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.

Videos: Don't Know Why Improvisation

This is me playing the introduction of Don't Know Why. It was an easy part to play, but I forgot several of the notes. I improvised a bit as well, in order to put my own spin on the song. I think right now it sounds bland because there is no backing. I think I should also improve on my tone and articulation, in order to give a more soulful performance. Perhaps the improvisation should also be more inspired.

This is me playing the bridge of Don't Know Why. I think  I did this better than the intro, as I hit most of the notes right. I also found a good set of notes to play as improvisation. The rapid sequence of notes is very good as an ending to the bridge. I think that if I play it well, it will also improve the songs in general. I have to work on it more though, as I nearly missed a note.

Week 3

Week 3
How have developments in technology change the ways in which we engage with music?
Technology, or advances in it specifically, has also been a major factor in the spread of music. Nowadays the internet is the most common medium of music, along with television. These two mediums are made possible with technology, and this technology allows people to access and find music quickly. The internet also allows us to download music applications, like iTunes for example. Advances in technology have also allowed people to record their own music easily, create new unique genres of music (like Daft Punk and Skrillex), and put new spins on songs (electric instruments). Thus, technology advancements are important in music.

Instrument Class
This week we didn't have any instrument class, as it was taken up by presentation preparation. However, I continues to learn the melodies of Don't Know Why with my lesson teacher, to prepare for my ensemble performance. I had a nice bit of improvisation for the song, which I hope I can continue to improve and develop for the assessment.

Videos: Fly Me To The Moon

Here I'm playing the melody of "Fly Me To The Moon". The melody is actually derived from the B major scale if I'm not wrong, which made playing it rather easy. It has a nice sounding melody which I like to play, so I might consider using this song instead. I need to find a way to improvise some of the notes of this song, as my melody right now is a direct copy of the song's melody.

Here I am playing the chords of "Fly Me To The Moon". I admit that this video isn't too good, because I wasn't able to play it with the 7th chords. I substituted the 7th chords with the normal majors and minors. As for the playing itself, I think I did rather well, although I should improve on my speed and strumming pattern. I also have to learn the 7th chords if I want to make it sound better.

Videos: Don't Know Why

Here I am playing the chords of jazz song "Don't Know Why". The video quality isn't really good, so there's this strange effect on my playing. However, the chords of this song are quite easy, and I memorized them within the first 5 minutes of trying. I still have to work on my strumming pattern though, because it was a bit unorganized in this video. I also have to keep working on my 7th chords.

Here I am playing the melody of "Don't Know Why". I want to use this song for our asssessment, so I'm practicing it now. The melody itself seems simple, and I found it out by myself. However, I need to work on my playing because it sounds too soft. I played okay though, despite some minor problems with my fingering. I might have to find some improvisation opportunities within the song though.

Term 4 Week 1-2

Week 1
What is the role of music in your life?
Music is a very important part of my life I guess. It serves as a good source of entertainment and relaxation for me. I'm usually quite bored at home, but having music allows me to get past boredom quite easily. It's also a motivator and a stress reliever for me, as some songs have motivating lyrics. Listening to songs while working also motivates me for some strange reason. I can also express myself with music, by singing songs with emotional meanings. Although that does sound sort of sad, it actually helps a lot to relieve my stress with music. So, music is quite important for me.

Instrument class
I tried to learn a new song for once in instrument class called Hotel California. It was a difficult song as I'm not really good at plucking strings. However, learning this song might prove useful for my assessments, as it helps my fingering at the same time. At this point though, my playing is still unclear, and my articulation is still pretty off.

Week 2
What are the uses of music in society?
Music has a lot of roles to play in society. Everyone would agree that music is a source of entertainment, as it is omnipresent in everyday life. In fact, society would be very different without music. No national anthems, no jingles, no catchy songs, it'd all be rather dull. Music is also used as a source of revenue. Out in the world people use music to make money by selling their work and playing concerts. Its a good although difficult job to take though. Other roles of music include helping people express themselves, enhancing the brainpower of people and being used in therapy.

