mpp1cameronnaylor

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

What Makes a Good Performance?

“Intuitively, performances are occasions of musical sound – musical events – intentionally brought about by musicians for listeners” (Godlovitch, 1998). Is an example of a straight forward definition of what a performance is. Although the act of performance can be pin-pointed in a single definition, the critique of a performance and what ranks one on top of another is a vaguer concept. This being said, from analysing past performances that people regard highly, we can discern patterns in what the audience prefers.

The first, and arguably most important part of a good performance is catering for the venue in which you’re playing. Emerging music scenes and subcultures derive from the venues in which they’re performed, meaning that performance and location are intrinsically linked (Kronenburg, 2011). It is for this reason that all good performances require an understanding of the location. Examples such as Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged set, an intimate and vulnerable stripped-down version of their greatest hits, compared to a bigger show such as Michael Jackson’s sold out Wembley shows, which were attended by over 500,000 people. Both are good due to the fact that they understand the scale at which the performance takes place on. Failing to understand the venue which you are playing can cause over or under compensation, which will cause a disconnect between artist and audience. 

Another integral part of producing a good performance is establishing a connection with the audience. The Handbook of Music and Emotion suggests that emotional expression through musical performance is achieved via manipulation of elements such as tempo, or dynamics, in order to express an emotional character in context with the piece being played. (Juslin, Timmers, 2011). This means that by slowing down, and playing quieter during a sad song, a musician can accentuate the intended emotion within the piece. The same works with loud, fast, happy songs. This understanding of a song not only on a musical level, but contextually, means that an artist can effectively communicate with their audience. This makes for a good performance, as a performers fundamental goal is to communicate to an audience (Hargreaves, MacDonald, Miell, 2005). A music concert is an emotionally charged event, so it makes sense that the manipulation of emotion would generate positive experience. 

While it is crucial to understand the context and limitations of the songs that are being played, it is also important that the strengths and weaknesses of the bands are well established. ‘Musical Collaboration Outside of School: Process of Negotiation’ found through analysing footage of a band rehearsing for a gig, that the joint evaluation maintained throughout a bands rehearsal, naturally manifested in a distinct style (Miell, Littleton, 2008). By process of trial and error, they created a version of the song they were to perform that accommodated each member. Having a song catered towards each member of the band’s skillset bares a sense of authenticity in performance that translates on stage. Bands such as The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show are a clear demonstration of musicians catering to the members skill, with Ringo’s open handed playing due to his left-handedness, they incorporate the individual traits to bring an authentic performance. 

A big part of good live musical performances is the aesthetics of a live show. The visual element is what drives an audience to see a band live, as it carries with it a synergy of audio and visuals that creates a unique experience differing from records (Laszlo, 1967). Nowhere is this truer than with bands such as Iron Maiden. The glam metal bands take the audio-visual synergy to the next level, incorporating giant puppets into their set to emphasise climaxes in the show. Another more theatrical example is Alice Cooper and his shock rock genre. He amassed popularity by creating plays that are acted out during the course of his songs, this additional element in a song helps outline the feeling characterised by the performance which is why it resonates deeply with the audience. People praise his work and he is known for his good music performances largely due to the nature of his aesthetic and iconography. In conclusion, there are a multitude of factors that contribute to a good show. While largely subjective, there is no doubt that the fundamental goal is to communicate to the audience. The accounts from the most famous shows always harbour an emotional investment, which reflects what resonates with an audience and makes a lasting impression on them. While the techniques employed are wide ranging, in the end they all strive towards the same outcome, being a presentation of emotion and connection.

Bibliography

Godlovitch, S. (1998) ‘Musical Performance’ London, Routledge pp.11 Kronenburg, R. (2011) ‘Arts marketing: An International Journal’ 1(2) Liverpool Juslin, P. Timmers, R. (2010) ‘Handbook of Music and Emotion: Theory, Research, Applications’ Oxford, Oxford University Press pp.454 McDonald, R. Hargreaves, D. Miell, D. (2002) ‘The Solo Performer’s Identity’ Oxford, Oxford University Press pp.97-113 Miell, D. Littleton, K. (2008) ‘International Journal of Educational Research’ 47(1) pp.41-49 Laszlo, E. (1967) ‘The British Journal of Aesthetics’ 7(3) pp.261

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Final Performance: 12/12/18

When arriving at Blueberry Hill, this time I didn’t get the opportunity to set up like last time as it had all been done prior to the gig. We settled down and got the running order and our band was last. this was fine as it meant we could get on stage with not much fuss, as the night will be in full swing and so levels wouldn’t need much messing with meaning we could get on with it.

Our first song was ‘It’s Not Living’ with Ethan on vocals, and Em on saxophone. Due to last times issue with the levelling, I ensured that everyone was at a good volume meaning there would be little adjusting between songs making for a smoother performance. The song went well, with Josh setting the tempo for me to play the intro riff, as this was an issue I had previously, therefore his click in allowed me to start off right. 

