28th january 2015In today's lesson, Judith told us that she was impressed with us all and said that we have all chosen songs that bring us out of our comfort zones and are challenging performance wise and technically. Judith spoke to us about communication barriers that can happen with the audience such as not looking at the audience by having closed or shifty eyes. You should think that the audience have came to hear you because they want to instead of the audience being bored or judging you in a negative way which will allow you to tell a story to the audience and carry them through the journey of the song. You should have the audience leave with the meaning of the song but you can only do this by doing all the bits in between such as gestures, emotion, confidence which has an impact. Judith then sat and discussed what we all needed to work on to ''jump up another gear'' with our songs. She told us that she noticed we were all nervous about making unflattering noises when trying to achieve a difficult singing technique. If we challenge ourselves to sing difficult singing techniques instead of singing where we feel comfortable all the time, we will push our comfort zone further and further away which will allow us to improve and open us all the possibilities with our voice. Judith then had us speak our lyrics as if we were having a conversation. She wanted to take the music away from the lyrics so that we fully engaged with the words and story we were telling. This was the acting side of singing. This technique will help memorise the lyrics, give us a better understanding of the words and push ourselves to act out the song. An exercise to take away and do at home was to reach for an object when singing certain words. This makes you naturally take a breathe and also got you excited while singing and put a lift into the word. 21st january 2015Today's class was spent practicing on how to walk in and out of an audition/exam. As you walk in you should look at the audience and acknowledge them looking friendly. You should then sort out the microphone stand before giving your full attention to the audience. You should then say your name, name of song and who it's by. After your performance is over, you should acknowledge the audience again and say thank you and say thank you to your accompanist. 14th january 2015Today we all sang our solo pieces in front of the class and received feedback. Feedback: Instead of saying "I'm singing Shirley Bassey" say the composers name or in the style of When I sing "Gone" I should move it a lot more and think of a snake. With the word "Forever" I should open up more instead of it sounding a bit country. Relax my arms as I look static. I should also use big movements for certain words to pull the audience in and use a few hand gestures. 17th december 2014Today we talked about movement and preparing our body before a rehearsal or performance. We done two exercises. In the first exercise we all had to stand up and let our heads fall to our chests and then let your body flop all the was over so that your knuckles were resting on the floor, having feet flat which means your knees should be slightly bent. We then had to do the "build a potato" movement as we rose up until we were all stood up right again. Your body should feel much more relaxed. In the second exercise we were focusing on breathing. Breathe in and raise your arms up and breathe out when your arms go down. Your ribs should lift and stretch. This leaves your body a lot loser. 10th december 2014Today, Judith had each of us interpretative dance as we sang our solo pieces.. This meant acting out the emotion of the words we were singing to make us understand the song in more detail and to allow us to visualise when we have to sing the song alone with no movement. This exercise proved that when we were visualising and acting out, we all sang with more confidence and we sounded a lot stronger. 3rd December 2014In today's class, we went over everyones individual 'Paranoid Parrot' which is basically a term used for all the negative things that you say to yourself when you are on stage. A few of my negative thoughts are things like 'You're not as good as everyone else', 'Nobody wants to watch you', 'Get in the zone', 'It wasn't perfect' and 'The light is really bright'. We then talked about these thoughts and came up with ideas to turn them around. I was told to 'bask in the light' instead of being put off by the light. The audience is in darkness to keep their attention on you. We were all told to start complimenting each other on the things we could see improving. This means if we notice the good things in others, we will start to notice the good things with ourselves. 26th of november 2014Today in class with Judith we talked about how we should feel on stage. We began the lesson by listing what you should have on stage i.e confidence, persona, an agenda and a relationship with the band. We also listed what you shouldn't have on stage aka what you should ''leave in the dressing room'' i.e nerves, yourself, personnel problems. We then all wrote down what type of persona we would like and if we had a name for that persona.
Judith then got us to all stand up and do an exercise for drawing in an audience. She said we should constantly be visualising in our heads and we should be showing this through our facial expressions. We should also think about ''hugging'' our audience and proving you have something to say instead of singing at them and pushing your audience away. Judith then got us to all close our eyes and breathe in but as we breathed in we made our self's as big as the room. Then one by one we each stood up and imagined we were as big as the room and then sang out a line of a song. This proved difficulty for some due to nerves/new experience but when somebody got it they would be singing loudly and clearly. jinglesI had my first Tech class today which involved listening to many news and advert Jingles. Jingles are used to advertise a brand or a product through the use of sound. The news jingles were all very similar, most being electronic sounding with no real instruments, all having a pulse which resembled a heart rate monitor and also having a build up towards the end.
