I have taken a few weeks to begin my blog.
Band work
We have now chosen our band members. It was our first rehearsal this week. We immediately launched into learning a song. We chose 'Oobla dee oobla da' for its simple chord from. By the end of the session we had finished it. We left time at the end to think about what other songs we are going to do. Next we week we are going to work through 'I want you (she's so heavy).' Very pleased with the way the first practice has gone.
1st Study
Our 2 teachers for first study are Cameron and Steve. First half of the 3 hours my group is with Steve. We go through practical appliance to the instrument.. chords/voicing of chords. Alas my time spent studying in Boston covered everything we do in class so I generally just go further into voicing work, re-harmonization. We have been given 'all the things you are' to work through. Camerons class is more reading based. I enjoy this aspect as I need to work on my sight reading. We look at the melody for 'All the things you are' and various other tunes. I liked the point Cameron made about learning the lyrics to these standards as it remind you of the melody.
DAW
Our teacher Colin is great. We looked at Cubase and Reason. How to link the two together and how they work from each other. He explained what we are going to be doing this year and talked about the websites we are going to be designing.
I feel Daw is going to be one of the most important classes for me. It will benefit me in my musical career as it will give me the confidence and knowledge I need to produce my own work and to promote myself accordingly.
Graded Unit
Andrew explained what we are going to be doing in Graded Unit. How the work is going to subtly different from last year. It is going to be concentrated more on applying for a job. I have chosen to be a session musician. It will be also going more in depth.
Session Skills
We have spent a lot of time in class discussing the role of a session musician, looking at different aspects of the job. We are finally going down to the studios to work through material. We will be recorded.
Music History
Marlisa has been taking us through what is expected of us with our essays and the subjects we may want to talk about. She was telling us about the deadlines coming up in the year and the questions the essays are going to be about.
25/10/10
Band work
We played over 'Oobla dee oobla da' gradually getting tighter and tighter. As talked about the previous week we started 'I want you (she's so heavy)' Everyone had learnt their parts and we started with the main parts and learning all the stops. Mark our drummer is fantastic and has really learnt the parts well. Though we are having problems with infrequent members.
1st Study
Again we worked through 'All the things you are' with steve. Chord voicing and such. Cameron gave us new music to work through. We worked through note values and how to play them.
DAW
We were asked to open up Cubase and Reason and start writing music using samples and midi. The hand on approach really works. Half the lesson was devoted to that, next half we were talked to again about our websites and we looked at various artists websites. How they were designed, the features and who it was aimed at.
Graded Unit
We were given the deadlines for the various sections of our graded unit. We were talked to about what was expected in each one. How the marks where given in it and that we needed a B or higher overall to move onto 3rd year. Our planning stage was due in the week before this.
Sessions Skills
Our first week in the studio. We are in East Lake 1. Gavin gave us our first piece of music to work through. I started figuring a 2nd guitar part out. Involving inversions and substitutions. Our band seem to be working well through it and we wont have any problem with it. In a few weeks time we should be recording it.
Music History
Again we looked at the outline of the course and we talked a bit about the history of blues and soul.
Music History
Again we looked at the outline of the course and we talked a bit about the history of blues and soul.
01/11/10
Band work
Again we started of with 'Oobla dee Oobla da' Also with 'I want you (she's so heavy') We seem to be creating a core group of 4 members. Other students seem to come and go. We don't have a bass player and a second guitarist. Technically we have 2 other guitarists in the band. The gig is on the 26th November. We are going to start on new songs now. We created a list of songs we want to perform.
1st Study
Again we worked through the work we had last week. We were given out hand outs of arpeggios of the major and minor scales. Cameron's class involved sight reading through a world music piece and 'all the things you are.' We were encouraged to learn the lyrics to jazz standards as it prompts your memory for the melody.
DAW
We looked further into working with Reason and Cubase. Working with Re-Wire and looking at separate ways of doing the same linking up. We talked about the website we are going to be designing for ourselves and other peoples websites.
Graded Unit
We are having individual sessions with Andrew now. Just to plan our graded unit portfolio and the necessary things needed done.
Session Skills
Again we worked through our song gradually working through each section. The piece goes all the way up to section K and beyond so we are working through it making sure its tight.
Music History
We were given an assignment to write about the relation between Soul and Race. This was done by answering questions on Blackboard and listening to links on Youtube. We listened to the Motown house band 'The Funk Brothers' talk about the grueling times they had in the 'snake pit' or the recording room where they recorded the backing tracks to the next weeks number ones.
08/11/10
Band Work
We are negotiating our next songs. With the Gig deadline rapidly approaching we need to get a move on. We have now chosen to play 'Strawberry Fields', 'Dr.Robert', 'Fixing a hole' 'I want you (she's so Heavy'), Oobla dee da, an original song and 'Hey Joe' in the style of the Beatles.
