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Last term provided me a lot of perspective on staying on top of work and how out of hand it can get if you let it get away from you. So I have three main areas from last term I aim to improve on.

Meeting deadlines: Last term showed me how easy it is to let deadlines get away from you and just how easy it is to let them build and build. I have made myself a SMART target to help myself stay on top of handing in work before their due date.

Recording work: Using voice memos and recording our sessions in Brighton Electric then immediately uploading those videos to where they need to go will stop me from trying to find certain videos and clips down the line. Last term I was rushing to try and put videos together and struggled to find videos from week two during week six.

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I have always been able to make long term plans and then compartmentalise the end goal into smaller steps through out the year. Success to me means making progress towards my end of year goal. Whether I meet that goal or don't come close, as long as I make steps towards that goal, I will have succeeded in making progress this year.

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In our first study group of the term we simply went over the formative and summative hand in dates, also what is required for them.

Two different tracks with varying genres, one live studio version and one DAW track.

We also started SMART steps towards starting the new term and mine went over handing in coursework on time.

We also started putting together a pie chart for different potential income revenues.

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In our first technical development lecture of term two, we started with samba beats.

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SAMBA PRACTICE

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Progressing our Samba beats

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For the first pre-production rehearsal of the term, we went with a classic jazz lounge genre of Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now'

First, we started improvising what jazz styles we all knew into the song. I went with a light touch constantly riding the ride cymbal with light tom fills to transition into certain sections.

Some of the musicians in this rehearsal weren't very productive as jazz can be quite a challenging genre however I think that is more of a reason to try and come up with a creative and pristine cover of a pop track.

I thought well constructed guitar parts would add this flavourful melody on top of a light touch of quiet and delicate vocals.

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Our first performance of this term went very well, communication between band members being the key to success.

Our performance was a classic jazz lounge style of Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now' so dynamics and volume control was crucially important, especially from me, the drummer.

As there weren't any huge time signature changes or many flashy stage moments with big fills and solos, communication was still key but it felt like a seamless performance with a well rounded ending.

[ADD LIVE VIDEO PERFORMANCE.]

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In our first production lecture back after our break we recapped what we went over (types of mics, recording drums, using Logic, using MIDI, mixing recorded stems etc...)

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This week we looked at opportunity, more specifically turning weakness into opportunity. There is a SWOT analysis chart I have filled out from this week to help me visualise my strengths and weakness but also so I can see the opportunity I have at the start of this term. Where I can take my strengths and how I can use them and how I can improve on my weaknesses.

We also went over a Practice routine template which I was a huge fan of and will be labelled 'Personal Practice Routine.'

This will be the blueprint I follow for my technical practice and coursework this term to help me meet my SMART goals of staying on top of deadlines and submissions.

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In this weeks technical development we went over six stroke rolls.

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[Insert voice memo of practice]

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Six stroke roll

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Six-stroke roll 'accent first'

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Six stroke roll 'left handed lead'

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Six-Stroke Roll ‘left lead accent first’

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Six-Stroke Roll ‘left lead accent first’

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Six-Stroke Roll ‘left lead accent first’

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Six stroke roll - Against up beat

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Six stroke roll - adding cymbals

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Riverboat - Practice

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Introduction to linear grooves

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Furthering linear grooves

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Chain of fools - practice

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Chain of fools - Live

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My chosen DAW track is 'Chain of fools' by Aretha Franklin. We have composed an upbeat poppy and modern cover of this classic song to display our creativity when it comes to making covers.

My chosen live track is Breezeblocks by Alt-j. This is a perfect example of modern techno-rock and a huge diversion from an Aretha Franklin track.

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Jay Buchanan is a singer songwriter from the band Rival Sons who I believe is in the same position I wish to be in later in my career. His revenue streams consist of;

Live performances

Streaming royalties

Merch sales

Record deals

Album sales

Multiple platinum and gold certifications

Music video views

Licensing deals

Extensive touring

Jay uses electrifying performances to en-capture the bands audience and have them keep coming back. I have always had a passion for creating memorable shows through my playing and connecting with my audience

The more I build my career and through performances and social media branching, the bigger my following will grow which will lead to streaming royalties. This crucially links to an innovative music video. They are a great way to allow listeners to see what story you are telling as an artist, it shows the artist is willing to put in the extra effort to make the best performance they can for their audience.

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My contrasting tracks are 'Chain of Fools' by Aretha Franklin and 'Breezeblocks' by Alt-J.

These are two brilliant contrasting tracks as 'Breezeblocks' is robotic and rigid whilst 'Chain of Fools' is organic and easily flows.

As I am using a cover version of 'Chain of Fools' for my DAW, we have given each instrument its own section to be heard and stand out. This links to my main goal of making my DAW sound as crisp and clean as I can. I will ensure every instrument shares the limelight but also that every aspect of the track compliments each other.

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Performance study group - Week five research 

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Performance study group - Week five research 

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I will research odd time signature fills as I have been playing more and more tracks not in 4/4 and it has become apparent that it is a necessity to be able to play odd time signatures confidently.

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Mix 'Chain of Fools'

Finish updating weekly logs.

Clean and organize coursework

Need to record our live track for summative.

Chain has been recorded and mixed

Logs are in progress

Coursework is more tidy

Live track recording has been booked and confirmed

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In this weeks pre-production we gave Aretha Franklins 'Chain of fools' a funky Jimmy Hendrix style.

The vocals in the original are very in the forefront however in we've made them sit back while the 'cash moments' are primarily done by the instruments.

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Coming over stagnation and procrastinating:

Sticking to a good schedule can help with maintaining a routine to follow to get tasks done.

Eating healthy and enough throughout the day to ensure you have enough energy to accomplish your tasks well.