We also looked at advert jingles with some being cheesy and catchy while others were very unique and intriguing such as the Honda advert where a choir was used to create the car sound effects. learning outcome 11.1 Analyse current developments, market funding mechanisms and methods of access for practitioners in the chosen art form. Current Developments :
1.2 Evaluate change in practice and audience demands in the art form. Market Research : Information gathering
learning outcome 22.2 Be able to sustain and extend a current personal profile as a practitioner. Devise and maintain a current cv/portfolio of work or a database of agents and professional contacts.
learning outcome 33.1 Understand how to sustain employment opportunities within the relevant specialism Assess the range of employment opportunities in the chosen field.
3.2 Evaluate marketing strategies for practitioners within the relevant specialism
3.3 Explain the support offered by creative industries trade bodies and unions in supporting employment framework to the art form.
learning outcome 44.1 Be able to apply the relevant legal and statutory framework when practising chosen art form
Apply the relevant legal and statutory framework when practising chosen art form Relevant regulations : eg
4.2 Explore the support offered by professional bodies within a particular specialism Appropriate professional bodies e.g.
Networking in the music industry. Getting to know all the right people and getting contacts Networking contacts Producers, musicians, club owners, music store retailers, video producers, recording and publishing company, talent spotters, press, technicians and songwriters. Rehearsed, punctual and prepared!!! Who you know Meeting someone who knows/runs a record company, you have someone to listen to your demo. Networking - reciprocal (works both ways) Who you know You don't need to have a lot of money to be successful because knowledge is power. The more you know about the music business the better success you will have. Who you know Unless you have contacts, your music will never be heard by anyone. You can't hide if you want to succeed. Its' not your bands best songs that get you started. It helps to have the relevant skills but no use having the skills if no-one knows. Building a network Getting to know people and the things they do it vital to you career. What you need to do Understand the relevance and importance of building contacts in pursuit of your career objectives. Building a network Go to gigs, record shops, music instrument shops, music college. When meeting potential contacts ask yourself questions - What do they do/play? What's their history? Is their role useful to you? Might they know other people who could be of benefit to you? Useful business cards should be organised and stored in an address book or computer. Action plan for networking
Web Design Domain name
Reflective practice Process whereby we take feedback from the things we do and change them if need be. Feeling - Watching - Thinking - Doing Reflectors - constantly looking back and thinking about what they could have done better. Theorists - looking forward and thinking what they can do to make things better Pragmatists - testing out things to see what works and what doesn't Activists - setting up things physically doing things to make a change What's wrong with the music industry?
Why? Spotify, Youtube, Illegal downloading What's right with the TV industry? Popular tv series such as Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Lost, Doctor Who and Orange is the New Black, With their soundtracks and visuals being completely different from the music industry. Record labels shrink while TV grows. How do we change the music industry?
Embrace complexity
Improve technology
Resist tired formulas Instead of downloading music onto an iPod with not a lot of space, buy a Vinyl and experience how 'human' it sounds. Invest in talent and quality Creative industries Key concepts: Creativity
Goods & Services
What's the difference? Good - Largely physical/products Service - An experience Making a living by creativity
Two forms of intellectual property Copyright - original literacy work, sound recordings, original artistic works, photographs Industrial property - Designs classic rockThe Classic Rock era began in the late 1960s and ended in the early 1980s, based on Rock n Roll bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones which were then followed on by bands such as Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. The 1960s, a decade of revolution where everything was manic and changing fast. There were many political movements and people were rebelling against society. This had a massive impact on the music scene. Young people were cutting out everything mainstream and creating music which bound everyone together from the revolutionary messages in their lyrics. Classic Rock is a genre of its own and can be identified by the guitar driven rock sound combining with a specific era of time. This particular type of music focused on generational conflict and cultural clash and gave young listeners of the 1960s something new with attitude to listen to. The lyrics often referred to sex and dancing which would make the listener want to move and dance along to the driving beat. The frontmen of the band were very interactive with their audiences and always put on a huge performance. The vocalists especially were flamboyant and very exciting to watch. |
Fender Deluxe Line 6
To record electric guitars we use a 'dynamic microphone' called 'Shure SM57'. The amplifier should also be 18 inches away from the wall.
First of all, we make sure the amplifier is turned onto standby to allow the amp to warm up before being switched on. We can then plug in our guitar. For the microphone to pick up the best sound, the microphone should be placed very close to the amplifier pointing at the amplifiers cone. The closer the microphone is to the amp the brighter the sound will be.