Next we played ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, we decided to put this in the middle as it serves as a little instrumental interlude in our set and works well in dividing the songs up. We did try having it at the end but being a war song it seemed like a sombre note to end the set with and ‘My Mind’ has a much bigger ending which works better. I feel I played the lead alright in this song, although I did slip up once or twice which frustrated me, however I carried on and didn’t let it affect the performance as it would have stood out more. 

Finally we played ‘My Mind’, with Zoe singing, staying on after singing the ending passage to ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’. We started off quietly on this song, with Lauren starting and me introducing a slow arpeggio higher up on the neck to add to the chiming ethereal quality the overall feel of the song brought with it. This arpeggio was also purposefully included, in part due to my practice plan at the start of the year. I took the chance to demonstrate that I have made progress on hitting arpeggiated chords successfully, and the fact that it was further up the neck came as an added bonus. This song worked really well as the ending song as we all worked to build the music up, with Josh and Ellie not starting until the second verse which made the piece overall really impactful and gave a nice juxtaposition between the stripped back introduction and the loud thick textured crescendo, adding to the scale of the song, which really worked in our favour. 

All in all I think the performance went much better than the previous one. This in part, is due to the fact we took all precautions in being as prepared as we possibly could be for the performance. Our understanding of the end goal, and persistence to perform at the standard we aimed for really translated in our end product. I feel that overall we have all progressed as musicians, learning the value of communication and accepting our weaknesses and working on them as such. In this way we have become tighter as a band and exhibited a musical professionalism I believe wasn’t there at the start of the year.

It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

My Mind

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 12: 12/12/18

Today’s practice was the last before the graded performance at Blueberry Hill Studio. In light of what occurred in the practice the day before, I asked Ethan (another singer) if he would mind singing ‘It’s not living’ for the performance. Luckily he was completely up for it, as he is familiar with the track anyway, meaning that the pressure is off of Zoe’s shoulders.

In the practice we only had to polish up songs and rehearse It’s Not Living with the new singer, which came together with relative ease due to us already having a clear instrumental section together, making it easy to communicate to Ethan how our cover differs from the original.

Once Em and Zoe were content with their other band’s songs, they joined us for one last run through of HYS and My Mind. Both songs were up to a great standard and I felt content that the performance would be better than the previous one.

Despite the obstacles, such as the absence of our original singer with no word as to if she were to arrive again, I feel we made the right decisions in order to progress the ensure the band prospered none the less. Although it is a tough call recruiting another singer as we wanted to hold hope that Cherie would resurface, I felt like in the end it was the right decision as in the end this is a group effort and we can’t let everything weigh on one person. Had we not had such an experience prior to the last performance, I feel like we would have failed to see the importance of ensuring we have someone to sing, and this demonstrates that we learnt something from previous experiences.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Additional Practice: 11/12/18

After our music in context seminar on Tuesday, me, Ellie, Lauren, Josh, Zoe, and Em, all decided to run over our set for tomorrow. we went into a slightly smaller, soundproof room as not to disturb people while we practiced.

We ran through the whole setlist, finding things we felt could be improved upon. Bother My Mind, and HYS were brilliant and performance ready we mutually agreed. This left It’s Not Living as the focus of the practice.

I worked with Em on what could be played on Saxophone, and we got some nice harmonies between guitar and saxophone during the verse. We decided on this as it added a nice depth to the song and made it distinct from the original, while not being too overpowering which kept the integrity of the original track.

We also worked on the end section, as in the original there was a middle 8 followed by an extended chorus with a chant in it. We felt that this wouldn’t translate well to our performance, and instead we took the opportunity to add more solos, a comment made by our tutor Tenley after the first performance. As I took the lead for HYS, Lauren opted to do an improvised solo in place of the middle 8. This ended up working very well as we stripped back the instrumentation for this part and she played an impressive interlude, exhibiting enough restraint to remain in context with the rest of the instruments, however still being musically interesting. After this we repeated the chorus and ended the song as we felt this was a satisfying end to the song. Had we not got My Mind, I would’ve suggested we do It’s Not Living last as a big finale, but My Mind was too powerful not to finish on.

Throughout the performance it became apparent that Zoe was struggling with the lyrics for It’s Not Living. This was completely understandable as we had not yet played it properly and there was a lot of confusion. We suggested we get someone who was more familiar with the song to sing on it, which she felt would be best. There are no hard feelings as she has been extremely generous to practice our set with us, and it is understandable that she was under a lot of pressure and so to help her be the best she could be for the performance was the least we could do.

Here are some videos of the Practice:

It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) Practice

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Practice

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 11: 05/12/18

This week Josh followed through on his promise of returning, and had also learnt the new agreed setlist which made it very easy for him to understand what it is we were doing with the songs, and the inclusion of percussion put us all at ease as it improved the songs immeasurably. Having all three songs decided upon, we worked on the bits we were unsure of.

