Instructions: click on a triangle to play the sound associated with that instrument. Click on the square to stop it. Now play! Try combining different sounds to make a song.
Hip hop is one of my favorite genres of music. It almost entirely samples—everyday sounds, lyrics from other songs, etc. There are several components to any hip hop song, including a loop (a sample that's played over and over again), lyrics, and any additional samples. This was the inspiration for my flash piece. I wanted to make something that would generate loops.
I began by picking instruments that are often sampled—drums, a bass guitar, turntables, and the human voice. Next, I picked two instruments that aren’t sampled very frequently, but I thought would sound interesting when mixed together—horns and the piano. I found images on the internet to represent each instrument. Then I manipulated them in Photoshop so they can’t be traced back to their sources. I used a different color for each one. I wanted the images to seem cohesive, though, so I applied the same filter to all of them in Photoshop. I then found a range of sounds on the internet corresponding with each instrument. Some of them are longer and more complex, like the drum, and some of them are shorter, like the turntable. This way the songs you create will have some texture.