Unfortunately, I missed the first couple of weeks of class due to illness however I am now catching up with everything I missed.
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at some Avant Garde music and artists in class. This is a genre I am really not familiar with in any sense so it has been cool to find out more about something new!
Avant Garde music is known for being characteristically "ahead of it's time" and really pushes the boundaries of what is considered to be labelled as "music".
One of the true pioneers of this genre of music was John Cage. He experimented with means such as silence (as music), nature sounds, electronic currents, even the physical movements of the composer themselves. Some people find it hard to see how some of the pieces he composed can be called "music" but I think if you look at Avant Garde music with a truly open mind, you can get much more from it that just seeing it as "noise".
John Cage - Water Walk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSulycqZH-U
More Up to date Avant Garde music has a much more digital based sound due to the advances in musical technology over the past two or three decades. A lot of the Avant Garde music I have come across has a lot of experimental sounding noises and textures which you wouldn't usually find on a standard track on the radio for example.
These are two more recent examples of Avant Garde music.
George Marauder - Noise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3IrrRJlX3c
Kenji Siratori - External Scream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTdpu__yAiw&feature=related
This type of writing has even worked it's way into the world of heavier music, again using a lot of electronic devices to create some of the very strange sounds heard alongside the standard rock set up. Even just the concept of not having a "structure" as such to a piece, a lot of Avant Garde Metal seems to almost just go wherever it seems to feel like with the structure and musicality.
Quote Unquote - Mr Bungle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtDEmtwuTlI&feature=rellist&playnext=1&list=PL56FA073844C92AE0
Hypno5e - Day Break At SlaughterHouse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGUOXMLJ18Y&feature=BFa&list=PL56FA073844C92AE0
Monday 5 November 2012
Thursday 10 May 2012
Here are some videos from the live DVD that we filmed on tour, this is why I unfortunately missed performance class on the odd occasion.
I was really happy with my playing on these recordings, there was around 170 people there that night too which really made it even more special, when I'm in that kind of situation, I get into the music so much more so I put on a better performance. I think I play better under a lot of pressure.
The feedback so far from that show has been great. I have realised that in some cases, pushing the tempo in a live setting can actually be a really effective thing to do, especially in a function band setting. It can really be a great way of getting the audience motivated and up for a dance, which in turn makes for a better night all round. Also, being able to quickly know whether or not you will do an extra couple of choruses or a solo at the end of a track, Rod likes to keep you on your toes with that sort of thing when we play live.
I learned so much about myself and my playing when I was on the road with these guys, I really feel a lot more confident in my playing and on stage abilities. I am definitely looking forward to the festivals and bigger gigs in summer.
The Birthday Suit - Hope Me Home (LIVE)
The Birthday Suit - On My Own (LIVE)
The Birthday Suit - Past Passes By (LIVE)
I was really happy with my playing on these recordings, there was around 170 people there that night too which really made it even more special, when I'm in that kind of situation, I get into the music so much more so I put on a better performance. I think I play better under a lot of pressure.
The feedback so far from that show has been great. I have realised that in some cases, pushing the tempo in a live setting can actually be a really effective thing to do, especially in a function band setting. It can really be a great way of getting the audience motivated and up for a dance, which in turn makes for a better night all round. Also, being able to quickly know whether or not you will do an extra couple of choruses or a solo at the end of a track, Rod likes to keep you on your toes with that sort of thing when we play live.
I learned so much about myself and my playing when I was on the road with these guys, I really feel a lot more confident in my playing and on stage abilities. I am definitely looking forward to the festivals and bigger gigs in summer.
The Birthday Suit - Hope Me Home (LIVE)
The Birthday Suit - On My Own (LIVE)
The Birthday Suit - Past Passes By (LIVE)
Analysis of recordings during the year
Funk- "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay" - Otis Redding
This was a nice track to play, We had quite a big band for this track, this involving guitar (both acoustic and electric), bass, drums, piano, vocals and a horn section. I think my playing is quite solid throughout without too much fluctuation in time. We had put a lot of work into the structure of this track so I was quite confident in what I was playing. The whole idea this year in performance class was to get the tracks sounding as close to the original as possible and I think we managed it with this recording. I tried to have a very dynamic performance, although the track doesn't really leave much space for dynamics in my playing, that is really in the rest of the band and the overall texture of the track. I think my job in this track was to really just keep a solid tempo and easy feel to the song, which I feel I did.
Jazz - "Take 5" - Carmen McRae
This version of Take 5 has quite a similar feel to the original take five, the only real difference is that it has vocals written for it. I tried to keep a similar idea to that which Joe Morello (the drummer for the original version of take five) played. I found playing in 5/8 relatively easy, although keeping the off beat timing on the Hi-hats was quite difficult. I used brushes for this performance as it sounded far too harsh with sticks, it seemed to sit much nicer in the texture of the full band with brushes.
I think the overall performance of the song went well, there was a bit of a slip up near the middle of the song where Jilly went out of time quite badly, this had been a recurring problem in rehearsal but on the whole, the performance of the song had come a long way from all of us from where it first started out. I think we managed to deal with the mistake quite well and recover from it quite quickly, I think that is one of those situations in a live setting where the audience would soon forget about a mistake which is well recovered from.
I can admit that I find Jazz much harder than my usual choice of genre to play, it is something that I have never really tried in great depth and is clearly something that you can't just "learn" in a matter of weeks or months. I have been working on it and I can see and feel its benefits working into my playing so in the long run I feel it will really benefit me.
I was involved in the rehearsal processes for other tracks during the year although I unfortunately missed the recording of the performances. Proof of this will be in a later posting with youtube videos from the tour showing my playing with The Birthday Suit.
Funk- "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay" - Otis Redding
This was a nice track to play, We had quite a big band for this track, this involving guitar (both acoustic and electric), bass, drums, piano, vocals and a horn section. I think my playing is quite solid throughout without too much fluctuation in time. We had put a lot of work into the structure of this track so I was quite confident in what I was playing. The whole idea this year in performance class was to get the tracks sounding as close to the original as possible and I think we managed it with this recording. I tried to have a very dynamic performance, although the track doesn't really leave much space for dynamics in my playing, that is really in the rest of the band and the overall texture of the track. I think my job in this track was to really just keep a solid tempo and easy feel to the song, which I feel I did.
