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Keeping track of everything 26/09/23

Today was my first bass lesson in university where we met our classmates and went through the song "go your own way" by Fleetwood Mack. The song was not that difficult but its a good starting song for anyone learning. We also touched on the notes on the fretboard where we identified simple notes to build upon our knowledge .

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S: Specific - My main two goals this term are to develop my bass skills and network with my fellow class mates

M: Measurable - I can measure my success within my ability to play previously out of bounds pieces and for networking , the amount of time i spend with my peers

A: Attainable - With my bass lessons throughout the year i have a clear path of progression , with my networking i will over time develop my relationships with my peers

R: Relevant - Both targets are equally important throughout my musical career

T: Time Bound - I aim to have succeeded by the end of the year

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INITIAL CRITICAL REFLECTION (progress 1)

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INITIAL CRITICAL REFLECTION (progress 1)

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Why do i want to work in the music industry?

For my entire life music has been a part of it. I started out in marching band at age 5 like my parents did before me , and i fell in love instantly. I did not see myself going any other way and i want to share this love with as many people as i can.

what skills do i need to hone/learn to become better?

My communication skills are my most important. I do sometimes struggle to incorporate others ideas into my own personal vision . But i need too be able to collaborate in this field to succeed .

What skills do i already have?

I have my bass playing ability and my production ability which i have learned over the last 2 years through college

what motivates me?

I had an amazing teacher through secondary school who really pushed me and convinced me to not give up when times got tough . Because of him i have decided to become a teacher.

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Here is the video of treasure for our second week performance lesson , this song was quite simple really and took me about 15 minutes to learn.

This song is a good opener for the course in my opinion due to it not being to difficult and widely known. Obviously i don't know my peers to well yet but i hope to work well with them and enjoy the performance.

A potential challenge for this song could be my own playing style as i can overdo the slap technique as i do need to learn when to adjust for the chorus.

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SKILLS

musical instrument proficiency -

Bass 3/5

Guitar - 1/5

Drums 3/5

Music theory -

Notation 2/5

chord progressions + harmony 2/5

scales and modes 3/5

Songwriting 0/5

Production and recording -

DAW - 4/5

Recording techniques 3/5

mixing/mastering 2/5

Collaboration -

working with others 3/5

communicating effectively 3/5

giving and receiving feedback 3/5

Performance skills -

Live performance 4/5

stage presence 3/5

improv - 2/5

Music business

copyright/ licencing 2/5

marketing 2/5

networking 2/5

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For my assignment i would like to have a song which can show off my bass and production ability as i have not really had a time to explore this before . Most of the work i have done in the past has been simple .

I would prefer to do an original but it is a massive step forward for me as a musician

I would present my work in a live performance preferably as it is my strongest aspect , however going outside my comfort zone could be a good way to push myself

For my assignment i will have to collaborate with others to achieve the success i want to get . I understand that other people can bring better or improved ideas to the table that i might have not considered

Several challenges already come to mind with the assessment with my main worry being that whatever song i choose will not be technical enough to show off my ability. I already have several in mind but i will have to seriously consider which one would be best for me.

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2-3rd week 12/10/2023

This week was the performance of Jimi Hendrix's song "crosstown traffic"

In my opinion while practicing for this song I originally found it quite challenging with the unusual structure and my unfamiliarity with is work. The guitar solo contains a bass part which is quarter notes sliding to the 6th fret on the D string which I did find difficult at first . You can see this in my first practice run of the song where i was confused by it .

Band performance

After each member learnt their individual parts we came together for an hour and a half to practice and put together the pieces. During the rehearsal we discussed our joint unfamiliarity with the song and tried to maintain a professional working space to iron out any issues. We recorded two of the last run throughs of the song with Ellis in the guitar solo improvising too add flair too the piece . This did throw me of a slight bit at first as I was relying on the sound cue to start my part but I quickly figured it out .

