LO3 Be able to develop as a musical ensemble

LO3

3 Be able to develop as a musical ensemble

Rehearsal: ways of rehearsing eg personal practice, group rehearsal, sectional; use of equipment; methods eg use of tempo, use of click track, playing along to pre-recorded music, acapella, use of structure, use of improvisation

Reflection: eg watching videos of performances, band meetings, practice diaries, rehearsal logs, peer feedback, audience feedback



16/11/12
In the lesson today we finalized our song choices which is great to have sorted them out this early so we can work on them straight away. The songs we have chosen are: 

1. MIA- Paper Planes 
2. John Mayer- Vultures 
3. Kings of Leon- Milk

We tried some of these out today and I think they'll work out really good, I'm excited to start them. Over the weekend we just all need to learn them so we can get straight into it next lesson and start putting everything together and sort out the arrangement of the songs, how we are going to change them up to be our own. We've also decided if we have enough time we are going to write our own song which would be something I'd love to do if we have time.

The reason we chose these songs is because we felt we could really change them up and put our own spin on them and make them our own, we feel that it could be quite a challenge, especially Paper Planes, but that's what makes it more exciting.

23/11/12

In today's lesson we went into our groups (Me Charlie Daisy and Archie) and started rehearsing one of the songs we are doing. Which is Kings of Leon- Milk, we started with this song because we feel it's something we could get done quite quickly so we can move onto the next one and also one of the songs we are really looking forward to doing. We went through it several times all together just so we could all get the feel of the song and see which parts each person would sound good singing. The boys went through the guitar lots of times so they could also get used to it as well and so the timing was perfect, which by the end of it, it almost was.

We decided that me and Daisy would sing the beginning, and then when the chorus comes we all join in 

together to make it sound louder and more upbeat as the beginning is fairly slow and settled. It sounded really sweet with the me and Daisy singing it quite quietly then when the beat kicked in more we all joined in to a heavier faster pace.

We did try out a few things but we felt this sounded the best and really gave each of us a good part and could hear all of our voices. Me and Daisy are going to work on a harmony for the parts we do by ourselves to add a bit more flavour to the song. We want to get one song perfect before we move onto the next so we don't slack and have bits of each of the songs which need changing when we get to the end of it all, if we do it all as we go along we will not pick up any bad habits, and also maybe record it on the Korgs so we can listen to it back and see what we need to change.

Next lesson we are planning on working on the harmonies, and then if we have time perhaps recording it and  trying to move onto the next song.

30/11/12

Today's lesson we went into our groups and focused on getting the song 'Milk' perfect, we also filmed how we have got on so far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZxAAmoo2XE

Me and Daisy still need to work on harmonies for some of the partner singing which we are going to get done out of lesson in our own time so we are prepared for next lesson. We are really happy with this song choice and it sounds really good as it's all acoustic and some bass and it contrasts with our other choice of songs.

We were quite stuck for song choices for the other song as we had changed our mind about our previous decisions, but we have stuck with Jamie T, Sheila but changed our mind of MIA as we didn't feel it was something we would actually enjoy doing and it's already a fairly upbeat song, whereas we wanted to choose songs which we could completely change. The reason for cutting out the song Vultures by John Mayer was that due to losing a member of our group we didn't feel this song was something the rest of us wanted to sing, it wasn't really our style so we have decided to cut that one out and chose one we are all more into and familiar with, although it would have been a good challenge, we didn't enjoy it as a song.

We thought it would be a good idea to work song by song, so once the first song is completed then we can move onto the second song, we're also filming each song so we can listen back and see what we need to change and what bits need improvement whether it be our voices or the instruments.

7/12/12

Today's lesson I felt was one of the most successful lessons I've had for this particular project so far. Me, Archie, Daisy and Charlie went into the live room as we needed space and thought it would be a good idea to get the microphones out and really try out the song Kings of Leon- Milk properly, with everything set up, this will then give us a good feel of how it may sound on the day we perform it and will also be able to hear our voices and instruments clearer and see what sounds right or what we really do need to change. Also, we've been in a small practice room for the previous lessons so it's nice to hear it all more clearly in a bigger room and obviously the microphones will help this as well.

We changed up some of the song, we have kept it quite similar to the original, with the arrangement apart from the end which we have changed where we end it with a bit of acapella harmony. We have added quite a bit of harmony as it does sound really good and also very different from the original. We went through it all a fair few times so we could really get this clean and neat so we can then move onto the next song.

