BRIAN ENO : OBLIQUE STRATEGIES
Although he records his own work as well, Brian Eno is best known to most folks as a producer. The following are a series of cards he and Peter Schmidt developed to assist musicians (and pretty much anyone else) when they became stuck during a creative endeavor. - alex, alexeplorerdotnet
"These cards evolved from our separate observations of the principles underlying what we are doing. Sometimes they were recognized in retrospect (intellect catching up with intuition), sometimes they were identified as they were happening, 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 a shuffled pack when a dilemma occurs in a working situation. In this case the card is trusted even if it appropriateness is quite unclear. They are not final, as new ideas will present themselves, and others will become self-evident." - Brian Eno.
Various editions have been published over the years. The total number of cards in each is:
Edition 1 = 114 cards
Edition 2 = 129 cards
Edition 3 = 123 cards
Edition 4 = 101 cards
Edition 5 = 127 cards
The following super short summary has been circulating online for a while now:
*Abandon normal instructions
*Don't avoid what is easy
*Emphasize the flaws
*Repetition is a form of change
*Change is a form of repetition
*Make it more sensual
*Once the search has begun, something will be found
*Change specifics to ambiguities
*Not building a wall; making a brick
*Get on with it
HOWEVER, the entire edition are very much worth the full consideration. Here they are:
Edition 1
Abandon normal instruments.
Accept advice.
Accretion.
A line has two sides.
Allow an easement (an easement is the abandonment of a stricture).
Are there sections? Consider transitions.
Ask people to work against their better judgment.
Ask your body.
Assemble some of the instruments in a group and treat the group.
Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle.
Be dirty.
Breathe more deeply.
Bridges - build - burn.
Cascades.
Change instrument roles.
Change nothing and continue with immaculate consistency.
Children's voices - speaking - singing.
Cluster analysis.
Consider different fading systems..
Consult other sources - promising - unpromising.
Convert a melodic element into a rhythmic element.
Courage!
Cut a vital connection.
Decorate, decorate.
Define an area as `safe' and use it as an anchor.
Destroy - nothing - the most important thing.
Discard an axiom.
Disconnect from desire.
Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them.
Distorting time.
Do nothing for as long as possible.
Don't be afraid of things because they're easy to do.
Don't be frightened of cliches.
Don't be frightened to display your talents.
Don't break the silence.
Don't stress one thing more than another.
Do something boring.
Do the washing up.
Do the words need changing?
Do we need holes?
Emphasize differences.
Emphasize repetitions.
Emphasize the flaws.
Faced with a choice, do both. (given by Dieter Rot)
Feedback recordings into an acoustic situation.
Fill every beat with something.
Get your neck massaged.
Ghost echoes.
Give the game away.
Give way to your worst impulse.
Go slowly all the way round the outside.
Honor thy error as a hidden intention.
How would you have done it?
Humanize something free of error.
Imagine the music as a moving chain or caterpillar.
Imagine the music as a set of disconnected events.
Infinitesimal gradations.
Intentions - credibility of - nobility of - humility of.
Into the impossible.
Is it finished?
Is there something missing?
Is the tuning appropriate?
Just carry on.
Left channel, right channel, centre channel.
Listen in total darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly.
Listen to the quiet voice.
Look at a very small object, look at its centre.
Look at the order in which you do things.
Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify them.
Lowest common denominator check - single beat - single note - single riff.
Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame.
Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do and do the last thing on the list.
Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate.
Mechanicalize something idiosyncratic.
Mute and continue.
Only one element of each kind.
(Organic) machinery.
Overtly resist change.
Put in earplugs.
Remember .those quiet evenings.
Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics.
Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities.
Repetition is a form of change.
Reverse.
Short circuit. (example; a man eating peas with the idea that they will improve his virility shovels them straight into his lap)
Shut the door and listen from outside.
Simple subtraction.
Spectrum analysis.
Take a break.
Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance.
Tape your mouth. (given by Ritva Saarikko)
The inconsistency principle.
The tape is now the music.
Think of the radio.
Tidy up.
Trust in the you of now.
Turn it upside down.
Twist the spine.
Use an old idea.
Use an unacceptable color.
Use fewer notes.
Use filters.
Use 'unqualified' people.
Water.
What are you really thinking about just now? Incorporate.
What is the reality of the situation?
What mistakes did you make last time?
What would your closest friend do?
What wouldn't you do?
Work at a different speed.
You are an engineer.
You can only make one dot at a time.
You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas.