Instrument class
Instrument class this week was mostly used to prepare us for the notation test. Although I didn't do so well in the end, Mr. John helped us a lot. He showed us how to distinguish what chords were being played by analyzing the notes. The examples given were quite easy, as he only drilled us with 7th chords. Of course, that left us sort of unprepared for the 9th, 11th and 13th chords, but its okay. Mr. John tried his best to prepare us and that's what matters.

Videos: 7th chords + techniques

My playing of chords here is already quite well. I can play them and switch chords fast, because we've learned 7th chords in grade 9. The 1 year since we first learned the chords is enough to increase my skill.

Hammer-ons are an easy technique, so I can play them quite well. My hands move pretty fast, but the tone that the hammer-ons produces is still muffled. I have to press my fingers harder if I want clearer sounds.

Pull-offs are a lot harder, and I can't pull them off well yet (lol look at the pun). I need to improve my speed and precision. I tend to get confused on how to play the pull-off, so I might need to go back to the basics.

Here I used sliding along with hammer-ons and pull-offs. Sliding in guitar is an easy technique, so I could pull it off pretty easily. Chaining it with a hammer-on and pull-off is a different matter though, as I suck at pull-offs. I really have to improve on pull-offs.

Here I improvise using the various techniques. It's all pretty good I guess, but I need to learn the right time to use bending. I used bending rather recklessly here, so it affects the quality.

Videos: Original Songs

These are original songs with melodies that I have improvised based on their chord structure. I found it difficult to make the melody, and I practiced them so that I won't forget them if I need them. I'm still sloppy at playing, as I'm more of a chord person than a melody one. And yess i know I'm supposed to comment on each video one by one, but I'll start doing that on the next entry.

Videos: Pentatonic (Blues) Scale

These are my videos of the blues scale. The blues scale is usable for jazz improvisation, and I sort of used it during the assessment. I'm practicing here the pentatonic scale, and also the improvisation using the scale. I have to improve my picking and my finger placement as well, as I messed up a lot.

Videos: Fingering

These are various videos of me practicing fingering. Although I didn't actually use any fingering for the final assessment, they would've helped me play more fluidly if I had. I also suck at fingering for some reason, and I have to improve on the accuracy of my finger placement.

Videos: Jazz

This video shows my jazz improvisation. For some reason I did better on the actual test, but its probably because of the music. Maybe I have to work on my knowledge of scales and my fingering.

These are the chords for my jazz improvisation. As you can see I still need to work on them slightly, as I have difficulty switching to CM7.

This is my failed attempt at playing "When The Saints Are Marchin In". Unlike Dhanes' great version, this was horrible. I have to learn how to play songs by ear, like what Dhanes did.

Week 8-9

Week 8

Explain the role of blues in the development of early jazz

Blues music is one of the forms of jazz, and it generally has its own niche in the musical genres. Blues is characterized by its improvised and spontaneous nature, and like all jazz, is used to convey emotion. This connection with emotion helped develop the early stages of jazz, by encouraging an emotional and message-filled way of playing. Thus, blues is important to the development of jazz.

Instrument Class

Today, Cindy Ditho and I practiced with Michelle and Ivy to play our collaboration jazz pieces. It was difficult, as I haven't really practiced. This time I could actually play the music, so it was an improvement. I need to improve on my playing and sight-reading though.

Week 9

How is my understanding now about improvisation especially in blues?

My understanding is better now, as I had to improvise due to my inability to read the notes. It's not as hard as it looks, but it takes a great deal of skill to make good improvised notes. I have to learn the proper scales first in order to make better improvisations. My understanding is a lot better than it was though, due to my attempts and forced application of improvising.

Instrument Class

I had to learn more about improvisation instead of note-reading due to how effective it is. It's a difficult yet somewhat easy task, as I can improvise already. I'll try my best to learn more about the techniques as time passes. Mr. John also helped me in improvising, as he trained me in instrument class.

