Sound Series – The Exercises

For the final episode of the Sound Series I’m hoping to put together a showcase of work created in response to the exercises I’ve been offering throughout the series.

I’d love to receive your work by Thursday 24 September

You can send your responses to me at:

betterreadnz@gmail.com

Or if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me here.

If none of the exercises appeal, you could also send a recording of you reading a piece of your own work that you think is interesting in relation to sound.

Please see all the exercises below:

Sound Series 1 – James Woods and Nick Ascroft Exercise:

We talk quite a lot about rhyme in this discussion.

So, the exercise is simply this – turn on your recorder, say the line:

‘I listened to a band called Flipper’

And see how long you can go rhyming words with ‘Flipper’. Don’t forget about half-rhymes and don’t be afraid to change the end sound completely if it feels right. The idea is to try and keep composing for 2 minutes.

Sound Series 2 – Ruby Solly and Chris Tse Exercise:

This is an exercise where you compose in situ.

Take your recorder – it can be your phone – to a noisy place.

Turn your recorder on and respond to the sounds around you in spoken words.

It might take the form of a conversation with the noises in the environment you are in. Or the noises may form a backing track to your words.

Sound Series 3 – Cooki Aimee M and Eamonn Marra Exercise:

We talked a bit in this episode about sound that are ‘difficult’ or ‘uncomfortable’.

So, this exercise is about discomforting sounds and is pretty straight forward.

Find a sound that is hard to listen to.

Play it over headphones while you speak for 45 seconds into a recorder. It might work quite well if you have it loud enough so you can’t hear your voice.

The title of this work is the sound you listened to.

Sound Series 4 – Sinead Overbye and Charlotte Forrester Exercise:

What’s the most beautiful word in the world?

Maybe you’d like to take a minute or two to write down words, word combinations or sentences that you think are beautiful.

Then you might like to record these.

You may like to miss out the step of writing down and try composing beautiful sounds out loud and on the fly.

Sound Series 5 – Brannavan Gnanalingam and Tokerau Wilson Exercise:

This is a free styling exercise.

Play either Tokerau or Brannavan’s sound in headphones and record yourself composing along to it.

That simple. What happens when you have rain or ripping paper as a back beat?

Sound Series 6 – Carl Shuker and Simon Sweetman Exercise:

We talk a bit about writing about music in this episode.

So, take a song you like.

Now writer or speak for 3 minutes without using any words from the song – so, no lyrics and not the title.

Sound Series 7 – Kerry Ann Lee and Jackson Nieuwland Exercise:

I love the idea of using something wrong.

How about trying to make a poem out of noises that are not words.

Maybe you could get together several objects that make noise – placing a cup, tapping something, unscrewing a lid.

Write your poem in sound.

Ep 156: Ray Shipley and pip adam talk about a tarot deck and 'My Body is a Horror Film' Better off Read

Ray Shipley has done many very cool things: stand-up comedy, slam poetry, book-selling, librarianship. Ray's latest awesome thing is a book My Body is a Horror Film: Written, Directed, Produced by and Starring Ray Shipley. It's such a great book and it was launched with two other amazing books. My Body is a Horror Film is one of the three books in ngā pukapuka pekapeka series two. The other two are Making Mixtapes with Seichan, by Annabel Wilson and The Square Church and Other Stories, by Nathaniel Herz Jardine. You can buy these books at this link You can also stay in the loop with the work of ngā pukapuka pekapeka at their Instagram page Action: Ōtautahi 4 Palestine event and PATHA Ray let me know about this amazing event. ŌTAUTAHI 4 PALESTINE Art Auction, Kōrero & Music fundraiser for the people of Gaza Where: A rolling stone When: Saturday 13th December Time: Speakers + Art Sale from 5pm – 8pm (hosted by Dr Mahdis Azarmandi) Music from 9pm. Line up: Ariana Tikao, Juanita Hepi, Sara Qasem, Simurgh Music School, Lara Sheehi, Stephen Sheehi Evening Line up: Ayaluna, Heavy Liftah, Vallé, Big Sima & Nazarite, Ron Guevara,DVS, Niva-Jean, Benjamin Canute. More information on our social media page: https://www.instagram.com/otautahi4palestine/ Ticket proceeds to be donated to The Sameer Project: https://www.instagram.com/thesameerproject/ PATHA Ray also wrote: Like you, I'd also want to highlight the work PATHA are doing in the wake of the puberty blockers ban, as well as all of the rainbow organisations who support young people across the country. You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/betteroffread Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.
  1. Ep 156: Ray Shipley and pip adam talk about a tarot deck and 'My Body is a Horror Film'
  2. Ep 155: Jo Randerson, Sarah Maxey and pip adam talk about Secret Art Powers: How Creative Thinking Can Achieve Radical Change
  3. Ep 154: liz breslin and Pip chat about a pair of scissors
  4. Ep 153: Erik Kennedy and Pip chat about a pair of slippers
  5. Ep 152: poupeh missaghi پوپه میثاقی and Pip chat

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