Although we rehearsed HYS last week, the changes decided upon with the inclusion of vocals meant we had to revisit it this week. We spent a lot of time discussing what it is we wanted to happen, and which verses were to be played before the vocals came in. I also had to learn the chords off of Lauren as the ones I learnt in my own time turned out to be wrong, therefore I had to correct my mistake. This took up considerably more time than we hoped, as we spoke about it and took the time to understand what was going on, without Em and Zoe, which meant we had to discuss what was going on once they came to rehearse with us. 

Although we did end up finalising the song to a good standard, we still had It’s Not Living to go over, and when we did it seemed very rough. This was due to not having played it previously which is completely fine, however it was apparent that everyone was very aware of how little time we had before the performance. This coupled with the fact that this performance was the graded one, made it an obvious choice to arrange a time before the next Wednesday to have an additional practice. We decided on Tuesday the 11th of December, therefore it would be fresh in our mind for the performance the next day.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

   The 30th of November marks The 1975′s 3rd studio album. After touring for over a year with the success of their album ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of it’ (ILWYS), and playing their final show at TRNSMT festival. This album details the events that transpired in their time off.  From ballads on lead singer Matty Healy’s 6 week rehab experience, to numbers on the current political climate, this album (as the title suggests) forms a comprehensive detailing of the aspects of millennial life.

THE 1975

   The introductory track follows the theme of the previous two albums, an iteration of the same song that Healy describes as “A signpost of where we are”. 

   This time around the song starts with Matthew alone with a piano, singing the opening line in a candid manner, leading the audience to believe it to be a softer jazz track. This is not the case however, as the multi-layered vocoder vocals punctuate the lyrics and serve as the start of a theme seen throughout the album. Over the top of a single piano, these vocals evoke a feeling of magnitude that the track is synonymous with. 

GIVE YOURSELF A TRY

   Give Yourself a Try was the first single to be released on the 1st of June 2018, a date significant to the band as the name The 1975 is derived from a diary entry from within a poetry book dated ‘the 1st June, the 1975′.

   The song pivots around a distorted guitar riff that is repeated throughout, coupled with a drum machine esque percussion section that bears resemblance to that of a dance track. 

  Lyrically the song centres around the idea of ageing and identity. Lines like “You learn a couple things when you get to my age”, and “Getting spiritually enlightened at 29” suggest a reflection on Matty’s own past. This vulnerability adds to the sincerity of the sentiment presented in the lyrics which allows them to ring true with listeners.

TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME

   Combining the signature pop tropes from the 90′s and current day chart toppers, TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME is arguably the most approachable song on the album. 

  The use of lush synthesisers, and a simple yet effective drum loop, provides a stereotyping of the most prevalent qualities found in chart toppers. Coupled with the auto-tuned vocals of a 90′s pop hit, the song eloquently blends the old and the new while remaining catchy as ever. 

   The lyrics are purposefully repetitive, reenforcing the captivating hook. during the song, Matty recounts a lovers argument with lines such as “You pick a fight/And I define it” and this juxtaposition creates an interesting dynamic between lyric and instrumentation.

HOW TO DRAW/PETRICHOR

   Born out of a reimagining of a bonus song from (ILWYS) in the form of a Target exclusive. It is described “Soundtrack to nighttime”, much like how TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME is an ode to pop hits, How To Draw/Petrichor draw influence from dance music on the late night radio.

   The same vocoder from the introductory track is used again here, Its function of building suspense and an enormity within the track is somewhat thematic throughout the album and serves to reinforce the grandiose scale in which this album presents itself.

    Produced by drummer George Daniels, this song serves as testament to his musical prowess, especially at the halfway mark as the song evolves to resemble what someone would expect from a dance song. The use of glitchy drum and bass sequencing in tandem with Healy’s vague crooning generates a buoyant and alluring soundscape.

LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT

   A song with a statement cemented in the current state of the world and particularly the political climate, Love It If We Made It is the anthemic antithesis to TOOTIMETOOTIMTOOTIME. 

   The song covers all manner of topics such as the death of rapper Lil Peep, to  obscene quotes taken directly from the leader of the free world, Donald Trump. Healy’s hard hitting lyricism highlights the shortcomings of todays society. 

   Lead by Daniels playing a driving drum beat, the steady and consistent instrumentation elicits an industrial sound that stresses the abrasive lyricism throughout, changing only in the chorus with the introduction of the saxophone, bringing the melodic ideas to the forefront.

BE MY MISTAKE

   A complete 180 from Love It If We Made It, Be My Mistake is stripped back and consists mainly of an acoustic guitar with the addition of sparse instrumentation at points.

