Copyright (c) 1995 by Guido tum Suden Ringstedt, den 12.06.95 So here is my attempt to put almost everything in GURPS terms, which has to do with making music. Since a lot of GURPS players like reality, I tried to reflect how music is learned and made in real life. If you ask yourself why I changed some already given skills, read my msg 'Making Music / discussion' first. Unfortunately there will be a lot of sentences in wrong english. I would be very happy if somebody would correct them. Terms Since TL3 music was made in two ways. I call them Art Music and Traditional Music. First was the music of the church and the court, developed by composers which taught their way of composing to their pupils. They all tried to explain music, so Musical Theory already existed. The oldest signs of musical theory can be found in old greek. It was Phytagoras who tried to explain music with their holy numbers. Since Beethoven there are composers who's job is nothing but composing. Before a composer at church or court had to conduct the orchestra or choir and to play at least two or more important instruments. So a composer was always musician too. Since TL5 that wasn't necessarily so. A composer could only be composer, but was always conductor too, because they often conducted their own pieces. Since TL6 Composer, Conductor and Scientist are three different professions. In Traditional Music that was different. Pleople invented songs for fun and they were played for song and dance on every kind of celebrations and on labour. Song Writers gave their inventions to others by just playing them and went on until TL6 when the media did the job of musicians. Because of the media everything went fast. In TL6 Jazz became Rock'n'roll, then in TL7 Rock, Pop and Techno. When a GM plays on a non earth world, he should made a musical time line if music is involved in his adventures. He should distiguish between Art Music and Traditional Music, so he has two lines. A third line should discribe the influence of the music on the folks. Music and Text If a Composer or Song Writer uses Text in his pieces, he has to roll on the Poetry skill. Add 1/2 (rounded down) or substract 1/2 (rounded up) of how much you failed or succeded in the poetry roll to/from you Composing or Song Writing roll. Example: You write a song with text, but failed your Poetry roll by 5. Now your Song Writing roll is at -3. Rehearsals and Practising Rehearsal or practising time is important for the quality of the performance of a piece of music. But it's also important how complicated that piece is to play. For game purposes (this is not entirely correct inreal life) a more complicated piece gives a reaction virtuousety bonus. The GM should change this bonus according to the performance. It's unsuiteble to play a sonata on a wedding celebration. This table shows skill and complicaty: General Skill Complicaty Reaction 10 easy folk songs -2 11 . -2 12 . -1 13 . -1 14 . -1 15 most traditional 0 16 . 0 17 . 0 18 . 1 19 . 1 20 sonatas 1 21 . 2 22 . 2 23 . 2 24 . 3 25 very complicated 3 The Skill is needed to perform a piece of the belonging Complicaty without practicing. For every level the piece is more complicate than your skill level, you need 72 hours of practising. If you don't practise long enough before performing, your skill roll will be minus the distance of levels of complicaty. On the other hand if you practise more, you will get +1 for every 72 hours, but not more than +3, because for more you don't have the technic. Example: You want to play a sonata which is so complicated, that your skill level has to be 20 to perform it without practising. But your skill level is only 15. If you perform the song without practising you would be at -5. You need 5x72=360 hours until you can play that song. If you only practise 1 hour each day, you would need a year. But you practised the piece for 504 hours, so your performing roll is at +2. The Time Use Sheet The Player should have 4 hours/day practising time for his PC in his Time Use Sheet. If he only practises 3 hours/day his repertoire will be at -1 after each 1/4 year. With 2 hours/day -2 and so on. Advantage: Musical Ability 2 points/level See p. B22 Skills: Conducting (Mental/Hard) Defaults to any Musical Instrument-4, Musical Theory-2, Musical Composition-2 Prerequistie: Musical Theory, one harmonical Musical Instrument/Art 12 (see Musical Composition) The ability to study a piece of music with an orchestra or band. A failed skill roll means the conductor interpretated the piece wrong or chosed a too difficult piece for the orchestra. What that means to the audience is up to the GM. Add 1/3 (round down) of the Leadership skill to Conducting. Notes: Musical Ability does add to this skill. The process of conducting in the performance is the smallest part for the condutor and therefore selfevident. Musical Composition (Mental/Hard) Defaults to Musical