, it must be just the basic chord tones, then you're going to have to really go through the official entries with a fine-toothed comb to ensure that they pass this requirement and don't end up in the DQ pile.
(But yes -- I absolutely agree that changing the bass note is not okay. A C/D chord would not at all be in the spirit OR the letter of the challenge. Nor would playing a minor "i" chord instead of the major "I" chord prescribed.)
Thanks for the response, Travis. For the rest of my esteemed competitors -- here's what the judges said...
Delete"See that's the deal.... if you start mixing in "extra seconds or fourths" you get a different chord: An F chord becomes an Fsus4 chord. My opinion is you cannot do that."
"Agreed. The whole nature of this part of the challenge is that you have to use basic chords. I know that must drive Edric nuts..."
So -- like I e-mailed back to Travis -- that's totally do-able. Just wanted to check. (As I said -- I didn't want to be on the wrong side of a controversy.)
And I don't want anyone else disqualified, either. So keep your chords "clean," people...
:-)
Edric
Can I safely assume it's allowed to put some other chords in the song too (like, say, a bridge or intro bit) in *addition* to using the I-V-vi-IV progression?
ReplyDeleteYep.
Delete