   From vulnerability in the form of brutal narrative heard in Love It If We Made It. The guilt ridden honesty that Matty conveys is the core principle with which this song revolves. It manifests in a reflection of the feelings of confusion and the sadness that revolves around growing up.

   An interesting aspect to this song is the implementation of the piano. Played quietly in the background, it is the ‘Love theme’ that is referenced later in the album.

SINCERITY IS SCARY

   Featuring acclaimed trumpet player Roy Hargrove, this feel-good song has evident jazz aspects, as well as utilising a choir that draws influence from traditional gospel songs. 

  The drums, described as a “Jay Dilla beat” coupled with the lush piano chords that Healy describes a likeness to “9th Wonder” gives context to what emerged as a neo-soul type instrumentation. The wide array of features; from Roy Hargrove’s brass section, to the London Community Gospel Choir, does not leave the song feeling messy as one would expect and this is down to the time and care taken in the composition.

   Lyrically (as the title suggests) the focal point is the rejection of sarcasm in favour of sincerity in music. All of the lines for this reason are very on the nose, expressing opinions such as “Keep on putting off conceiving/It’s only you that you’re deceiving” which highlights this principle of favouring sincerity above all else.

I LIKE AMERICA & AMERICA LIKES ME

   “A homage to SoundCloud rap” is how Healy summarises this next tune. A song that addresses the anxieties in the youth of America, exploring current issues such as gun control and speaking out for what you believe in. 

   The vocals are unmistakably dominant throughout. The statements made such as “Kids don’t want rifles, they want supreme” are an insight into the topics that are greatly debated, while also relating to current trends in fashion. This take on the condition of present day America hits hard in its implications.

   Autotune is used throughout this track and also plays a part in the rest of the album to varying degrees. It is used in this instance to accentuate the melodic ideas and allows for the vocals to be used as a compositional device.

THE MAN WHO MARRIED A ROBOT/LOVE THEME

   By using Siri to speak a poem makes for a somewhat unnerving, yet enticing track. The disjunct articulation plus some choice phrases such as “cooked animals”, and “watching videos of humans” indicates a warped perspective of humanity, as if the poem was read by the internet which puts a dystopian spin on familiarities we take for granted in the present day.

   The love theme is applied once again in this track. Reprised from Be My Mistake, the theme draws the album together thematically, however the use of the passage in the background of the disconnected poetry seems to conflict the original context, a very human and vulnerable coming of age song.

   A resolution is provided as the poem finishes however, and the love theme is given time to evolve. by incorporating strings and horns into the theme, it begins to sound once again more organic and dreamy, synergising the internet and the human experience depicted at the start.

INSIDE YOUR MIND

   Morbid romanticism is the premise of Inside Your Mind. The balance between love and violence plays well into the creating what turns out to be both a love song and a horror story simultaneously.

   A deep obsession is portrayed in the lyrics. lines such as “I’ve had dreams where there’s blood on you/All those dreams where you’re my wife” create a conflict as the premise behind the lines (being romantic fixation) is endearing, however the resulting actions are gruesome and disquieting.

   This tension is furthered with the stylistic approach of the song. A pop-rock ballad setting would typically indicate to a listener how romantic such a song is with the ethereal chords, and slow distorted guitar being devices to indicate a sense of longing. The macabre nature of the lyrics however, give new meaning to the fixation and bring forth an uncomfortable experience as a result.

IT’S NOT LIVING (IF IT’S NOT WITH YOU)

   After years of drug use, lead singer Matty took the hiatus to focus on becoming sober. This formed the basis for It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You), a song used as an outlet with which to talk about his personal struggle with addiction.

   Unlike the previous albums 'UGH!’, which explored his addiction through the first person, this time around the concept is disguised in a narrative about a man called Danny. This allows for sensitive subjects to be touched upon through the medium of the fictional protagonist. “If I choose then I lose”, and “Distract my brain from the terrible news” shows the train of thought of an addict trying to justify the fight which proves a dark topic of discussion.

   Where the lyricism doesn’t shy from with grappling tough subjects, the instrumentation understates the grim content by masking the song with upbeat pop-funk. Riff driven guitar grooves, and the inclusion of the London Community Gospel Choir downplay the adult nature of the song and we are left with a catchy and approachable tune.

SURROUNDED BY HEADS AND BODIES

   A song with the title being the opening lines of David Foster Wallace’s ‘Infinite Jest’. Surrounded By Heads And Bodies is a song written about the process Healy went through during his 6 weeks in rehab in Portugal.

   While seeming like a love song on first listening, the woman in question (Angela) was one of the only people Healy saw in those 6 weeks. The loneliness of the compound gives a sense of longing and pessimism to the song. Lines like “we don’t speak”, and “I see her in my sleep” furthers the longing and gloom that Healy is conveying.