[blank white card]
Edition 2
Abandon normal instruments.
Accept advice.
Accretion.
A line has two sides.
Allow an easement (an easement is the abandonment of a stricture).
Always first steps.
Always give yourself credit for having more than personality. (given by Arto Lindsay)
Are there sections? Consider transitions.
Ask people to work against their better judgment.
Ask your body.
Assemble some of the instruments in a group and treat the group.
A very small object - Its centre.
Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle.
Be dirty.
Be extravagant.
Breathe more deeply.
Bridges - build - burn.
Cascades.
Change instrument roles.
Change nothing and continue with immaculate consistency.
Children's voices - speaking - singing.
Cluster analysis.
Consider different fading systems.
Consult other sources - promising - unpromising.
Convert a melodic element into a rhythmic element.
Courage!
Cut a vital connection.
Decorate, decorate.
Define an area as `safe' and use it as an anchor.
Destroy - nothing - the most important thing.
Discard an axiom.
Disciplined self- indulgence.
Disconnect from desire.
Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them.
Distorting time.
Do nothing for as long as possible.
Don't be afraid of things because they're easy to do.
Don't be frightened of cliches.
Don't be frightened to display your talents.
Don't break the silence.
Don't stress *on* thing more than another. (sic)
Do something boring.
Do the washing up.
Do the words need changing?
Do we need holes?
Emphasize differences.
Emphasize repetitions.
Emphasize the flaws.
Faced with a choice, do both. (given by Dieter Rot)
Feed the recording back out of the medium.
Fill every beat with something.
Get your neck massaged.
Ghost echoes.
Give the game away.
Give way to your worst impulse.
Go outside. Shut the door.
Go slowly all the way round the outside.
Honor thy error as a hidden intention.
How would you have done it?
Humanize something free of error.
Idiot glee (?)
Imagine the piece as a set of disconnected events.
Infinitesimal gradations.
Intentions - credibility of - nobility of - humility of.
In total darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly.
Into the impossible.
Is it finished?
Is the tuning intonation correct?
Is there something missing?
It is quite possible (after all)
Just carry on.
Left channel, right channel, centre channel.
Listen to the quiet voice.
Look at the order in which you do things.
Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify them.
Lost in useless territory.
Lowest common denominator.
Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame.
Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do and do the last thing on the list.
Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate.
Mechanicalize something idiosyncratic.
Mute and continue.
Not building a wall but making a brick.
Only one element of each kind.
(Organic) machinery.
Overtly resist change.
Put in earplugs.
Question the heroic approach.
Remember .those quiet evenings.
Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics.
Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities.
Repetition is a form of change.
Revaluation (a warm feeling).
Reverse.
Short circuit. (example; a man eating peas with the idea that they will improve his virility shovels them straight into his lap)
Simple subtraction.
Simply a matter of work.
Spectrum analysis.
State the problem in words as simply as possible.
Take a break.
Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance.
Tape your mouth. (given by Ritva Saarikko)
The inconsistency principle.
The most important thing is the thing most easily forgotten.
The tape is now the music.
Think of the radio.
Tidy up.
Towards the insignificant.
Trust in the you of now.
Turn it upside down.
Twist the spine.
Use an old idea.
Use an unacceptable color.
Use fewer notes.
Use filters.
Use 'unqualified' people.
Water.
What are the sections sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving.
What are you really thinking about just now?
What is the reality of the situation?
What mistakes did you make last time?
What would your closest friend do?
What wouldn't you do?
What would your closest friend do?
Work at a different speed.
You are an engineer.
You can only make one dot at a time.
You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas.
[blank white card]
Edition 3
Abandon normal instruments.
Accept advice.
Accretion.
A line has two sides.
Allow an easement (an easement is the abandonment of a stricture).
Always first steps.
Are there sections? Consider transitions.
Ask people to work against their better judgment.
Ask your body.
Assemble some of the elements in a group and treat the group.
Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle.
Be dirty.
Be extravagant.
Be less critical more often.
Breathe more deeply.
Bridges - build - burn.
Cascades.
Change instrument roles.
Change nothing and continue with immaculate consistency.
Children - speaking - singing.
Cluster analysis.
Consider different fading systems.
Consult other sources - promising - unpromising.
Courage!
Cut a vital connection.
Decorate, decorate.
Define an area as `safe' and use it as an anchor.
Destroy - nothing - the most important thing.
Discard an axiom.
Disciplined self- indulgence.
Disconnect from desire.
Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them.
Distorting time.
Do nothing for as long as possible.