Jazz - "Take 5" - Carmen McRae
This version of Take 5 has quite a similar feel to the original take five, the only real difference is that it has vocals written for it. I tried to keep a similar idea to that which Joe Morello (the drummer for the original version of take five) played. I found playing in 5/8 relatively easy, although keeping the off beat timing on the Hi-hats was quite difficult. I used brushes for this performance as it sounded far too harsh with sticks, it seemed to sit much nicer in the texture of the full band with brushes.
I think the overall performance of the song went well, there was a bit of a slip up near the middle of the song where Jilly went out of time quite badly, this had been a recurring problem in rehearsal but on the whole, the performance of the song had come a long way from all of us from where it first started out. I think we managed to deal with the mistake quite well and recover from it quite quickly, I think that is one of those situations in a live setting where the audience would soon forget about a mistake which is well recovered from.
I can admit that I find Jazz much harder than my usual choice of genre to play, it is something that I have never really tried in great depth and is clearly something that you can't just "learn" in a matter of weeks or months. I have been working on it and I can see and feel its benefits working into my playing so in the long run I feel it will really benefit me.
I was involved in the rehearsal processes for other tracks during the year although I unfortunately missed the recording of the performances. Proof of this will be in a later posting with youtube videos from the tour showing my playing with The Birthday Suit.
20th March -
Angie has created a facebook group for our band so that we can keep in touch over the break and decide on which songs we will be choosing to play, Our set songs are - Dignity - Deacon Blue and Sweet Dreams - The Eurythmics. Our band will be -
Angie - Vox
Brunon - Keys
Dechlan - Guitar
Donal - Bass
Steve - Drums
31st March -
Through contact on the facebook group we have been throwing a few ideas of songs back and forward, so far we have not come to a full agreement. Songs by Sons And Daughters and The Communards were suggested. We are trying to find something that will suit Angie’s voice but still allow us to play enough to show our instrumental ability.
1st April -(SOLO PRACTICE)
Started work on the Eurythmics and Deacon Blue, never really listened to the tracks so I just need to get the structures in my head, the playing isn’t too technical on them which means I can really concentrate on the performance and feel of the tracks. The Eurythmics track is heavily electronic so I could use my Roland Electronic set up live to get the genuine sounds. We may need to use my sequencer software live with an interface as the track has a loop which continues throughout, if we did this it would let Brunon play out a bit more on keys and focus on the licks and runs rather than the main repeated riff throughout the track. I have always been quite quick to learn songs on drums, especially recently with playing in a wedding band, turning over 3/4 new songs a week has become a regular part of my weekly routine. Sometimes I struggle to get time to actually sit at a kit and spend a lot of time learning songs, I have my own way of dealing with this as I can listen to a track on the move and get the structures and parts in my head to be able to play it without actually having to play it prior to a rehearsal. This has been working well for me over the past few months as I have had a lot of different rehearsals and gigs each week with 5 different projects outside of college. I really feel that playing so much has moved my playing up a notch in the styles of music I have been playing. As with everything there is a balance to be found, so I can admit that my “jazz” playing and reading skills have taken a back seat over the past few months, however the styles of music which I have been playing, and really enjoy playing, are becoming more natural and fluent each time I sit behind a kit. I have always been one to learn by doing and being so busy with so much playing each week has really made me step my game up, this has paid off more than I had expected it to. Playing bigger gigs with Rod and the Birthday Suit has made me a lot more confident on stage. Especially after having had the experience of filming an entire show with them for a DVD. I have a lot more control over my emotion on stage and I have almost learned how to harness the nerves and use them to put out a better performance.
17th April -
This is really the first class time rehearsal that we will have for the end of year show, Unfortunately due to a miscommunication, only a few people actually turned up to performance class as it is now on a tuesday instead of a friday. Myself and Angie are the only two from our band here, so we have decided on the final set list between us and will let the rest of the guys know through the face book group. We have decided on the following songs -
Rama lama - Sons And Daughters
I Think I’m Paranoid - Garbage
These both fit into the criteria of having a scottish background as the singer from Garbage is Scottish and Sons And Daughters are a Scottish band. The songs suit Angie’s voice and are a bit different to the usual “pick” for college gigs. I quite like that they are a bit more grungy and different as we usually don’t really get to play that type of genre in college to it’s full effect. I am thinking about doing some backing vocals in some of the tracks as it seems like it could add a lot to the tracks.
24th April -
This is a great chance to have a full band rehearsal, unfortunately Donal is in another band so we only have him for part of the class although because we all know our parts, we can get a lot done in a short space of time.
We have got quite a lot done today, we ran through the structures quite a few times and worked on getting the right feel and overall sound of the tracks. Dignity is quite straight the whole way through so we have tried to dip the dynamics slightly at the piano solo and in other places to add some dynamic. Rama Lama and I Think I’m Paranoid are coming together well, Dechlan has decided to use a seven string to save him having to tune down for the Garbage track. So far sweet dreams has proven to be the hardest track to get the genuine sound with, I have been messing around with the sequencer at home using MIDI programming but it is hard to find a genuine sounding MIDI synth to replicate the Sweet Dreams sound. Brunon is going to record a loop using his keyboard which has the right synth settings and send it over, at the next rehearsal we will try using the sequencer live and see whether or not we need it. We do still need another rehearsal before the gig as the tracks could be a lot tighter overall, although they are definitely coming together very quickly. I have decided that using my Roland electric set up is going to be too much, I don’t think it really needs the electric drum kit because what I’m playing has such an electronic feel to it anyway, I don’t think that the roland kit would sound particularly good in the auditorium and it is a lot of setting up just for one track, there are a lot of bands to soundcheck on the day so this may save time too.
27th April - (SOLO PRACTICE)
I am having another run through at home to try out the sequencer as Brunon has sent me the sound clip of the synth part which he recorded on his loop pedal. I have struggled to find a tempo for it, I am assuming that the phase effect on his keyboard which helps make the sound produced seem very genuine doesn’t have an exact tempo setting, It must just be a setting knob on the keyboard without an exact numerical value to it. This has meant that because it is an audio file rather than midi, when I try to quantize one part of the file to a click, it warps the audio which sounds horrendous and is very out of time. It doesn’t help that I have garageband, which is fine for basic recording and editing, however I have realized that for playing live with this type of set up, it is just simply too basic. Ideally, I need a programme like logic in which I can select independant outputs for tracks. The click track in garageband just comes through the main output, which wouldn’t be what an audience would like to hear. By the sound of the sample that Brunon sent me, he really has put time into getting the right patch sound for sweet dreams, so really it doesn’t actually seem that we will need the sequencer.
