# data[].attributes.body
although i did communicate to the band i believe to get my sound down exactly how i want it i could communicate a little more with the band, as i was worried my performance would not go well as i was missing the bass even though i send over a recorded version of the song and the parts were easy to here it wasn't coming together as luke kept playing the root notes. This made me feel a little deflated as i wasn't sure how i could fix this but i then got someone to record the bass line as a stem so i could send it to the new bass player and that had worked well. I'm happy i did this because moving forward i believe this is the best way to get the right version down and its easier for the house band to play stems than listen through and learn the whole song. the reason i picked these songs are because 4 shots i would like to release in the future so wanted to hear what it would sound like as a whole band thing and then got to go i wrote in lockdown but took it to a producer and started writing new bits for it but i wanted to try my original idea where it has a bounce and attitude in the chorus that gives you a feel that you don't care you have been messed around you just like dance off like nothings happened you could have reacted but didn't see the point. i had written all the lyrics and the melody for the lyrics and then i told people what i wanted like in 4 shots when i said about a walking bass i then got diffrerent versions of what i asked for then picked which one i wanted where as got to go was a little more of a collaberation i sand what i had and me and tom came up with ideas together he did most of the work on the track seen as i don't play an instrument well enough to record.

# data[].attributes.body
when first starting 4 shots i was happy with how it was sang but then coming up with ideas with my friend Ethan for the track was quite hard i knew i wanted a walking bass line and bubble keys but where u couldn't play the instruments myself i was finding it hard to explain what i wanted. this then made me loose a bit of confidence as i knew i would need to know more theory or words that explain what i mean in the right term. i then found if i look these words up like bubble keys that i can find videos explaining or playing what im looking for.
this then helped me know what to call things without being worried of looking stupid so there for in conclusion i'm going to continue doing this for the rest of my time at Waterbear and maybe outside in my career as it helps take some pressure off and can help people hear what i'm hearing. the actions i'm going to take are finding either loops of splice or youtube and keeping a folder so i can show any of my band mates.

# data[].attributes.body
em/dmaj/Bm/A6sus
(A6sus is just the Bm but the B goes down to an A)

# data[].attributes.body
i'm am happy with how the performance went as the weeks before i was missing the bass line which was like the glue in my song, so the performance went how i wanted it to apart from my vocals were a little rusty as i have a bit of a cold. doing this assignment i've had to learn some more theory seen as i don't play the instruments so have to instruct others what to do. if i was to do this assignment again i would record the song fully before and then send everyone stems as this worked well with the bass line so moving foward i will start recording my songs so that when finding a band it is quick and easy. i will also warm my voice up more and maybe steam as i know i could have sang better and if i warmed up more my voice may not have been so dry. I would also perform a little more as when i looked back on the video i could have moved around more and used my arms to show the meaning of the song so the performance becomes more engaging

# data[].attributes.body
When I last went up with the band it wasn’t going how I wanted it to go as like was playing the root notes and wasn’t playing the bass part that I had my friend come up with, so it was loosing the bounce and the feel of the song and the bridge wasn’t fitting so I listened back to what we did get and then asked my friend to make demo tracks so I could send them to the band so that they would play the right things

# data[].attributes.body
Coming up with ideas of what instruments I want in each part

# data[].attributes.body
I still have to record the bridge and then mix and master the track I have tomorrow off so I can lay down a demo/ record the vocals tomorrow morning then have a little break and mix and master in the evening and then I still have a few weeks until the handing to make sure it’s perfect and then I can later go back and listen to the mix to make sure it’s going in the right direction. At first I’m going to check all the levels and then decide what vocal effects I’m going to put on my vocals and what mics I’m going to use. I blended a fuzzy vocal sound with a clean vocal sound to give it more body as the vocals sounded quite thin before

# data[].attributes.body
Health and safety-

No water on stage being it could cause a fire and hurt someone

Ear protection because you can get tinnitus

Wires on the floor could trip you over so tape them down

Hydration you could hurt your voice if you don’t stay hydrated

Mic setup keep your mic closed to your mouth if not your end up shouting

Have breaks because you might do something you wouldn’t if you were overly tired.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0K5KjxVhEc this helped me decide i wanted a bouncy feel throughout 4 shots

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyPvlqBL1po

# data[].attributes.body
I used systems every time I record even when I write the songs I have my own system I always write the lyrics first as thats the main part of the song for me, then the melody comes next. To then which I record the vocals and then describe what I want on the track for 4 shots I asked for a walking bass part bubble keys, boots and cats on the drums and then a rhythm guitar part. I then went to the studio with my friend to try and come up with ideas and make what in had in a full song. Where as got to go I wrote a while ago and had a track but wanted other versions of it I listened to ‘boys being boys by the oridinary boys’ which has the same bounce through the song which I wanted. The same again I used the method that I did while recording got to go by recording the vocals first then taking them to tom in my class who helped produced got to go for me.

