Sometimes, working with what you have is a necessary compromise.
Other times, the restriction to what’s immediately around you can actually yield genuinely interesting results. This concept carries over to the world of sound design as well – while a lack of proper equipment is ostensibly a limitation, sometimes using the simple objects lying around your house as your instruments can actually lead to some pretty neat sounds that you wouldn’t have naturally come up with otherwise.
I recently took this idea to the test by making a ‘lava lamp-type beat,’ using household items like bottle caps, mugs, and alka-seltzer to create a track.
On that note, let’s dive into this week’s Songwriting Club prompt: write a song that incorporates household sounds. Check out our tutorial for some tips and tricks for effectively making samples out of your own household sounds; we also offer some free one-shots there, if you’d like to use those rather than your own.
And alternatively, if you used a household sound you found on Splice Sounds, let us know! If you want to use Splice Sounds in your song but don’t have an account, get your first month free with the code songwriting.
If you’re feeling proud of your tune or you’re looking for some feedback, upload it to the Splice community, SoundCloud, YouTube, Bandcamp, etc., and toss the link in the comments below. Before you share, just make sure you’re following these guidelines:
- Make sure your track aligns with the prompt – it should be something that you’ve specifically written in response to this blog post.
- No promotional posts – no links to contests, social media pages, etc.
- Comment on at least one other person’s song before you go – even if it seems small to you, your praise or critique can make a transformative impact on someone else’s craft.
- Give a quick summary of your goals for your song – asking for feedback on specific aspects (ex. the lyrics, chord progression, etc.) is also recommended!
Check back in for your next prompt on September 18th. We’re looking forward to hearing what you create!
September 4, 2020
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
