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I worked evenly on both tracks until they were both finished. I divided my Time between both tracks efficiently and effectively to get them both finished at the same Time. I First started by creating the first chord progressions that became the verses of both songs then developed the choruses based on them chord progressions. I then began writing the rest of songs, the lead melody’s, and sampling the drums. I Recorded the songs as I wrote them and did rough mixing as I went on. I had many inspirations for these songs such as King Krule (King Krule, 2015) and Cosmo Pyke ( Cosmo Pyke, 2016) to name a-few. The relaxed jazzy chords and laid back feel inspired me on these songs. I followed my timetable on when I would work on my project and chronologically followed the work on my songs implementing each each section one at a time.

In the song ‘goes like this’ I used two guitars a bass sampled drums and synths to create my track. I used my Strat for all of the guitar parts to achieve the tone I wanted. The tempo is at 120 bpm and the key signature is d maj or b minor. The chords from the verse of this song go like this eminor9 an Amaj a dmaj9 and a bmin7. Which is a 4-7-3-1 Chord progression in bminor or dmaj. The chorus chords go dmaj7  b7  f#m7 gmaj7 which is a 3-1-5-6 chord progression. The track is in 4/4. The track has a very simple verse chorus structure with an instrumental at the end. I chose to have the song fit a kinda lofi production value that is stylistic and adds to the song. The song is about a very personal thing so the subject matter is kept vague on purpose. The lyrics talk about it “goes like this” and “draw the rain” is abstract on purpose and hints to the music being part of the meaning as-well as the lyrics. I Recorded all my Guitars and bass through my Kemper Profiler.

In the song ‘No turning back’ I used two guitars a bass and sampled drums and synths. I used my Strat for the chords to achieve a clean clear tone and used my Shergold with p90s in for the lead to achieve a deep jazzy tone. The tempo is at 120 bpm and the key signature is b minor or  d maj.

The chords from the verse are dmaj7 a fmb6 and a gmaj7 which is a 3-5-6 chord progression. The chords in the chorus are  gmaj7 f#minor and dmaj7 and at the end Amaj7 which is a 6-5-3 with a 7 at the end. These chord progressions are in d maj or b minor. The track is a verse chorus structure with instrumental parts in between. I wanted to achieve a lofi style similar to lofi hip hop such as Milo (Milo, 2015). The song is purposely vague in subject matter. It talks about ‘theres no turning back’ creating a sense of hopelessness.

I purposely made these songs very similar as they both talk about the same subject matter. I thought having them in the same key but different chords and melody would be interesting as they speak about the same subject but from different angles.

The jazzy chords contribute to the Neo-soul and jazz influence I was going for. The sampled drums hint towards the hiphop influence as-well.  Artists such as Charlie Hunter (Charlie Hunter, 2016) inspire my guitar playing and that jazz feel I was hoping for. I was inspired by artists such as Earl Sweatshirt (Earl Sweatshirt, 2012) for the hip hop elements duo my songs.

Other forms of research like Unsungsundays (unsung Sundays, n/a)  article about jazz and hip hop and how they are making a comeback together. This solidified my idea of combining jazz and hip hop along with indie pop to create my tracks. Also Forbes (Forbes, 2020) spoke about lofi hiphop making a comeback in their article. Saying lofi hip hop usually involves jazz is testament to my songs and how they include both styles.

I was responsible for all elements of my track apart from mastering as I will be using an AI mastering tool. The reason for this is because its something I'm not the best at myself but an AI is affordable and effective and achieves what I need to for this assignment. I wrote all the guitar and bass and synth parts. Sampled all the drums did all the mixing and recording.

Since the start of the module I think I’ve improved a lot. To start off with I rarely finish a song so this module forced me to do so and I grew from it. Another reason I developed was because I followed my Timetable and actually stuck to it which helped me drastically having that structure really helped me get things done. I have also improved on my production skills my tracks are routed better and mixed better than last term and this is something I'm proud of. One thing I think I Could’ve improved on is my work on modes as I think I could understand them but not to the extent I could use them in my songs.

