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Image (djembe)

Personnel:
Kyle: vocals (rapping)
Georgina: vocals (singing)
Joe: drums
Me: guitar

The djembe is a West African goblet drum. It's tuned with ropes and the name roughly translates to "Gather in peace" (coming from the African phrase,  "Anke djé, anke bé"). Being very loud, it can cut through as a solo instrument - increasing the skin tension raises the volume. Skilled percussionists can reach at least 105 dB, a similar level to a chainsaw.

The lyrics were going to be serious and reflective, relating to poverty's prominence in Africa. Presumably the music would follow and use minor chords with a subdued percussion section to fit the somber theme. However, the final theme was found soon after and the music was only written to suit that:

"Put your hands up in the air/Rock your body side to side/Let the music make you move/Let it take you on a ride"

Following the change of theme, our intention was for it to be easy to dance to, as that's what the drum's music is intended for. Therefore, the guitar was to be syncopated (for the same purpose) and simple to allow the drums to come to the forefront (to tie in with the stimulus). The lyrics were now fun, light-hearted and lively, reflecting both the stimulus and the tropical climate of its original country. A rap was added for Kyle to add variety, modernize and widen the appeal.

Improvements to the final performance could be to complicate the guitar part, which remains with the same rhythm and chords throughout. Stage presence/enthusiasm is also lacking but understandable given its our first performance (nerves etc.) and that we don't know each other well.

[EDIT 16_11_17: these changes were implemented in Week 9 when we improved a previous stimulus]

https://youtu.be/HgqxRW7OOGw

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Image (storyboard)

Personnel:
Connie: vocals, ukulele
Tyler: vocals, ukulele
Joe: drums
Me: guitar
Heather: bass

It's a black and white storyboard showing a woman getting into her car and being tailgated by a red truck. The last shot showed her agitated expression in the mirror as she notices she's being followed. Omitting text and having an ambiguous ending creates a distressing and ominous atmosphere as we don't know the motivation of the truck driver and the fate of the protagonist.

At first I suggested a minor key and unnerving seventh chords to fit the mood, but Tyler went with a consonant major key as a  surprising and deliberate contrast.

The "stalker" theme was focused upon and the lyrics are a metaphor for social media's addictive nature. You can be so obsessed with following other people's lives online that you forget to enjoy your own, with the "red lights" being a self-conscious warning to stop.

Ooh...Woah Woah x2
Those red lights flashing in your eyes,
You don't see them you are blind,
I dont know why you don't see those red lights
red lights.
You don't wanna stop so you just go on,
You should be going but you still go on.
Listen to those red lights,
please just stop. x2
ooh woah x2
Red lights
Red lights
Why can't you see
Those red lights.
Ooh woah x2

The chord sequence of Cmaj, Em, Am, F major and the guitar riff are both restricted to the C natural major scale for a familiar and pleasant tonality, although the true nature of the theme is revealed in the chorus, utilising minor 7th chords. The first time it's played misleads the listener with a tonic C major, before switching to a Dm7 when repeated. We chose to make the minor tonality subtle and unclear to suit the ominous and chilling nature of the storyboard. It also made songwriting challenging and fun because the lyrics and music had to contrast but still work together.

https://youtu.be/MjzZ5Je4T7s

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Article (Syria)

Personnel:
Georgina: vocals
Tyler: drums
Emmie: guitar

The article (sourced from War Child, a charity assisting children in war zones) recounts the story of 10-year-old Dima, a Syrian refugee whose dad was killed by a rocket as their family crossed into Lebanon.

Each member excluding me had brought in their own ideas, consisting of chords and lyrics. Despite learning and performing all three songs, I'm only writing about one which I feel did the topic the most justice, which was Georgia's. This is mainly because of the chord progressions - Emmie's used too many major chords (esp. in the chorus) which wasn't sensitive enough to the distressing theme. I also thought the guitar part was more creative, with a memorable motif rather than just arpeggiating and strumming chord shapes. It still implied the following sequence...

A#m7, Fm, G#, D#

...but in a more original way, and suited the subject better with unnerving and downbeat minor 7th's. The repetition and familiar V-I sequence occurring when it loops suggests defeat and despair, because the article ends with her alone with her nightmares and unsure of her fate.

Lyrically, it starts off similarly with reflective reminders of the girl's death...

"You can never forget the tragedy you've seen/the pain that it's caused"

which soon changes to optimism:

"...what always remains is the will to rise up and live life again"/"There's a rebel deep inside"

This is indicated by the major chords at the end of the motif and the change in mood is replicated by the sequence, using minor chords first and the majors second, for an uplifting effect.