1st May -
Today we have tried Sweet Dreams with and without the sequencer, I tried it with the sequencer without the click track, this would be fine if the synth riff continued throughout the entire track , although because it drops in and out, it is impossible to keep in time with without a click track when I’m concentrating on what the rest of the band are doing too. If I had a click, this wouldn’t be an issue. We weren’t too sure what Annette would think of sweet dreams without the sequencer and electronic drum kit, although she reckons that we have the feel, power and sound that the track puts across in a live setting, so I think we have done a good job with that one. I have also given backing vocals a try and it is coming together quite well. Rama Lama is a challenge to play and sing with, the drum part is quite busy although because I can almost switch off and play the part without really having to think too much about it, I can concentrate on the vocals in the chorus. I really like how dynamic Rama Lama is, it builds up to the chorus, then drops right back after each chorus. We have managed to really get the right feel for Dignity, it seemed a bit too slow and sloppy to listen to, so we had decided to try pushing the tempo a bit and this has worked. It has a nicer feel to it and doesn’t drag as much. Brunon has figured out a nice keys part for I think I’m Paranoid which actually fits really well. It almost sounds like a second guitar.
We have decided to arrange another rehearsal before thursday, although all the rooms are booked out solid in college so we will arrange a rehearsal at ColourSound Studios in Edinburgh for tomorrow. This way we can also have Donal for the entire rehearsal and we can just finalise everything.
2nd May -
We have a rehearsal at Colorsound today 12-3, this should be plenty of time to just get everything finalised and have a couple of run throughs before the assessment. I am feeling quite confident about it, the only problem I had was that Sweet Dreams wouldn’t sound right, however after yesterdays rehearsal in college, I am a lot more confident about it.
Today we have really just worked on getting comfortable playing the tracks as a band, they are starting to sound really tight. We didn’t really have too many problems with anything. Dechlan and Brunon both have the right sounds for different tracks, Angie has seemed a lot more comfortable with the lyrics, I have managed to get the backing vocals down to a decent standard which I am quite happy with and they actually add a lot to the track. Tomorrow we plan to have a quick run through with Annette before or after soundcheck as she is doing some decorative backing vocals on Sweet Dreams.
3rd May -
Today is the day of the assessment, we have a quick run through with Annette at some point when she is free, soundchecks then the gig later on tonight. I personally am quite confident after yesterdays run through so I think we will be all set!
The assessment went really well, I feel quite confident in my playing and even the backing vocals seemed to go quite well. Everything seemed to sound tight on stage and everyone put on a good performance. Angie was especially animated on stage so this allowed me to play out a bit and settle in, giving me more of a chance to perform and enjoy it. I would need to see a recording of the show to really critique the performance but after speaking to some people who were in the audience, they all seemed to enjoy it which is one of the most important things! I am confident that I didn’t make many noticeable mistakes, nothing really stuck out in my head as being too bad, so I am really happy with how it went!
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Performance Classes Overview
During the course of the performance class, I admittedly have had to miss a few classes due to different circumstances to do with outside commitments, which is not great from the college point of view, however I have only been missing college classes for the benefit of my overall drumming ability and to gain experience in the industry.
When I have been in performance class, I have been punctual with time and I have also done as much prep work as I could have done beforehand so I knew what I was doing when we got to class. Unfortunately due to the setting of the class, sometimes I did not find out which piece we were playing until that day, this posed a challenge to learn the piece as quickly as possible although still learning it as per the recorded version we were using. I have had a lot of practice of this type of learning as even before college this is how I learned to play drums, by listening and playing back. Recently I have been involved in playing with a function band who are part of an agency of bands who all have similar sets. This means that if you know each song inside-out and have the right structural version under control, you have no problem with being scouted in to play with other bands on the agency at very short notice.
Performance class has been a great way of experiencing different styles of playing with other musicians other than what you would usually be used to. When I have been involved in this I have tried to be as stylistically accurate in my playing as I could technically be. A main issue I have noticed in my playing recently is that because I have been playing so much outside of college in a particular style of playing (more rock/pop based), which is taking up so much of my free time alongside working part time, I have not had as much time to really give the more adventurous styles of playing which I would like to get under my belt a real chance, which is admittedly, from an academic point of view, not great. I do however feel that I have come on leaps and bounds in the style of music which I have been playing. I feel that my internal time has improved when playing live or with other musicians also playing with a click in the studio or live has now become much more natural. Through playing in different venues and different rehearsal environments I am more clued in to knowing how to refrain my volume and intensity in different circumstances but still keeping the tone I am used to producing which is something I have always had a problem with but this has now become much easier and more natural. I even feel that my stamina and grip technique have improved. Playing live at the intensity I do when I play the louder and heavier styles of music is hard work, I noticed this especially when I was on tour, having to be 100% on the ball each night and being able to get the same amount of intensity and level of accuracy each consecutive night.
I am well aware that I will more than likely not be able to make a whole living simply by playing the styles of music that I enjoy and am used to. However at the moment, playing the way I have and am known to a few people for has got me much further than I had ever anticipated. Of course I want to progress my playing into different styles and really get into depth with my technique and feel to be able to play these different styles to the optimum level. The unfortunate fact at the moment is that I have not been able to make as much time for it as I would have liked to.
Obviously, I can only be graded on what happens in college, so I have still been trying to put more than the expected amount of work in to every aspect of the course and I am actually proud to say that I have dealt with it the way I have. I have learned a lot about myself and how I can deal with a lot of pressure on a daily basis but still be able to get through everything and be happy with the outcome. Like I say the only thing that I wish could have been different would be that I could have put much more into my technique and feel when playing other styles of music although I feel that I have progressed a lot at what I have been doing so this I think I can say I am quite happy with.
Friday 30 March 2012
DPC class - Musician Effected by Cultural Influence
Ginger Baker, one of the all time legends of rock drumming, with a career spanning over 5 decades, one of the pioneers of the live drum solo who toured the world with his band Cream and many others, world renowned fo being one of the masters of time and rhythm, has only very recently started work on solo projects and clinic work after a long struggle with drug addiction.
Now In his early 70's, he spends most of his time at his secluded ranch in South Africa, to where he fled after having effectively been thrown out of other countries for different reasons to do with tax evasion and the like. He was known to be one of the worlds most flamboyant performers, to the point where people who saw him perform live said that they could see "The Devil" in him.
It is always sad to see a pioneering legend of an industry turn to drugs and for that to grind their career to a halt in such a way. He was always known to be of an extremely arrogant nature, he would say what he thought of you to his face. If someone had a problem with him, he wanted to come and say it to his face, not so he could sue you, so he could "hit you back". I personally don't think that the drugs would have helped this in any sense, I believe it would have made him even harder to have a conversation with. There are scenes from the recent documentary where he actually hits the journalist in the face, so there is proof of this rather than it just being word of mouth.