When in the studio because I was paying for the time we used up all the time to my full advantage by getting the guitar and drums down straight away, then I have an sm 58 and a rode nt1a mic so I could record the vocals at home. We then later went in and recorded the bass lines was finding it hard to explain to the band what I wanted the track to sound like so made a little version so the band could hear what I was wanting. This worked well apart from the bass player kept playing the root notes instead of what I wanted, so I then asked my friend to record the bass line so I could sent him just the stem so it would be easy to hear what I want.

These songs are just staring ideas so that I can hear multiple versions of the songs I wrote, this will then help me decide what my sound is I’m going for and I will then be able to hear the weaker parts that in will need to work on and explore more, I wouldn’t say im amazing at recording yet as before this year I never had production lessons but it is 100% something I want to explore more and carry in working on. As this helps give me creative control still without a producer changing my sound or visuals for the song.

# data[].attributes.body
I looked at other tracks that could help inspire my ideas furthers like boys being boys the ordinary boys helped me understand the bounce and vibe I was wanting to go for, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L_YSBoFwsCM with the guitar part keeping it going and keeping the bounce throughout the song, this is what I wanted in both of my songs, at first 4shots was sounding the way I wanted to, with a walking bass line keeping the bounce throughout the song. And got to go having the bounce in the chorus and the second verse them for the bridge sounding a little more pissed off about the situation like I could say things that I might regret all these thoughts are running round in my head cos of your cheating and your lying I’m done with crying you had no respect and then the chorus to sound happy and like you don’t care. Like your dancing away from your problems with the ayyye ayyye ayye aye part, the difference between the two tracks is 4 shots I wanted the bounce throughout the whole track and then got to go only in the chorus and then in the second verse so it gives a bit of variation.

# data[].attributes.body
This term I’ve learnt exactly what creative eq’s is and also what panning does where as before I didn’t understand what producers where talking about and what the effects I like were called. I didn’t know how to get the surround sound where as now I do. I’m now being able to get a demo down where as before all my tracks had two much reverb and effects on. As I didn’t have a certain structure for recording and getting the best version out, as I was recording with reverb on the track instead of recording the track then adding the reverb and this made it sound a mess.

I have found it easier to record now than what I did before I’m not looking to get out perfectly produced ideas I’m just looking at getting demos down to then work with producers and see what else I can come up with, but recording has allowed me to still have some control over my songs especially as I don’t play instruments.

# data[].attributes.body
In week 8 I went up the last time with the band before the assessment, I sent over old videos and what I wanted, but couldn’t work out what was missing when I was on stage, I looked back at the videos from this week and realised the bass line was playing the route notes and it didn’t sound like how I wanted it to, it was missing the walking bass part, also the keys weren’t exactly how I wanted them so I wrote a bit about what I’m wanted and then included videos describing what I wanted. Like the bubble key parts. So I sent over more parts so that the band new exactly what I wanted without playing them it this then helped Luke get down the part I wanted.

# data[].attributes.body
Week 7 I had made sure everything was sent to the house band for the run through with them as there’s a couple of weeks till hand in so wanted to make sure I use my time to the best of my ability this means planning, to send the the structure and describe what I want to get it sounding how it is in my brain. Also this week I’ve made a plan for next year and where I want to gig my originals, I’m planning ahead so when I have enough songs I’m ready with a show real to perform on the stages I want. This assessment is really helpful because I can then show videos of me performing but also the recorded version to. I’ve looked at these festivals as this is where I’d love to have my music played as my genre is Brit pop so these festivals will be perfect for me to play and they are also amazing festivals to play for up coming artists.

