What you'll need:
Paper
Writing utensil
Typewriter or word processor
Scissors
Hat
Performers (4 or more)
Lots of instruments/sound generating devices
Optional: egg timer, dice, recording machine or audience
In the Hat Game, a group of performers improvise sound under guidelines
selected at random from a Hat. Each player has a unique set of rules to
follow during the improvisation.
1. RULES & SUGGESTIONS:
Write or type your Rules & Suggestions on paper. Make up your own
Rules, or use some of ours (printed at the bottom of this page).
Remember, a "Rule" is a command from the Hat that cannot be broken by a
player. A Rule would look something like this: "Be quiet."
A "Suggestion" is more subjective, and can even take the form of a
random word, phrase, or pornographic drawing meant to subconsciously
affect the output of a player. Suggestions look more like this: "You are
Ricki Martin’s golf club." Ratio of Rules to Suggestions should be 4:1.
The most dynamic and useful Rules usually control playing order. This
means, make Rules that determine when a performer can start or finish
playing during a piece. Any chance to keep all the participants from
making a racket at once should be taken advantage of. Some examples of
"Order Rules" are: "Play only when all the other performers are
playing." or "Start playing first".
2. THE HAT:
Select your Hat carefully. The Hat you pick will become THE Hat, a
sacred object and a totem of your intellectual superiority. DO NOT use
any container, other than a HAT, in Hat Game. The game is called HAT
Game, not Ceramic Bowl Game or Empty-Potato-Chip-Bag Game. Those are
OTHER games. So, don’t be a smart alleck--use a friggin’ HAT.
After you select your Hat, use your scissors to cut the "Rules &
Suggestions" out of paper into little fortune cookie strips. You may
want to cut the strips into equal sizes to avoid cheating. Put your
strips of paper into the HAT, and mix them up good.
3. ORGANIZE YOUR GROUP:
Walt Meadornack knows better than anyone what a can of worms getting a
group together can be. The most obvious choices for participants in the
Hat Game will be people who own lots of cool musical instruments (not to
mention that they should not mind sharing their instruments, or having them
played in unusual ways). But don’t be afraid to invite "non-musicians"
into Hat Game. Just because someone never had a piano lesson, doesn’t
mean they can’t bang metal together.
Organizing instruments, thankfully, is much easier than finding 3 to 12
people you don’t hate. That is, as long as your definition of an
"instrument" is as loose as ours. Be creative: turntables, pots & pans,
computers, stereos, toys, sports equipment, televisions, and slamming
doors all count. Don’t let not having a drum set stop you from
performing Hat Game, or from doing anything else for that matter.
4. PERFORM:
OK, you’ve got your group, your "instruments", and your motorcycle
helmet full of brilliant and clever Rules & Suggestions, that took you a
lot of time to conceive and cut out with safety scissors. Now its time
to perform your improvisations.
You may choose to record your performances, or find an audience in an
unsuspecting coffeeshop or high school talent show. If you have a real
live audience, it might be a good idea to briefly explain what it is that
you’re doing. Your Ambition will certainly be more impressive than the
crappy Sounds you are about to try to pass of as Art. And it might be
fun to let audience members write their own Rules & Suggestions, and
incorporate them into the game.
Each performer will choose 2 to 3 rules from the Hat that only they
will have to follow during the improvisation. Sometimes it is more fun
if players keep their rules a secret from other players. Someone,
probably you, the brilliant leader, should start the improvisation by
saying "Go", shooting a gun off, or waving a flag or something. If no
one starts playing right away after the signal, it's ok. DO NOT FEAR SILENCE.
After each piece, put the rules back in the hat and go again.
5. PUNISH CHEATERS:
Some rules are meant to be broken, but not in Hat Game! If you are
going to the trouble to attempt Hat Game, and participants are just
going to ignore the rules, then you might as well just give up being in
the avante garde and start learning Creed covers. Is that what you
want? I didn’t think so. Cheaters must be punished.
Some good punishments are to make the cheater sit facing a wall during
an improvisation or to make them play the shitty instrument that nobody
wants, like a tambourine. Every game has a cheater, and you must show
no mercy. Set an example. Be rude.
6. HINTS FROM WALT:
Sometimes improvisations get out of hand and go on and on forever. This
might not be a problem if you and your friends are any good at this,
but you probably aren’t. The All-Stars have found that setting a time
limit on improvisations is very useful. Use an egg timer and try to
keep your pieces down to five minutes.
Another good idea is to make a second Hat that contains only instructions
that determine order (as in Starter, Second Player, Third Player, Last,
etc.). When using a second Hat, players can choose one "Order Rule"
from that Hat, and then two normal Rules from the first Hat.
An alternative to using a second "Order Hat" is to use dice to
determine order. When using dice, if two players roll the same number,
they can enter the improvisation simultaneously. But remember, if no one
rolls a One, you’re going to get five minutes of silence, which isn’t
necessarily bad.
Also, keep in mind the environment you will be performing in. It is fun
to incorporate some Rules with a specific surrounding in mind. For
example: "Make sound by throwing objects into the ceiling fan," would
make good use of the performance environment.
The Hat Game is a cherished tradition for the All-Stars. They play Hat
Game all the time. Take it seriously, and never cheat.
Here are some All-Star examples of "Rules & Suggestions":
*Switch instruments three times before the song is over.
*If more than two people are playing at once (besides yourself), do not
play until two or less players are playing.
*Go tell the guitar player to go home.
*Sing or speak in a foreign language. If you only speak one language,
make up a new one fast.
*Help another performer play their instrument.
*Steal an instrument from another player.
*Do not use your right hand.
*Pretend you are on fire.
*Perform with your eyes closed.
*You are the conductor, tell people what to do.
*Say the alphabet backwards in your head. When you are finished, start playing.
*Only play while another player is making eye contact with you.
*Be metal.
*Sing something embarrassing about yourself.
*Go turn the lights off.
*Play very quietly.
*Find some knobs and tweak them.
*Turn on a nearby television, flip through stations, and do not perform
until an animal that is not a primate comes onto the screen.
*Only make sound while holding your breath.
*Play an instrument you do not know how to play.
*Never play the same tempo for more than 3 seconds.
*Start a chant with some other players.
