Composition 2

RESUBMISSION - Weekly Diary 16.11.15

Monday 16th November,
                                         It has now been my third lesson in remixing/re-arranging class and we have now moved on to Stevie Wonder's, Superstition. we had learnt what to change or add to the song to make it sound more original or different. I have added a four chord progression and changed the bass so it doesn't revolve around one note. 

In song writing, we had moved into new groups and had to write a song with the theme of protest songs. From writing my own songs, I knew how to easily create a four chord progression. Before hand, I had worked out a numerous amount of four chord progressions so we won't spend most of our time trying to find out what chords to use.

In my instrumental lessons with Bill, we work on with arpeggios over one and two octaves in the key of C to help on my fluidity which broken chords. While doing this, we also worked on my technique of playing arpeggios. For example, we change from staccato to legato to widen my use of dynamics while playing piano.   

Interview Questions | The Quietus; Keith Richards Interview

Does his return to the capital feel like a return home or is it more like passing through a town in which he lived?

Yet given how long the Stones have been together and the volume of extra-curricular activities by his band mates, it does seem strange that this is just Richards’ third solo outing. Why so few and why now?

RESUBMISSION - Weekly Diary 23.11.15

Monday 23rd November, 

                                         In song writing, we had been told to add more to our song like lyrics and to make a chorus. Before this lesson, I had thought of chords to use for a chorus and a bridge. Other people in my group had made lyrics possibly for a chorus or another verse. By the end of the session, we had almost finished the song with just the lyrics for the bridge to be made. We had decided that we didn't to change the chords for the bridge

In my instrumental lessons, I was able to practice the songs we had previously done and one for that day in band workshop. This helped me because I was given advice on how to make it easier for my self to change between chords by using inversions and changing my hand position would make it easier to reach to an octave.

Vodun & 2nd Years Review

On Thursday 12th, Vôdûn performed with the second years as their support bands. 

When walking in, the smoke machine and lights were already on with a slide show with animated photos. This created a good atmosphere. However, everyone congregated towards the back of the room. 

The performance by the support bands started. However, they didn't say whether the song they were performing was an original or a cover. One group did face some technical problems but they did continue and manage to end the song all at the same time even though it wasn't the end of the song yet. However, you could see the confusion on some of the singers faces which slightly shows unprofessionalism. 

During some of the performances, they engaged the audience by getting us to clap along. This worked but then started to fade out leaving little pockets of people clapping. I think that this would of been the last resort for the performers to use to get the audience involved and more captivated. However, this just created the opposite effect. 

After the interval, Vôdûn was next to perform. They gave an introduction of who they are and what they would be doing on that night. What I realised was the background video had changed to suit the genre of their music. Also, I realised that the colours used for the lights hadn't change which played a big part in the overall experience. It would of been better if the colours used would of corresponded with either the colours they wore or the paint they used. I liked it when they gave an explanation of the song because it would make me listen to the lyrics more closely and gives me something to think about instead of just listening to the song. They were able to engage my attention just by their stage presence. They were very energetic and it felt like there were performing and not just doing it because they have to. They also got the audience to participate by handing out percussion instruments such as shakers and tambourines. I liked this because it made you feel more involved and made you feel like you was contributing to their song. 

Overall, minus the technical problems, the performances were of high standard and I wouldn't mind to watch another performance by either Vôdûn or the second years. 

RESUBMISSION - Weekly Diary 09.11.15

This week, we didn't have any set targets as it was the first week for the half term holiday. During the holidays, I had practised my groups original song for Song Workshop to change the chords in to inversion to make it easier to play are to change the way it sounds.

On Monday, for band workshop, we hadn't written a bridge for our song which made practice with the group hard as we couldn't do a proper run through. With the chords that I had used for the bridge, I was able to help with the melody line by using the scale of the key that we used. We manage to write the bridge and kept practising it until it was time to perform it. The song was good as it has everything a pop song needs but we could of used our time more productively and to not scrap something every week.

On Friday, I had an instrumental lesson in the morning. In this lesson, we found areas on which I need to work on to make me a better musician/ pianist. We found out that I need to work on my fluidity while playing broken chords. Doing this could help me with songs that I will be doing in Band Workshop because I could be using broken chords. We also went over the beginning of Moonlight Sonata. Even though this doesn't contribute towards the Decades Project, this helps me broaden the type of music I learn and play on piano. 

A Cup of Tea with Jay

Questions;
Who has inspired you the most as a musician?

"Stevie Wonder is one of my favourite artists in the world! It's crazy because one setback made him world famous. His blindness inspired people all over the world, and I would just love to be on the journey of his inspiration by being on tour with him.

Who would you like to be on tour with the most, and why?

Beyoncé because it will be a good experience to show me what I could become one day. She's also a musical icon, as one of the best female vocalist in our generation. I've been a fan of her ever since her  all female band in 07' and playing for her would be such a privilege.

What is planned for the future as a career?

To open up a music school for children aged from 6-18. It would be an excellent opportunity to give back to my community and instead of children nowadays obsessed with technology it'll be better to pick up and instrument as it can open so many doors from such a young age, so I'll be doing this scheme to help the children of our generation.

Other interests?

I like to work with computers and technology, I started my interest with technology when I was young, ever since I was installing softwares in primary school. I also use this interest in photography by editing photos I take with my camera. I like to post them online and receive feedback and recognition from other photographers.

Level 3 Music Performance Evaluation

On Thursday, my group and I performed Billie Jean - Michael Jackson to the rest of Year 1 Performing Arts.

I think the performance went well because we managed to get the whole song without any difficulty. I think all of us had a good stage presence and the way we changed the song made the audience more interested since it is a well known song. 

However, by not being prepared before the performance, it created a delay and also made it slightly awkward. Also, as the song progressed it started to speed up but I didn't realise until the end of the performance. Personally, I think I could of had a better posture.

For next time, I think we could of been more prepared before the performance and to practice thoroughly.

My Bio

Fathered by Einstein and mothered by Beyonce, Monique was destined for stardom. Monique is Queen. She's hands on, she's crazy in love with her man. She hates to be a single lady, with a halo around her head. She runs the world, she has sweet dreams. She has a countdown of the days before she has made her mark on the world.

XO 

Monique 

Snarky Puppy Bio

Snarky Puppy Bio

The once Texan, now New York-based quasi-collective Snarky Puppy has gone from the best-kept secret to one of the most respected names in instrumental music. Although still "underground" in many respects, the band earned its first Grammy Award in early 2014 (for Best R&B Performance) and has earned high praise from critical stalwarts like the BBC, Village Voice, The Guardian, New York Times, and Washington Post, as well as the world’s most respected musicians, from Pat Metheny to Prince. Their most recent album, a collaboration with the Dutch large ensemble Metropole Orkest called Sylva, topped Billboard Jazz, Billboard Contemporary Jazz, Billboard Heatseeker, and iTunes Jazz charts. The band has always used live performance as its chief form of evangelism, and over the last 8 years has maintained a more intense tour schedule than almost any band in the idiom with over 1,200 performances.

Snarky Puppy seamlessly fuses a deep knowledge and respect for musical tradition with sonic and conceptual innovation in a way that is able to reach the most critical- or most carefree- audience. The convergence of musicians from white and black America (who also perform regularly with artists like Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kirk Franklin, Justin Timberlake, Roy Hargrove, and Marcus Miller among others), which occurred while the band was in its adolescence at the University of North Texas, has naturally established a system of balance that instantly draws listeners to the music- raw funk and sensitive dynamics, relentless pocket and lyrical melodicism, lush harmony and soulful simplicity, and most importantly, a delicate mixture of composition and improvisation.

Though an instrumental band in nature, Snarky Puppy thrives on collaborating with artists from all styles. Their Family Dinner album series is a vehicle for this, having seen the likes of Salif Keita, Susana Baca, David Crosby, Lalah Hathaway, Becca Stevens, Laura Mvula, Brazilian legends Carlos Malta and Bernardo Aguiar, Swedish neo-trad group Väsen, Jeff Coffin, Charlie Hunter, and many more over the course of the first two installments.

The group is led by bassist/guitarist/composer/arranger Michael League, whose creative grass-roots approach to a tougher-than-ever industry has created a new model for independent artists. Snarky Puppy is a three-headed creature: first, and most obviously- an original music ensemble. Second, a production team and session band for individual artists. Third, and probably most importantly, Snarky Puppy is a group of musicians enthusiastically committed to music education and community outreach. Working with non-profit and arts advocacy groups around the world, as well as giving clinics at hundreds of colleges, high schools, and middle schools on six continents, the band has made a strong commitment to spreading their love of music and general positivity to a young generation looking for something real to be inspired by.

Task 1; The Beatles | Year 1 Music Performance

Task 1; The Beatles | Year 1 Music Performance

Abbey Road was first released on 26th September, 1969 and was the eleventh studio album by the Beatles. Abbey Road entered the British album chart at no.1 in October and stayed there for a total of 17 weeks yet it still stayed in the charts for 81 weeks. In the US, it spent 11 weeks at no.1 during its long chart stay of 83 weeks. For the first time on a Beatles album, the front cover contained neither the group's name nor the album title just that iconic photograph taken in August 1969 on the zebra crossing near the entrance to the studios in London.

The two songs I will be analysing are Come Together and Here Comes The Sun.  

The song Come Together was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, I found this song interesting as it doesn’t use the same song structure as a normal pop song. For example, the chorus is only one bar of 8. Also, the chorus is in a major key which is different from the rest of the song as it is in a minor. During the intro, handclaps are used which gives the song a more natural feel. Each beat is emphasised by the bass drum and has a simple drum line which makes other instruments stand out like the bass line. The use of the heavy bass line is very effective as it is the most memorable part of the whole song. 

Here comes the sun  was written by George Harrison. I liked this song because of the way the song is written. Even though the song is 3 minutes long, the verses and chorus are quite short. Also, the chorus is sung after the intro. Throughout the song, the guitar plays the same as the melody which creates a melody between the vocals and the acoustic guitar. In the bridge, ‘sun, sun, sun, here it comes’ is repeated 5 times but has a different timing from the rest of the song. As that line get repeated, more instruments get added. For example, hand claps and a synthesiser.  

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=leWnf1c7dks