# data[].attributes.body
Week 6 I recorded an idea for the bridge then sent it to Tom so he could come up with ideas to help make the song better, then we got together in week 7 to sing together and play through the ideas so then in week 7/8 we can go to the studio and record the rest of the song, if it’s not long enough I was thinking I could also add a solo in the track, the track I got to go is just a starring idea that I can mess around with later where as 4 shots is sounding how I want it to and I would happily release it, as long as I had a trumpet solo. The lyrics are
I could say somethings I might regret
All these thoughts are running around in my head
From your cheating and your lying and all your fake crying you had no respect
So I got to go

# data[].attributes.headline
areas of improvement and what success looks like

# data[].attributes.subject
areas of improvement and what success looks like

# data[].attributes.body
I want to improve my singing, my scales and theory. For this I will sing karaokes and go through warm up and scales daily. I will also use the section on waterbear instruture so that I can then go over theory. I will also book one to ones to work on theory and the correct names for instrument parts so that I can tell the band clearly what I what.

Success to me in this module is having songs at the end of term I want to release or take to a producer to help me finish, also having my sound down so that I know where I’m taking my sound for the next tracks. This could be a certain sound I use over the mix or just my vocal sound.

My genre for 4shots is a pop/ reggae song.

I got to go, The genre is pop but the mood is a kinda fuck you mood.

# data[].attributes.body
in this week there wasn't enough time for me to go through my track to make it tighter so there for im going to send the band my track so they can practise it so that when we come back after the week off its ready to play. I will also look into booking a one to one with Kieron or Abi so that I can go over some key parts so that I can then think more into the arrangement so that it flows nicely as at the moment some of the sections have jumps in and it doesn't flow as well as I had hoped.

# data[].attributes.body
I want to improve my singing, my scales and theory. For this I will sing karaokes and go through warm up and scales daily. I will also use the section on waterbear instruture so that I can then go over theory. I will also book one to ones to work on theory and the correct names for instrument parts so that I can tell the band clearly what I what.

Success to me in this module is having songs at the end of term I want to release or take to a producer to help me finish, also having my sound down so that I know where I’m taking my sound for the next tracks. This could be a certain sound I use over the mix or just my vocal sound.

My genre for 4shots is a pop/ reggae song.

I got to go, The genre is pop but the mood is a kinda fuck you mood.

# data[].attributes.body
In this term my time keeping skills have been bad and I’ve slowly fallen out of keeping to the structure I had, for this I’m going to plan my days ahead and make sure I’m sleeping at a reasonable time. I could also look into my diet and what foods I eat as I could be eating to late of night and this could cause acid reflux and harm my vocal chords. I’m also going to make myself a check list whenever I go to the studio so I have a clear plan along with anyone I bring into to the studio to record.

Strengths
I feel like my lyric writing and ideas are becoming stronger I just need to make sure I keep up writing.
I feel like I have an idea of my sound and what kinda artist I want to be but this will grow and I’ll be come more aware the more songs I write of who I am.

My weakness
Although this term I could easily describe what I wanted in 4 shots my theory is not great and is something I need to work on especially if I don’t play the instruments. My pitch is still not perfect so I need to practise vocal scales and also book in for a singing coach as I have some bad habits when I sing, like jaw tension, which I can find some videos for.

# data[].attributes.body
Then this is what I did when I was at home it is just a starting idea but it’s something I can then change and make better for when I receive feedback.

# data[].attributes.body
This is what I came up with, with Tom then I took it home and made another version with fresh vocals on it. Although this is not two minutes long I have a bridge section that I can include which I have written since.

# data[].attributes.body
The two songs are contrasting with the lyrics and melody

The first song is about going out in a bad headspace then just getting drunk to feel a bit better but the night just going wrong.

The second song is about seeing someone out with someone they lied about and instead of getting angry or anything you just leave and feel happy about leaving as you don’t want to be lied to.

The skill sets I’ve shown and grown from are knowing what parts are called to describe them to people where as before I wouldn’t know what a walking bass was. I also played around with the arrangement of the song as I had in 4 shots double verse chorus then a bridge then back into a verse, chorus then a guitar solo although I would like to have a trumpet solo, then a chorus. I did this for tension and release as it’s something they haven’t heard back into a melody they have. Although I didn’t play the instruments I described them to people then they have sent back what I had asked for.

# data[].attributes.body
This term I’ve been looking at who I am as an artists and what sound I want to go into and what works well with me I’ve also been looking at who I am and who I stand for this will then move me well into next term with finding out who I am, this is so important in the industry as most songs are the same few couple of chords!

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/3cc2RlLK0YY

# data[].attributes.body
I also looked at toys such as a Groan toy, like egg shakers and other items that I could use in the back of my songs this will them make me stand out from others.