Listening back through my tracks the things that stick out to me is my vocals. As before this module I struggled with my vocals where as on these tracks I feel they sound good, and I am pleased with how they turned out. Another thing I'm happy with is my guitar tones and how soaked in reverb they are and how clean but punchy they are. Although I am happy with the production overall I think I could have had it that extra bit professional sounding which is something I will have achieved in the next module. If I was to repeat this module I wouldn’t do anything differently I am happy with how things went. My target audience feedback was good and positive, people liked my song so I'm happy with the response I got.

References :

“King Krule - Baby Blue.” Www.youtube.com, 13 Mar. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCzPYAISWw.

“Milo - Zen Scientist Feat. Myka 9.” Www.youtube.com, 8 Sept. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiG8vCIXLmY.

Music, Groundup. “Charlie Hunter - No Money No Honey.” Www.youtube.com, 16 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HJQJzUwRMk. Accessed 9 Apr. 2021.

Pyke, Cosmo. “Cosmo Pyke - Social Sites.” Www.youtube.com, 14 Nov. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtdxPgtyGm0.

Sweatshirt, Earl. “Earl Sweatshirt - Chum (Explicit).” Www.youtube.com, 4 Dec. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCbWLSZrZfw. Accessed 9 Apr. 2021.

unsungsundays. “Jazz Fusion’s Comeback.” Unsung Sundays, unsungsundays.com/features/jazz-fusions-comeback/.

Zarczynski, Andrea. “How Lofi Hip-Hop Will Inspire New Music in 2021.” Forbes, 23 Dec. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/andreazarczynski/2020/12/23/how-lofi-hip-hop-will-inspire-new-music-in-2021/?sh=2490a0066663.

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I have my songs left to mix and master and i need to write my 1000 word reflection.

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Chapter 9 goes like this vocal automation 

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Chapter 9 goes like this vocal automation 

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Here on the vocals I am automating the volume to make sure the levels are right.

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Chapter 9 goes like this solo automation 

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Chapter 9 goes like this solo automation 

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Here I am finalising my project by adding automation to the volume so the tracks levels are right all the way through.

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I’ve added a piano into my song to add abit more development in the final chorus

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I Have decided to name my songs :
song 1 - Goes Like This
song 2 - No Turning Back

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Chapter 9 Goes like this musical analysis 

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Chapter 9 Goes like this musical analysis 

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Structure

The structure is very much a verse chorus structure with instrumental sections in between. It goes instrumental/verse/chorus/instrumental/verse/chorus/instrumenal outro. This is a very classic song structure.

Instrumentation & Timbre

The instruments I used were Guitar, Bass, Synth, Sampled drums. I wanted to achieve an airy sound that heavily relied on reverb. I wanted clean guitar tones but slightly broken up tubey sound of my strat works perfectly with this song in the lead guitar melody. Aswell as my shergold in the rhythm with the p90s sound deep and full bodied for that section. The synths i perticularly selected airy synths that complement the style of music.

Production Techniques

I used a variety of production techniques. The first one I used was multitracking. In the rhythm section of my  song I double tracked my guitar to get a fuller sound. I also used eq to cut out all unwanted frequencies and to focus my sound abit more. I also use compression to add more punch into my track. I have started to implement panning to create a wider stereo field.

Harmony

The chords from the verse of this song go like this eminor9 an Amaj a dmaj9 and a bmin7. Which is a 4-7-3-1 Chord progression in bminor or dmaj. The chorus chords go dmaj7  b7  f#m7 gmaj7 which is a 3-1-5-6 chord progression.

Rhythm

The rhythm is very loose and airy with abit of groove.

Time signature

The song is in 4/4

Tempo

120 BPM

Lyrics

Verse

I draw the rain
and the clouds above your head and it goes, goes like this

I draw the sun
and it goes, goes like this

Chorus

lost my mind
im lost in time x2

Verse

I draw the circles
circles round your head
and it goes, goes like this

I draw the the moon
and it goes, goes like this

Chorus

lost my mind
im lost in time x2

Genre

I feel this song has many influences such as neo soul, jazz, indie pop and lofi hip hop.

Feel

My song has an airy feel with a slight groove and slight syncopation.