Theory-2, Conducting-2, Prerequesite: Musical Theory, see also below This is the ability to compose a piece of music. The composer only needs pen and paper. A successful roll means the composer wrote what he wanted to. He also has to know at least one harmonical Musical Instrument/Art at 12. Harmonical instruments are instruments which can play four or more notes simultaneously such as piano, harp, guitar etc. If the game plays in a time where it is not selfevident that a composer has a book about playpossibilities of instruments, he has to talk to the instrumentalists before writing. If he doesn't he is at -2 for each instrument he's not familiar with the technics. For game purposes a composer needs one day for writing one minute of music. But needs only 1/4 of time if he's a fanatic composer, but he can't do nothing else then. Note: Musical Ability does add to this skill. Musical Improvising (Mental/Average) Defaults to Musical Instrument-4, Musical Theory-2 This is the ability to perform with an musical instrument without playing existing pieces. Knowing Musical Improvising means you don't have to rehears in order to perform. Notes: The Musical Ability Advantage does add to this skill. This is *not* a separate skill for each instrument. You only need it once. Musical Instrument/Art (Mental/Hard) Defaults to (see table), Musical Intrument/ Traditional-5 This is the ability to play an intrument the "cassical" way. You are able to read scores and you know the basics of musical theory and musical science. Each musical instrument is a separate talent. See p. B47 Each musical period also is a separate skill. They default to each other-2. E.g. if you learned playing renaissance pieces, playing a classical piece is at -2. Skill example: Musical Instrument/Art [Piano/Baroque] You need a teacher to learn an instrument until your skill is 14. You also need to practise if you want to perform a piece of music (See above (Rehearsal/Practising)). Some instruments are easier to play if you already know a familiar instrument. Intrumental Groups Sub Groups Families No Default Defaults to -6 Defaults to -2 Singing Chordophone Harp Keyboard Instr. Piano Hapsichord etc. Organs Keyboards Strings Violin Viola Cello Doublebass Gambe etc. Guitars Ac. Guitar El. Guitar Mandoline Banjo etc. Aerophone Woodwinds Defaults to other Woodwinds-4 Flutes Flute Recorder etc. Clarinettes Soprano Clarinette Alto Clarinette etc. Reeds Oboe English Horn Bassoon etc. Saxophones Soprano Alto Tenor Baritone Bass Brass Defaults to other Brass-4 Horns Ventil Horns Signal Horns Trombones Trombone Tenor Horn Tuba Trumpet Trumpet Flugelhorn etc. Membranophone Orchestral Drums Drum Kit (Defaults to eachother -3) Idiophone (Mallets default to Xylophone Keyboard Vibraphone Instruments-4 Glockenspiel Membranophone-4) Musical Instrument/Traditional (Mental/Average) Defaults to (see table), Musical Intrument/Art-2 This is the ability to play an instrument in the traditional way. Each musical instrument is a separate talent see p. B47. See table above for defaults. Each musical period/style is also a separate skill. They default to each other -3. E.g. if you can play irish folk songs on your fiddle, you play jazzmusic-3 (see above). You can learn by listening to other musicians and by trial and error. You need to practise if you want to perform a piece of music (see aboce (Rehearsal/Practising). Musical Science (Mental Hard) Defaults to IQ-6, Musical Theory-2, Musical Instrument/Art-4, or Musical Intrument-2 see below Musical Science contains mainly musical history but also musical esthetic and the like. Musical Science is a separate skill for each continent (remember cultures: american musical science is about indian music. The "classical" music would be european.). Example: You listen to a piece of music and and ask yourself who the composer is. Roll on Musical Science. Musical Instrument defaults to -4 but to -2 if the instrument is involved in the question. Musical Theory (Mental/Hard) Defaults to Musical Intrument/Art-4, Prerequisite: one harmonical Musical Instrument/Art 12 (see Musical Composition) This is the knowledge of how music works. Singing The voice is treated as a Musical Instrument, see above. Song Writing (Mental/Average) Defaults to Musical Instrument-2 Prerequisite: see below This is the ability to write music by your heart. The result will be Traditional Music. To write a good piece you need an idea. You have to know at least one harmonical instrument at 12 or if you only write for melody instruments that instruments at 10. You need your instrument or have to work with the musicians to make the song. For game purposes a song writer needs one day for writing four minutes of music. But needs only 1/4 of time if he's a fanatic writer, but he can't do nothing else then. Note: Musical Ability does add to this skill. That's it. Now you can start a musical campaign ;-) I hope you enjoy it... Guido