India's Posterous

BTEC in Music Performance (1st year)

05/10/2010

Today was the first day our new groups got to work on our new project. We were briefed about the project and how the show in November will run. There are still six groups but they have now been switched around so we are with new people. Each group has been given a different genre and two songs from that genre. Our group were given blues. Our two songs are Bright lights, big city by Jimmy Reed and Howling for my darling by Howling Wolf. Today we had to put the songs together. We focused mostly on the Jimmy Reed song. We found it difficult because everyone had to really learn the tune by ear rather than from tabs. We ran through the song a few times and I think I that we have started well, we just now have to work on it.

I think that in our group everyone is really nice but everyone is a bit quiet and I think everyone is shy to take the lead. I think once we have gotten used to each other and are more comfortable we will work a lot better because we will all feel more relaxed. I think that we didn’t communicate that well and we all need to talk to each other more because we are so quiet. I think our work would be even better if we had talked more so we could sort things out rather than just play and see how it goes. Other than that I think we are a good group and are all very talented in our instruments.

I think I again really need to work on my confidence because I feel like I really brought it up when I was in my other group but now it is new people I feel like I have gone in reverse. I think our whole group need to be a bit more comfortable around each other because then I think our work and music will be even better because we will all be fully relaxed.

Next time we need to talk to each other more and put across our ideas. We also need to put across our own opinions. We also have to now look at the other song because we only worked on the Jimmy Reed song today.

 

7/10/2010

Today we had to run through the songs we have been given today, we still haven’t done much on the other song but I think that we really need to start looking at the Howling Wolf song otherwise one will be better than the other. I think today as a group it was a little bit better, I think that we are talking a little bit more but at times I think it is a little awkward. But I think as we work together more it will get better and better. We also had to work on our presentation that we have to do on Monday to the Advanced class. Today Tom, Matt, Chin and I went to the library to do some research on our genre which is Skiffle because Ant did his presentation on Blues so we had to do a different genre. Honestly at first our group thought it was made up at first but we have been researching today and now understand what skiffle is. I think today we were more comfortable with each other, I feel some of us are more relaxed than with others now. I think we still need to talk to each other more otherwise we won’t get work done very well together because none of us will talk to each other. I can talk to some people but some are just more shy than others.

I think I really need to get more confidence to be able to sing to my full potential in front of my group because otherwise I feel like I am letting the entire group down. Our group also seem to waste I lot of time just sort of messing around and I think I should try and stop this from happening.

 

 

13/10/2010

Today we were going through the blues songs because we hare performing in front of our whole class tomorrow. After doing a run through of both songs from the blues genres we found that we many need some help because I think some of us didn’t know what we were doing. During the week there have been tutorials so we haven’t has as much help from Dave and Ant as normal. Today they came in and listened to us. They said there were many little things that we had to sort out. It took us the rest of our session to work out the rest of the songs. At the end of our session I think it sounded so much better. We had sorted out what all the instruments and then Dave said that we should change the key because I was struggling to sing in such a low key because both our songs were sung by men. Chloe again came to our session to help us with our singing and other things to do with our songs. When Dave came in to help he said it would be better if Chloe did some harmonies with me because our voices did make a good sound.

I think today is the day where we got loads of work done today because Dave had come in to help clean up everything I think it was a lot better. Now I think we sound really good, but I think we need a sort of leader for the group because we still are all rather shy around each other and won’t say anything that could cause conflict. I sometimes now take the lead because I don’t want to fall behind everyone else because we are all two shy to say something. I think we are a good group we just need to take control a little bit more and not mess around like on Tuesday because it is wasting the precious time we have to practise leading up to the show. I think once Dave was in the room we all really started working together and that’s when I knew than we all are really talented and together we were properly worked together it sounded really good. We just all need to put in the effort more and speak up because otherwise our group will get no where. I think it was good for Chloe to be there, she is my friend so it got me to relax a bit more which meant I could talk more to the group and it got us actually going through the songs rather than doing them once then messing around and wasting time for some of the session. She said to me that I should speak up more because I seem to be the one that out of all of them I talk more, or I am louder so my voice will be heard.

