Performance Studies 1 by Ben Davies

Performance Studies 1 by Ben Davies https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3 Diary Entries en-us 2017-10-02 14:46:32 UTC 2025-03-19 00:42:09 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Terminator.png Week 1 - Overview (13/09/2017) - N/A gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193040354 Room 2

No compositions written. Just getting to know each other - we traded riffs with each other and taught bits and pieces. Was originally with Carl, Louis and Matt but Joe and Mitchel joined partway through.]]> 2017-10-02 15:05:35 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193040354 Week 2 - First composition (20/09/17) - World music gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193199292 Room 1

Matt - rhythm guitar, vocals
Ryder - bass
Connie - drums

The first composition had an Arabic theme - therefore, I used a neutral pentatonic (a.k.a. Egyptian) scale. The intervals are 1, 2, 4, 5, b7 and the song is in C, so in this key the notes are C, D, F, G, Bb, C.

Iron Maiden's Powerslave was the main inspiration, both for the Egyptian scale/intervals used (4/5 and 1/2) but also for the trills between said intervals.

The tonality is major in the intro but minor throughout the rest of the piece.

In the verse the chord sequence is as follows:

Cm Cm Abmaj A#maj

The chord sequence in the chorus is:

Cm A#maj Fmin (G) Abmaj

Using a minor pentatonic scale in the outro solo gave it a traditional Chinese feel, although the licks were more reminiscent of blues (see next entry). Incorporating multiple world music styles makes it more varied and creative.

https://youtu.be/YmJoFuoywRM]]> 2017-10-02 20:06:59 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193199292 Week 2 - First composition (20/09/17) - World music gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193650806 Audio recording - Performance (to class)]]> 2017-10-03 20:55:09 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193650806 Week 3 - First composition (27/09/17) - World music gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193746235 Room 1

Matt - rhythm guitar, vocals
Ryder - bass
Connie - drums

The structure was significantly changed. A bridge went between the chorus and solo, the solo itself was extended at the end and a final chorus was added.

The first bridge cycled between Cm and A#maj (Matt strummed and I arpeggiated them as with the verse). The second bridge used the same chords as the verse and the final chorus remained unaltered from earlier.

These changes weren't made to satisfy the blues criteria (which we'd done last week with the minor pentatonic solo) but just to create more interest for the listener.

Rehearsal: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2WImMK7Gfmwc3lRb1p1VWhOeVk/view]]> 2017-10-04 08:26:39 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/193746235 Week 5 - Third composition - Country gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/198109518 Room 2

Louis - drums
Carl - bass
Ben - guitar
Connie - vocals, ukulele
Julia - vocals

My guitar part was clean, finger picked and revolved around open major chords, with the odd 7th or suspended 4th thrown in to lead into the next:

Dmaj D7
Gmaj Amaj Asus4 Dmaj

This pattern repeats throughout, although there's a guitar solo in the middle for variety (using the natural major scale).

I was on bass at first and used the same scale to form a walking bass line. It originally ascended until Louis asked to have the second half an octave lower. This is because it cut through too much in the higher register and clashed with his guitar - lowering the pitch helped it to blend in more subtly as part of the rhythm accompaniment.

Most of us swapped instruments halfway through (the rehearsal): Carl went from guitar to bass, Louis went from guitar to drums and I went from bass to guitar. The technique of each part therefore changed, although the key/chords were kept the same (e.g. Louis' strummed chords became fingerpicked and arpeggiated and Carl changed the notes in the bass line).

https://youtu.be/EhaUfgFxvlU]]> 2017-10-18 07:04:50 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/198109518 Week 4 - Second composition - Reggae gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/198110154 Room 2

Louis - bass
Carl - keyboard
Ben - guitar
Connie - drums
Julia - vocals

The rhythm section was quietened and subdued to allow the vocals to come to the forefront and to suit the theme as reggae is simplistic. I stayed on a syncopated D major barre chord and the drums accompanied that with several rim shots - combined with my staccato strumming we sounded snappy, clear and vibrant, cutting through in the mix and creating a lively atmosphere.

At first there was a second guitar but with both it sounded too cluttered, so Carl switched to a keyboard to maintain the sparse and clean sound we were going for. Although it wouldn't normally be used within this genre, he changed the sound to a steel pan/marimba which blended well and kept the atmosphere consistent. Just like the guitar, his part was simple, syncopated and stayed on the root chord, but it was arpeggiated in the right hand.

https://youtu.be/l2UO4hVjNz8]]> 2017-10-18 07:08:38 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/198110154 Week 6 - Fifth composition - Cover in a different style gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/204571478 Room 2
Emmie - guitar
Jess - acoustic guitar, vocals
Louis - bass
Joe - drums

We had two main tasks:
1) Find a song simple enough to learn/cover in two hours
2) Find a song versatile enough to change the genre

Initial ideas included The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac, but the main problem is that most weren't familiar and would be hard to learn in such a short space of time, never mind change the genre.