1st Study
We worked through some of the work given out last week, focussing on chords, scales etc. We play through 'All the things you are' in Steves Class sometimes. In Camerons we work on the melody and the sight reading part to it. We have our break and then come back to Camerons class. We work through notes on the board playing them in different positions in time gradually increasing the tempo by playing a note once every 4 beats, then 3, then 2 and finally 1. Its a clever way to establish a knowledge of the fret board. In improvisation or live situations and chordal work this comfort with the guitar comes in very useful. Again we work though various sight reading pieces.
DAW
We immediatly set to work on our project pieces. I have started using the automation available for panning and volume. I am using the effects sends as well through the mixer. I am creating various drones with the melody played on the the off beat. The melody has very close delay added to it which creates an almost reverb like effect. The peice needs to have at least 4 midi tracks in Cubase and 2 tracks in Reason. It must be a minimum of 2 minutes as well. Our websites have been put on hold at the moment as the project piece needs to be finished.
Graded Unit
There are individual appointments with Andrew. Every 2 weeks.
Session Skills
Again working through the piece that we have been given. We shall be working through a soul piece soon. Every week is rather similer though. It takes time to get the song tight. I have been working out seperate chord inversions to play over the top of the normal chord progressions. We still aren't at a stage to record it yet though.
Music History
Band Work
We are negotiating our next songs. With the Gig deadline rapidly approaching we need to get a move on. We have now chosen to play 'Strawberry Fields', 'Dr.Robert', 'Fixing a hole' 'I want you (she's so Heavy'), Oobla dee da, an original song and 'Hey Joe' in the style of the Beatles.
1st Study
We worked through some of the work given out last week, focussing on chords, scales etc. We play through 'All the things you are' in Steves Class sometimes. In Camerons we work on the melody and the sight reading part to it. We have our break and then come back to Camerons class. We work through notes on the board playing them in different positions in time gradually increasing the tempo by playing a note once every 4 beats, then 3, then 2 and finally 1. Its a clever way to establish a knowledge of the fret board. In improvisation or live situations and chordal work this comfort with the guitar comes in very useful. Again we work though various sight reading pieces.
DAW
We immediatly set to work on our project pieces. I have started using the automation available for panning and volume. I am using the effects sends as well through the mixer. I am creating various drones with the melody played on the the off beat. The melody has very close delay added to it which creates an almost reverb like effect. The peice needs to have at least 4 midi tracks in Cubase and 2 tracks in Reason. It must be a minimum of 2 minutes as well. Our websites have been put on hold at the moment as the project piece needs to be finished.
Graded Unit
There are individual appointments with Andrew. Every 2 weeks.
Session Skills
Again working through the piece that we have been given. We shall be working through a soul piece soon. Every week is rather similer though. It takes time to get the song tight. I have been working out seperate chord inversions to play over the top of the normal chord progressions. We still aren't at a stage to record it yet though.
Music History
Again we worked through work on Motown and Staxx. We talked more about the essay requirements and what we could talk about. Marlisa is a great teacher who has a deep understanding of the subject. I am enjoying music history and look forward to completing the essay.
15/11/10
Band Work
Classes cancelled due to conference.
1st study
Classes cancelled due to conference.
15/11/10
Band Work
Classes cancelled due to conference.
1st study
Classes cancelled due to conference.
DAW
Classes cancelled due to conference.
Music History
I was off ill.
Graded Unit
I was off ill.
Session Skills
I was off ill.
22/11/2010
DAW
In Daw we now automatically go to our work stations and begin further work on our projects. The class has been split in two. The first section is usually work on out projects as normal and then we will be lectured on the creation of our websites looking at the features that stand out, who it is aimed at, How it is trying to convey personification with the reader. Eventually we will take this on to create our own. A good class.
Band Work
We played the gig on the Friday which went fine. We could have played better. There was a bit of a rush to finnish songs off. We have now selected our new bands. I am with the same band but we have a session bassist from the degree year. We had our first practice and have decided to play 'Sir Duke' and 'The chain.' We went away planning to continue and learn those songs for next week.
1st Study
We had a small test today. Some people shall be tested on other days and originally we were meant to be playing through our pieces but It turned out that we were asked to play a blues in groups of 3. We took turns to improvise, when it was my turn to 'comp' I played inversions and substitutions to create a varied sound with the other rhythm guitarist. Outlining the chord structure is the key so when it was my turn to improvise I played 'out' of the key and then would slide back in the key to outline it. I realised this after I had improvised.
Session Work
We have been in and out of the studio. There was an assignment given out to write about two producers production techniques. They were meant to have worked in different time periods. I chose to write about Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys and Radioheads producer Nigel Godrich. I shall start it in the next day or two.