Ideas and practice

During the week I started brainstorming ideas for my "2 songs" project where I would prefer to write an original piece as I never have before . This started from my bass technical lesson where I now understand major chord progressions and understanding the fretboard which allows me to greatly express my signature playing style . During the week I have practiced my exercises such as intervals in a major key and basic listening exercises to develop my ear.

This was a productive week for myself personally as i have started most of my projects and established connections in the music space.

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Todays rehearsal of "Call me" by Blondie

The song itself was difficult when it comes to the structure which all of us members did stumble on.

This was our first rehearsal of the song which we all learnt the song by ourselves at home using our canvas modules and teachers . The bass part itself is not technically challenging when it comes to the notation its actually quite simple . The main bridge section has a section of 6/8 switching from 4/4 and a key change . With the guitars i managed to clarify my notes and structure where we would work together as seen as me and marshal communicate throughout.

With the song we wanted to achieve as close to the original sound as possible but we did not have access to a synth until our venue performance which is significantly better with improved note accuracy and confidence.

In the future when it comes to songs like these , we are going to talk beforehand as we formed a group chat to discuss our musical tasks for the week

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In this weeks production lesson we explored the recording of acoustic guitars on DAWs. The photo provided shows the most common setup for these microphones for a good crisp sound.

We also explored different microphone setups such as having one higher up the neck which would sound "tiny" and show off the higher pitches of the guitar . Especially with that setup the sound of the fingers on the fretboard would be amplified .

Having the microphones towards the sound hole has a bass sound which can drown out the high notes , making the sound very muddy and muffled .

With the acoustic guitar , we learned that double tracking the guitar would provide a deeper and more full sound making the overall recording quality better .

This studio session has taught me the fundamentals of recording acoustic which i did not know as a bassist.

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For my formative assessment I decided to do the song "easy lover" by Phillip Bailey and Phil collins due to the baseline being difficult but recording . This was a rough recording after an hour and half of practice . The main challenges while doing this song is our lack of instrumentation , for example we do not have a synth nor reverb for the vocals . The 80s vibe of the song gets lost but in my final exam I intend to fully realise my vision by purchasing a midi keyboard and using logic plugins . Considering none of these people had played this song together before I would consider the rehearsal a success , work needs to be done on the intro and transition phases plus I would like to work on the guitars as I feel like two guitars drown out the bass .

I am extremely happy with the vocals with Owen (lead vocalist) doing an amazing job with Magda (backing) helping him out. with the DAW recording I would obviously double track the vocals with two separate recordings and Magda doing the backing vocals. When it comes to the drum fills on the recording I am most likely use logic drums just for timing and after effects sake .

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During my development week i decided to test myself with something outside my comfort zone . The song "Boogie Oogie" by "A taste of honey" was recommended to me by my nan , who is majorly into funk . My usual songs don't go far out of bowling for soup or 90s pop so this was a very nice , but challenging change of pace.

The main difficulty with this song was basically the fact it did not stop . As in the chorus verse ect the bassline would simply go straight into it no breaks . There was one bridge section where i don't play for approximately 8 bras but apart from that , this song was tough on my hands.

I did find after doing scales and interval exercises we had been taught in class have really helped my fingers to move better with my pinkie not locking up as often .

Blaze

0 notes

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Week 6s song was about timing , which is highlighted in the 5/4 time signature . Surprisingly the first run throughs of our song actually went quite well , only stumbling on the verses with the stops.

learning this song was actually difficult for me as I have never really listened to this style of indie music , totally outside my comfort zone . The rhythm in the main chorus was surprisingly nice with slides from the 11th to the 13th starting and moving down the neck. The part fits beautifully with the guitar cords .

Overall I ended up enjoying this song and have started listening to more hosier and similar music such as "work song" and "Jackie and Wilson" which I loved.