The chorus switches to strummed chords to create energy
/driving momentum and the compliment the intense vocal performance and powerful drumming, incorporating the whole kit instead of just the cymbal as in the verse. This buildup between the verse and chorus is an example of word painting, reflecting Dina's increasing motivation and changing perspective.

https://youtu.be/gmpy9wBa9oM?t=8m55s

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Moving Image (Rainbow Brite)

Personnel:
Carl - bass
Matt - guitar (acoustic)
Connie - ukulele

Rainbow Brite is a children's cartoon from 1983, about a girl who has to brighten her world with colour - she does this with help from a horse, sprite and a baby, and they team up to free child prisoners from an evil king. The extract used is the opening theme with the music muted, showing the protagonist ("Wisp") fighting against the Shadow King and going on adventures with the Colour Kids.

The whimsical fantasy tone was recreated musically with major chords and a natural scale (in A major), for familiarity and comfort. Dissonance wouldn't suit the stimulus and would imply apprehension which isn't present. One dangerous moment shows the  Dark Princess trapping Wisp in a bubble, which she soon breaks out of with a rainbow. Although the rest is harmless, this moment is implied in the chorus melody, with the first run ending on the 2nd (B) - the fact that it can be easily resolved nearby (down a tone to the root or up a tone to the third of C#, both in the major chord) and is in the next bar (which ends on the tonic) shows the quick relief of the danger. In the verse, each line is resolved on either the third or the root and stays within the major scale. We deliberately avoided overt dissonance to create an uplifting and cheerful mood, and the mellow, bright tone of Connie's ukulele was augmented with the sharp, snappy strumming pattern involving lots of staccato and palm muting. Without a drummer, Matt created a syncopated, percussive beat with the guitar, using his hand to simulate different elements of a drum kit. He hit the body for a deep, thudding bass drum and palm muted for a brighter, sharp timbre similar to a snare or cymbal.

The performance went perfectly, although my muscle memory failed at the end of the second verse and had to improvise. I was very lucky that it fit and was in key. It was a descent down A major and transitioned perfectly (ending on the 5th/E where the chorus pattern starts). The intention was for both verses to be the same but in hindsight, I preferred the change as it added variety and matched with the second chorus' change (ending on 6th/7th octaves which moved up from the 4th/5th used in the first - this resolves to the 8th/A chord that the ukulele plays right after and is an example of antiphony). On a related note, one compliment we got said that the dynamic between instruments worked well, especially with how difficult it is (all being stringed instruments).  Dropping out the lead guitar was part of this, making for a more exciting and engaging listening experience. With the same dynamics throughout it would be flat, lifeless and unable to immerse the listener in the story.  https://youtu.be/B1xL2pXPXOk

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Original (Night Terror)

Personnel:
Carl - vocals
Julia - flute
Ryder - bass

Night terrors are a type of sleep disorder which happens during the first three stages of NREM (non-rapid eye movement). They're affected by tiredness, excitement or anxiety but the cycle can be broken by waking up the child fifteen minutes before (if it happens at a specific time) Sufferers react physically and violently (thrashing/screaming etc.) but unlike a nightmare, have no memory of it when they wake up.

The chords implied in the verse are Cm9 and B major - all are arpeggiated and the Cm9 was dissonated with the seventh (B) to sound ominous, but also leads into the next chord. Cmaj7/B is briefly played and very subtle, initially just used to resolve back to the C but we kept it as the unexpected, unusual "harmony" creates anxiety, a cause of night terrors. Lyrically, it's told from a first-person perspective as the victim experiences one - Carl based it on a friend's first-hand experience. It paints a vivid picture with lots of descriptive language based on fantasy and metaphors:

"As "they" start to pull the strings..."
"A puppet controlling it's own strings, like a pawn in a larger game..."

They emphasize the lack of control and helplessness which is augmented by the dissonant 7th and 9th chords of the chorus:

Cm, Dm, Eb9, Bmaj
Cm, Dm, Abmaj9 (x2)

Occasionally the guitar dropped out and gives the flute and bass an isolated break. Its quiet dynamic creates a tense and unpleasant atmosphere, and the piece overall is a gradual crescendo that builds up to a fierce and intense guitar solo - this represents the overnight escalation leading up to the night terror and the lyrics are a sinister foreshadowing. Playing full chords instead of arpeggios in the chorus also added to the intensity and added to the interesting dynamic contrast throughout.

Being in drop C tuning gave it a doomy and grim tonality, although I'd forgotten to tune back down from E standard for the performance, so had to do so at the end of the verse when the lower string was used. This ruined the harmony and was a silly mistake that can easily be fixed for a future performance. I also felt the guitar solo should've had a decrescendo to fit with the band getting quieter instead of remaining loud - it stood out like a sore thumb at the very end.
https://youtu.be/a3ZOjnPNL88

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Original (Purgatory)

Personnel:

Georgina - vocals (singing)/guitar

Connie - ukulele/vocals

Kyle - vocals (rapping)

The theme is unrequited love and is told from a first-person perspective, with the protagonist invoking sympathy, well aware of how (un)realistic the relationship is:

"I'm down on my knees"/"Without you in my life, I'm in constant agony"/"...weaker than I could ever be"

Its title refers to a physical state of suffering within Roman Catholic theology when the subject has their soul cleansed of sin before going to Heaven. The suffering aspect is the main inspiration and I think that regarding the subject, the lyrics were unfocused and vague, which is admittedly complex and hard to write about. None of the lyrics mentioned sinning, which is the focus of purgatory (cleansing them) rather than suffering.