   The instrumentation, mimicking the idea of isolation, is sparse for the most part. With only Matty and bassist Ross playing on the track. The lyrics are distributed sparingly with large pauses which gives the effect of being sedated, this directly correlates with the line “The things they make her take” which establishes a haunting feeling, along with the use of reverb and distant vocal accompaniments.

MINE

   A jazz standard conceived from the band’s collective love of John Coltrane, Mine is best described as a swing piano love song.

   Having all the key elements of a timeless jazz ballad, it’s only fitting that this song includes Roy Hargrove on the trumpet during interludes between verses. A soft string section following the laid back jazz piano, accompanied by double bass and a drum kit played with brushes, this song eloquently incorporates all the assets of a classic jazz track.

   Centring on the prospect of maturity, settling down, and love, this song reflects a contented Matty, giving a relieving contrast to the two previous songs and their sombre tones.

I COULDN’T BE MORE IN LOVE

   The penultimate song on the album is brought fourth as a ballad dedicated to all the fans of the band. I couldn’t be love was written before Matty went to rehab and this shows in the desperation and intensity conveyed within.

   The style of singing is unlike anything Healy has recorded before, admittedly because he finds it hard to sing in such a way. The lyrics are put forward as a conversation about the future of the band and the apprehensions of nobody caring anymore. “Because I’d give you all the years of my life” exhibits how much the fans mean to the band and this vulnerability expressed shows sincerity in their point.

   A power ballad is a fitting style for a song about deep love. The soulful choir and organ sound give it an appropriate confessional delivery, this drives the implication within the song. The key change draws further from the balladic influence.

I ALWAYS WANNA DIE (SOMETIMES)

   Finishing the album is I always Wanna Die (Sometimes). Matty tweeted “I think albums should finish like movies. So we did the ending from The Graduate”. This rings true as the inclusion of David Campbell on the strings creates a cinematic feeling to the ending track.

   The soft spoken vocals at the start, expressing unfulfilled dreams, start the song off in a gloomy unassuming manner. This all changes however as the focus shifts from lyrical content as the song builds to a repetition of the title. The fixation on “I always wanna die” only stresses the point made, being  written when Matty was at his lowest, the truth in these words bear an integrity that puts weight on their meaning.

   Starting off with the acoustic guitar is a reprisal of the theme of stripped back vulnerability. It begins with a sparing instrumentation and following the vocal shift, the texture builds with the addition of a heavily distorted guitar and a fuller string sound. This crescendo builds indefinitely until the very end, where everything stops except for a haunting strings section to wrap up the album.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 10: 29/11/18

Yet again Josh and Cherie was absent. For this reason I asked Zoe (a singer from another band) if she would mind stepping in for Cherie for the Yebba song and potentially others if it came to it. Luckily she said yes which is a massive help to us. We decided it would be prudent to ask given Cherie’s continued absence and in the eventuality that we had a repeat of last times last minute return, she could still be delegated to singing harmonies, meaning we would still have a performance if she wasn’t present. As for Josh, I phoned him and spoke about his situation, which he assured me would not hinder our progress, as he would practice the songs in his own time in preparation for the next practice. Although frustrating, this communication with Zoe and Josh provided us with the solace that we would be fine for the performance, which meant we could progress as normal with rehearsals.

Doing just that, we decided that the Christmas song could be an instrumental, meaning we could perfect it in rehearsal time while Zoe was occupied with her other band. We decided on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (HYS) by Judy Garland, although I chose to follow the vocal line of Frank Sinatra’s version, as it had a more interesting melody. This was fine as the only difference between the versions was lyrical so it made no difference musically which one I played. Lauren played the chords alongside my lead, and Ellie did followed suit, however with a run down where the strings played an interlude, which had a nice dynamic as it stripped back the section from an ensemble to one instrument, giving it a minimalist feeling. 

Towards the end of the practice we spoke again with Zoe and also Em, a saxophone player and vocalist, about singing the ending verse, extending what was what I felt was a short song, and giving it an interesting dynamic towards the end. They agreed to work on harmonies and Em also kindly offered to lend her saxophone to the song. While we turned down the offer for this song, as we felt it would take from the very minimal ensemble in the instrumental bit, we did however discuss the possibility of her performing in the third song. We chose to change the song to “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” by The 1975 for our third song, to utilise the saxophone to its full potential, as the genre lends itself to the inclusion of a saxophone, and Zoe also agreed to sing in this song as well.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 9: 22/11/18

This practice Josh was ill and Cherie had childcare issues. This served as a massive hindrance as we have less time to prepare for this performance and therefore it is of upmost importance that everyone attend. That being said, I acknowledge not everything goes to plan and therefore as long as everyone is present for next weeks practice we should be fine.

While the absences were an obstacle, we made good progress this week as we decided to find some other songs that we could cover. 