Our final decision was Creep by Radiohead, because of its repetitive structure and leisurely pace. Both lend themselves perfectly to reggae, as does the clean guitar. The chord structure is as follows...

G B C Cmaj

which continues throughout, with only the dynamics denoting a section change (loud and distorted in the chorus).

The delicate arpeggios were changed to a choppy "skank" rhythm accenting every second beat, which was complicated for the chorus as a compliment the dynamic change. Luckily, the snare drum is accented on the third beat, which meant we could easily swap in a one-drop rhythm, where the first beat in unexpectedly left empty and both the bass and snare accent the third beat. The reliance on chords over a monophonic melody and the aforementioned snare drop meant it was very easy for us to change from alternative rock to reggae.

We ended up filming the performance twice due to mistakes (for me, it included forgetting to change the rhythm and chords at the chorus) although a large mistake at the end due to miscommunication was averted after I dropped in another repetition of the verse pattern. That happened in the first, and in the second performance we ended as planned right after the chorus. Cleaning up the performance is the only improvement I can think of, as the change of genre worked excellently for the piece we chose.

First performance: https://youtu.be/ohcarCetflA

Second (final) performance:
https://youtu.be/sPS9Y5jOgJQ]]> 2017-11-07 20:14:26 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/204571478 Week 7 - Sixth composition - Original in a different style gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/207088574 Room 3
Matt - keyboard
Connie - vocals/ukulele
Tyler - vocals/ukulele
Ryder - bass
Joe - drums

Our approach this week was to go for a laid-back, relaxed jazz original. It's a genre that most hadn't had experience playing, and one that we hadn't played in before in the lesson, so this session was useful and practical in increasing our versatility.

Each instrument was gradually introduced, starting with the ukulele, then my guitar and the full band. The chord progression mostly stayed the same throughout, although there was a small break with an ambient keyboard buildup before the guitar solo. It was as follows:

Dm, Cm+ (i.e. augmented), Gmaj7, Cmaj7

The unusual chords gave it a melancholic feel, as did the relaxed dynamic in general. There were fluctuations with louder sections (the solo and middle verses) but not aggressive or heavy. Another contribution to the mood were the soulful and heartfelt vocal performances (from both Matt and Connie).

Because the chord progression was constant, syncopation and rhythmic changes were how we created distinct sections and variety. The verses were syncopated and the guitar played in the short gaps where the other instruments cut out, as well as the soothing piano breaks between the verses and the solo. Dynamics were our main creative tool and given the limitation of our chord sequence I think we did well in working around it and crafting a creative and stimulating piece for the listener.

https://youtu.be/KudLh3dvHKI]]> 2017-11-15 08:49:27 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/207088574 Week 8 - Seventh composition - Cover gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/211613902 Room 1
Jess - vocals, guitar
Emmie - vocals, guitar
Me - guitar
Carl - guitar
Heather - drums

Don't Delete The Kisses is a song by Wolf Alice, an alternative rock band. It's about a woman longing after but doubting a relationship that sadly never happens, with her regret reflected in the closing lyrics:

"Me and you were meant to be in love

I see the signs of a lifetime, you 'til I die"

The chord progression stays on F major in the verses, only switching to (D, A, G) minor chords to complement the contrite and melancholic shift in the lyrics compared to the hopeful verses ("I'd like to take you out", "You've taken over my mind etc."). Dynamically it's quiet throughout, with a slight uplift in the chorus - on the guitar, I replicated this by palm muting in the verses and strumming in the choruses.

Carl played a riff alternating within the root power chord (i.e. between 1 and 5) and moved the position to follow our chord sequence, but during the chorus improvised his own melody line using the natural major scale. It was an inventive way of utilizing all three guitars, especially as one of my regrets is not being creative enough compared to Jess - we both played the same chord sequence which I felt was pointless and a waste of creative potential. On the other hand, the criticism I have of the performance involves Carl's part. It clashed with the vocals both melodically and dynamically and would've worked better if it was quieter to blend in with the rest of the rhythm section. It was a problem with both the composition and the volume balance. Finally, his guitar was out of tune but this is a minor mistake that can easily be fixed for future performances.

https://youtu.be/-hRJUBm1M-4

]]> 2017-11-29 20:09:59 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/211613902 Week 9 - Eighth composition gdaviesb25 https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/211893450 Room 2

Kyle - vocals (rapping)
Joe - drums
George/Julia - keyboard

https://youtu.be/k180UId2nhA]]> 2017-11-30 15:22:07 UTC https://padlet.com/gdaviesb25/jfz0o1zyoti3/wish/211893450