Don't be afraid of things because they're easy to do.
Don't be frightened of cliches.
Don't be frightened to display your talents.
Don't break the silence.
Don't stress one thing more than another.
Do something boring.
Do the words need changing?
Do we need holes?
Emphasize differences.
Emphasize repetitions.
Emphasize the flaws.
Fill every beat with something.
From nothing to more than nothing.
Ghost echoes.
Give the game away.
Give way to your worst impulse.
Go outside. Shut the door.
Go slowly all the way round the outside.
Go to an extreme, move back to a more comfortable place.
Honor thy error as a hidden intention.
How would you have done it?
Humanize something free of error.
Idiot glee (?)
Imagine the piece as a set of disconnected events.
Infinitesimal gradations.
Intentions - nobility of - humility of - credibility of.
In total darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly.
Into the impossible.
Is it finished?
Is the intonation correct?
Is there something missing?
It is quite possible (after all).
Just carry on.
Listen to the quiet voice.
Look at the order in which you do things.
Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify them.
Lost in useless territory.
Lowest common denominator.
Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame.
Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do and do the last thing on the list.
Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate.
Mechanicalize something idiosyncratic.
Mute and continue.
Not building a wall but making a brick.
Once the search is in progress, something will be found.
Only a part, not the whole.
Only one element of each kind.
(Organic) machinery.
Overtly resist change.
Question the heroic approach.
Remember .those quiet evenings.
Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics.
Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities.
Repetition is a form of change.
Retrace your steps.
Revaluation (a warm feeling).
Reverse.
Short circuit. (example; a man eating peas with the idea that they will improve his virility shovels them straight into his lap)
Simple subtraction.
Simply a matter of work.
State the problem in words as clearly as possible.
Take a break.
Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance.
The inconsistency principle.
The most important thing is the thing most easily forgotten.
The tape is now the music.
Think of the radio.
Tidy up.
Towards the insignificant.
Trust in the you of now.
Turn it upside down.
Use an old idea.
Use an unacceptable color.
Use fewer notes.
Use filters.
Use 'unqualified' people.
Water.
What are the sections sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving.
What are you really thinking about just now?
What is the reality of the situation?
What mistakes did you make last time?
What wouldn't you do?
What would your closest friend do?
Work at a different speed.
Would anybody want it?
You are an engineer.
You can only make one dot at a time.
You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas.
[blank white card]
Edition 4
Abandon desire.
Abandon normal instructions.
Accept advice.
Adding on.
A line has two sides.
Always the first steps.
Ask people to work against their better judgment.
Ask your body.
Be dirty.
Be extravagant.
Be less critical.
Breathe more deeply.
Bridges - build - burn.
Change ambiguities to specifics.
Change nothing and continue consistently.
Change specifics to ambiguities.
Consider transitions.
Courage!
Cut a vital connection.
Decorate, decorate.
Destroy nothing; Destroy the most important thing.
Discard an axiom.
Disciplined self- indulgence.
Discover your formulas and abandon them.
Display your talent.
Distort time.
Do nothing for as long as possible.
Don't avoid what is easy.
Don't break the silence.
Don't stress one thing more than another.
Do something boring.
Do something sudden, destructive and unpredictable.
Do the last thing first.
Do the words need changing?
Emphasize differences.
Emphasize the flaws.
Faced with a choice, do both. (from Dieter Rot)
Find a safe part and use it as an anchor.
Give the game away.
Give way to your worst impulse.
Go outside. Shut the door.
Go outside. Shut the door.
Go to an extreme, come part way back.
How would someone else do it?
How would you have done it?
In total darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly.
Is it finished?
Is something missing?
Is the style right?
It is simply a matter or work.
Just carry on.
Listen to the quiet voice.
Look at the order in which you do things.
Magnify the most difficult details.
Make it more sensual.
Make what's perfect more human.
Move towards the unimportant.
Not building a wall; making a brick.
Once the search has begun, something will be found.
Only a part, not the whole.
Only one element of each kind.
Openly resist change.
Pae White's non-blank graphic metacard.
Question the heroic.
Remember quiet evenings.
Remove a restriction.
Repetition is a form of change.
Retrace your steps.
Reverse.
Simple Subtraction.
Slow preparation, fast execution.
State the problem as clearly as possible.
Take a break.
Take away the important parts.
The inconsistency principle.
The most easily forgotten thing is the most important.
Think - inside the work - outside the work.
Tidy up.
Try faking it. (from Stewart Brand)
Turn it upside down.