We also use a 'Condenser microphone' to pick up the room sound and the microphone used is called SE22OOA. We should also switch on the right polar pattern. Cardiod would be switched on if other instruments were playing in the room and Omni if only one instrument is playing.
First of all, we make sure the amplifier is turned onto standby to allow the amp to warm up before being switched on. We can then plug in our guitar. For the microphone to pick up the best sound, the microphone should be placed very close to the amplifier pointing at the amplifiers cone. The closer the microphone is to the amp the brighter the sound will be.
We also use a 'Condenser microphone' to pick up the room sound and the microphone used is called SE22OOA. We should also switch on the right polar pattern. Cardiod would be switched on if other instruments were playing in the room and Omni if only one instrument is playing.
Microphones
SE 2200A Condenser Shure SM58 Shure SM57 AKG D112 Kick drum/Bass
Vocals Vocals Guitar Bass
Room Sound Drums Drums
Room Sound Drums Drums
A condenser microphone has two plates i.e a back plate which stays stationary and a lightweight plates.
Phantom power is an electrical source which passes through the pates creating an electrical field between the plates. When the diaphragm vibrates it causes the electrical field between the plates to change. This creates your audio signal.
Phantom power is an electrical source which passes through the pates creating an electrical field between the plates. When the diaphragm vibrates it causes the electrical field between the plates to change. This creates your audio signal.
When sound waves enter the microphone they reach a diaphragm which is usually out of plastic or rubber.
When the diaphragm vibrates it causes the coil and magnet to create an electrical current which is then the audio output.
When the diaphragm vibrates it causes the coil and magnet to create an electrical current which is then the audio output.
recording vocals
For vocals we use a condenser microphone called the SE22OOA which will need phantom power switched on at the mixing desk. We would also need to switch the Cardioid setting on which picks up noise only from the front of the microphone. The -10db switch would be switched off because there wouldn't be that high a signal. Most importantly, we would make sure that the mic stand was at the right height for the vocalist. We also need a mic stand, a mic shield, a mic stand for the pop shield and a pop shield, which eliminates 'plosives' which occurs when we pronounce words. It stops 'popping' noises which can be harmful to the microphone and ruin a recording.
headphone stand
Stereo 1 + 2 - Talk back
1 to 6 Auxiliaries - Sends signal to desk
Volume - Connected to the fader
Limiter - Compressor
1 to 6 Auxiliaries - Sends signal to desk
Volume - Connected to the fader
Limiter - Compressor
Recording - Mixing desk
Mixing desk steps
1. Make sure everything is turned down.
2. When using a ''condenser'' mic the ''phantom power +48v'' on (grey button underneath gain)
3. Put headphones on and turn on Stereo 1 + 2, volume, and channel.
4. Turn ''Aux'' up and press the black button (allows the signal into the desk)
6. Ask your musician if they can hear you through ''Talk back'' and tell them what channel they are coming through on and as them to play their instrument.
7. Press ''Solo'' and turn up the black fader to ''0''.
8. Turn the gain up gradually. Check the signal is reaching 20 in the meter.
9.''Solo'' off and press ''Mix'' and you should hear the signal through the speakers.
10. Turn up the Master Fader.
11. Press (1) grey button which sends signal to ProTools.
Pro tools steps
1. Open up Pro tools from the right hand side.
2. File - New session (Apple ''N'' shortcut)
3. Make a new folder & label it
4. New Track (Shift, Apple ''N'' shortcut)
5. Type in the numbers of tracks you want to create
6. Make a backing track (Stereo)
7. Choose 23 & 24 for output (Alt for shortcut)
8. Name tracks and put notes.
9. Record and enable the Mono tracks
Backing track
Whichever channel you want to route your backing track to, you put the auxiliaries up.
On the right hand side of the board, the white faders should be turned up.
Press ''Mix'' for both of these channels to be heard through the speakers.
lesson 8 - 26th january
In today's lesson, I wanted to work on my gear change in my higher range making the notes stronger and focused instead of my gear flipping. I felt the sound vibrating in the higher middle section of my face around my nose. At first the notes sounded wobbly and unflattering. Which Judith then told me not to worry about and instead focus on getting the right feeling. Judith had me make a sort of Peacock noise. She then had my sing 'ng' and change to an 'e' to practice focusing the note and keeping the same air flow. We then went on to practising the B above middle C which is the last note in the song that I have to hold for 12 beats long. Judith had me imagine that I had a fat neck and was pulling handles attached to me neck outwards. This helped me focus and project my note much stronger. We then talked about how the note shouldn't just stop but it should ring out to silence. While looking at the wall which was furthest away, I had to imagine a train travelling away into the distance and make a circle with my hands and while singing, keeping the same projection and air flow, make the circle get smaller until it disappeared. At the same time, my voice should be gradually disappearing.