Keeping your work/study space tidy can also be key to avoiding procrastination.

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Weekly diary entry logs

First week 'Potential Revenue Streams'

Feedback to apply to current work

SWOT analysis checkpoint

Chosen Formative tracks & what still needs to be done after Formative hand in.

Artist Case Study - Jay Buchanan - potential career model path.

Updated need to do list.

Chosen Summative tracks

REFLECTION

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My choice for DAW remained the same and I managed to hit my SMART targets while working on it. I managed to stay more time organized and work effectively so as to not fall so far behind. This is documented in my weekly diary logs.

I have evidence of the DAW works in progress through my diary logs also, along with the input of the musicians who played the track with me and how it affected the final outcome.

My live summative track has changed from Breezeblocks by Alt-J to 'Built by Nations' by Greta Van Fleet. I made this decision because, through the rehearsal stages of both tracks leading up to the summative, I saw that 'Built by Nations' showed more of my technical range than Breezeblocks did.

Our rehearsal for the track is under Summative track rehearsal.

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Teaching : I would be able to give drum lessons once a week, for as much as I would want to charge, to beginners looking to get into playing.

Live performance : A main goal of mine for this year is to start playing gigs (paid or unpaid) I am aiming to get my foot in the door.

Releasing content : As much as a long shot as it is, I also aim to release some type of content this year on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.

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Week 9 - review and reflection of DAW track

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Week 9 - review and reflection of DAW track

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The process of putting together this psychedelic rock, lounge mashup of an Aretha Franklin track has been incredibly insightful. I knew before taking on such a project I would have to set myself goals/milestones (SMART targets) to ensure I did not burn out or lose focus of my main goal, which was to produce a cover track that sounds as professionally mixed as I could get it. From playing it live at the Waterbear venue, I was confident that through using Logic, I would be able to transform this lounge jazz track into the psychedelic, thrashing rock sound I wanted. One of my SMART goals at the start of term was to stick to a schedule that helps me stay on top of my deadlines and not miss classes. I am happy to say this worked! (To an extent) Sticking to this schedule allowed me to healthily work on my DAW track at a good pace through out the term.

Being almost a total stranger to using Logic, I can say with confidence, I hit another one of my SMART targets which was to become more familiar with and be able to use Logic confidently on a project. All these SMART targets were aimed towards helping me stay on track but more importantly tp help me progress and develop my skills as an artist.

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My chosen live performance track was Built by Nations by Greta van Fleet and my DAW track was a cover of Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin. Our version of Built by nations was as close to the original as we possibly could get whereas my DAW of Chain of Fools was a cover that I changed from a jazz lounge style to a psychedelic, thrashing rock track. I mixed and produced the entirety of my DAW track myself, from putting the stems onto a logic project to mixing the stems all together then producing the track to sound how I wanted it.

To start, my live performance was going to be a live cover of Breezeblocks by alt-j however this was changed when I started rehearsing Built by nations and uncovered that it showed more of my range of skill and dynamic then Breezeblocks would have. I was the percussion part of our live performance, keeping the time and controlling the dynamics. I was also the percussion part for my DAW track, which I feel is one of the best positions to be in while changing the style or genre of a song. Whilst recording our stems at the Venue, I was able to control the dynamics with my volume and use of thrashing cymbals and open high-hat.

Whilst both tracks are high energy, both have guitar solos and a strong driving back beat- there are huge aspects of each track that make them stand out individually. Such as, the guitar tones on my DAW have been toned down to match the style we were aiming for and then whilst in production I was able to add a pedal that added the 'wooshing' sound heard on the track which helped deliver the psychedelic style we wanted. I was also able to do a lot of work to the vocals that drove home the psychedelic feeling I was aiming for. For example, duplicating, compressing then running the duplicated stem through a track with a chorus effect and reverb plate allowed me to add a sense of richness and almost this enveloping sound that takes over but compliments and blends well with the rest of the band. I chopped up and cropped a second take of vocals and placed them on top of certain lines through out the track to give it more of a fulfilled sound when listening to it. Without this the vocals risked sounding dry and washed out by the rest of the track.

This is in contrast to our live performance as the vocals are quite dry with no reverb or chorus support. The track, Built by nations did require some healthy reverb or wet echo, however granted we did not have these effects on the vocals for our performance, it did not take away from our energy, musicality or ability to deliver a passionate performance.

From a drummers perspective, the funk drummer feel of our cover of Chain of fools is a huge difference to the style used in Built by nations. Built by nations was much more rigid and constructed whereas Chain of fools is much more smooth flowing and has a more 'go with the groove' feel. There are moments in both tracks where there are intervals for a drum fill or guitar fill/solo but I reinstate again, the style played during these intervals are vastly different to compliment the genre of the track.

In the same way that both tracks have a guitar riff to open the songs, they contrast each other by one being very muddled and dirty sounding and the other sounding crisp, clean and rigid.

I can say with confidence I am now no longer a stranger to Logic and can navigate the platform far better then I could at the start of the term. Through working on my DAW I have learnt how to use logic to a certain level, how to record different instruments and how to manage their stems, how to mix different stems together for a project and most importantly I can/have successfully put together my own version/cover of a song.

After booking our first rehearsal for Built by nations, we quickly realised this was not going to be such a straight forward track. With odd time signature build ups and complicated fills, we knew we would have to get as many rehearsals in as we could. We made sure to try and arrange at least one small pond session once a week in the lead up to our assessment. As a personal reflection, I do not think we arranged enough rehearsal sessions, I believe we could have benefitted from a few more practices, therefore moving forward, I will ensure I am arranging as many band rehearsals as possible when leading to our performance. This is a good habit to get into as well for future projects with bands when trying to book a room.