Use an old idea.
Use cliches.
Use filters.
Use something nearby as a model.
Use `unqualified' people.
Use your own ideas.
Voice your suspicions.
Water.
What context would look right?
What is the simplest solution?
What mistakes did you make last time?
What to increase? What to reduce? What to maintain?
What were you really thinking about just now?
What wouldn't you do?
What would your closest friend do?
When is it for?
Where is the edge?
Which parts can be grouped?
Work at a different speed.
Would anyone want it?
Your mistake was a hidden intention.
Edition 5
A line has two sides.
A very small object. Its center.
Abandon normal instruments.
Accept advice.
Accretion.
Allow an easement (an easement is the abandonment of a stricture).
Always first steps.
Always give yourself credit for having more than personality.
Are there sections? Consider transitions.
Ask people to work against their better judgment.
Ask your body.
Assemble some of the elements in a group and treat the group.
Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle.
Be dirty.
Be extravagant.
Breathe more deeply.
Bridges -build -burn.
Cascades.
Change instrument roles.
Change nothing and continue with immaculate consistency.
Children -speaking -singing.
Cluster analysis.
Consider different fading systems.
Consult other sources -promising -unpromising.
Convert a melodic element into a rhythmic element.
Courage!
Cut a vital connection.
Decorate, decorate.
Define an area as 'safe' and use it as an anchor.
Destroy -nothing -the most important thing.
Discard an axiom.
Disciplined self-indulgence.
Disconnect from desire.
Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them.
Distorting time.
Do nothing for as long as possible.
Do something boring.
Do the washing up.
Do the words need changing?
Do we need holes?
Don't be afraid of things because they're easy to do.
Don't be frightened of cliches.
Don't be frightened to display your talents.
Don't break the silence.
Don't stress on thing more than another [sic].
Emphasize differences.
Emphasize repetitions.
Emphasize the flaws.
Faced with a choice, do both (given by Dieter Rot).
Feed the recording back out of the medium.
Fill every beat with something.
Get your neck massaged.
Ghost echoes.
Give the name away.
Give way to your worst impulse.
Go outside. Shut the door.
Go slowly all the way round the outside.
Honor thy error as a hidden intention.
How would you have done it?
Humanize something free of error.
Idiot glee (?)
Imagine the piece as a set of disconnected events.
Infinitesimal gradations.
Intentions -nobility of -humility of -credibility of.
Into the impossible.
Is it finished?
Is the information correct?
Is there something missing.
It is quite possible (after all).
Just carry on.
Left channel, right channel, center channel.
Listen to the quiet voice.
Look at the order in which you do things.
Look closely at the most embarrassing details & amplify them.
Lost in useless territory.
Lowest common denominator.
Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame.
Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate.
Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do & do the last thing on the list.
Mechanicalize something idiosyncratic.
Mute and continue.
Not building a wall but making a brick.
Only one element of each kind.
(Organic) machinery.
Overtly resist change.
Put in earplugs.
Question the heroic approach.
Reevaluation (a warm feeling).
Remember those quiet evenings.
Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics.
Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities.
Repetition is a form of change.
Reverse.
Short circuit (example: a man eating peas with the idea that they will improve his virility shovels them straight into his lap).
Simple subtraction.
Simply a matter of work.
Spectrum analysis.
State the problem in words as clearly as possible.
Take a break.
Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance.
Tape your mouth.
The inconsistency principle.
The most important thing is the thing most easily forgotten.
The tape is now the music.
Think of the radio.
Tidy up.
Towards the insignificant.
Trust in the you of now.
Turn it upside down.
Twist the spine.
Use an old idea.
Use an unacceptable color.
Use fewer notes.
Use filters.
Use 'unqualified' people.
Water.
What are the sections sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving.
What are you really thinking about just now?
What is the reality of the situation?
What mistakes did you make last time?
What would your closest friend do?
What wouldn't you do?
Work at a different speed.
You are an engineer.
You can only make one dot at a time.
You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas.
[blank white card]
ALL EDITIONS ABOVE COMBINED TO ELIMINATE REPETITIONS:
(All the Oblique Strategies (without redundancies) is compiled by alex at alexplorer.net)
The Oblique Strategies
(Organic) machinery. (Editions
1, 2, 3, and 5)
[blank white
card] (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) It is possible that this was
present in Edition 4 as well, but I don't know for certain.
A line has two
sides. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
A very small object -
Its centre. (Editions 2 and 5) Note: This appeared as "Look at
a very small object, look at its centre." in Edition 1.