We then also talked about the colour changes within the song. The start of the verses talk about the shimmering beauty of a diamond which creates colours such as yellow. The colour then quickly changes to grey's and gloomy colours when I talk about being abandoned and hurt.
We then also talked about the colour changes within the song. The start of the verses talk about the shimmering beauty of a diamond which creates colours such as yellow. The colour then quickly changes to grey's and gloomy colours when I talk about being abandoned and hurt.
lesson 7 - 21 January
Today in my lesson, Judith wanted to hear me sing my solo piece ''Diamonds are forever''. This time around I had a recording of my accompanist playing guitar which enabled Judith to hear more or less what I would sound like during my singing exam. I felt quite nervous as i'd never sang this subtle version to anyone yet. Judith was pleased with what I sang and said the song sounded more like my own now and there were only a few things she had to point out.
The word ''Diamond'' needed to be clean sounding indent muffled. I also need to make the word ''Diamond'' more definite as if i was placing an object downbeat instead the word. Smile slightly on the word ''Ever'' because it allows the sound to be produced better. I should emphasise the "v" in "Grave" so the word is not muffled. When I sing "Go", I should create a lot of space allowing the Major 2nd to move a lot more. I should visualise things such as an aeroplane going into the far distance or someone rolling down a hill when i hod onto notes on words like "On" and "Ever".
The word ''Diamond'' needed to be clean sounding indent muffled. I also need to make the word ''Diamond'' more definite as if i was placing an object downbeat instead the word. Smile slightly on the word ''Ever'' because it allows the sound to be produced better. I should emphasise the "v" in "Grave" so the word is not muffled. When I sing "Go", I should create a lot of space allowing the Major 2nd to move a lot more. I should visualise things such as an aeroplane going into the far distance or someone rolling down a hill when i hod onto notes on words like "On" and "Ever".
lesson 6 - 25th november
Today I asked Judith how I could project my higher notes for ensemble class as I am singing the highest notes for the Beach Boys songs and I can't seem to sing the notes very loudly.
Judith then showed me an exercise with a piece of paper made into a cone shape. I placed this over my mouth and nose and began to sing through the cone. Judith told me I should be feeling the vibrations around my hand and aiming to project my voice. We then realised I sang the same notes in my solo song ''Diamonds are forever'' and I was then able to use this exercise for practising my solo singing piece. I also told Judith I was worried about my breathing technique and I was told to imagine a big ball of air surrounding me. Judith also got me to think about reaching for something off a shelf on my first starting note in the song as it makes your breathing become more natural.
Judith then showed me an exercise with a piece of paper made into a cone shape. I placed this over my mouth and nose and began to sing through the cone. Judith told me I should be feeling the vibrations around my hand and aiming to project my voice. We then realised I sang the same notes in my solo song ''Diamonds are forever'' and I was then able to use this exercise for practising my solo singing piece. I also told Judith I was worried about my breathing technique and I was told to imagine a big ball of air surrounding me. Judith also got me to think about reaching for something off a shelf on my first starting note in the song as it makes your breathing become more natural.
lesson 5 - 12th november
Today I sang ''Diamonds are forever'' with a backing track as Judith took notes.
With words and phrases such as ''Ever'' and ''Tease me'' which start on the Bb and go up to an F, I have to have the thought and space for the highest note, being the F, so that the sound is focused instead of becoming weak. I was then told to think of a slinky with phrases like ''I can see ev'ry part'' as it goes up and around the same notes. With the word ''Gone'' I should make it sound like an echo and I should use a gradual crescendo. With the work ''Grave'' I should practice rolling my 'R's' as the word can be lost if not emphasised as it is not used a lot and people may not recognise what I am saying.
With words and phrases such as ''Ever'' and ''Tease me'' which start on the Bb and go up to an F, I have to have the thought and space for the highest note, being the F, so that the sound is focused instead of becoming weak. I was then told to think of a slinky with phrases like ''I can see ev'ry part'' as it goes up and around the same notes. With the word ''Gone'' I should make it sound like an echo and I should use a gradual crescendo. With the work ''Grave'' I should practice rolling my 'R's' as the word can be lost if not emphasised as it is not used a lot and people may not recognise what I am saying.
lesson 4 - 7th october
Today I told Judith that I had decided on ''Diamonds are forever'' by Shirley Bassey for my solo singing piece and we began to work through the song. There is a lot of challenging techniques for me in this song which is why the song appealed to me as I am beginning to enjoy a challenge and I also liked how powerful and emotional the song is.
