So over the weekend, I’ve been narrowing down this music topic. I’m still torn between two ideas but I’ve done more research in one. Right now, this is what I’m down to:
Sheet music re-design (or musical notation redesign)
- This will be accessible be musicians of all levels, however, this will be primarily aimed at beginners. I’m definitely one person that can benefit from this. I get the basic idea of how to read music but I honestly find it way too difficult.
- Things I have taken into consideration so far are: an indication of notes that are flat and sharp (rather than being indicated near the clef, it would be easier if they were indicated throughout the song), an indication of what note to actually play (I’m always sitting there trying to figure out what note I have to play on the staff, color can definitely play a role here), a universal clef, a better distinction between notes (half, quarter, etc.; new shapes perhaps?).
- During my research, I actually came across a student who changed the style the of sheet music in terms of what genre was being played. But, that doesn’t really serve as a complete redesign.
Connecting music and places geographically (mapping of music?)
- This would be more of a memory based project. With this, I want explore connecting songs with places geographically. The reason for this is because when I think of songs throughout my life, I can associate them with very specific places. I’d like to narrow that down even more specifically to road trips and connecting songs that way.
- I don’t want it to be about one specific song that a one person loves. It’s not about one’s favorite song. Rather, it’s about linking a place geographically with a song. For example, whenever I listen to U2’s Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me I am instantly taken back to a swim meet in Rochester NY from when I was in 7th grade. I remember stopping at a Media Play (?) and buying the Batman Forever soundtrack just for that one song. Listened to it on repeat a couple times in the car.
- I would pull the content from submissions. I’d want the end result to be typography heavy.
In terms of what I would actually be making, I think I’m starting to go towards print based media rather than digital. With the musical notation redesign, a book would make sense. Comparing the current and new would be easy. The same goes for the mapping of music. The potential for exploration in that project is huge. I’ve always enjoyed mapping music visually. This would be perfect content to use.