I think I should try and get our group talking more, I know it’s not my responsibility but if I start talking then it will get everyone else talking so it is not so awkward. It is better because I am friends with Tom, Matt and Chin in my group but the other two I don’t talk to as much and it is a bit harder to talk to them and include them. I think I need to maybe take the leader not to boss everyone around but so then our time rehearsing isn’t wasted by us not doing anything. I also need to let my confidence grow even more because today I proved that I have a good singing potential. I just need to remember that when I sing in front of new people and I think that should remember the comments I received when I sung today when the key was changed to suit my voice. I should also try and learn my words because I don’t know them off by heart yet.

Tomorrow is the performance, I think we will be alright but we aren’t as ready as we could be I think? We need to definitely get a better group relationship so that we get more done and are a more productive group.

 

02/11/2010

Today I was in the Triphop/Down beat group because they need another singer to sing their two songs. The two songs are Sour times by Portishead and All I need by Air. We mainly focused on Sour times today, when I first heard the group perform it, it was very under rehearsed and there was not much effort put into learning this piece.

We first had to sort out the bands parts such as the guitars because they had to make sure they put the riffs in the right places. After rehearsing it over and over again I feel that this song is basically perfect and we have to make sure that we remember all this for the show.

I think Sour times sounds really good and we all really enjoyed playing it because we have made it more interesting in a way I think. Dave wanted to record it so we could watch it so we would remember what we had to do so it wouldn’t of been a waste of time. I think today showed how much effort we put in and the result we came out with in the end was really worth it and I was really proud to be in this group performing with them.

I think because we were all into it so much I got into it as well which is why I think I was so focused when doing this song. All of us were focused because we all got into this song very much. Although because we were so focused we didn’t get an opportunity to look at the other song at all, so Dave said we would have to make another session so that we could do this song because otherwise it would have to be cut which he didn’t want it too.

Tomorrow we have to work in the 80s synth songs and we have to make sure they are perfect because they are our main songs, the ones we were giving in the first few weeks of this project. So they should be perfect already but they are unfortunately not yet.

 

03/11/2010

Today we have been working through the 80s synth to try and get it perfect so we can work on how we are going to perform it when we show Ant and Dave everything. What we have been struggling with the most is the pianos in Sweet Dreams because Jon hasn’t really played the piano before and it is new to him and he has to learn 3 different sections of the songs. Chin also had to start learning the keyboard solo because he will have to play this twice in the song. We had to go over this bit a lot because the piano is the main instrument in the song so this had to be playable for us to run through the song for the rest of the bands sake. We eventually went through it a few times with Chloe doing the harmony for the song and I doing lead I think it sounded pretty good but we had to sort out some parts because Ant said there is a section where Chloe sings ‘Hold your head up’ and he said it sounds like a trapped boy, he said when we get to it we will sort it out so that it will sound better. We then looked at Only you, which a lot more together than Sweet dreams we could get basically all the way through without messing up. We added Chloe for the harmony again. We also have got Callum to do the what would have been the keyboard solo but have changed it and he will play it on guitar. I think it sounds good and it makes it sounds different from the original so it makes it our own. We also had to change the key of the song because I was struggling with such a low key and occasionally went out of tune. So we transposed the song into a higher key so I could sing it. I feel a lot more comfortable in this key and can sing the song a lot better and show off me voice more.

I think today Only was better than Sweet dreams, it was a lot more together and more rehearsed and I think it sounded not sloppy and messy. It sounded like we had worked on it more, when we hadn’t, it is just an easier song to learn.

I think I was rather focused today and I like having Chloe to sing with me because singing with her brings up my confidence. I think that sometimes we still lose focus and we only work really hard when we have Ant or Dave with us and I think that we still sometimes need the teacher guidance because we get a bit lost with all the

different things we have to learn with the songs.

Today I think I worked quite well I had to sing a lot and I think that it was good because it boosted my confidence even more.

Dave told us that if we do well enough with these 2 songs we can then do an extra song, Kids by MGMT. I would really love to do this song because it is one of my favourites but he said we can only do this if we do well so it is kind of like a reward.

Tomorrow we have to are showing our two blues songs and our 80s synth songs as well. This will show Ant and Dave how we have progressed over the last few weeks.