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Gibbs reflective cycle on my assessment submission

1. description

When doing this assignment i really struggled with my recording as i did not feel like i had the time to make it presentable nor did i tnk the quality was that good . for the phone reording it was in a practice room at small pond where i just recorded a run through with m bandmates.

2. feelings

during the rehearsals i found it had to execute my vision as the song requires an 80s fee with synths ect which i did not have access too during this time . Overall i was not happy with how everything turned outt and am considering switching the song entirely .

3. evaluation

overall there were some positives such as our working habits and the way we worked through together . I noticed that everyone did come prepared too the rehearsal and the general working time was productive . Apart from these points i was genuinely unhappy with how it turned out .

4. analysis

with this experience i now understand about making use of my time and there's . With rehearsal's and practice this ha shown me is i need to be consistent with my time and develop a schedule and need to motivate myself to do better . I also fel like my diary entries could be more precise .

5. conclusion

Overall i need to put a significantly higher amount of effort and time into my university work and my communication of others. I also need to look at my own standards as i definitely aimed higher then i could possibly hit .

6. action plan

I have already chosen a different song to preform which i believe is a much more probable target to reach . I also do believe its a better example of m technical bass ability . When it comes to my band work , i need to more actively engage in band work with others and reach out to wok with people .

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Harvard referencing in my assignments (week 6)

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Harvard referencing in my assignments (week 6)

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Harvard referencing in my assignments (week 6)

During our lesson we discussed and went over the use of harvard referencing. I do not fully understand the whole process but this is something i can go in depth with in my own time . I see the obvious academic and marking use as sources need to be labeled for truth reasons .

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Colchise - Audioslave WEEK7

Before being assigned this song I had never heard of it nor the band . Considering I've listened to quite bit of RATM and Foo fighters I was surprised I had never heard of them .

Overall learning this song was not difficult and took me about 20 minutes in total , with its repetitive rhythms and simple notes it was incredibly enjoyable to play where I was focussing more on having fun . This song to me is the dictionary definition of simple and effective . The bridge in my opinion is the best part with the direct contrast fro the verses and chorus being extremely effective.

While playing it took us about 2 runs to get the song solid , only really having problems with people not counting . In terms of other difficulties the speed of the song was slightly challenging at first but I very quickly got used to that. The song did take a toll on my fingers as I currently have a giant blister but it isn't too bad.

overall this is the best song we have done so far and I really enjoyed it , everyone in the band agreed on this and we had a good time playing it .

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Why NU metal is the best genre of metal (week 7)

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Why NU metal is the best genre of metal (week 7)

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Most people and bands outside the genre look down upon it. Most of the critics come from things such as its simplicity and its appeal for teenage audiences. The fact that NUmetal was mainstream makes people in the metal scene automatically hate it due to metals outlier status and its followers believing they are different .

The simplicity of the actual riffs and the pop structure makes most metalheads turn away from it . For instance , triplet riffs are extremely popular in most metal genres , but are noticeably absent with downturned power chords being preferred . With the older generation coming from the 80s the main idea of NU metal being "teenage agnst" was a common conception.

I feel like these people are not taking into account the effect that NUmetal had on society in the late 90s too early 2000s . I do agree that it is a much simplified metal genre but i would argue its more of a gateway to other genres . As the numetal fans aged to did there preferences with older bands eventually being appreciated . With this mainstream popularity does come people who pretend to enjoy the genre . Due to this mainstreamness fashion around the genre was massive with people who dont even listen to the music dressing and acting if they did . I do not believe this is that big of a deal though.

I believe that the entire argument about numetal is based on age . Those who came before hate the new "thing" and believe its a massive downgrade . Those involved in the scene in its peaked loved it and look back fondly . As someone who was born significantly after the peak i do love the genre and feel like one day it will return .

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Using EQ and organisation

This weeks production was all about the use of EQ in your project and using the colour tool to organise and manage your project . The use of colours for me actually helped me split the project into doable sections where I can approach them together or separately .