Performance Techniques

For the vocals I really had to project my voice in order to get the sound i was hoping for. I also used alternate picking on the guitar parts.

Dynamics and Texture

In the second Chorus more instruments come in with a another synth pad and a distorted guitar to add more texture and uplift the song at the ending.

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https://waterbear.instructuremedia.com/embed/c9643b5a-ccdd-444c-bf70-902245e846ff

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I Doubled up the snare so it had more punch in the mix.

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Project against the timelines
I am up to date with my project timeline as i have finished recording the parts for each song and the mixing has been completed to. I think it could use afew more weeks of tweaking but i feel i am more than on track with the songs.

Formative Feedback
I need to work on getting my tracks to display some differences between eachother as stylistically they are very similar.

Practice Routine
I think my practice routine is going okay. I follow it loosely but not to the capacity I should be. I will be making more of an effort to follow it in the future.

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Feelings
Im getting used to these scales now and im getting used to what the phrygian mode sounds like.
Evaluation
I manage the scales well and can use them over chords in phyrgian mode.
Analysis
I am able to play the scales well and play them over a chord progression well.
Conclusion
In conclusion I think i have a good understanding of the mode.
Action plan
Next step is is write a song in this mode.
Description
Next step is to create a song in this mode. Using this scale.

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Chapter 9 No Turning Back Musical Analysis

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Chapter 9 No Turning Back Musical Analysis

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Structure

This song uses a typical song verse chorus structure. It goes like this instrumental/verse/chorus/instrumental/verse/chorus/instrumenal outro.

Instrumentation & Timbre

In this song I used guitars, bass,  synths and sampled drums. I wanted to create a jazzy reverby kinda sound with clean guitars. I used my strat for the clean chords to create a nice tubey sound. Then i used my shergold with p90s to create a deep jazzy sound for the lead guitar.

Production Techniques

I used alot of production techniques. I used double tracking for all my guitar parts to make a thicker more fuller sound. I also used eq to cut out all unwanted frequencies and to focus my sound abit more. I also use compression to add more punch into my track. I have started to implement panning to create a wider stereo field.

Harmony

The chords from the verse are dmaj7 a fmb6 and a gmaj7 which is a 3-5-6 chord progression. The chords in the chorus are  gmaj7 f#minor and dmaj7 and at the end Amaj7 which is a 6-5-3 with a 7 at the end. These chord progressions are in d maj or b minor.

Rhythm

The rhythm is very loose but has a slight groove to it.

Time signature

4/4

Tempo

120 Bpm

Lyrics

Verse

Its always going around
round in my head
its always cooped up comfy
hibernating dread

Chorus

well ill sit forever nothing is a fact
well ill sit forever theres no turning back

Verse

its always forever turning spinning around

its always falling face first
face on the ground

Chorus

well ill sit forever nothing is a fact
well ill sit forever theres no turning back

Genre

This song has many influences such as neo-soul, jazz, hip hop and indie pop.

Feel

I wanted to create an airy feel that was chilled and laid back.

Performance Techniques

I used my guitar skills to create a solo for the song using the d maj scale. I also used my voice in a certain way in order to achieve the sound I wanted.

Dynamics and Texture

The song develops over time adding synths into the latter section with a guitar solo at the end.

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Here I’ve put automation in after watching lecture 5 of the production module

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Long term career goals (playing my own tour, having a successful career and catalogue of music)

Degree

Self development (guitar production techniques)

Networking

Stand to gain a qualification/money

Passion self fulfilment

Having regarded project

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Turns out I am a perfectionist, warrior, pleaser and rebel. So much so I procrastinated getting this quiz done.

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Here I’ve added a synth into my track

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I think my project will be liked by my target audience. I think it appeals to the singer songwriter people as well as the jazz people and the pop music people.

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I’ve added a synth here into my track. I'm inspired alot by synth pop bands like (future islands, 2014) where a mixture of guitars and syths is used.

4AD. “Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting on You) (Official Video).” YouTube, 21 Jan. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Ae-LhMIG0.

