OBLIQUE STRATEGIES Over 100 worthwhile dilemmas by Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt These cards evolved from our separate observations of the principles underlying what we were doing. Sometimes they were recognized in retro- spect (intellect catching up with intuition), sometimes they were formulated. They can be used as a pack (a set of possibilities being continuously reviewed in the mind) or by drawing a single card from the shuffled pack when a dilemma occurs in a working situation. In this case the card is trusted even if its appropriateness is quite unclear. They are not final, as new ideas will present themselves, and others will become self-evident. [First published 1975, slightly revised edition 1978. Unauthorized transcription by Rob Stanzel 1985 of unauthorized transcription by M. Skoner 9/79 (hi, Mark)] Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities Don't be frightened of cliches What is the reality of the situation? Are there sections? Consider transitions Turn it upside down Think of the radio Allow an easement (an easement is the abandonment of a stricture) Simple subtraction Be dirty Go slowly all the way round the outside A line has two sides Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do & do the last thing on the list Into the impossible Towards the insignificant Ask people to work against their better judgement Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance Infinitesimal gradations Change instrument roles Accretion Disconnect from desire Emphasize repetitions Faced with a choice, do both (given by Dieter Rot) Children -speaking -singing Lost in useless territory A very small object Its center Dont be afraid of things because they're easy to do Dont be frightened to display your talents Breathe more deeply Honor thy error as a hidden intention What are the sections sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving Only one element of each kind Is there something missing Use `unqualified' people How would you have done it? Emphasize differences Do nothing for as long as possible Bridges -build -burn Always give yourself credit for having more than personality (given by Arto Lindsay) You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas Tidy up Do the words need changing? Ask your body Tape your mouth (given by Ritva Saarikko) Water Simply a matter of work Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate Consult other sources -promising -unpromising Use an unacceptable color Humanize something free of error Use filters Fill every beat with something Discard an axiom Not building a wall but making a brick What wouldn't you do? Lowest common denominator Decorate, decorate Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle Get your neck massaged Listen to the quiet voice Do the washing up Is it finished? Put in earplugs Reevaluation (a warm feeling) Give the name away Intentions -nobility of -humility of -credibility of Abandon normal instruments Use fewer notes Repetition is a form of change Give way to your worst impulse Reverse Trust in the you of now Imagine the piece as a set of disconnected events What would your closest friend do? Distorting time Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame Feed the recording back out of the medium Convert a melodic element into a rhythmic element The most important thing is the thing most easily forgotten [blank white card] Ghost echoes You can only make one dot at a time Just carry on (Organic) machinery The inconsistency principle Don't break the silence Idiot glee (?) Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them Cascades Courage! Spectrum analysis What mistakes did you make last time? Consider different fading systems Mute and continue Be extravagant It is quite possible (after all) What are you really thinking about just now? Don't stress on thing more than another [sic] State the problem in words as clearly as possible Assemble some of the elements in a group and treat the group You are an engineer Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics Look at the order in which you do things Go outside. Shut the door. Disciplined self-indulgence Do we need holes? Cluster analysis Always first steps Cut a vital conenction Do something boring Define an area as `safe' and use it as an anchor Is the information correct? Overtly resist change Question the heroic approach Accept advice Twist the spine Work at a different speed Look closely at the most embarrassing details & amplify them Mechanicalize something idiosyncratic Emphasize the flaws Remember those quiet evenings Take a break Short circuit (example; a man eating peas with the idea that they will improve his virility shovels them straight into his lap) Left channel, right channel, center channel Use an old idea Destroy -nothing -the most important thing Change nothing and continue with immaculate consistency The tape is now the music