Judith pointed out that there are three ''gear'' changes in the first section alone and told me that I would really have to feel when these gear changes need to happen in order for me to create the best sound. Shirley Bassey has great diction which meant Judith giving me an exercise for my tongue tip to work a lot harder which included using a chopstick to bite on and relaxing my face while just letting my tongue do the work.
Judith pointed out that there are three ''gear'' changes in the first section alone and told me that I would really have to feel when these gear changes need to happen in order for me to create the best sound. Shirley Bassey has great diction which meant Judith giving me an exercise for my tongue tip to work a lot harder which included using a chopstick to bite on and relaxing my face while just letting my tongue do the work.
lesson 3 - 24 september
Today we starting looking at songs I could sing for my solo performance piece and Judith gave me a list of websites listed with Grade 8 songs for me to go and look at.
We also looked at Psychedelic songs for my ensemble class as all the songs are sung by male vocalists and I was having trouble finding a song that suited me.
We also looked at Psychedelic songs for my ensemble class as all the songs are sung by male vocalists and I was having trouble finding a song that suited me.
lesson 2 - 10th september
Today Judith and I had a look at my band performance song which is ''Black Dog'' by Led Zeppelin. I was unsure of which key to sing the song in as I knew the original key may damage my voice. We started with the quacking excercise and then sung the first verse, as I was doing the verse I told to remember the quacking sensation and use it as I was singing to make the sound I was producing more rock n roll and twangy.
We then spoke about the sliding words such as ''groove'' and having all the notes connected. The 'ng' exercise is perfect for working on the sliding technique and then after I feel comfortable I can start adding in the word.
Judith then showed me a new exercise of getting used to creating sharper sounding words and not letting the end of words fade. First of all we sung a scale which was mixed up: 1 3 2 4 3 5 4 2 1. We then went on to using the letters B and D which would create 'buda' when used together. We then sung the same mixed up scaled using 'buda' which should make 'ping' and 'boing' sounding effects.
We then spoke about the sliding words such as ''groove'' and having all the notes connected. The 'ng' exercise is perfect for working on the sliding technique and then after I feel comfortable I can start adding in the word.
Judith then showed me a new exercise of getting used to creating sharper sounding words and not letting the end of words fade. First of all we sung a scale which was mixed up: 1 3 2 4 3 5 4 2 1. We then went on to using the letters B and D which would create 'buda' when used together. We then sung the same mixed up scaled using 'buda' which should make 'ping' and 'boing' sounding effects.
lesson 1 - 3rd september
I am now back after the summer holidays and back singing with the lovely Judith.
My first lesson this term involved going over the changes my body has to do to produce a better sound. Focusing on posture, breathing and feeling where the different gear changes are.
Number 1: Feet should be even and same width apart as the hips.
Number 2: Your knees shouldn't be locked. They should be relaxed.
Number 3: Your chest should feel open for air flow.
We then went on to talk about 'gear changes'. This is a way of describing what the different changes feel like and where they are placed and then knowing when to 'change gear' when singing different ranges. To reach my lower notes we done an exaggerating quacking exercise between the notes of F and D. The vibrations are felt in the chest up to the mouth.
Moving up into my mouth and nasal area we used a 'Twang' sounding exercise from Eb to Bb.
And lastly we moved up into the area in which people like to say is 'head voice'.
Then we spoke about the different soundings of vowels with E being at the back of the mouth and O being more towards the front. When singing different notes the sound should always be aimed for the front of your teeth and have the same sound level. Also when using the n sounding from 'ing' sirening up and down scales, moves the soft palette inside your mouth.
My first lesson this term involved going over the changes my body has to do to produce a better sound. Focusing on posture, breathing and feeling where the different gear changes are.
Number 1: Feet should be even and same width apart as the hips.
Number 2: Your knees shouldn't be locked. They should be relaxed.
Number 3: Your chest should feel open for air flow.
We then went on to talk about 'gear changes'. This is a way of describing what the different changes feel like and where they are placed and then knowing when to 'change gear' when singing different ranges. To reach my lower notes we done an exaggerating quacking exercise between the notes of F and D. The vibrations are felt in the chest up to the mouth.
Moving up into my mouth and nasal area we used a 'Twang' sounding exercise from Eb to Bb.
And lastly we moved up into the area in which people like to say is 'head voice'.
Then we spoke about the different soundings of vowels with E being at the back of the mouth and O being more towards the front. When singing different notes the sound should always be aimed for the front of your teeth and have the same sound level. Also when using the n sounding from 'ing' sirening up and down scales, moves the soft palette inside your mouth.