Graded Unit
We have individual sessions with Andrew.
Music History
We have been given our essay assignments. I shall write about the rules of Fabbri on Jazz and the progression of Jazz through the 21st century. We also are given small assignments to complete which are directly related to the work we do in class.
29/11/10 up until December 6th.
College was cancelled due to the snow.
6/12/10
The college was open but I was unable to get in due the weather in the Country.
13/12/10
My last week of college until 2011.
Band work
Band work didn't happen as none of the other members could make it.
Sessions Skills
I had to rush off at the beginning for a meeting but we recorded 'your love keeps lifting me higher.' We had to do a few takes but we got it down in the end. The brass will be added soon and Nicole will add harmony's.
1st study
This was our last week in 1st study. It was a short lesson. A lot of people still hadn't turned up due to weather so we went briefly through our work and called it a day.
DAW
I finished up my Cubase and Reason project. Colin transfered it onto his pen drive and that was my work completed.
Music History
With the essays handed in we looked at what the next essay was going to entail.
Graded Unit
There was no meeting with Andrew though i have been working on my planning stage.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
10/01/2011
Band Work
Unfortunately both our session musicians were still on holiday so we couldn't have a full band rehearsal. I am in the same band as the last session except we have a new degree student playing bass. We are going to cover Glastonbury 10. Immediately we know that we are going to play Stevie Wonders 'Sir Duke' and Florence and the Machine's cover of 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac. Aidan, Laura and I went through 'The chain' practicing the chord structure and creating 3 part harmony's. We didn't try 'Sir Duke' as we really needed a drummer and bassist. We went away hoping to have 'Sir Duke' learnt and just to keep working on 'The Chain.'
1st Study
Unfortunately I missed the first part of my first study as I was coming back from Glasgow and my bus was delayed. The second part of 1st study was cancelled due to a staff meeting in our room.
Session Skills
This weeks session skills was entirely Nicole recording harmony's over the top of the track. We all worked out the necessary harmony's and she went into the recording room to lay them down.
Music History
We have our next essay assignments though they have been moved to the 14th February. I am going to write about gang warfare in LA and how the music reflected this. We were all in the lecture theatre and took part in an exercise where pieces of paper were handed round with titles on them. There were about 8 and in our groups we had to write sentences relating to them. Or what we thought related to the topic. This was designed to help us write about our own essays.
DAW
This week we began our new project. We had to use automation on 4 tracks in Reason and Cubase. This was mainly the classes objective and this was all I worked on.
Graded Unit
We are having a full class lecture next week.
17/01/2011
Session Skills
Our tutor Gavin laid down the brass parts with another student who plays trombone. Aidan then recorded the rhodes/piano part again so it was further up in the mix. We have now completed one song in session skills and we shall be moving onto the original song that was side stepped.
1st Study
The was rumour that there was an test. It was partly true, but we only had a test in Steves class. 4 of us took part in it the others will do it next week. It was mainly testing our knowledge in the arpeggios/chords/scales. I found it ok. Though I slipped up a few times on scales that I have known for a few years now. It wasn't an important test so I'm not too worried.
Music History
We had individual appointments per essay subject. I was at quarter to 3 with Marlisa to talk about Hip Hop and gang warfare. No one showed up so she gave me a single piece of paper with what my next weeks assignment was. I have to either write an introduction to the essay or have an essay plan. I shall be starting that shortly.
Graded Unit
We had a full lecture. Andrew was stressing the importance of the blogs and what is required for an A in Graded Unit. We are now onto our Development stage which goes towards the greatest percentage of the mark. I found out I received 15/30 for my planning. I wasn't particularly focussing on it which is a shame. I shall be working towards an A. For myself and I am going to hopefully study at Napier next year and I will need an A in Graded Unit to start 3rd year. Next week we have individual slots with Andrew for 20 mins. I am going to make sure I find out exactly what I need to do and what to include. I have now begun my video diary of my practices to put towards the evidence of being a worthy employable session musician.
Band work
Our drummer was still off but Jack the bassist was here. We worked on 'The Chain' getting the chord structure down and the harmony's. Also briefly on 'Sir Duke' which we could successfully do with the bassist. Still needing the drummer though who will be back next week. For next week we are going to be working on 'Tighten up' by The Black Keys. The band is sounding good and the gig is going to be in February in Dundee. There are going to be two sets. One with 3 song and the other 4. There is going to be an afternoon and evening performance.
DAW
This week we were back to the split class routine. We worked for an hour on our new Cubase projects. Then we moved onto designing our own websites on iweb on the macs. The computers have built in cameras so we could take pictures of ourselves with our instruments. I have been having problems saving the work I have been doing but it has been resolved with Colin's help. I am designing a website that is going to be about myself as a composer and all the musicians I work with. It shall be the same work criteria for next week.