Abandon normal
instruments. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This was modified as
"Abandon normal instructions." in Edition 4.
Accept advice.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Accretion.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This was modified as "Adding on." in
Edition 4.
Allow an easement (an
easement is the abandonment of a stricture). (Editions 1, 2, 3, and
5) Similar to "Remove a restriction." from Edition 4.
Always first
steps. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Always give yourself
credit for having more than personality. (Editions 2 and 5)
Are there
sections? Consider transitions. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Ask people to work
against their better judgment. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Ask your body.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Assemble some of the
instruments in a group and treat the group. (Editions 1 and 2) See
related version below...
Assemble some of the
elements in a group and treat the group. (Editions 3 and 5)
Balance the consistency
principle with the inconsistency principle. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Be dirty.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Be extravagant.
(Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Be less critical more
often. (Edition 3) Edition 4 simply says "Be less
critical."
Breathe more
deeply. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Bridges - build -
burn. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Cascades.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Change instrument
roles. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Change nothing and
continue with immaculate consistency. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
This is "Change nothing and continue consistently." in Edition 4.
Children's voices -
speaking - singing. (Editions 1 and 2) This was changed to
"Children - speaking - singing." in Editions 3 and 5.
Cluster analysis.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Consider different
fading systems. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Again, worded differently
in Edition 4 as "Consider transitions."
Consult other sources -
promising - unpromising. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Convert a melodic
element into a rhythmic element. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Courage!
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Cut a vital
connection. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Decorate,
decorate. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Define an area as
`safe' and use it as an anchor. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Destroy - nothing - the
most important thing. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Discard an axiom.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Disciplined self-
indulgence. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Disconnect from
desire. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Abandon desire." in
Edition 4.
Discover the recipes
you are using and abandon them. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Discover your formulas
and abandon them. (Edition 4)
Distorting time.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Distort time." in Edition 4.
Do nothing for as long
as possible. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Do something
boring. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Do something sudden,
destructive and unpredictable. (Edition 4)
Do the last thing
first. (Edition 4)
Do the washing
up. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Do the words need
changing? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Do we need holes?
(Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Don't be afraid of
things because they're easy to do. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Changed to "Don't avoid what is easy." in Edition 4.
Don't be frightened of
cliches. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or simply "Use
cliches." in Edition 4
Don't be frightened to
display your talents. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) "Display your
talent." in Edition 4.
Don't break the
silence. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Don't stress one thing
more than another. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Emphasize
differences. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Emphasize
repetitions. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Emphasize the
flaws. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Faced with a choice, do
both (given by Dieter Rot). (Editions 1, 2, 4, and 5)
Feed the recording back
out of the medium. (Editions 2 and 5) This may be a restatement of
below...
Feedback recordings
into an acoustic situation. (Edition 1)
Fill every beat with
something. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Find a safe part and
use it as an anchor. (Edition 4)
From nothing to more
than nothing. (Edition 3)
Get your neck
massaged. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Ghost echoes.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, and 4)
Give the game
away. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 4) I can't be certain whether it was a
typo or a variation, but this was replaced in Edition 5 with...
Give the name
away. (Edition 5)
Give way to your worst
impulse. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Go outside. Shut
the door. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5) This was originally "Shut
the door and listen from outside." in Edition 1.
Go slowly all the way
round the outside. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Go to an extreme, move
back to a more comfortable place. (Edition 3) Or in Edition 4:
"Go to an extreme, come part way back."
Honor thy error as a
hidden intention. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Your mistake
was a hidden intention." in Edition 4.
How would someone else
do it? (Edition 4)
How would you have done
it? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Humanize something free
of error. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Make what's perfect
more human." in Edition 4.
Idiot glee (?)
(Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Imagine the music as a
set of disconnected events. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
In total darkness, or
in a very large room, very quietly. (Editions (Editions 2, 3, and 4)
Infinitesimal
gradations. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Intentions -
credibility of - nobility of - humility of. (Editions 1 and 2) This
was changed to "Intentions - nobility of - humility of - credibility
of." in Editions 3 and 5,
Into the
impossible. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Is it finished?
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Is the intonation
correct? (Editions 2 and 3) This was more generalized to "Is
the information correct?" in Edition 5.
Is the style
right? (Edition 4)
Is the tuning
appropriate? (Edition 1)
Is there something
missing. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This was "Is something
missing?" in Edition 4.
It is quite possible
(after all). (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
It is simply a matter
or work. (Edition 5) I believe this is a typo ("or" =
"of").