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I think theres lots of influences in my songs. From lofi hip hop to dream pop to jazz and neo soul. I think the drums and percussion remind me of hip hop really with the sounds i've used. Hip hop originated in the 70s in the bronx in new york city. Artists such as Milo (Milo, 2015) inspire that.  I think my guitars and bass remind me of neo soul/jazz. This comes from the use of 7th and 9th chords. Jazz originated in the late-19th to early-20th century as a version of classical music influenced with African and slave folk songs. Neo soul comes from the 90s and is basically modern soul/motown. I listen to lots of different types of music so my style has developed through that into a mixture of lots of different artists and styles. Artists like D'angelo (D'angelo, 2018) and King Krule (King krule, 2015) inspire that.

References
D'angelo (2018). Spanish Joint. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clXS_1NJC_Q&list=PLj0iicDFTqJq8CcEMDS1VUbT0DPjFYOm1&index=10 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

Junction, C. (2015). King Krule - Baby Blue. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCzPYAISWw.

www.youtube.com. (2015). milo - zen scientist feat. Myka 9. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiG8vCIXLmY [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

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Verse

Its always going around
round in my head
its always cooped up comfy
hibernating dread

Chorus

well ill sit forever nothing is a fact
well ill sit forever theres no turning back

Verse

its always forever turning spinning around

its always falling face first
face on the ground

Chorus

well ill sit forever nothing is a fact
well ill sit forever theres no turning back

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Verse

I draw the rain
and the clouds above your head and it goes, goes like this

I draw the sun
and it goes, goes like this

Chorus

lost my mind
im lost in time x2

Verse

I draw the circles
circles round your head
and it goes, goes like this

I draw the the moon
and it goes, goes like this

Chorus

lost my mind
im lost in time x2

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Chapter 5 Secondary and primary reasources

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Chapter 5 Secondary and primary reasources

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Primary

D'angelo - Spanish joint

King Krule - Baby Blue

Cosmo Pyke - Social Sites

Tom Misch - Runs through me

Milo - Zen Scientist

Secondary

Udiscovermusic

Forbes

The Independant

Unsungsundays

Sources
D'angelo (2018). Spanish Joint. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clXS_1NJC_Q&list=PLj0iicDFTqJq8CcEMDS1VUbT0DPjFYOm1&index=10 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

Junction, C. (2015). King Krule - Baby Blue. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCzPYAISWw.

Misch, T. (2018). Tom Misch - It Runs Through Me (feat. De La Soul) [Official Video]. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1N_wbhAfQ4 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

Pyke, C. (2016). Cosmo Pyke - Social Sites. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtdxPgtyGm0 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

The Independent. (2019). How bedroom pop became the dominant sound of Gen-Y angst. [online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bedroom-pop-billie-eilish-rex-orange-county-clairo-spotify-a9226256.html.

Unsung Sundays. (n.d.). Jazz Fusion’s Comeback. [online] Available at: https://unsungsundays.com/features/jazz-fusions-comeback/ [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

Waring, C. (2019). When Jazz Ruled The World: The Rise And Reign Of America’s True Art. [online] uDiscover Music. Available at: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/in-depth-features/when-jazz-ruled-the-world/.

www.youtube.com. (2015). milo - zen scientist feat. Myka 9. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiG8vCIXLmY [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

Zarczynski, A. (n.d.). How Lofi Hip-Hop Will Inspire New Music In 2021. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andreazarczynski/2020/12/23/how-lofi-hip-hop-will-inspire-new-music-in-2021/?sh=2490a0066663 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

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Here I’m just realising that A Dorian is basically the second position for the G maj shape. Now I just have to think about the Dorian as it’s own entity rather than just a position in g maj or e minor...

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https://waterbear.instructuremedia.com/embed/d65a89a1-44a5-45b1-8aa6-ad4877ecc8e5

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https://waterbear.instructuremedia.com/embed/81b1de5c-e2ba-4ea8-845c-7b20e10a4f64

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All my guitar sounds come from my kemper direct into my DAW.

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Chapter 4 song 2  chorus chords and bassline 

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Chapter 4 song 2  chorus chords and bassline 

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Bassline follows the chords in octaves the chords are gmaj7 f#minor and dmaj7 and at the end Amaj7.