Term 3 Week 6-7

Week 6

My challenges working on my 12 bar blues finale task

A large challenge was obtaining the finale software. Thankfully, I saved the portable program on my USB, which simplified matters. A larger challenge was successfully transferring the notes from paper to computer, as some of the written notes were quite hard to decipher. However, I relied on my knowledge on chords and scales to make sure I wrote the right notes down.

Instrument class

Instrument class was very short this week. If I'm not mistaken, we had too much theory time, which leaves us with minimal practice opportunities. However, I did realize some key weaknesses in my guitar playing. I'm not good at using the guitar as a melody instrument, as I prefer playing chords. Thus, my blues playing suffers as a result.

Week 7

How do I practice and apply my 12 bar blues at home?

To be honest, I don't have the time or motivation to practice. I know that this is wrong and sort of stupid, but right now there's just too many assessments piling up, which leaves me little time to practice. I do have guitar and violin lessons though, so perhaps I could try to learn my composition during those lessons. I really need to practice, as I can't sight read my composition, as my rehearsal shows. Without practice, I'm bound to get a low score.

Instrument class

In instrument class, I used my time this week to try to practice my composition. I had to focus my concentration into reading the notes of the composition. I think it would be better if I changed the notation into tabs, as it is much easier that way. My picking needs a lot of work as well, as right now it isn't too good.

Week 5

Week 5

How is my understanding of blues and applying 12 bar blues?

Blues so far is an interesting topic for me. I enjoy hearing the unique style of music, and its unique style of sound. Improvisation still seems challenging to me and we luckily haven't tried it. We did have to create a 12 bar composition. This advanced my understanding due to the insight into the workings of composition. Melding the notes with the chord sound also helped me understand the blues genre more. So far, I haven't actually played any blues music though.

Instrument class

We tested out our blues song in instrument class. Well at least I did, I don't really know about the others. It's still a difficult process, and I have no experience with blues improvisation. However, i'm getting better at actual playing, despite my constant mistakes. I have to get a lot better if I want to competently improvise though.

Term 3 Week 4

Week 4
How do you understnd the learning of jazz through your assessments done till now?
As we didn't have any assessments that involved improvisation yet, the previous assessments had little impact on understanding jazz. The essays we had to do gave us a lot of insight in the history and techniques of jazz, but do little to prepare us for actual improvisation and playing. The singing assessment helped me in getting a feel of what jazz songs are like though, so I guess it slightly counts.

Instrument Class
As we had our singing songs this week, we didn't learn any new chords or techniques. Instead I spent instrument time thinking about how I would sing. Mr John was kind enough to accompany us for singing with his guitar. Dhanes (as usual) was able to pick up on the chords rather easily, which made the session interesting to say the least.

Term 3 Week 1-3

Week 1
How did you find the beginning of jazz according to you and how it was presented by the teachers?
I think the beginning and the roots of jazz were interesting. The fact that it was created by African-Americans made it unique and interesting for me to learn. The evolution from slave and spiritual songs to jazz was also intriguing. I think it was presented rather well too, due to the booklets, which helped a lot in understanding the topics. The slideshows were good for getting the point across, the performance was epic, and all-in-all I find it a good if difficult topic due to the improvisation required.

Week 2
How is my progress in learning jazz? (Roots of jazz)
The process of learning jazz is complicated, but we're taking it slow by learning the various chords first. My progress itself is rather good. We've read most of the paper that Mr. Herry has given us. We've also learned about the actual music of jazz. On the actual chords themselves though, I haven't got a good grasp, and I haven't learned anything new. I know how to play some of the seventh chords, but my expertise is limited. Improvisation is still a long way off though.

Week 3
How did I do my essay and how does it affect me on learning and applying jazz?
My essay wasn't the best work I've done. We had to write about the beginning of jazz again, which meant summarizing most of the information sheets we were given. I did my music essay the day that we first got it, because I was feeling very motivated. Unfortunately I didn't put too much effort into it, and all the info was gained from a single source (the info sheets). I guess it only affects my knowledge of the history of jazz, as I see no practical application of it.