 

08/11/2010

Today I was with the Triphop group again where we worked on the other song All I need by air. Chloe and I, the vocalists did not do much because most of the session was spent on what the band were meant to be playing. We went through the song a few times but had to stop and start a lot because someone in the band may do something wrong. For this song I am just doing the backing part for this song because I am not actually in this group they just needed someone to sing the backing part of the song.

I think the group worked quite well, taking into account that I think most of the group do not like this song as it is quite a soft, slow song. I personally wouldn’t be interested in this sort of song but this is their genre so after some words from Dave we got properly working and got into it. We found it hard to sort out the ending because it was very dragged out so today we just made sure that we worked out the instrumental part where there are the vocals. I think this was quite a high song and I think Chloe dealt with it very well and pulled it off very well too. Justin I think found this song very boring because he was very bored playing the song and because of this would lose focus and his drumming could sometimes not be as good as it normally is because of this. We also felt that we may need another piano to do the other effects in the song as there is a sort of techno sound at the beginning and some other synth sounds during the song.

I think because this group is not my group I feel like I cannot not put in my opinion as much because I feel that it is not my place but I have to think I am there to help so that is the whole reason I am there. I still get told to sing louder, I am finding it easier not to get nervous what I sing in front of new people and I to me I am singing loudly, but when the rest of the band are put in, it isn’t as loud as I think. I think when I am with Chloe my confidence goes up a lot and I think it is the same for her too because we both are very comfortable around each other and I think we relax which means our throats won’t close up which means our voices won’t strains.

For the next session where the Triphop group will be together we have to work on the end of All I Need and get it perfect because at the moment we are still making small mistakes which can cause our song to be cut or if we do perform it won’t be up to standard.

 

09/11/2010

Today I was with my normal group, we had to get our blues and 80s synth pop perfect so that they won’t get cut for the show. We first started work on our 80s songs because they were the ones that needed more work, Sweet dreams is a little empty at the moment because the only instruments you can hear on the track are drums, synthesizers and vocals. We have that at the moment but we are also still not completely sure of the structure. When we looked at Only you we basically knew it but I was still a little unsure of my words and Callus was unsure of where he solo

came in. For 80s synth pop we had trouble looking at sounds on the electric drum kit because none of them were good enough to play with the songs. Ant asked Tom to bring in his brain which is with his electric drum kit at home because he said there would hopefully be better sounds on it. We also looked at our Blues songs, for Howling for my darling we just had to make sure we still remember everything and I was unsure of the harmony I have to sing with Alex. For Bright lights, big city we added Chloe on vocals to sing a harmony with my voice. I really needed reminding for this song because I haven’t run through it for the whole band for ages so I was a little rusty on performing this song. It didn’t take us long to sort out any problems we had with this song.

I think sweet dreams is the song we have the most problems with because Jon has not really played the piano much and I think is struggling with playing it throughout the whole song. Chin is also finding the keyboard solo hard because it is a harder part to play, but he has shown that with the right amount of practise he can get the solo perfect. For this song Ant felt that this song didn’t really suit my voice and that someone else would be better to be lead vocals so we got Fliss in to take my place and I sing backing with Chloe. I think it sounded a lot better with Fliss singing it because I couldn’t sing it as strong as they wanted. For Bright light big city we added Chloe singing a harmony with me, I think it sounds really good and makes a really good sound. With this song Ant said it would make a brilliant opening song so now we open with this song. It sounds really good from what we have done for the opening. For howling for my darling we had to clean everything up because it was all a bit messy because we hadn’t run through it with Alex for a while. I had forgotten my harmony and we had to work on that separately because I thought it sounded a little out of tune because Alex and I sung different things. But I think now it sounded really good after some help from Ant.

I think we worked really hard in this session today because we had to get everything perfect for tomorrow. I think I need to just remember my lyrics because on Only you I am struggling to remember the lyrics which I should of learnt weeks ago. Sometimes I find it hard to keep lyrics in my head. I think I have become a lot more confident but I still need to project my voice even more because otherwise the audience won’t hear me and can effect the quality of the song.

Tomorrow we have to go through all the songs so far and I think that we will do well, they also have to decide on what songs they are going to cut because we have to many songs for the show at the moment. If we perform ours well I don’t think our songs will get cut but if we don’t do as well as we can they might do which I wouldn’t want to happen because we have worked so hard.