The key is C# minor, with this chord sequence repeating throughout:

C#m, Emaj, Bmaj, F#min

It's fully consonant and remains in the natural minor scale which has the following relationship between each note/chord: I, III, VI, IV. The intro and verse sticks to natural chords (i.e. triads) to clearly establish the tonality for the listener and keep it memorable. It's only in the chorus that alterations are introduced because the sequence is well-established by that point and variety is needed to engage the listener. I join in the pre-chorus with syncopated arpeggios but that is mostly natural excluding the last F#m7 chord - the 7th (E) is the third of the tonic key, and as part of the root minor triad makes for a nice resolution, which is the only reason I used it.

The complicated chorus is as follows:

C#m7, E9, B7, F#m7

...but is still consonant because it only uses altered chords, which are diatonic and stay within the key, avoiding chromatic/dissonant extensions. I couldn't stray too far because the ukulele sticks to tonic triads throughout and didn't want to to clash with it. Staying within the diatonic scale allows for a deviant and compelling sequence which remains melodious and tuneful at the same time.

A minor improvement would be to restructure the rap. Kyle arrived late so didn't have much time to contribute and rehearse - it was a pre-written verse he'd already written for a different song and the sudden, sharp rhythmic flow clashed with the relaxed, loose strumming pattern and tempo. In performance, I made several mistakes during the guitar solo creating unwanted dissonance which may have worked in a different context but not here with a diatonic and harmonious chord progression. What worked best were the dynamics in building tension and intensity (e.g. the crescendo going into the solo) which perfectly accentuated the pain and misery in the lyrics.

https://youtu.be/P2GxYDDFKRk

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Image (djembe) - improvement

Personnel:

Georgina - bass, vocals (singing)

Heather - drums

Kyle - vocals (rapping)

The stimulus was the same as the very first week but we had to add and improve upon the original attempt. To do so I complicated the guitar part by arpeggiating the chords and adding more to the sequence - in the original it constantly switches between straight Dmin Dsus4/9 with the same strumming pattern throughout. Adding staccato syncopation created a groovy swing perfect for dancing (which expressed the stimulus).

The new intro chord sequence is:
Dmin Gmaj Dmin
Cmaj Fmaj Gmaj

The sparser original sequence remained in the verse so that the vocals could come to the forefront without the guitar clashing. When the drums came in halfway through (the verse) my strumming pattern became more percussive and staccato to match, with lots of choppy palm muting inspired by ska, which heavily focuses on its rhythm section. The lyrics and Kyle's rap remained the same but as in the intro, my backing part was complicated with a riff based on the natural scales of the verse chords - I syncopated this pattern to drop every 1st beat (which was accented by the hi-hat, creating an antiphony effect).

As well as this more complex composition being more engaging, the performance was improved by our increased confidence and we added a percussive interlude with audience participation, because the djembe's name is derived from an African phrase meaning "everyone gather together".

One small problem with the performance was the inconsistent count-in. I deliberately started more slowly because the tempo was too quick, although this came off as unprofessional and gave an impression of me having bad timekeeping skills.

https://youtu.be/ZWzpxEHeGZg

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Original (Happiness)

Personnel:
Kyle: vocals (rapping)
George: guitar
Ben: guitar
Joe: drums

This is a simple stimulus and therefore we wrote a simple piece to represent it, relying upon "happy" major chords in the key of D with a wider interval of a semitone between the root and third (compared to the minor). According to composer and music teacher Adam Neely, larger intervals are psychologically perceived as "brighter".
The intro also uses octave double stops, sliding up from the 2nd (E) and resolving on the harmonious major 3rd (F#).

Occasional slash chords were used as they incorporated leading tones (the bass notes) that transitioned to a diatonic chord. E.g. the bass in D/F# leads up a semitone to G. In the bridge, the key switches to minor with antiphony between both guitars, but this soon resolves to the major 4th. Just done for variation and diversity instead of to signal a mood change but it stuck out and a key change would've done the same while keeping the mood consistent.

Although the performance went well (for me), I was disappointed in the composition and had much more potential. Kyle's rap started in the verse and overlapped the first quarter of the chorus  - neither sections repeat. It was muddled and rushed so I'd want to add in another of both for consistency. Along with the odd structure, it was rushed and didn't fit with the music. Spacing out each word and following the guitar pattern would prevent them clashing and creating rhythmic dissonance.

The guitar harmonies complimented each other well (e.g. George arpeggiating and me playing dyads in the verse) and the riffs were both memorable and fitted the stimulus - it's the structure and the blend of instruments that were rushed and should've had more time spent on.

https://youtu.be/o2dhbjmgZl8