The independent article reads that every morning he would be living off a shot of morphine and basically live in his leather chair. I personally don't see why, knowing what drugs can leave you like, you would want to do down that road in the first place. Strangely, the article reads that after setting up his kit again (it had been moved by his girlfriend, who got a mouthful for moving it) even though he was so frail and on morphine, when he played it was like he was still on stage with Cream.
That being the case, I have come to realise that to say that outside influences like drugs, alcohol, depression etc. can effect someones "creative output" can be perceived as quite a vague term. I think that it definitely harmed Bakers social ability and possibly his drive to want to play to an audience, to want to play in a band, however if the creative ability is still in his person such to the point that he can still play drums as if not a day had passed, then I don't think its particularly fair to say that the drugs had harmed his creative output as a musician. Some people say that musicians or "creative" types write better material when they are suffering from things like depression or alcohol abuse as they are possibly more likely to show the pure feeling that is inside their mind. I personally think that it is hard to say whether these points are true or not unless you have been in that situation yourself, although to say that, everyone perceives different situations in their own way. One person could say that they had written the best songs of their career while "on drugs" whereas another could say that those songs were the worst of that persons career while they were "suffering from addiction".
Baker clearly had a massive down point in his career when he secluded himself away from the world, although I'm not particularly convinced that that was just down to the drugs. He was always known to be a nightmare to be around, so maybe it was partially his own conscious choice. The drugs clearly played a part in his health downturn, although he is still alive and playing now. He has allegedly now come off drugs, and has started doing drum clinics for Ludwig, although there are recent videos of him playing DW drums. He seems like quite a hard character to follow but its fair to say that the drugs never got the better of his drumming ability. When he talks, he sounds frail and weak, and even looks it on the surface, just not when he plays drums.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=fEzlj-Y8_H0 - Baker on Drums
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83XdEBl0KUg - Documentary clips
http://www.enotes.com/baker-ginger-reference/baker-ginger
http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/ginger-baker-the-devil-looks-after-his-own-1879629.html
http://www.gongtopia.com/Discussion/Baker.html
Now In his early 70's, he spends most of his time at his secluded ranch in South Africa, to where he fled after having effectively been thrown out of other countries for different reasons to do with tax evasion and the like. He was known to be one of the worlds most flamboyant performers, to the point where people who saw him perform live said that they could see "The Devil" in him.
It is always sad to see a pioneering legend of an industry turn to drugs and for that to grind their career to a halt in such a way. He was always known to be of an extremely arrogant nature, he would say what he thought of you to his face. If someone had a problem with him, he wanted to come and say it to his face, not so he could sue you, so he could "hit you back". I personally don't think that the drugs would have helped this in any sense, I believe it would have made him even harder to have a conversation with. There are scenes from the recent documentary where he actually hits the journalist in the face, so there is proof of this rather than it just being word of mouth.
The independent article reads that every morning he would be living off a shot of morphine and basically live in his leather chair. I personally don't see why, knowing what drugs can leave you like, you would want to do down that road in the first place. Strangely, the article reads that after setting up his kit again (it had been moved by his girlfriend, who got a mouthful for moving it) even though he was so frail and on morphine, when he played it was like he was still on stage with Cream.
That being the case, I have come to realise that to say that outside influences like drugs, alcohol, depression etc. can effect someones "creative output" can be perceived as quite a vague term. I think that it definitely harmed Bakers social ability and possibly his drive to want to play to an audience, to want to play in a band, however if the creative ability is still in his person such to the point that he can still play drums as if not a day had passed, then I don't think its particularly fair to say that the drugs had harmed his creative output as a musician. Some people say that musicians or "creative" types write better material when they are suffering from things like depression or alcohol abuse as they are possibly more likely to show the pure feeling that is inside their mind. I personally think that it is hard to say whether these points are true or not unless you have been in that situation yourself, although to say that, everyone perceives different situations in their own way. One person could say that they had written the best songs of their career while "on drugs" whereas another could say that those songs were the worst of that persons career while they were "suffering from addiction".
Baker clearly had a massive down point in his career when he secluded himself away from the world, although I'm not particularly convinced that that was just down to the drugs. He was always known to be a nightmare to be around, so maybe it was partially his own conscious choice. The drugs clearly played a part in his health downturn, although he is still alive and playing now. He has allegedly now come off drugs, and has started doing drum clinics for Ludwig, although there are recent videos of him playing DW drums. He seems like quite a hard character to follow but its fair to say that the drugs never got the better of his drumming ability. When he talks, he sounds frail and weak, and even looks it on the surface, just not when he plays drums.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=fEzlj-Y8_H0 - Baker on Drums
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83XdEBl0KUg - Documentary clips
http://www.enotes.com/baker-ginger-reference/baker-ginger
http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/ginger-baker-the-devil-looks-after-his-own-1879629.html
http://www.gongtopia.com/Discussion/Baker.html
Thursday 29 March 2012
DPC class - Analysis of ZOHO Use
During the course of this year, we were involved in a project which involved us scouting bands for an audition in college. We were using the project management tool ZOHO to keep in touch and organise deadlines and tasks for each of us. Admittedly, I could have used ZOHO more productively, however when we were working in such a small group (3 of us) I found it much easier to either text or email if possible, as I personally was doing a lot of the work when I was not by a computer. I am aware that there is now an app for iphones that links with ZOHO and that the project tool can be used by email, however when I am out and about, I am not always able to use email due to reception issues in come cases.
ZOHO is a great tool, however with my recent experiences organising the tour, gigs, rehearsals, calls, studio time and meetings, I have found that if you are stringent in how you organise your emails and text contacts, this can be a very effective way of keeping in touch quickly and easily. I can see myself using ZOHO for larger scale projects which involve more people, I think would be a lot more useful in that type of setting. I personally spend most of my waking hours on my phone while on the move, so a fast, responsive, easy to use ZOHO app would be a great thing to have. Even when I was trying to use the emails that it sent, they were sometimes badly laid out to the point where I couldn't actually read what it said!! This, understandably, did not help.
I am aware that the projects next year will be much more intense and on a much larger scale, so I think that ZOHO will come into much better use at that point, however it was good to get a taste of how it works and how effective it could potentially be when used in the right setting.