Ellie suggested we look at “Purple Rain” by Prince which we did. This proved a challenge due to the lack of vocals but we worked on the main groove of the song, solidifying the instrumentals. Me and Lauren worked on how the guitars would work together, I had the idea of me taking the main guitar riff and Lauren mimicking but higher up with inversions of the chords. This made a change from me going higher as I had done on other songs and we thought this best as we wanted to express our range in terms of performance techniques and mixing it up would do just that.

We also revisited My Mind, taking a closer look at how to keep the chorus and the verse distinct, as we agreed that the lack of any change in chords made the instrumentals feel repetitive throughout. I suggested that me and Ellie change our playing style from what was a staccato feeling groove, to a more legato passage in the chorus. I felt that this would work well in paralleling Cherie’s vocals in this part, which were legato also, giving it an ethereal feeling. We planned to juxtapose this with the verse section, moving into a more uptempo groove.

On the topic of the Christmas song, we decided to look at a different song as the Chris Brown one didn’t sit quite right with us, as we wanted to have a distinctly different cover of a more well known song. For this reason, we looked at “Jingle Bell Rock” which seemed better fitting with our vision.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 8: 15/11/18

Due to finishing the first performance, this week we got to choose a new set of songs which would end up being our final examination. We had everyone present to do so, with Ellie having recovered from her illness, which was fortunate as this meant everyone had a say when deciding the new songs.

We had the idea to do a Christmas song as the final performance is on the 12th of December which means it would fit with the festive season. Cherie suggested we try “This Christmas” by Chris Brown. While this song had potential, with a complex chord structure, we decided to learn this in our spare time and revisit it at a later rehearsal once familiar with the song. This seemed appropriate as for the majority of us it was our first listening.

Next we looked at “My Mind” by Yebba. The only version released was a YouTube video with the singer and an acoustic guitarist. This provided us with much room to explore a cover with more complicated instrumentals and really adapt it to our style. We decided to play it swung to give it a more upbeat feeling than the original, and I picked arpeggios higher on the neck whilst Lauren strummed chords, giving a nice dynamic between the two guitars. The good thing about this song is there is a very loose structure meaning that the verse could be repeated to a crescendo to give it a sense of grandeur, which would work well as an ending song we agreed.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Performance 1: 07/11/18

Today was the day of the first performance, and despite being excited to perform properly for the first time since moving up, I was nevertheless apprehensive due to the setbacks. Being a perfectionist I struggle with things not going to plan, however I acknowledge that such is inevitable, and therefore I approach it as a personal learning curve.

arriving at Blueberry Hill Studios at 3:30, I helped set up the stage mainly with the carrying of amps and repositioning equipment upon instruction. We were told the running order and my band was 4th which I was happy with as it left ample time to prepare myself, and enjoy the other acts after performing.

Our first song was Crazy, which I felt we were most competent in playing and as such everything went smooth as far as I could tell. Brad, who was nervous, as one would be when not fully familiar with the songs, seemed to relax after this song. In my opinion he was absolutely fine as he is an exceptional player and given the time he had, made amazing time in learning the songs. The only issue I had with the song was my tone wasn’t adjusted properly and I felt I was maybe slightly too loud compared to Lauren. I rectified this by turning my volume down on my pickups which sorted the issue.

Come Together was next and it went smoothly also. The acid jazz feeling made it an obvious choice for the middle song as it was our most upbeat and engaging to play. Everyone was in time and we moved on to Halo.

In the practice prior to the performance, we spoke about introducing a call and response ending section to Halo involving the audience. This was executed perfectly and worked a charm in what could’ve easily fell apart, this is a testament to the communication in rehearsal. What is not however, is an idea Cherie had to bring on two other singers. While I was told about this prior, it was very briefly and with little detail as to what was going to occur which left me unsure of the whole idea. Bringing them up from the audience took far too long especially with a rehearsed extended ending and the other singers seemed unsure themselves of what was going on. It caused the ending to drag and I feel like the communication that was integral to the call and response, was not present here, which caused it to fall apart. 

Despite the shortcomings, I felt the performance was an excellent standard and if anything the criticisms are a testament to my perfectionism more than anything. What I have learnt from this, for the final performance is to be more vocal if unsure of anything as it is better to clarify something further at the risk of seeming pedantic, than be unsure and have something not up to par upon delivery.

Crazy

Come Together

Halo

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 7: 07/11/18

This week saw the return of Cherie which was a great help, despite our recruiting of Elsie due to Cherie’s radio silence on whether or not she would be attending the performance. She confirmed she will be performing with us and this takes the pressure off of the band and Elsie, as Cherie knows the songs much better.

Unfortunately Ellie is still recovering and therefore we persevered with teaching Brad the songs. This was no trouble however, as with one less person to teach, we could better focus on what needed to be polished within the songs.

As this week was just polishing the songs in anticipation for the performance later on, I have decided to elaborate on a point I briefly mentioned last week.