The instruments we use at the moment is acoustic guitar and a bit of bass, today we tried it out with the electric guitar but we felt like it sounded better acoustic as the electric was slightly too much and it sounded much sweeter with the acoustic. The more we sang it the more we felt there was definitely something missing, it really felt empty so we do have Archie tap his foot quite loudly on some of the parts which gives it a bit more of a beat, and we did try some things out on the key board to add sound affect but couldn't quite find anything that sounded like what we wanted so we just tried a few things out.

10/12/12

In today's lesson we started a different song, we feel that our first song (Kings of Leon-Milk) has been rehearsed enough for the time being, but obviously we will come back to it. We looked at the lyrics of the song Jamie T- Sheila, and then cut them into sections of what each of us is going to sing. After trying somethings out we come to the conclusion that Archie was going to be the main singer/rapper because his voice is perfect for this song.

In today's lesson we did get quite a lot done, we got through about half of the song by trying out harmonies and who suited which part best. We listened to the song quite a few times so we could hear what kinds of instruments would be best for this and also so Archie and Charlie could get the chords down. We've got bass and electric guitar, and we also tried out using the xylophone but didn't feel it really worked that well, and also we want a drum just to use for a small beat as we felt it was feeling quite empty. We have also added in two parts some clapping which adds a better beat and could perhaps also get the audience involved by lifting the atmosphere.

It was quite a challenge doing this song (Jamie T-Sheila) because it is a rap song so we have had to change the rap into singing which was quite a difficult task but also very interesting and we actually enjoyed doing this, also it has made the song more own because we have changed it up so how it suits us. 

Next lesson we are gong to focus on doing the rest of this song and keep going through the bits that we are struggling with.


11/12/12

Today's lesson we went into the live room again, and continued with what we had done yesterday, I felt like today's lesson has been really productive. We wanted to set up the microphones but unfortunately the system we needed wasn't available so we couldn't do this. We got the lyrics back up for Jamie T- Sheila and went through it first of all to try and catch up from where we finished off in yesterdays lesson. We had to keep going through mine and Daisy's first section a few times because we were finding it quite difficult to keep in time, as the original has much more instruments in and more beats so it's easier to know when to come in, but we got there in the end and that's all sorted. 

Timing and keeping up with the pace is something we are trying to keep on top of but in mine and Daisy's section we are doing it slightly slower than the original because we think it adds a better feel to the song. We didn't get through the whole song today, we did get through over half though, and we think it's a good idea to get it all perfect before you move onto the next bit, we was also hoping to record it today but we didn't have the resources but are hoping to next lesson. 

At the end of the lesson we went through Kings of Lion- Milk, just to re cap and so we don't forget about it as each song is as important as one another. We had a small discussion of what other song we should do to but we're kind of stuck on this at the moment. We're trying to keep each 3 songs quite different to one another so it shows versatility and so each song isn't just the same. Next lesson our target is to get all of the Jamie T song down and perhaps choose the 3rd song, and maybe make a start on the arrangement or who is going to sing each part.

We recorded our first proper run through of Milk, there is a lot that needs to be done to it but here is a link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8uSKRpeiFU

There is a lot that we need to improve on but i hope when we do the final performance and some other videos the improvement will show.

12/12/12

I found our lesson today again really productive. We got through the whole of the song and went back through certain parts we were finding difficult for timing etc. I printed out the lyrics for this song (Jamie T-Sheila) and colour coded for each person for what part of the song they were singing/rap. This made it much easier. Today we changed some parts of who was singing what to mix it up and give everyone a fair chance. I think the way we have ordered it sounds really good, and also very different from the original which is a good thing. So today we just really focused on going through the song bit by bit and looking at what parts needed going over, also Archie has been rehearsing his rapping parts at home because it can be quite difficult playing guitar at the same time and also the timing is quite heard to keep up with, but he is perfect for this song. We thought that, as me and Daisy are the main vocalists  we weren't really doing enough singing so we are doing an extra bit in the second verse now which we have also had to alter it into singing as the original is rap.

This song really needs drums with it, we feel it sounds too empty and like something is missing without them as in the original it's something that really makes the song, so tomorrow we are going to try and add some bits of drum in and just experiment with what sounds good but here is a video of our first full rehearsal to Jamie T - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhe4SGwz-5c

The next thing we really need to focus on is picking the next song, as we have a few in mind but we can't quite decide yet, we want each song to be fairly different from each other as I said before but we can't pick one. James Brown- Sex Machine is one that we're thinking of doing and we're hoping to perhaps try it out next lesson, although I don't think we all know this song very well and due to not a lot of time until the performance I think it would be a good idea to do one that we are all more familiar with and can pick up quickly, although a challenge is always good.

17/12/12

We went into the live room again today and started the song that Charlie introduced to us on Friday, Daisy and I learnt it over the weekend so this gave this lesson a bit of a head start. We felt it went really well considering it was the first time that we had sang it together. It is also very different to the other 2 songs we are doing and this is a good thing as we wanted to vary it and not just have the same styles of songs to show versatility. We decided on which parts we were both going to sing and we both feel the way we have decided to sing it and who does what part fits really well and we are both comfortable. I'm really looking forward to hearing how this turns out as the original is lovely.

Here is the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtcvhV0pOGk

Unfortunately we didn't have Archie to do the bass today so we had to just do it with the Acoustic guitar, but it didn't hold us back at all as the part Charlie does is the main part and the most important thing that we need in this song. We also filmed this lesson so we could compare and show the difference between how it sounds without Bass and how it sounds with it. 

Next lesson our target is to finish Pompeii, although I do feel we are nearly there as me and Daisy are very confident with this piece, and we also need to go through the other songs without mistakes and see where we are with knowing the lyrics and see what else we could perhaps change.

18/12/12

Today was a really successful lesson, we set up the microphones and went through the whole song Pompeii without mistakes, and surprisingly it sounds really good considering we had only been through it a couple of times on Monday. It sounds really good with bass, and also we have recorded this lesson so we can show the difference between yesterday and today's progress which we will upload to YouTube as soon as possible.

As we went through this song Pompeii a few times we figured it was really repetitive and simple and we needed to add something to change it up a little bit. We decided that it would sound really good with harmonizing the chorus', we tried it a few times and it actually sounds really good, it isn't perfect at the moment as the song is pretty new to us and harmonizing can be quite hard but we think we will manage to get it to sound really good if we keep on practicing it. We tried out with Daisy singing higher on the chorus and me doing it a little lower, but we found that it sounded better with me singing higher and Daisy singing lower as it just suited our voices more and sounds like a really sweet harmony. 

We wanted to go through Sheila without the lyrics to see how we were going with this, and this is something that we really go need to work on as we don't want it to affect our whole performance, I feel happy with the words but not everyone in the group does, so we all need to go home and rehearse these songs as much as we can to achieve the best grade we can, as we have put a lot of hard work and though into these pieces.

20/12/12

Today was the day of the assessment. My group went in an hour early and rehearsed with all the equipment to be ready for the real thing. I felt we rehearsed the best that we have ever sang these songs. We recorded this rehearsal to for Sheila. We did change a bit of the song Pompeii, we extended it and changed the guitar a bit because we felt it was quite simple and maybe a bit boring at some points, so at the end we added a more upbeat part which slows down to then bring the pace back up again which we really loved. The song Sheila is one that we all kind of struggle with, just due to it having quite a fast pace and that can be quite difficult for the boys to keep up with as they are playing guitar at the same time, so doing both these things at once can be quite confusing, but we have gotten there in the end and we are all really proud of each other with how well we have done these pieces.

Here is some rehearsal footage from today's lesson before our final performance:

Jamie T Sheila- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59RLm17l-BI

How I feel the assessment went: 

I felt the assessment went really well and I think I performed the best that I could have, I could have perhaps showed a bit more confidence in my performing. Although I felt unsure of the words I did actually know them but I think it was more of a panic/nervous thing that made me feel like I needed them. I think we could have perhaps done a few things better, maybe sort out some better harmonies although I do think it sounded really nice with me and Daisy singing whilst Archie and Charlie sang as well which created a nice harmony and sometimes when it's simple it can sound so much better. I think we have all improved on these songs so much over the couple of weeks that we have had and they have turned out really well.

Here's the videos for our assessment:

Kings of Leon- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY84Mg9AU6k

Bears Den- Pompeii- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz-SXUjeyhE

Jamie T- Sheila- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpPqvaO6vxo

We also performed Pompeii at a gig in the Kenton Theatre at the Rebecca Poole concert. Here is the footage of this- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIuhdyGJuig