Week 7

Week 7
What did I think of my music jingle?
I think it was very good in fact. This was very different than my usual random finale compositions, as this time I didn't have to play the song on the guitar. I made a very creative jingle with C G Am F for the chords. this simple four-chord structure made it very easy for me to play with my composition. I made a very complicated violin segment that matched very well, and I used many techniques in creating the melody, including the double-layer technique that Sir Herry taught us. All in all I'm very satisfied with my jingle, as it sounds like a good distinct song.

Instrument class
Instrument class was once again used for preparing our ensemble song. We did even better this time as our saxophone players have learned from their teacher. We had a more coherent practice, and the guitarists (Cindy and I) learned their solo parts from Mr. John. Everything was going well honestly, but Jordi was a problem. He didn't know how to play his part, so we wasted time waiting for him to learn. Finally, he managed to get the song though, so we were able to practice efficiently.

Videos: Girl from Ipanema group practice + Solo

This is our practice video of Girl from Ipanema. This time we all practiced together to prepare for the assessment, and our team did relatively well. The first 12 bars went by smoothly, and we were able to cooperate while playing. The saxophones got their part right, the piano too and the guitar as well. The only problem was Jordi, but he managed to pull together. I'm pretty sure Cindy and I will need mikes later, as we could barely be heard. We also have to practice the saxophone solos as our timing's still off. Finally, we need to perfect the ending. It was a good practice all-in-all.

This video is my practice for my solo in Girl from Ipanema. I can't really find a good place to improvise here, so I'll just follow the solo for my performance. Its very simple to play, but its boring and I really want to make the song more exciting. I have to improve on my style I guess, because playing it like this is boring. I also have to put some improvisation in it to make the song more interesting.

Videos: The Girl From Ipanema + Autumn Leaves

This video is me playing the chords of "The Girl From Ipanema". I didn't do too well, honestly all my practices this time around weren't too well. I blame my sickness for that. The chords for this song were pretty simple, and I've practiced it with my friends before so I sort of remember it. I have to memorize the chords for the ensemble, and I need to fluidly transfer from chord to chord as well.

This video is of me playing the melody of the song just now. This was far more difficult as I haven't heard the actual melody of the song. I was just going with what I had heard from the practices, coupled with improvised notes. I was very sloppy, and I need to either heal from my sickness, or just plain out get better at playing it. I have to memorize it more, and work on my picking a lot.

This video is of me playing the chords to Autumn Leaves. This song was deceptively difficult. I couldn't really guess from the demonstrations, but this song was quite hard to play. There was one obscure chord that I changed, as I opted to play F# in the end. I found that the chords sounded off though, which probably meant that I wasn't playing the song right. That's a sobering realization, but I guess it just means I need to improve. Luckily I'm not doing this song for the ensemble performance.

The final video is of me playing the melody of Autumn Leaves. Unlike its ridiculously hard chords, the melody was actually really easy. It didn't take too long for me to figure it out, and it had a nice tune to it. I was even able to accentuate the notes to make them sound better. Sure I messed up some bits, but it's a start. I just need to practice this one more if I want to play the melody.

Week 6

Week 6
How is your jazz band progressing?
Well this week we had to put together a jazz band to perform our music ensemble. Sarah and I already had a set team in mind, but due to the member constraints, we had to leave Ditho and take Boy and Sake. We picked Girl from Ipanema to play, and it wasn't too hard. At least the chord aspects of it were easy, and I easily managed to learn them with Mr. John. We haven't exactly practiced though, and it's difficult to balance all the different instruments. For example, the melody of the song is hard to play in sync when there are three different instruments playing at the same time. We have to up the practice if we want to give a decent performance.

Instrument class
Surprisingly, we had instrument class this week. Our instrument class was first used to practice the ensemble song and to plan out the arrangement. It didn't go so well, as we weren't exactly motivated. We then learned the chords and the melody, which were easier to learn individually. The problem was, Mr. John couldn't really help with the other instruments, so we'll need to work around that. I practiced the chords, and I'm planning to pluck them to give a more jazz feel. We still have a lot of time though, so hopefully it'll turn out well.

Week 5

Week 5
How did my singing assessment go?
For once, my singing assessment went pretty well without any complications. The fact that we performed the song in a group of 4 helped a lot in the confidence department. I took the first voice because it was rather simple, and I was the fourth voice, which meant that I could sing how ever I wanted to. I think my team was also a large factor in the good performance. I had good synergy with them, as I was friends with Jordi Calista and Sarah, which made the singing quite well. Although I wasn't too nervous here, I think I have to increase my expression while singing, as I still look pretty dull.

Instrument class
Like the two weeks before this, we had no instrument class. Honestly term 4 is quite scarce in terms of instrument class. This time I didn't actively try to learn any songs, as I had singing assessment to take care of. Instead I just kept working on Close To You, as it was related with our assessment task. I didn't make much progress on it, but the improvisation hooks are starting to be visible.

Videos: Close To You

The first video shows me playing the first two lines of "Close To You". I didn't refer to the booklet to find the notes, and I just looked for them myself. It was a relatively easy song to play, but "Don't Know Why" was quite easier. The notes were far apart from each other, which is why I slipped a couple of times in my attempt to play it. I know I have to improve on it, because I'm still sloppy, but I guess it's a good start. I already found several good spots to improvise too.

The second video shows me playing the bridge of "Close To You". Although this part is hard to sing, due to its monotone nature, this makes it quite easy to play on the guitar. Notice how I make less mistakes on this video, and was able to improvise towards the end. I got this section of the song covered, but I guess I need to work on my articulation as some notes are still muted when I play. Its not too difficult though, as I've said before.

Week 4

Week 4
How does business and industry affect music-makers and users?
Music is heavily influenced by businesses such as record labels and distributors. Apart from indie artists, most of the artists we see on MTV or hear on the radio are aided by record labels. These record labels tend to get the artist famous and in turn, allow them to gain lots of money. Thus, businesses are important as they help spread music around. Without good backup, amateur music makers usually have a lot of problems starting out. Thus, the industry has both a positive and negative effect.

Instrument class
Once again we had limited instrument class this week. However, I tried to practice the song "Close to You" in accordance with our singing assessment. The chords of the song seemed quite difficult, so I didn't try them out yet. The melody was easier to obtain though, and I am able to play the whole song already. I might try to improve, to accompany the singing assessment.