I spoke on the different covers of the songs being in a soul/jazz theme. We decided on this as it fit Cherie’s voice very well, and allowed us a lot of freedom in how we could play the song, while still being rooted in the select style.

We chose to do Crazy in a lounge jazz style, with sections such as the first verse repeated but slower to give an ambient feel. Josh played a swung drum beat, a trope commonly associated with the genre, and we played the whole thing at a slower tempo to evoke a mellow feeling.

Come Together we chose to do in an acid jazz type ensemble. I drew from  guitarists such as Ivan Jones, in particular ‘Brown Bag’ from the soundtrack to ‘Soul Kitchen’. I emulated the syncopated and staccato feel of the guitar, playing triads around the D minor pentatonic scale (keeping to the key of the original song) which introduced a new element to the song. Lauren strummed sustained D9 chords which complimented my guitar.

Halo was performed much like Beyonce in a very emotive, soul ballad esque approach. However we expanded upon it by playing it at an F#, allowing for Cherie to hit much higher notes within the song. A decision which I followed in my guitar as I played the chords further up the neck giving a chiming quality. During today’s performance we also explored the use of backing singers (thanks to Ragna and Zoe) in a call and response section at the end of the song. We also pushed for Cherie to encourage audience participation in the last verse. This pseudo improvised call and response draws from soul influences such as Diana Ross & The Supremes’ ‘reflections’, particularly the middle 8 in which they something to a similar effect.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 6: 31/10/18

This week we had yet another setback along with the continued absence of Cherie. Unfortunately Ellie had contracted glandular fever and was hospitalised for an undetermined amount of time. This was a major setback as we were now lacking in two members and this practice was the week before the first performance in Blueberry hill. 

Understandably panicked, we approached Elsie yet again and asked her again for some help. We chose to ask Elsie as she had already performed Crazy with us in the recording the week prior, and we all had to do come together meaning she would only have to learn Halo. We also spoke to her bands bassist Brad, as he already works with Elsie meaning they will be able to communicate, and also he is a skilled player making the learning of the songs quicker for everyone. Thankfully both agreed to step in, yet again at the last minute. I am very grateful as this major obstacle in which our band was faced with, was less detrimental due to the generosity of Brad and Elsie. 

We had to cover a lot of ground this practice as a result of the setback and it was very challenging teaching two new musicians how the songs were played, especially as I neither play bass, nor sing, therefore my knowledge of both is fairly limited. This provided a valuable lesson in communicating the bands vision to session members as the band has a very distinct vision regarding the performance of each song. Being mindful to cover them with variations, we decided to play them all as different variations of jazz/soul to keep the genre consistent within the set and therefore there were aspects of each song which had to be communicated to Brad and Elsie to keep it consistent. This also tested our ability to work under pressure as the performance is a week away and that was something that was causing me stress as the songs that had previously been perfect minus some minor adjustment are now at a completely different standard. 

Despite this I feel we worked well in discussing what it is we wanted from them in each song, and the songs only require some small adjustments next week to be up to a good standard for the performance.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Recording Session: 24/10/18

For the recording session, we were paired with two masters students. When we arrived there was only one there however and he took us through to the recording room where we set up. I helped wherever I could, mainly with moving things around as the technical aspect was far beyond my comprehension and I didn’t want to hinder him. Once set up, we set the levels in our instruments and also in our headphones.

When playing, we initially planned to record the backing for Elsie to sing over, and although the performance was tight, there came a few disputes. We noticed a few things that were slightly off, and obviously we were conscious that we wanted it to be the best we could make it. One of the main issues was the structure of the song, although we all knew where the changes were, there was some dispute about whether we were starting off slowly with an introduction, and if we were repeating certain parts of the song. In order to overcome this, Josh had the idea to write out the sections so we were all on the right page. This helped in getting us all on the same page with what was being played, and came as little detriment to the masters students as they assured us that the time spent was useful to them for adjusting the recording, so no time was wasted on either part.

Another issue that was pointed out to me was my guitar, which as our tutor Bob observed, was not set up correctly. Having changed the bridge to a whammy bar some months ago, I had not taken into account the intonation. This was increasingly evident during the recording as my part was higher up on the neck to create a nice doubling of chords with Lauren. For this reason I took my guitar to the help desk, however the man that was able to set up the intonation correctly was unavailable and therefore I left my guitar with them and lent a Fender Stratocaster that was correctly set up. Although this proved time consuming, as I had to go and fetch the instrument and then find a tone that complimented Laurens, it improved the sound of the recording overall and I am grateful that Bob pointed it out.

