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Phonometrologist
“Most people die with their music still locked up inside them.”
― Benjamin Disraeli

Age 35, Male

Chicago

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This Year's NGADM

Posted by Phonometrologist - June 26th, 2017


 

Now that the results of the 64 competitors are out and paired, there is a bit of fear and anxiety in the air. And I'd say a healthy fear at that.  To bring out the best of you under pressure is what this competition is about. Can you find that inspiration or mental determination to write any music of worth on the fly? Is the music in your bones? Has your learning in the past been keeping up with your passion for all this time?  One composer's survival skills pitted against another.  The key in this contest is heart.  A heart to endure the doubts, and a heart to stay true while creating something new.

I've lived by the rule that if you're not going to take the most out of a contest by writing a piece you want to write, then you're not going to get very far.  Whether that is to learn how to improve or to actually compete, you need the integrity of a piece that has purpose.  Music with pretense will soon make you past tense. 

There is a legitimate fear to competing directly against another composer, and that comes from a sense of rejection. The problem comes from a misconception that if you are knocked out in a round that you're not any good as a composer, or at least it is from the idea that you're not as good as another. It could be compared to the fear that men have when it comes to being rejected by women. One would have to face the reality of one's own character traits upon rejection, or deny and make excuses by blaming the other person that did the rejecting. But man up! Just as men are called to be rejected from time to time, so too the composer.  You'll have to keep on going if anyone is going to take you seriously as a composer.   

I for one will enjoy this undertaking of competing against the 2014 champion, garlagan, in the first round. Although, I don't have any expectations other than to face defeat, I am just going to write music for music's sake.  I intend to pour out my heart in this contest but whether it is enough to advance is irrelevant to me. I don't care what you think. I don't even care what I think. I care what the music thinks, and my God.  I invite you to do the same. This is what excites me about Newgrounds: the community of musicians. 

In regards to the stats and train of thought of grouping the competitors together, I think it's quite interesting to pair the highest scores of audition pieces together. For example, the top 4 highest average scorers in the audition phase will face each other while the 4 lowest average scored competitors and etc. will only have to face each other in the beginning of this contest. The tournament bracket that @ChronoNomad created makes this a contest that allows the underdogs to go far in this contest. The previous NGADM champions will get knocked out earlier on in the contest, and the Final round will most likely be a bit of a landslide victory for one opponent. It's a fun approach, but hopefully the contestants from seeds 33-64 will give the others a "run for their money." 

I'll be sure to follow the results of this contest regardless if I'm participating in it or not. 

 

TL;DR???  try reading a book for a change...

 


Comments

but but but

i dislike reading books ; ^ ;

can't i just read a magazine instead

Only if it's The Economist magazine.

Nice post Phono. I really like 'Music with pretense will soon make you past tense'. Good thoughts for all of us as we venture onward into the great unknown of the 2017 NGADM!

Gonna be quite the venture, indeed. Best of luck, and know that when you're looking at the peak that it's really just a plateau. So pack accordingly.

Very nicely said! My sincerest hope is that the exhilaration of the Deathmatch will outweigh the trepidation.

But will it outweigh the heartache of defeat? Sure is exhilarating as love

Defeat is a much tougher nut to crack. But to that end, I think entering a few more contests could be therapeutic to some. Wounded hearts heal in time and life continues on apace.

Yes, one does become a bit more experienced with their own reality when entering in a few more contests.

"...life continues on apace."
Reminds me of...
"A Man Said to the contest."-- an adaptation of Stephen Crane's poem:

A man said to the contest:
“Sir, I participated!”
“However,” replied the contest,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”

Here's sumthin' to listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6oCFVGuSyQ

Thank you

I don't think the final will necessarily be a landslide victory (though I understand the math behind it), but we'll see about that!
I certainly also have to face an... Uhh, interesting opponent in the first round! Not easy in any sense of the word, hehhe. This is a nice newspost!

Btw, I look very much forward to hearing your piece. Don't put yourself down so easily. Write music straight from your heart, and you'll hopefully stand a good chance even against a former champion. After all, you got similar scores for your auditions ;)

Best of luck (to all)!

I instantly thought your round one pairing was peculiar and ironic. Oh well, you two should write pieces dedicated to one another out of love and respect. Whoever wins obviously appreciates the other person more.
As for me, I'm not putting myself down. I just know that it will be quite a challenge, and I don't mind if I don't win. I don't know if I could write though to October so I'm kind of banking of getting knocked out of the tournament eventually. I am curious if I can get passed round 1 since I haven't done so in the 2 other times I've participated.

I for one am extremely excited about this competition already. Some of these match-ups already are insanely intense. Well, pretty much every single one hahaha! I thought it was manufactured for added drama until I saw the score sheet. Also, it's so interesting to see some faces that I've not recognised (or names), so to speak.

I'm paired against my collab partner who is in a team with my dear friend dem0 who has helped me out a lot over the years... so this is going to be damn intense. LSD and I literally joked about the prospect of being teamed against each other in round one. I facepalmed when I saw it haha!

Anyway, you should feel very proud and excited, because you did really well. You have HUGE talent and there's a reason you're paired against the winner of 2014. I consider it an honour to be in the bracket of some amazing musicians. This is going to be the most interesting NGADM yet.

I could easily enjoy this competition as a spectator as well. And I too thought it was funny that you got paired up against LSD and dem0. Hope you guys don't hold anything back from each other.

Thank you for the encouraging words. The same certainly applies to you as well in regards to talent. However, talent is overrated. It's all about character, and especially in this contest. Two weeks forces one not to rely solely on talent but rather on our drive and endurance. Can we write quickly is the key. For me personally, I take forever to finish a piece, because I believe time is essential for creating something worthwhile. Time is an excellent teacher as Chopin puts it, and it also acts as a filter for some mediocre thought. But then again, Allen Ginsberg has also said, "First Thought, Best Thought." So we will see what happens. Johnfn is known for writing pieces within the hour so his writing skills are more apt for this kind of contest.
Best of luck to you. Let us write a piece as if it's our last in this contest. No holding back.

This is well worded, it's some encouraging thoughts and then has other thoughts I couldn't figure out how to out into words. Can't wait to see the notes flying in

Glad you enjoyed...
best not to wait to see those notes flying'
gotta write something regardless if inspiration strikes or not

A wise man once said, can we make it past the first round... Ask yourselves, can you?

But it's just a damn contest. People should have fun instead of worrying.

I fear nothing, except bad superblock or technical issue with my stupid drive.

With each round, it's just going to get harder and harder to continually write pieces that please the judges. I'm sure you can come up with something... there's plenty of injustice around the world to write for.

Going against the previous champ... Are you nervous? Give everything you got. Don't worry mate. :D

I'm not nervous. I have a lot of respect for garlagan, but I'm not worried what he's going to come up with. I'm just focused on what I'm doing. I know what I want to write so it's just an issue of executing right now. If I can be satisfied with what I can come up with, then I'll be fine if he surpasses me to the next round. I just don't want to leave anything on the table when it's all said and done. Time is the factor on whether or not I can get to that point, because I tend to be a slow writer. "Mayya Malyshka" took me close to 3 months.