Just carry on.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Left channel, right
channel, center channel. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Listen in total
darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly. (Edition 1)
Listen to the quiet
voice. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Look at the order in
which you do things. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Look closely at the
most embarrassing details & amplify them. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Lost in useless
territory. (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Lowest common
denominator check - single beat - single note - single riff. (Edition
1) This was shorted and generalized to "Lowest common
denominator." in Editions 2, 3, and 5.
Magnify the most
difficult details. (Edition 5)
Make a blank valuable
by putting it in an exquisite frame. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Make a sudden,
destructive unpredictable action; incorporate. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Make an exhaustive list
of everything you might do and do the last thing on the list. (Editions
1, 2, 3, and 5)
Make it more
sensual. (Edition 4)
Mechanicalize something
idiosyncratic. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Mute and
continue. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Not building a wall but
making a brick. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Once the search is in
progress, something will be found. (Edition 3) This was changed to
"Once the search has begun, something will be found." in Edition 4.
Only a part, not the
whole. (Editions 3 and 4)
Only one element of
each kind. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Overtly resist
change. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Openly resist change."
in Edition 4.
Pae White's non-blank
graphic metacard. (Edition 4)
Put in earplugs.
(Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Question the heroic
approach. (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Question the
heroic. (Edition 4)
Remember those quiet
evenings. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Worded as "Remember quiet
evenings." in Edition 4.
Remove ambiguities and
convert to specifics. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This is
"Change ambiguities to specifics." in Edition 4. Similarly...
Remove specifics and
convert to ambiguities. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This is
"Change specifics to ambiguities." in Edition 4.
Repetition is a form of
change. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Retrace your
steps. (Editions 3 and 4)
Revaluation (a warm
feeling). (Editions 2 and 3) Again, possibly a typo, but this was
"Reevaluation (a warm feeling)." in Edition 5.
Reverse.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Short circuit (example:
a man eating peas with the idea that they will improve his virility shovels
them straight into his lap). (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Simple
subtraction. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Simply a matter of
work. (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Slow preparation, fast
execution. (Edition 4)
Spectrum
analysis. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
State the problem in
words as clearly as possible. (Editions 2, 3, and 5) Alternatively,
"State the problem as clearly as possible." in Edition 4.
Take a break.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Take away the elements
in order of apparent non-importance. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This
runs contrary the strategy below...
Take away the important
parts. (Edition 4)
Tape your mouth. (given
by Ritva Saarikko) (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
The inconsistency
principle. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
The most important
thing is the thing most easily forgotten. (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Worded as "The most easily forgotten thing is the most important." in
Edition 4.
The tape is now the
music. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Think - inside the work
- outside the work. (Edition 4)
Think of the
radio. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Tidy up.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Towards the
insignificant. (Editions 2, 3, and 5) This was "Move towards
the unimportant." in Edition 4.
Trust in the you of
now. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Try faking it. (from
Stewart Brand) (Edition 4)
Turn it upside
down. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Twist the spine.
(Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Use an old idea.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Use an unacceptable
color. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Use fewer notes.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Use filters.
(Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Use something nearby as
a model. (Edition 4)
Use 'unqualified'
people. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Voice your
suspicions. (Edition 4)
Water. (Editions
1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
What are the sections
sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving. (Editions 2, 3, and
5) Originally "Imagine the music as a moving chain or
caterpillar." in Edition 1.
What are you really
thinking about just now? Incorporate. (Edition 1) Shortened to
"What are you really thinking about just now?" in Editions 2, 3, and
5.
What context would look
right? (Edition 4)
What is the reality of
the situation? (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
What is the simplest
solution? (Edition 4)
What mistakes did you
make last time? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
What to increase? What
to reduce? What to maintain? (Edition 4)
What were you really
thinking about just now? (Edition 4)
What would your closest
friend do? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
What wouldn't you
do? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
When is it for?
(Edition 4)
Where is the
edge? (Edition 4)
Which parts can be
grouped? (Edition 4)
Work at a different
speed. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Would anybody want
it? (Edition 3) Almost the same in Edition 4: "Would anyone
want it?"
You are an
engineer. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
You can only make one
dot at a time. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
You don't have to be
ashamed of using your own ideas. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
[blank white card] (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) It is possible that this was present in Edition 4 as well, but I don't know for certain.
A line has two sides. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
A very small object - Its centre. (Editions 2 and 5) Note: This appeared as "Look at a very small object, look at its centre." in Edition 1.