Although we initially planned to record a backing track for Elsie to sing over at her convenience, she turned up early to the session and so the masters students set her up a mic and she came and sang for us. This was a great help to our overall performance as we could work with her to get a feel for the instrumental and vocal section, a synergy I worried wouldn’t occur if we recorded at separate times. We got the recording done pretty quickly once Elsie was set up, and I was very pleased with the job we did, especially given the circumstances with Cherie.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 5: 24/10/18

This week Cherie remained absent agin. Although understandable, this presented a problem as we had an opportunity to work with the masters students in the studio for one of their projects. In anticipation for this, we enlisted the help of Elsie, another singer from MPP1. She kindly accepted to help us and we decided that we would perform Crazy for the performance and this was down to Elsie’s personal preference, we felt this was only right as we we’re very thankful for her help at such short notice and didn’t want her to stress about recording a song she was unfamiliar with as she had to record with her band as well. 

Due to the absence of Cherie throwing a wrench in our recording plans, the band agreed that we would take the practice to reinforce Crazy, as we felt it critical that we operate well as an instrumental section so that when the time came, Elsie could record her parts with ease. We worked out queues within the drums in the form of subtle differences to indicate the shift from verse into chorus and other such transitions. This became increasingly important as we struggled to maintain our place in the song due to the absence of vocals in our practice. 

This being said, we continued to make progress in refining the piece despite any obstacles presented. This demonstrates to me how we have developed throughout the semester in both communicative, and musical skills. Compared to the first couple of weeks, in which it was just me Ellie, Lauren, and josh, we struggled greatly to figure out a starting point. But reflecting upon how we are now able to understand any difficulties we may have in the instrumental section, and having the incentive to progress despite shortcomings, demonstrates to me how we have advanced as a band and as musicians.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 4: 17/10/18

Today we had everyone apart from Cherie turn up. Although not detrimental to progress, I feel it did inhibit our progress. This is due to the rest of us all being instrumental and therefore it proved difficult to stay in time in terms of where the verses and chorus are, due to the absence of lyrics. 

Although challenging, we didn’t write the week off as we all understand how valuable the time we have is with the coming performance. Me and Lauren worked on distinction between the two guitar lines during Halo, as I felt that what was being played was very much the same. To counter this I figured out the chords starting on the 12th fret as my guitar has a very bright sound and therefore I could chime the chords towards the top of the neck over Lauren’s, played towards the bottom of the fretboard. This adds a new dynamic to the song and improves the texture giving some variation in pitch.

For the rest of the practice we took a closer look at Come Together, and Crazy in terms of the instrumentals and offered each other some constructive criticism. I feel this is important as it was done in a very supportive way and nobody took offence to the points made, and instead adjusted accordingly. This was a good exercise in becoming tighter as a band as it demonstrated to me that we are all willing to listen to the other members and partake in healthy discussion about playing style which will help us in becoming tighter in the future.

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 3: 10/10/18

This week we turned our focus on Crazy for the most part. Our drummer Josh being ill hindered our progress however we had Bob aiding us when he could which helped significantly. 

When approaching crazy, we decided to start off very slow, with sustained notes as the Cmaj7 sounds lovely when left to ring out. We then decided to follow this theme and slowly build the song out, the first verse being left very thin and spacious before the chorus when the song properly builds. The style really lends itself to Cherie’s voice and I enjoyed playing with the dynamics in order to find something that worked really well as a band. This however, took time to co-ordinate as a band however it has helped us in communicating as an ensemble which is a valuable asset to have.

When deciding on the final song to be played in our performance, we ended up scrapping “What’s Hip” in favour of “Halo” by Beyonce. This was a group decision and we all felt it best as “What’s Hip” has a prominent brass section throughout and as we have no brass, the song would always be lacking. Halo on the other hand, works well as it is relatively simple therefore there opportunity to adapt it and really make it our own over time. 

For our ending performance we decided to do Halo because although not properly polished, we performed Crazy the previous week and wanted to exhibit some variety. We had Bob playing the drums as a stand in and it sounded good for an early play through

[mpp1cameronnaylor]

Practice 2: 03/10/18

Today we made progress on ‘Come Together’, now with drummer Josh, and vocalist Cherie. We diverged from the initial funk feel in favour of a calmer lounge jazz feel. This suited Cherie’s voice and enabled us to slow the song down and focus on the minor intricacies of the piece. After bouncing ideas back and forth we came up with a solid plan of what direction we wanted to perform the piece in and I feel that with practice it will come together. 

We also used the session to figure out what other songs we want to perform. We decided on ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley as we felt that it is simple enough for us to expand upon the original and make it our own. We have yet to decide in what style it will be performed. We also chose ‘What is hip?’ by Towers of Power. This one will be a particular challenge as the absence of the horn section leaves a lot of open room in the song when we perform it. We debated replicating the horns with guitar and vocal ad libs and we plan to practice this in the future. 

All in all we made good progress today considering it was the first time meeting Josh and Cherie. I feel that if we can work together and figure out songs this quickly, there will be lots of opportunity to perfect the pieces and become tighter as a band.