ZOHO is a great tool, however with my recent experiences organising the tour, gigs, rehearsals, calls, studio time and meetings, I have found that if you are stringent in how you organise your emails and text contacts, this can be a very effective way of keeping in touch quickly and easily. I can see myself using ZOHO for larger scale projects which involve more people, I think would be a lot more useful in that type of setting. I personally spend most of my waking hours on my phone while on the move, so a fast, responsive, easy to use ZOHO app would be a great thing to have. Even when I was trying to use the emails that it sent, they were sometimes badly laid out to the point where I couldn't actually read what it said!! This, understandably, did not help.
I am aware that the projects next year will be much more intense and on a much larger scale, so I think that ZOHO will come into much better use at that point, however it was good to get a taste of how it works and how effective it could potentially be when used in the right setting.
DPC class - Comparison of Professional Site
During the course of the year I have been working on my personal website -
www.stevenmorrisondrums.com
I have put a lot of work into it and I am keeping it up to date with all the current projects and gigs that I have running. I have a lot of information on it about me, my current bands, endorsements, gear, press, links and photos, amongst other things like having my own stevenmorrisondrums.com business cards and my steve@stevenmorrisondrums.com email address as I purchased the domain name.
I have chosen an industry professionals website to compare my personal one to. This industry professional is Steve Gadd.
http://www.drstevegadd.com/index.htm
Steve Gadd is a world renowned session drummer who started his drumming career in the late 1940's and is still to this day touring and playing around the world. Needless to say, his website has much more content and information about everything he has done over the years so there is a lot more to read.
Personally, I think that my site has most of the same ideas, like the personal biography, current projects, tour schedule, discography, endorsements and similar. Over the course of the past year when I have been building this site I have taken guidance from other professionals sites along the way which has led to my site having most of what I need, nothing too random, over the top or disinteresting.
I am not particularly convinced of the layout of Steve Gadd's Menu selection on the left hand side of his site. It runs in alphabetical order, although I find it quite easy to get a bit lost on the menu and it seems quite randomly ordered. I specifically tried to make my menu easy to navigate, without having too many page breaks I think it is a lot easier to find what you are looking for. I like the fact that he has a lot of personal information and pictures from around the world, you can find out a lot more than you could usually find on someones personal site. I just think that there is so much there, and It could possibly be laid out in a less complicated way which would make it much easier to navigate.
Clicking around his site, I think I have taken a lot of hints from professional sites, even things like the gear list and an in depth description of the gear I use are similar to what Steve has on his site. I think that if I keep going as I am with detailing everything I do and keep it all up to speed, with any luck in the future my site will eventually have a discography the same length as Steve Gadd's.
www.stevenmorrisondrums.com
I have put a lot of work into it and I am keeping it up to date with all the current projects and gigs that I have running. I have a lot of information on it about me, my current bands, endorsements, gear, press, links and photos, amongst other things like having my own stevenmorrisondrums.com business cards and my steve@stevenmorrisondrums.com email address as I purchased the domain name.
I have chosen an industry professionals website to compare my personal one to. This industry professional is Steve Gadd.
http://www.drstevegadd.com/index.htm
Steve Gadd is a world renowned session drummer who started his drumming career in the late 1940's and is still to this day touring and playing around the world. Needless to say, his website has much more content and information about everything he has done over the years so there is a lot more to read.
Personally, I think that my site has most of the same ideas, like the personal biography, current projects, tour schedule, discography, endorsements and similar. Over the course of the past year when I have been building this site I have taken guidance from other professionals sites along the way which has led to my site having most of what I need, nothing too random, over the top or disinteresting.
I am not particularly convinced of the layout of Steve Gadd's Menu selection on the left hand side of his site. It runs in alphabetical order, although I find it quite easy to get a bit lost on the menu and it seems quite randomly ordered. I specifically tried to make my menu easy to navigate, without having too many page breaks I think it is a lot easier to find what you are looking for. I like the fact that he has a lot of personal information and pictures from around the world, you can find out a lot more than you could usually find on someones personal site. I just think that there is so much there, and It could possibly be laid out in a less complicated way which would make it much easier to navigate.
Clicking around his site, I think I have taken a lot of hints from professional sites, even things like the gear list and an in depth description of the gear I use are similar to what Steve has on his site. I think that if I keep going as I am with detailing everything I do and keep it all up to speed, with any luck in the future my site will eventually have a discography the same length as Steve Gadd's.
DPC class - Opportunities for Independent Musician
I think that the idea of 'making a living' in the music industry would generally be a dream come true for any budding musician, however through the opportunities I have had this year I have realised that there is a lot more to it than what meets the audience on the surface.
Obviously I am still trying to find my feet in the industry, although I am more or less certain that I will make myself a living one way or another in the industry, realising now that I have earned the right connections and opportunities to hopefully make that happen if I keep on working as hard as I currently am at it.
Through some online research, I have realised how many other drummers there are who more or less offer the same basic idea. They offer session playing and lessons in their local area along with usually playing in an original or covers band. It seems to be the standard. I believe that the problem I have with regards to getting into session work, is that the employers of session musicians would look for a wealth of experience over someone who is willing to learn and truly throw all they have at something. Usually it helps to be a session drummer who already has a name for yourself, unless you are hand picked through audition processes, or work for agencies.
Searching for "session drummer uk" this is the top hit on google -
http://www.mattmcdonough.co.uk/
A perfect example of what I have mentioned, and exactly where I would ideally like to be in my career within a couple of years.
Online session drumming seems to be a new way of doing things. The ideal positives about this are that you do not have to worry about any travel expense or carting your full set up back and forward from a studio. If you are lucky enough to have an entire studio set up capable of producing a high standard of audio recording then you are already set up for it, all you need are the drumming abilities to be able to cater to a wide range of artistic tastes.
I think this is a great idea, more and more people these days are using home set ups, so if you follow the trend then the likelihood is that the work will follow. I personally love being in the studio and pushing my abilities to get a great drum take. The downsides to this process are the fact that you are not actually playing in a live setting with the band to get a real feel for the track before you record it, also that you would have to have some really high standard gear to produce the same quality as a professional studio, so it would be a true investment to get that up and running in the first place.
Obviously I am still trying to find my feet in the industry, although I am more or less certain that I will make myself a living one way or another in the industry, realising now that I have earned the right connections and opportunities to hopefully make that happen if I keep on working as hard as I currently am at it.
