The Strategy of Attempts

The Strategy of Attempts is a devotional form of music directed toward the worship of Sluspo originating in The Funerary Malevolence. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. A singer recites nonsensical words and sounds while the music is played on a aguslusmorno. The musical voices bring melody, counterpoint and rhythm. The entire performance should be made with feeling, and it is to be soft. The melody and counterpoint both have short phrases throughout the form. Only one pitch is ever played at a time. It is performed in the barulo rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to use mordents.

• The aguslusmorno always plays rapid runs.
• The Strategy of Attempts has a well-defined multi-passage structure: a chorus and a verse, a bridge-passage and a verse and a chorus.
• The first chorus is voiced by the melody of the singer reciting nonsensical words and sounds and the rhythm of the aguslusmorno. The passage is slow. The singer's voice stays in the low register. The passage is performed using the ozzok scale.
• The first verse is voiced by the melody of the singer reciting any composition of The Climactic Bit. The passage is slow. The singer's voice covers its entire range. The passage is performed using the daxst scale.
• The bridge-passage is voiced by the melody of the singer reciting nonsensical words and sounds and the counterpoint of the aguslusmorno. The passage is at a walking pace. The singer's voice ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed using the zuxaz scale.
• The second verse is voiced by the melody of the singer reciting nonsensical words and sounds. The passage is very fast. The singer's voice ranges from the low register to the middle register. The passage is performed using the ragu scale.
• The second chorus is voiced by the melody of the aguslusmorno and the counterpoint of the singer reciting nonsensical words and sounds. The passage is moderately fast. The singer's voice stays in the high register. The passage is performed using the gaxog scale.
• Scales are constructed from twenty notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-xxxx-x-xxxxxxx-xxxxxxxO, where 1 is the tonic, O marks the octave and x marks other notes. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance.
• The ozzok hexatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 6th, the 7th, the 9th, the 13th and the 16th.
• The daxst heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 8th, the 11th, the 13th, the 15th and the 18th.
• The zuxaz heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 5th, the 6th, the 11th, the 12th, the 16th and the 18th.
• The ragu heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 4th, the 7th, the 11th, the 12th, the 17th and the 19th.
• The gaxog pentatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 6th, the 8th, the 14th and the 17th.
• The barulo rhythm is made from three patterns: the masul (considered the primary), the uturo and the sastospu. The patterns are to be played over the same period of time, concluding together regardless of beat number.
• The masul rhythm is a single line with eight beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - x x x x - X |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The uturo rhythm is a single line with twenty-three beats divided into three bars in a 6-9-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x - x x X | - X x - x - x x - | x x ! - x - x - |
• where ! marks the primary accent, X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The sastospu rhythm is a single line with twenty-six beats divided into four bars in a 8-6-6-6 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | x X - - - - x x | - x - - X x | - x x X x - | - x - - - - |
• where X marks an accented beat, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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