# data[].attributes.body
This was from week 4 when I went up with the band I didn’t in the first and second week due to not having time and then the 3rd week I had covid so I missed another opportunity with the band so it’s not as tight as I wanted it, but will hopefully be tighter next week due to having the structure down and the parts now recorded it will be easier to get it sounding like the track. I also wasn’t impressed with my performance as I got too in my head about performing and the lyrics so week 5 I’m going to perform how I would if it was a gig so I can get feedback and see what I could do for next time!

# data[].attributes.body
In week for I went up with the band and showed Tom my track and we came up with a track that I could sing over this bit of the term I’ve been working mainly on 4 shots to get a recorded version to send to the band so that they know what to play and it was easier to show them a section than describe how I want the song to sound this is due to having about 15 minutes with the band each week so you got to use the time well.

This week I had written out the structure wrong which I then learnt for next time to make sure it’s correct as your then wasting your time with the band where you could have been practicing.

# data[].attributes.body
This was an idea for got to go. I knew I wanted a big build up for the chorus and pre chorus I wanted the same lyrics ‘i got to go’ but a big build up then when it gets to the chorus a bouncy chorus, I showed Abi D’Arcy’s track bounce which she did in her band free peace this was because I liked how it had a bounce in it and it was something I wanted to include in my track!

# data[].attributes.body
This was in the first week I got down to the studio with my friend to record bits for 4shots so that I could take the idea to the band and I would have a clearer idea of how it’s going and the band would be able to hear what I’m looking for. As last term one of my weaknesses was getting my idea across to the band for them to play it write, last term my song turned disco due to not having a clear understanding of how to explain what I want. For this I went and watched a load of songwriting films such as Ed sheerans movie songwriter I listened to how he and other artists described parts and then looked up words to describe them this is how I knew what a walking bass was.

# data[].attributes.body
This week I had covid so had no lessons, but I did work on 4 shots on the recording I had and added bits so I could take it to the house band the week. And recorded a vocal melody to I got to go. Which I then am going to take to Tom in my class the week after so he can help me come up with a track. As I had some ideas but it wasn’t a full idea.

# data[].attributes.body
In week two I looked over other ideas for the second song but decided to stick with the one that I was going to do the lyrics are

Lyrics
I saw you out apparently with the boys
Yet I saw you with a girl
Now I feel I fool I feel deep down in my shoes cos I’m not that girl
Fuck this shit I’m out this shit I’m out this is going south and it’s not for me
I got to get my keys and leave
I got to go x3
You don’t run this show oooooo
I got to go ooooooo
Ay ay ay
I saw you pay her attention like you never did to me
Now I see a fool glad I’m not in your shoes
Well I’m glad I’m not that girl
Fuck this shit I’m out this is going south
it’s not for me I got to get my keys and leave
I got to go

Then I had another idea with a different melody
I could say somethings I might regret
All these thoughts are running around in my head all your cheating and denying
All of your lying you had no respect.

# data[].attributes.body
In week one I had a clear vision of the songs I wanted to write, I chose these songs as there songs that I want to release in the future. I already had a little clip of something that I was doing outside which is 4 shots but it wasn’t finished, so I looked at a verse and looked over the lyrics and added some so it fit with the bars. I knew I wanted a reggae guitar part, a walking bass and drums just boots and cats and boots and cats.

Lyrics
I was walking to the pub to have a good time cos I got some things on my mind
I need to rewind with some friends of mine then I got to the line
I realised
I couldn’t see the time on my phone everyone starting to moan
I was walking through the club with a litre and a half an of course some fags
With a banging headache a bellyache to match starting to think this nights a drag got my friends telling me to do another shot
but I think that I might drop
Then I realised it’s only 9oclock

4shots down now I’m on the floor but I can’t help think that I want some more x4

I was walking from that night out to get in the cab
I haven’t eaten much today need a place to stay my minds be astray
I realised I didn’t have my phone or my money we got to walk oh honey
Nah that’s not even fucking funny

4 shots down now I’m on the floor but I can’t help think that I want some more x4

Guitar solo although it would be sick to have a trumpet solo

4 shots down now I’m on the floor but I can’t help think that I want some more x2
4 shots down get me off the floor I can’t help think I don’t need anymore x2

The key of the song is a Gminor

Gm/Cm/Gm/Daug/Cm/Gm/Daug

I wanted a off beat guitar part

Then a walking bass