Abandon normal instruments. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This was modified as "Abandon normal instructions." in Edition 4.
Accept advice. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Accretion. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This was modified as "Adding on." in Edition 4.
Allow an easement (an easement is the abandonment of a stricture). (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Similar to "Remove a restriction." from Edition 4.
Always first steps. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Always give yourself credit for having more than personality. (Editions 2 and 5)
Are there sections? Consider transitions. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Ask people to work against their better judgment. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Ask your body. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Assemble some of the instruments in a group and treat the group. (Editions 1 and 2) See related version below...
Assemble some of the elements in a group and treat the group. (Editions 3 and 5)
Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Be dirty. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Be extravagant. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Be less critical more often. (Edition 3) Edition 4 simply says "Be less critical."
Breathe more deeply. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Bridges - build - burn. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Cascades. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Change instrument roles. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Change nothing and continue with immaculate consistency. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This is "Change nothing and continue consistently." in Edition 4.
Children's voices - speaking - singing. (Editions 1 and 2) This was changed to "Children - speaking - singing." in Editions 3 and 5.
Cluster analysis. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Consider different fading systems. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Again, worded differently in Edition 4 as "Consider transitions."
Consult other sources - promising - unpromising. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Convert a melodic element into a rhythmic element. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Courage! (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Cut a vital connection. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Decorate, decorate. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Define an area as `safe' and use it as an anchor. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Destroy - nothing - the most important thing. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Discard an axiom. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Disciplined self- indulgence. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Disconnect from desire. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Abandon desire." in Edition 4.
Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Discover your formulas and abandon them. (Edition 4)
Distorting time. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Distort time." in Edition 4.
Do nothing for as long as possible. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Do something boring. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Do something sudden, destructive and unpredictable. (Edition 4)
Do the last thing first. (Edition 4)
Do the washing up. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Do the words need changing? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Do we need holes? (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Don't be afraid of things because they're easy to do. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Changed to "Don't avoid what is easy." in Edition 4.
Don't be frightened of cliches. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or simply "Use cliches." in Edition 4
Don't be frightened to display your talents. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) "Display your talent." in Edition 4.
Don't break the silence. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Don't stress one thing more than another. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Emphasize differences. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Emphasize repetitions. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Emphasize the flaws. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Faced with a choice, do both (given by Dieter Rot). (Editions 1, 2, 4, and 5)
Feed the recording back out of the medium. (Editions 2 and 5) This may be a restatement of below...
Feedback recordings into an acoustic situation. (Edition 1)
Fill every beat with something. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Find a safe part and use it as an anchor. (Edition 4)
From nothing to more than nothing. (Edition 3)
Get your neck massaged. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Ghost echoes. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 4)
Give the game away. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 4) I can't be certain whether it was a typo or a variation, but this was replaced in Edition 5 with...
Give the name away. (Edition 5)
Give way to your worst impulse. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Go outside. Shut the door. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5) This was originally "Shut the door and listen from outside." in Edition 1.
Go slowly all the way round the outside. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Go to an extreme, move back to a more comfortable place. (Edition 3) Or in Edition 4: "Go to an extreme, come part way back."
Honor thy error as a hidden intention. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Your mistake was a hidden intention." in Edition 4.
How would someone else do it? (Edition 4)
How would you have done it? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Humanize something free of error. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Make what's perfect more human." in Edition 4.
Idiot glee (?) (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Imagine the music as a set of disconnected events. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
In total darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly. (Editions (Editions 2, 3, and 4)
Infinitesimal gradations. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Intentions - credibility of - nobility of - humility of. (Editions 1 and 2) This was changed to "Intentions - nobility of - humility of - credibility of." in Editions 3 and 5,
Into the impossible. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Is it finished? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Is the intonation correct? (Editions 2 and 3) This was more generalized to "Is the information correct?" in Edition 5.
Is the style right? (Edition 4)
Is the tuning appropriate? (Edition 1)
Is there something missing. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This was "Is something missing?" in Edition 4.
It is quite possible (after all). (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
It is simply a matter or work. (Edition 5) I believe this is a typo ("or" = "of").
Just carry on. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Left channel, right channel, center channel. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Listen in total darkness, or in a very large room, very quietly. (Edition 1)
Listen to the quiet voice. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Look at the order in which you do things. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Look closely at the most embarrassing details & amplify them. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Lost in useless territory. (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Lowest common denominator check - single beat - single note - single riff. (Edition 1) This was shorted and generalized to "Lowest common denominator." in Editions 2, 3, and 5.
