Musical Gauntlet – RPM Challenge 2012

It’s that time of year again, when procrastinating musicians are challenged to take it upon themselves to defy their creative nitpicking and create an entire album in a single month…

Challenging Times

For details on the RPM Challenge, you can visit the official website, but the premise is simple:

Begin on February 1st. End on (lucky us, this year) February 29th. Within this date range, write, record and produce a new, original album-length work of music.

This isn’t a competition, it’s an artistic challenge – if you do this, you will be a better musician/producer/composer afterwards. Even if only slightly. If you are a musician and have never finished an album, then you should definitely do it – part of the benefit is learning how to apply discipline to your art, cutting out the cycle of perpetual amendment. A different type of creativity can emerge when you are faced with a deadline.

The January Challenge

This year, there is also a January challenge, for which there is still ample time. The premise is to create some music in your kitchen. Use the draining rack for percussion, use the tupperware for bass by recording into your favourite sampler, or just bring your guitar in and serenade the fridge.

The boundaries can be as broad as you like – perhaps even as broad as this: