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Creative Journal Week 11-13

Balancing the demands of my dissertation, I've maintained a disciplined practice routine focused on refining essential skills and revisiting past tunes from Year 1 and 2 with newfound depth. Prioritizing precision, I diligently practice sight-reading Bach, striving for fluency and accuracy while exploring the intricate harmonies.

Recognizing the importance of mastering tunes in all 12 keys, I've dedicated time to this endeavor, enriching my understanding of each piece's harmonic landscape. Additionally, I've taken the opportunity to revisit and properly learn tunes that were previously rushed, ensuring a thorough understanding and fluency.

Amidst this dedication, I've also found creative inspiration, culminating in the completion of my fourth original tune, "Terminal." Starting with the melody, I've meticulously crafted the changes to complement and enhance its essence, infusing the composition with my unique musical voice.

Despite the demands of my dissertation, I'm already making plans for the next phase of my musical journey. Once I've completed my academic obligations, I'm eager to delve deeper into assimilating Charlie Christian's style. One key aspect of this plan involves transcribing his lines and tunes, a process that promises to offer invaluable insights into his improvisational approach and harmonic language.

By meticulously studying Christian's playing through transcription, I aim to internalize his phrasing, articulation, and melodic choices. This immersive approach will not only deepen my understanding of his style but also inform and enrich my own improvisational vocabulary.

With a clear vision and determination, I look forward to embarking on this musical exploration after graduation, confident that it will contribute significantly to my growth as a guitarist and musician.

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Creative Journal Week 9-10

During weeks 9-10, Andrew and I focused on revising Charlie Christian's iconic tunes, "Rose Room" and "Seven Come Eleven." Immersing ourselves in Christian's influential style, we dissected these compositions, exploring the intricate melodies and improvisational elements.

Jamming and relearning Charlie Christian's solos became a source of pure enjoyment for Andrew and me during this period.

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Creative Journal Week 7-8

Over the past two weeks, I delved into the music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall, following Andrew's guidance. The focus was on honing my comping skills, particularly understanding the interplay between the soloist and the accompanist. To begin, I immersed myself in learning comping lines inspired by Jim Hall's and Bill Evans's distinctive styles, absorbing the nuances of their playing.

By studying their comping techniques and internalizing Bill's melodies, I gained insight into the subtle dynamics and spaces within the music, crucial for effective accompaniment. This exploration not only enriched my understanding of jazz harmony but also deepened my appreciation for the collaborative nature of musical performance. Through dedicated practice and attention to detail, I aimed to refine my comping abilities, striving to complement soloists with sensitivity and creativity.

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Creative Journal Week 4-6

Continuing my exploration of Joe Pass's arrangement of "Summertime," I delved deeper into his remarkable ability to transpose the song seamlessly by fourths on the fly. Instances like when he effortlessly shifted to D minor at 1:53 and then to G minor at 2:12 stood out to me as examples of his musical prowess.

Reflecting on discussions with Andrew, I recalled how he emphasised the importance of being able to transpose songs spontaneously and learning the tunes in all 12 keys. This skill not only demonstrates a deep understanding of the music but also grants a sense of freedom in performance. It allows musicians to navigate through different keys effortlessly, showcasing their mastery and enabling them to express themselves more fluidly. As I unraveled the intricacies of Pass's arrangement, I recognised the value of this skill and endeavored to incorporate it into my own musical journey.

Implementing Andrew's teachings, I extended my practice beyond "Summertime" to other tunes like "Autumn Leaves." Recognizing the challenge of singing the melody and changes in all 12 keys, I approached it methodically, breaking it down into manageable steps. Starting with small fragments of the melody, I gradually expanded my scope, working with just two keys initially to build confidence and proficiency.

This incremental approach allowed me to focus on mastering each aspect of the tune before tackling the full range of keys. By systematically incorporating Andrew's guidance into my practice routine, I aimed to strengthen my musical skills and broaden my repertoire, laying a solid foundation for future growth and exploration.

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Creative Journal Week 3

In the third week, I dedicated myself to a thorough study of rhythm changes, specifically honing in on "Serpent's Tooth," all under Christy's expert guidance in class. Drawing upon the knowledge and skills acquired in my first and second years of study, I embarked on the challenging task of transcribing the song by ear. Singing out the melody helped solidify my understanding, while sight-reading the notations I'd made further reinforced the song's structure in my mind. This comprehensive approach ensured that I absorbed the intricacies of "Serpent's Tooth" thoroughly, allowing me to internalize its essence and intricacies.

Amidst my focus on rhythm changes, I also found inspiration for my original composition, "Karachi," during this week. The melody emerged spontaneously as I hummed random notes, compelling me to capture it immediately in musical notation. Immersed in the creative process, I allowed the melody to flow from my mind to paper, shaping it into a cohesive piece that reflected my musical instincts and personal expression.

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Creative Journal Week 2

In week 2, I work on the Arrangement of Joe Pass - Summertime.

I dedicated time to learning and transcribing the intricate intro section (0:06 - 0:47) by ear. Excited to share my progress, I shared what I have learnt with Andrew, discussing and dissecting the nuances of Pass's improvisational approach. Together, we analysed the melodic and harmonic choices, seeking to understand the essence of Pass's style.

Building upon this foundation, Andrew guided me in assimilating the techniques learned from the intro into my improvisational skills. We explored how to apply these concepts not only to "Summertime" but also to other tunes, expanding my repertoire and enhancing my ability to create unique intros through improvisation.

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Creative Journal Week 1

During the initial week, Andrew and I dedicated our time to revising Bach's Invention No. 1. Our focus was on enhancing sight-reading abilities and proficiency in both treble and bass clefs. We diligently addressed problematic measures and sections that I have trouble with through repeated practice sessions, refining fingerings to ensure fluidity and precision in execution. Engaging in repetitions proved enjoyable as I delved deeper into the intricate notes of Bach and the rich sounds emanating from my guitar. Immersed in the music, I found joy in the process of refining my sight-reading skills with Bach's compositions becoming a regular part of my daily practice routine.

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Week 12 - Week 14 30th July - 11 Aug (Reflection)

This week there is a students performance which is organised monthly to showcase their talents. Assisting with setup and ensuring every student had their performance time highlighted the dedication of these young musicians. The supportive atmosphere showcased the significance of music education.

Reflection

Working as an intern at Yamaha Music Shop as a Full-time Sales Coordinator has been an enlightening and fulfilling experience. Learning the roles and responsibilities has allowed me to experience how it is like in the working industry. While I have learned to engage with customers, understanding their wants and needs in a musical product when I was a part-timer, I have learned the importance of organization and attention to detail in managing stock, identifying and solving current issues, brainstorming and planning workshops.

I would like to thank the Yamaha team, Magdaline, Eddie, Atira, Samuel and Yun Shyi for the knowledge and guidance. The collaborative and friendly environment at Yamaha truly fostered growth. Learning from seasoned professionals and being part of a team passionate about music made the internship invaluable.

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Week 9 - Week 11: 17th July - 29th July

As I was serving customers I discovered another issue as well, the catalog of guitars that was given to us was not updated. To show our customers different colours options and nuance details of our products, we would have to use our computers which is really old, slow and inefficient. Hence I did up a new catalog for the guitars on my Ipad.

Workshop

Reflections

•Clear showcase of different products and what to look out for when purchasing guitars and amplifiers. This met the objective of providing the audience with the information necessary to make an informed decision when purchasing electric guitars or amplifiers.

•Production portion gave a simple overview and continuation of the guitar workshop, allowing the remaining audience to understand the basics of recording.

Further Improvements

•Heavier emphasis on building content and marketing around more specific target audiences.

•Consider amount of time needed for each phase of the event planning. (minimum of 2 months for per event, possibly longer for more demanding events)

•Possibly include intermission events/ideas to smoothen out program between main portions.

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Week 7-Week 8 3rd July - 17th July

My Manager Magdaline has tasked Yun Shyi, Samuel Tan and I to come up with a guitar workshop for late July. We brainstorm some ideas for the workshop such as what products to choose, our target audience and the flow of the workshop. We eventually came up with to showcase the Gig-maker Set (PAC112J/V) for beginners and the Revstar Element + THR Amp for intermediate to professional players. The purpose of choosing these products is to demonstrate the differences in sound and functionality and how the customers can choose between the 2 products based on their skill level. This idea was heavy inspired by Andertons music's Cheap vs Expensive series on youtube.

Notes and a rough timeline in preparation for the event.

Our workshop will be combined with one of our colleagues from the production crew to showcase Steinberg’s Cubase software amplified by Yamaha products such as the STAGEPAS PA system, UR22 audio interface, DM-105/YCM01 microphone. The Cubase workshop is also planned as a supporting role to the guitar & amp workshop where it will highlight further possibilities of the guitar & amps in a production environment.

During this period after serving a number of customers, I have received number of feedbacks and criticisms that Yamaha do not sell bundles for intermediate guitars and how other companies such as Swee Lee do. My Colleagues and I decided to write a proposal on how we can provide solutions for these issues.

Even though I was getting comfortable with the duties and responsibilities of a full timer, I wanted to make things more efficient, coming up with ideas helps me to stay creative despite working in a retail environment.

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Week 5-Week 6 19 June - 30 June

As I am getting used to the routine, my Mentor Too Yun Shyi has taught me the process of ordering inventory from the warehouse to the store. I observed how Yun Shyi navigate through the system to check for our current inventories such as guitars, strings, accessories in the store, quantify our orders to make sure we order adequate stocks without excess. Once we had made the order we will have to arrange delivery with our courier Music Express using the AS400 system.

As the stocks arrived a few days later, we will make sure the quantity of the stocks tally with the ones we order and keep them accordingly to the storerooms. As for the display sets we will open up the products and keep the boxes in the designated store rooms. As there was no system for the storage for the empty boxes, I decided to create an excel sheets to organise and manage efficiently if the customer wants to purchase a display set.

By weeks end, I understood the meticulous process of maintaining a stocked store and efficient warehouse operations. This hands-on experience at Yamaha provided valuable insight into inventory management.

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Week 3-4 5 June - 16 June

During the 3rd week I had covid so I stayed at home to recuperate. However I managed to catch up on what is happening at work such as backorders and tasks that is assigned to me thanks to Microsoft teams.

After recovering from covid, I was taught by Colleagues and my intern Mentor on the yamaha pianos and keyboard sections. Back then I was only specialise on the guitar section, as a full timer you need to know every product in Yamaha. I learned so much knowledge on pianos such as the mechanics in a Piano, different wood, country of manufacture, etc. For example, the Japan made resonates better than the Indonesian made as it is brighter and clearer in the low frequencies due to the type of strings and craftsmanship

While this was quite overwhelming I was eager to learn as I would like to try to test my customer service skills that I have learnt by selling guitar to pianos. During this week I managed to sell a digital piano by luck, the P-125, even though I was excited, I was quite anxious as well as I have never used the system and create a service agreement contract before. Atira was there to guide me through the whole process and everything went smoothly!

Other than Pianos I sold some guitars and keyboards as well. Moreover, Atira has assigned us on our weekly cleaning duties for the display instruments for different areas of the store. She assigned me to the piano sections and since I have never clean piano before, she taught me on the different polish to use such as for the body or the keys of the Piano.

During this period I am starting to familiarise myself with the system and learning knowledge on Pianos.

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Week 1-2: 22 May - 1 June 2023

Though I have been working at Yamaha as a part time Sales Assistant and cashier for 5 years, my internship was equivalent to a full time Sales Coordinator which was very different from a part timer. One Atira, one of the full timer briefed me on duties and responsibilities. 1. Assist customers with product enquiries 2. demonstration of products and replenish stock 3. Observe store traffic and implement new sales tactic to increase store sales 4. participate and coordinate store events 5. perform any ad hoc duties as assign by your superior. While part timer only need to do no 1 and no 2.

Atira taught me how to use the computer system AS400, it is quite a old and tedious system that Yamaha use for administrative stuff like checking stocks, helping customers to register for memberships and sales report. She also taught and guide me to create sales agreement form as well which is a tedious process from -> asking the customer of the purchasing product -> to choosing delivery date and printing out the paper to sign. Though this doesn't seems much, the system is really hard to is really hard to navigate and requires alot steps to achieve it. Even though it is challenging, I was determine to memorise it effectively so as to avoid any mistakes which could be cumbersome as re-doing takes up alot of time which is at the customer expense.

The Store manager, Magdaline Loke also introduced a better way to communicate through Microsoft Teams in case one of us gotten sick or busy with the customers. Through this system we can update each other on the activities on the sales or upcoming promotion. I feel that this is a better platform than using whatsapp or telegram where by we can split between Work life and personal life.

During this week, there was an Electronic drum workshop event held by Yamaha Music School Teacher, Juraimi. Before the workshop we were in charge if moving the drum sets, chairs and setting up the PA systems. Initially as the workshop commence, there isn't much customers coming so my colleagues and I have to persuade customers thats walking pass the store. It was quite tough as many customers were not interested however after much determination and courage we managed to gather quite a number of audience.

During the first two weeks was hectic but I have learnt a lot despite working here for a long time. The first two weeks I focused mostly on getting used to using the system and the work flow as a full timer.