Through some online research, I have realised how many other drummers there are who more or less offer the same basic idea. They offer session playing and lessons in their local area along with usually playing in an original or covers band. It seems to be the standard. I believe that the problem I have with regards to getting into session work, is that the employers of session musicians would look for a wealth of experience over someone who is willing to learn and truly throw all they have at something. Usually it helps to be a session drummer who already has a name for yourself, unless you are hand picked through audition processes, or work for agencies.
Searching for "session drummer uk" this is the top hit on google -
http://www.mattmcdonough.co.uk/
A perfect example of what I have mentioned, and exactly where I would ideally like to be in my career within a couple of years.
Online session drumming seems to be a new way of doing things. The ideal positives about this are that you do not have to worry about any travel expense or carting your full set up back and forward from a studio. If you are lucky enough to have an entire studio set up capable of producing a high standard of audio recording then you are already set up for it, all you need are the drumming abilities to be able to cater to a wide range of artistic tastes.
I think this is a great idea, more and more people these days are using home set ups, so if you follow the trend then the likelihood is that the work will follow. I personally love being in the studio and pushing my abilities to get a great drum take. The downsides to this process are the fact that you are not actually playing in a live setting with the band to get a real feel for the track before you record it, also that you would have to have some really high standard gear to produce the same quality as a professional studio, so it would be a true investment to get that up and running in the first place.
DPC class - Copyright on Personal Site
I personally can see copyright being a particularly grey area of the creative industry these days as I think that it is more than likely a lot easier to "get away" with infringement on a small scale than it was say 10 years ago before the take over of social network/youtube and other online sites like lime wire or mega upload (although there was a recent conviction of the founder of mega upload, however this was infringement on a huge scale and it was not a short process).
In saying this, I am not in anyway implying that infringement is the right way to go because I also believe that free download/ file sharing sites are contributing to the fact that the music industry has come so far downhill in recent years. If you spend £6,000 writing, recording, publishing and touring an album, unless you have a lot of money to spare and are not trying to make a living from music, Ideally you would hope to make at least some or all of that money back through sales. I think that in the days before free file sharing sites, when the only way to get your hands on a decent reproduction of the album was to buy a hard copy, it could have been a lot more possible to make a decent amount back from your sales of records/ merch/ tickets. Obviously there were still things like cassette mixtape recordings and such from radio play but I don't think that would stunt your sales anywhere near the way free download sites do these days.
That said, when I was creating my site I had to be aware of copyright for different media aspects, including music recordings, photos, trademarked names (magazines/Newspapers/ brand logos), newspaper/magazine articles and videos.
Through a previous college course studying photography, I have a basic understanding of what photo copyright entails. It is similar to music copyright (in its simplest form) in that as long as you have the genuine permission of the copyright owner to use their photo, then it is usually ok to do so. I usually make sure that they are credited wherever possible for the photography and I provide a link to their site if possible.
There have been a couple of instances where the publishing of newspaper articles that I was involved in haven't been possible due to copyright. The Birthday Suit were featured in The Sun Newspaper and I was recently involved in a Press Release for the Scotsman and Evening News. Naturally, I wanted to show these articles on my website, the best way to do this would have been to scan the hard copy of the article and put this on my site, although after contacting the copyright department of The Sun they had said that this may not be a great idea "just incase" of any issues. Another slight problem was that I have the OK from the Evening News' Photographer that it is ok to use the photo from the press release on my site, along with a mention and link to say that the copyright is owned by the Scotsman however I am not able to use those photos for any other means. I asked about using them for another press release and was told, understandably, that this was not possible.
I don't actually have any music physically posted on my site other than links to youtube videos, however I do have links provided on my site to sites which feature music by my different bands. I have the permission to use these links and have them on my site by the people who built those sites (excluding the link to my personal facebook).
Another way in which I had to be careful with copyright was using my endorsement companies logos on my site, Although part of the endorsement agreement was that I promote each brand as much as I can so really it wasn't a problem after the agreement had been made.
I believe that I am complying with legal copyright requirements because I am not exploiting the media in any way, I am not making any money directly from it being on my site either. I simply am showing what I have been involved in so far in my career and all I really feel I am doing is advertising these papers, photographers and sites in a very positive way. Of course if a problem was to come up, I would like to get it sorted in the best way possible.
Friday 9 March 2012
Performance Blog, Tour With Rod, Sessions with Broxburn & Livingston Brass Band for Scottish Championships
The past few weeks have been hard work, however it has definitely payed off and I have learned a lot of lessons about time management, how the industry works with different promoters and gigging cultures around the uk, what it is like to be thrown in at the deep end with a high pressure reading gig and have to learn a lot of different techniques in a very short space of time, amongst many other lessons learned. Unfortunately, I missed the last couple of weeks of performance class, including Jazz week and Salsa week, as I have been on tour with Rod Jones and The Birthday Suit around the UK. I was still involved in a couple of rehearsals and recordings for these two weeks, I played "Take Five" and I was involved in percussion for "Guantanamera". Further analysis of these processes will be posted in a later blog.
Although I have been noting everything that happened, as I realised how much I have been learning when I was playing with these professional musicians out on the road.
The tour with Rod was an unbelievable experience, playing all over the UK to so many different people as the headlining band was a truly amazing thing to do. Seeing press reviews, advertising and other online presence along with people approaching us at gigs for photos and autographs was a lot to take in, although It has definitely set my sights on where I want to be and where I am aiming for with my career in music. Rehearsals for the tour were relatively short and sweet. With the main two being two weeks before the tour for four hours, and one other a week prior to the tour, again for four hours. That being said, with the level of musicianship of the members of the band, that was all we needed. Its great to know that you can relax in the thought that the other members of the band know exactly what they are doing and they will always be on top form when they need to be. That way you can relax into your own part and not have to stress about whether or not everyone else is with you. That being said, being on absolute top form every night is hard work on your mind as well as physically, especially when you are playing every night putting on a visual performance and a technical performance, and on the road for at least a few hours everyday. On top of that, occasionally the setlist would change and songs would get "pulled out of the bag" on the night, so being able to keep up with that was a real test of character. Another unbelievable test of nerve was when the full set in Manchester was filmed and recorded professionally, 5 or 6 cameramen all onstage and around the crowd (which was around 100 strong), along with one right next to me filming my every move. It was a great experience, although truly a nervewracking one to know that everything I did was going to be evidenced on film AND recorded audio. The lesson learned was that if you play like you are known to and always do, then the camera will capture this and show everyone how much you love what you are doing. This is exactly what I did. Throughout the tour I had been told by many people, most I had never met, that I was interesting and entertaining to watch on stage simply because I get so lost in the music and just enjoy being on stage playing drums, so I am looking forward to seeing the final product.
Reading this back it seems that it sounds that I didn't enjoy the hard work, that is far from the case. I live to push my boundaries and challenge myself and I am actually really proud of how I have handled the past few weeks. I feel that I really had my head screwed on and made good impressions with people, including Rod and the guys from The Birthday Suit, the promoters from around the UK, Sean Murtagh who deals with my stick endorsement with Los Cabos Drumsticks, Clare Truan who deals with my endorsement with Lion Cajon Drums amongst others I met on tour like the guys from The Birthday Suits PR company A Badge Of Friendship, Producer Dave Eringa and all the other bands who supported and opened for us at the shows. I already have dates in the calander for Wickerman Festival, Rhythms Of The World Festival in Hertfordshire and also waiting on confirmation on T in the Park to play with the Birthday Suit plus other dates currently being arranged. Another surreal experience was going to John Henry's and Matt Snowball's Music suppliers in central london, seeing accomplished session musicians just walking around the street outside and also tech supply sheets for Matt Cardle, Noah & The Whale and The Vaccines, I have made a connection with Kent who deals with the Idlewild account in Matt Snowball's suppliers so I can get gear shipped from London if needs be. A strange lesson I learned in Manchester was when I was talking to a few people after the show about everything that had been going on, how we had trouble with a van that failed it's MOT and the desperate struggle to find a replacement. A few days later, a review appeared online written by one of the people who I had been talking to, quoting me, my name, age and things I had said. Obviously I had been telling good stories and had nothing in anyway negative to say but it made me realise that in that situation of being the "headline" band, you really have to watch what you say and how you act at all times as you never know who could be in the crowd or who you are talking to.
Alongside this, I was asked to play with the percussion section in Broxburn & Livingston Brass Band for the Scottish Championships on the 11th March. This has been a steep learning curve as I had never really attempted to play in a section before. Also, I had no idea that the week before the contest, there would be a late rehearsal practically every night that week and also an early one on the day of the championships, still having college and work to deal with alongside these rehearsals has been really hard going, although I feel quite good about keeping everything afloat and being able to deal with having so much on at once. Admittedly I unfortunately missed my drum lesson on the friday due to me stupidly messing up my schedules, although I am keeping on top of everything that I am doing in my lessons and everything for my solo assessments. I can definitely feel that everything I'm doing is counting towards developing my overall musicianship and playing skills, helping me make important contacts in the industry and just getting the vital experience that I need to get to the next stage.
The past month has without a doubt been hard work although I have lapped up the experience for all it was worth, loved every second of it and really learned a lot from it all. I can feel in myself that I have progressed in my playing, as well as in my mind with how I deal with the pressure of having lots of different things to do. My diary is always full, although I don't see this as a problem in the slightest. I live to be busy and I enjoy the rush and buzz. I especially love the feeling of accomplishment when you pull it off, put on a great show and everyone goes home happy.
Although I have been noting everything that happened, as I realised how much I have been learning when I was playing with these professional musicians out on the road.
The tour with Rod was an unbelievable experience, playing all over the UK to so many different people as the headlining band was a truly amazing thing to do. Seeing press reviews, advertising and other online presence along with people approaching us at gigs for photos and autographs was a lot to take in, although It has definitely set my sights on where I want to be and where I am aiming for with my career in music. Rehearsals for the tour were relatively short and sweet. With the main two being two weeks before the tour for four hours, and one other a week prior to the tour, again for four hours. That being said, with the level of musicianship of the members of the band, that was all we needed. Its great to know that you can relax in the thought that the other members of the band know exactly what they are doing and they will always be on top form when they need to be. That way you can relax into your own part and not have to stress about whether or not everyone else is with you. That being said, being on absolute top form every night is hard work on your mind as well as physically, especially when you are playing every night putting on a visual performance and a technical performance, and on the road for at least a few hours everyday. On top of that, occasionally the setlist would change and songs would get "pulled out of the bag" on the night, so being able to keep up with that was a real test of character. Another unbelievable test of nerve was when the full set in Manchester was filmed and recorded professionally, 5 or 6 cameramen all onstage and around the crowd (which was around 100 strong), along with one right next to me filming my every move. It was a great experience, although truly a nervewracking one to know that everything I did was going to be evidenced on film AND recorded audio. The lesson learned was that if you play like you are known to and always do, then the camera will capture this and show everyone how much you love what you are doing. This is exactly what I did. Throughout the tour I had been told by many people, most I had never met, that I was interesting and entertaining to watch on stage simply because I get so lost in the music and just enjoy being on stage playing drums, so I am looking forward to seeing the final product.
Reading this back it seems that it sounds that I didn't enjoy the hard work, that is far from the case. I live to push my boundaries and challenge myself and I am actually really proud of how I have handled the past few weeks. I feel that I really had my head screwed on and made good impressions with people, including Rod and the guys from The Birthday Suit, the promoters from around the UK, Sean Murtagh who deals with my stick endorsement with Los Cabos Drumsticks, Clare Truan who deals with my endorsement with Lion Cajon Drums amongst others I met on tour like the guys from The Birthday Suits PR company A Badge Of Friendship, Producer Dave Eringa and all the other bands who supported and opened for us at the shows. I already have dates in the calander for Wickerman Festival, Rhythms Of The World Festival in Hertfordshire and also waiting on confirmation on T in the Park to play with the Birthday Suit plus other dates currently being arranged. Another surreal experience was going to John Henry's and Matt Snowball's Music suppliers in central london, seeing accomplished session musicians just walking around the street outside and also tech supply sheets for Matt Cardle, Noah & The Whale and The Vaccines, I have made a connection with Kent who deals with the Idlewild account in Matt Snowball's suppliers so I can get gear shipped from London if needs be. A strange lesson I learned in Manchester was when I was talking to a few people after the show about everything that had been going on, how we had trouble with a van that failed it's MOT and the desperate struggle to find a replacement. A few days later, a review appeared online written by one of the people who I had been talking to, quoting me, my name, age and things I had said. Obviously I had been telling good stories and had nothing in anyway negative to say but it made me realise that in that situation of being the "headline" band, you really have to watch what you say and how you act at all times as you never know who could be in the crowd or who you are talking to.