Magnify the most difficult details. (Edition 5)
Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do and do the last thing on the list. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Make it more sensual. (Edition 4)
Mechanicalize something idiosyncratic. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Mute and continue. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Not building a wall but making a brick. (Editions 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Once the search is in progress, something will be found. (Edition 3) This was changed to "Once the search has begun, something will be found." in Edition 4.
Only a part, not the whole. (Editions 3 and 4)
Only one element of each kind. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Overtly resist change. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Or "Openly resist change." in Edition 4.
Pae White's non-blank graphic metacard. (Edition 4)
Put in earplugs. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Question the heroic approach. (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Question the heroic. (Edition 4)
Remember those quiet evenings. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) Worded as "Remember quiet evenings." in Edition 4.
Remove ambiguities and convert to specifics. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This is "Change ambiguities to specifics." in Edition 4. Similarly...
Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This is "Change specifics to ambiguities." in Edition 4.
Repetition is a form of change. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Retrace your steps. (Editions 3 and 4)
Revaluation (a warm feeling). (Editions 2 and 3) Again, possibly a typo, but this was "Reevaluation (a warm feeling)." in Edition 5.
Reverse. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Short circuit (example: a man eating peas with the idea that they will improve his virility shovels them straight into his lap). (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Simple subtraction. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Simply a matter of work. (Editions 2, 3, and 5)
Slow preparation, fast execution. (Edition 4)
Spectrum analysis. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
State the problem in words as clearly as possible. (Editions 2, 3, and 5) Alternatively, "State the problem as clearly as possible." in Edition 4.
Take a break. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5) This runs contrary the strategy below...
Take away the important parts. (Edition 4)
Tape your mouth. (given by Ritva Saarikko) (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
The inconsistency principle. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
The most important thing is the thing most easily forgotten. (Editions 2, 3, and 5) Worded as "The most easily forgotten thing is the most important." in Edition 4.
The tape is now the music. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Think - inside the work - outside the work. (Edition 4)
Think of the radio. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Tidy up. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Towards the insignificant. (Editions 2, 3, and 5) This was "Move towards the unimportant." in Edition 4.
Trust in the you of now. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Try faking it. (from Stewart Brand) (Edition 4)
Turn it upside down. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Twist the spine. (Editions 1, 2, and 5)
Use an old idea. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Use an unacceptable color. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Use fewer notes. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
Use filters. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Use something nearby as a model. (Edition 4)
Use 'unqualified' people. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Voice your suspicions. (Edition 4)
Water. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
What are the sections sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving. (Editions 2, 3, and 5) Originally "Imagine the music as a moving chain or caterpillar." in Edition 1.
What are you really thinking about just now? Incorporate. (Edition 1) Shortened to "What are you really thinking about just now?" in Editions 2, 3, and 5.
What context would look right? (Edition 4)
What is the reality of the situation? (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
What is the simplest solution? (Edition 4)
What mistakes did you make last time? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
What to increase? What to reduce? What to maintain? (Edition 4)
What were you really thinking about just now? (Edition 4)
What would your closest friend do? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
What wouldn't you do? (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
When is it for? (Edition 4)
Where is the edge? (Edition 4)
Which parts can be grouped? (Edition 4)
Work at a different speed. (Editions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Would anybody want it? (Edition 3) Almost the same in Edition 4: "Would anyone want it?"
You are an engineer. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
You can only make one dot at a time. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas. (Editions 1, 2, 3, and 5)
_________
TPB notes:
All the Oblique Strategies (without redundancies)
The complete list of all five editions of the oblique strategies can be found on this page. The following is a list of all the strategies, including (parenthetically) which editions they appeared in. There are many strategies which are present in all or (just as often) all except Edition 4, which differs the most of any of them. This listing makes for easier reading by eliminating the repeated strategies from one deck to the next.
There are nearly 200 individual strategies across the five editions of the deck Brian Eno has released over the years. It's hard to give an exact count, however, because of differences in the wording between editions. Specifically, some strategies were rephrased for different editions even though they state roughly the same intention.
I didn't do as detailed as an analysis as I would have liked to, but there are interesting things revealed about the history of the deck if you look closely enough. For example, Edition 1 has eight "orphaned" strategies. These are ones that appeared only in the edition and were then abandoned, most likely because they were too specific to music, and the goal was that the strategies be applicable to a block in any creative endeavor. There are other patterns like this, but I will leave them for you to discovered. - Alex @ alexplorer.net