EQ to me seems like the equal of adding polish to me , I'm not sure if I have fully grasped the concept and how to use it but the example I was given was Michael Jackson "Billy jean" and how well it is mixed and I could tell when he was adjusting the eq the differences at the different frequency levels but I need to spend more time looking into it .

Mixing the track seemed like a long task and it is . The bass and the guitars are multi tracked through different amps which provides very interesting sounds , for example the bass has 4 different recordings with a di , a distortion , a crunch and a clean all together .

Overall I did somewhat enjoy the mixing but I'm not aiming to be a producer but it is always interesting to learn about.

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Formative assessment rehearsal - "Boogie oogie"

This is my song for my final assessment , which i believe shows off my bass playing ability and is one of my favourite songs to play.

The song is not a particularly difficult for any others instruments but the bass drives the song with its repetitive funky rhythm with breakdowns and runs towards the ends. With the final product I've requested a keys player to really add the finishing touches onto it , which i think will add some spark to the song . During this rehearsal i did my fingers to ache due to the non stop bass but i suppose my stamina will increase over time.

I prefer this song due to its simpler nature compared to easy lover and the vocals suit this song significantly better .

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WEEK 8 (paramore)

This week we did the song “aint it fun” by Paramore . The bass part for the song can deceive you at first by sounding simple but it’s actually quite the opposite , with alot of syncopation making the line tricky , mainly with the changes between the chorus . One thing about this recording i am upset about is the ending , the bass is supposed to have a really funky slap passage but the band wanted to do a different ending which i greatly disagreed with as it does not sound as good or clean .

While learning the song , certain passages caused me trouble while learning such as the little rundowns in the verses as they have ghost notes . I took so much time on the passage because i wanted to get it correct and i know i could achieve it if i kept working on it . After about 20 minutes i succeed and kept working on the song .

Unfortunately i was unable to attend the practice session before hand due to an interview so this recording was the first time i had ever played this with a band and i think it went quite well considering everything . Overall i really enjoyed the song but was frustrated by the ending choice , but its fair enough as i wasn’t present .

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In lesson today we learned about the use of compressors and how to use them in logic .

The screenshot provided shows a "studio vet" which is typically used for drums . The threshold is the meter which you adjust for which DB the compressor works at eg if it was set too -10 , anything under minus 10 would be compressed but everything above would not be.

The ratio is the amount of compression actually applied to the track compared to the un compressed track.

The makeup is simply just there to "make up" the sound that was lost during the compression phase

The attack is how quickly the compressor kicks into the track , so for example the compressor shown is used for drums , so you can have the big attack then compress the rest to really emphasise the hit and create a cleaner sound.

The release is quite simply the opposite of the attack .

During the lesson we learnt about the different types of compressors from cheap ones , well known ones and expensive high end ones . For example a optical compressor is on pretty much every record we have ever heard sed on things such as bass vocals ect.

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Safe working practices in the studio

While working on my assessment we made use of the small pond rehearsal spaces using them to record our songs in a studio environment . Making sure we were working was safely was important to make sure nothing went wrong nor anyone got hurt , for example the photo of the drumkit provided there are many cables around and across the room so we had a one way system of entering and exiting the room with the removal of headphones being necessary before getting up.

Another thing we did was no open drinks anywhere near the recording equipment or instruments with any food being the same . After a take or a amount of time working we would all leave to go outside or to the lobby drink , eat then go back in to make sure nothing bad happened .

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(Musical analysis)

The tempo of my track is 124 bpm

The key is D minor

The time signature is 4/4

The structure is a generic 8-8 structure

In the song the bass plays the main rhythms with guitar playing a D chord in a higher octaves and some trills

The melodic ideas are that the bass pushes the song as the original band does , as the main singer is also the bassist

The main techniques im looking for is a funky feel and specific bass rundowns that need to be done well

Overall i want a 70s style sounding song , not an exact copy but a reimagining