 

10/11/2010

Today we had a singing lesson first to get our voices ready, afterwards we had to go through surfer to make sure we had the levels right and that we new it properly. Afterwards we had to run through all the songs for the show so that Dave and Ant could decide on what songs will be cut for the show or if people need to be replaced on songs. I think we did pretty well but not as well as we could have because they said Howling for my darling and Sweet dreams were rather sloppy and you could tell we hadn’t worked on it that much. After a bit of time we played them really well I think, but I am unsure if they will cut them or not. Bright lights and Only you I think went really well and they have a less likely chance of them being cut. It was a really long day and we couldn’t get through all the songs so the only song I didn’t go through today was Forget you but I think it didn’t really need much changing because

Ant liked it and said it would be a good ending song.

For Sweet dreams we have now added bass so we have had to teach Matt a bass line, otherwise we all felt that the sound was empty and there wasn’t enough going on. Only you we had to make sure we had rehearsed everything which we haven’t really and it sounded a bit sloppy. I think after going through it a few times it sounded really good. I think me and Chloe’s harmony sounded very good and I think out voices are very well matched. The other song that had a few glitches was Howling for my darling because we only had yesterday to practise with Alex singing lead, so of the harmonies were a bit flat so we had to work out what we were singing again. We also had to sort out the guitar solo because some of it worked and some of didn’t. Also when we went through it for the first time some of the instruments were not in synch and again sounded unrehearsed and sloppy. I think both the Triphop songs went really well except that half way through I forgot my lyrics but it wasn’t much of an issue because no one noticed that much I don’t think? The Air song was good we just have to sort out the ending and then it will be perfect.

I think today went pretty well and I was proud that singing in front of people get easier and easier every time I get up on stage to sing to everyone. My confidence is still growing but it has come a long way since the beginning of this project. I also need to make sure I don’t forget my lyrics on the nights of the shows because it could ruin the song.

Tomorrow we are just going through the end of Air because we couldn’t go through the whole song today, we have also added Adam on to another piano to do the other sounds in the song.

 

11/11/2010

Today we had to run through All I need because for the full run through we had not finished the ending. Today was mostly focused on the band rather than Chloe and I because we knew our parts. I have very little to do because I only have a small part for the first part of the song.

I think the song is coming together really well now and I think that it will sound good on the show nights. Again to all of us this isn’t our favourite song so we all probably didn’t get on with it as much as we should have. I think after Dave had a little go at us we just got on with it so we could do it perfectly and then just go home and make sure everything stays in my head.

I think today I wasn’t very focused and sometimes I got Chloe unfocused which was unfair because that is her group and I should be helping her not letting her lose focus and mess around with me. I think I should have been more focused then I think that it would have been fair on the rest of the group.

Tomorrow we have to go through the acoustic songs, we have to make sure we don’t forget what we have done today otherwise it would have been a waste of a whole session.

 

 

12/11/2010

Today we had to go through our acoustic songs and show them to Dave so they can decide if they are good enough to stay in the show if they will get cut. First of all we went through Save you scissors, because both Matt and I have been busy with other group things we haven’t practised much and we were very unrehearsed when we went in but Dave said it could get cut but if we practise it then it will stay in. We just had to remind Callum of the chords and make sure Matt stayed in time and that know the

timing and lyrics. After that I went through Come as you are and Dave had to some massive idea to change it completely and make it more Jazz than Nirvana style. I think it will be good because it will make it original and our own. We were working on this song for a very long time because we kept adding people and taking people away from the piece. They had to change the key of the song for me because it was to deep for me. The key was a lot higher and I thought I struggled at times but Dave reassured me and said that the key fits very well with my voice and shows off what I can really do. After a while we managed to put it together by having George on drums, Nikki on piano, Callum on guitar and Tom on bass. It now has a really jazzy sound and I think will be a good song to have in the show. I am really excited to do this song because it is one of the songs I get to sing lead in. It is my chance to show people what I can do with my voice.

I think today I worked really hard with pushing those notes so I could hit then and all of us together worked hard because we had to make sure it went well because we probably spent to much time on this song. I think that I should of known my lyrics because at the time I didn’t and I slowed us down a little because I would mess up sometimes because I would sing the wrong lyrics or forget them all together.

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