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Chapter 4 song 1 guitar chorus melody and bassline 

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Chapter 4 song 1 guitar chorus melody and bassline 

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Here is the guitar melody for the chorus and the bassline whcih follows the rootr notes of the chords. I also have a bongo sample in the chorus too.

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Chapter 4 song 1 chorus chord progression 

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Chapter 4 song 1 chorus chord progression 

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Here we have the chorus chords for song 1. They consist of a dmaj7 b7 f#m7 gmaj7.

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Heres the basline moving in octaves.

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Here there’s two takes panned hard left and one is an octave higher than the other.

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My goal is to go for quality over quantity as I feel my songs are quite sparse and I dont over load the songs with loads of different instruments. Another example of this is I have gone for quite a simple verse chorus structure keeping things concise and straight forward  not overcomplicating things and not having loads of different sections and just developing the sections I already have. I do however think quantity in terms of making songs can eventually lead to quality as the more you make the better it gets so in that respect quantity is good. I have made 2 songs since making these two and my routing has got better so im already seeing the benefits of this.

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Heres the bassline moving in octaves.

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Week 15 Guitar technical dorian vamp practice 

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Week 15 Guitar technical dorian vamp practice 

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Description
Here I’m getting to grips with playing in different modes so I’ve started playing the scales over an am to get the feel for the mode.

Feelings
I thought getting into modes would be really difficult but i seem to understand dorian as a concept.

Evaluation
I felt this went well and I am able to get a feel for what the mode sounds like.
I feel like I also need to expore more into how i implement this mode into my own music.

Analysis
I think because im stuck with understanding my music in terms of shapes getting the theory down is difficult but Im getting there.

Conclusions
This is hitting my theory smart target. I have learnt how to expore the dorian sound. This might be valuable to use in my own music in the future. I think next time ill try this in a different key.

Action Plan
Next time i will be looking at different modes and also how i can apply dorian into my own music. Here i am hitting my smart target of getting my theory better.

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Here are the chords for song 2 they are dmaj7 a fmb6 and a gmaj7.

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Here are the chords for song 1 they consist of a eminor9 an Amaj a dmaj9 and a bmin7.

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I now know what areas I need to improve on now and what areas I am strongest at. This will help me focus in the future on what I need to do and what I need to focus on.

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Strengths:
-Having good equipment. So the sounds im getting in the first place are good.
- Being determind to improve is a big strength.
-My playing ability is high so I can improve on a broader scale.
-I feel I am good at writing songs.
Weaknesses:
-My singing needs improvement, I need more confidence in the delivery.
-I think my vocal mixing needs improvement also, to get the sound I want from a take that might not be perfect right away.
-Overall getting my mixes right. Making sure all the instruments fit and sit right in the mix.
-Theory is something I know but something I need to become fluent at.
Opportunities:
-making sure I do all the extra modules as I can so I can learn as much as possible.
-Having a mentor is a massive opportunity  to improve and develop skills.
-Having a solid practice routine if followed correctly will be massive in aiding development.
Threats:
- Not following practice routine would not be beneficial.
- Not having the mixes right for an ep release.

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Here is a chord progression ive been playing around with it consists of a dmaj7 a fmb6 and a gmaj7 and is in the key of dmaj. I think im going to do 2 original songs with videos for this term. I think im going to go for a house, neo soul, indie pop inspired song.

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1. Production skills

2. Theory

3. Guitar Technique

I wanted to keep afew focused targets so I don't overwhelm myself with targets to make them more achievable.

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Sucess for me would be to have an organised routine that I stick to, that helps me progress and I can see that progression at the end of term. In addition to this specifically I'd like to see my guitar technique and theory developing aswell as my production skills. To get a 2-1 or a first would also be my idea of success.

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Areas I would like to improve this term...

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Areas I would like to improve this term...

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1. More detail in my posts. I think last term I could've gone into more detail in my diary so this term im going to fully explore my diary and everything i'm doing.

2. I think my production is something I want to work on esspecially my vocal production. This is something I want to achieve so I can release an ep for release in the summer.

3. I think I want to get involved with more modules and have a more organised work schedule, to achieve better efficient learning. This would involve a regular practice routine on guitar and production skills.