Alongside this, I was asked to play with the percussion section in Broxburn & Livingston Brass Band for the Scottish Championships on the 11th March. This has been a steep learning curve as I had never really attempted to play in a section before. Also, I had no idea that the week before the contest, there would be a late rehearsal practically every night that week and also an early one on the day of the championships, still having college and work to deal with alongside these rehearsals has been really hard going, although I feel quite good about keeping everything afloat and being able to deal with having so much on at once. Admittedly I unfortunately missed my drum lesson on the friday due to me stupidly messing up my schedules, although I am keeping on top of everything that I am doing in my lessons and everything for my solo assessments. I can definitely feel that everything I'm doing is counting towards developing my overall musicianship and playing skills, helping me make important contacts in the industry and just getting the vital experience that I need to get to the next stage.
The past month has without a doubt been hard work although I have lapped up the experience for all it was worth, loved every second of it and really learned a lot from it all. I can feel in myself that I have progressed in my playing, as well as in my mind with how I deal with the pressure of having lots of different things to do. My diary is always full, although I don't see this as a problem in the slightest. I live to be busy and I enjoy the rush and buzz. I especially love the feeling of accomplishment when you pull it off, put on a great show and everyone goes home happy.
Saturday 28 January 2012
REH - Rehearsals and Technical Difficulty Notes
This year in college I have really been pushing my technical playing ability and I can finally feel that it is starting to come through in my everyday playing.
The pieces that I have chosen to play for my end of year assignment are as follows -
High Maintenance - Big Phat Band
What Is Hip - Tower Of Power
Blackbird Special - Stanton Moore
I feel that through choosing these tracks, apart from them being a complete contrast to what I am used to playing, the drum lines are very thoroughly thought out by the player on the tracks. They are not just playing any old beat, they have actually worked out the patterns that they play and that have mastered that technique of playing, which makes them extremely hard to learn quickly.
I played the Tower Of Power track for my solo assessment in January and I actually feel that it went very well. Unfortunately over the christmas period I was stuck in work more or less every single day and it was hard to find the time to rehearse the track as much as I would have liked to. This however opened a new door to how I practice. I had less time to practice, so this made me focus on what I really had to get right and work on that alone. Having less time made me really focus my practice time to get the most out of it which I think actually progressed my playing over christmas without me even realising it had happened.
Even with High Maintenance, which is a high tempo modern Jazz Big Band piece, I can feel it settling nicely into place, the drum solo and parts where the horns move through bars are getting progressively easier to play.
Another side of this, was learning the songs for the Music For Scotland audition. For this I had to learn the original drum part to play as close to the original as possible. It's so much different than playing a "cover" you are getting payed to replicate that song to people who are used to hearing the recorded and produced version, so you have to be better than the record when you play it live, which is quite an intimidating thought, although it is a great challenge which I really enjoyed. It looks so far like I have been accepted to work with the Music For Scotland agency along with a band of great musicians and singers from college, I am really looking forward to that!
Monday 23 January 2012
Performance Block - Week Commencing 19th Dec 2011 - 20th Jan 2012
I have really enjoyed this performance block in comparison with the first one, more or less because this time I have done so much more playing and performance in college as opposed to at home. I feel like I have really progressed my playing over the past few weeks and over the christmas break.
The first week of performance saw the Drum workshop with Richard, this was a new experience for most of us as we decided to compose a drum core piece to play at the christmas concert. With only one day to write and rehearse a piece from scratch it put all of us under a lot of pressure and really brought the best out in all of us.
This block, I have played in both the big band and folk ensemble, which I really enjoyed as it is a different setting and style of playing than what I'm used to. In big band, we played Flight of the Foo Birds, You Make Me Feel So Young by Frank Sinatra and also High Maintenance by The Big Phat Band. It was great to get a chance to get to grips with High Maintenance as I plan to play it for my end of year assessment with the Big Band.
Over the Christmas break, I was working a lot, so I struggled to find time to practice for my solo assessment when we came back to college, this actually made me really focus when I was practicing as I didn't have as much time to get to where I needed to be, this started a new outlook on practice for me as I focus a lot more on what I need to practice in a short space of time rather than spending hours and hours practicing not really getting anywhere or pushing myself.
When we came back from the break, I joined one of the Small Jazz Ensemble workshops which was really cool. Scott gave us a lot of really good pointers for playing in a small ensemble, like to really listen to what each person is playing and feed off each other, feeling the tempo as a group rather than individuals etc. through playing in the Big Band, I also got a chance to get involved with Dale Birrell's Creative Music Technology Big Band Piece. This involved him recording parts of the big band, and sampling them using his laptop during a live performance. This was a great experience as it was completely out of the ordinary to have a "laptop" solo during a piece.
Colin's Songwriting workshop was a great help, I always seem to struggle when I'm trying to write anything other than a drum part, it was great to get an insight into Colin's way of thinking and to feed off Ideas from others in the workshop too.
On the last day of the block, I was in the studio with Owen and Ciaran playing some more Folk sets. This was cool as I was playing cajon, so it was a different setting to what i am used to playing in the studio, playing without a click track on some sets makes you realise how you need to work on internalising time, it was great to get a sense of how tight folk ensembles can be, all knowing the structure, repeats and stops for each set.
I really enjoyed this performance block as I did a lot more playing than last time, I felt a lot more involved with different bands and workshops. The only issue I think is that a lot of stuff still clashes, however this would be expected as there is so much going on at any given time.
The first week of performance saw the Drum workshop with Richard, this was a new experience for most of us as we decided to compose a drum core piece to play at the christmas concert. With only one day to write and rehearse a piece from scratch it put all of us under a lot of pressure and really brought the best out in all of us.
This block, I have played in both the big band and folk ensemble, which I really enjoyed as it is a different setting and style of playing than what I'm used to. In big band, we played Flight of the Foo Birds, You Make Me Feel So Young by Frank Sinatra and also High Maintenance by The Big Phat Band. It was great to get a chance to get to grips with High Maintenance as I plan to play it for my end of year assessment with the Big Band.
Over the Christmas break, I was working a lot, so I struggled to find time to practice for my solo assessment when we came back to college, this actually made me really focus when I was practicing as I didn't have as much time to get to where I needed to be, this started a new outlook on practice for me as I focus a lot more on what I need to practice in a short space of time rather than spending hours and hours practicing not really getting anywhere or pushing myself.
When we came back from the break, I joined one of the Small Jazz Ensemble workshops which was really cool. Scott gave us a lot of really good pointers for playing in a small ensemble, like to really listen to what each person is playing and feed off each other, feeling the tempo as a group rather than individuals etc. through playing in the Big Band, I also got a chance to get involved with Dale Birrell's Creative Music Technology Big Band Piece. This involved him recording parts of the big band, and sampling them using his laptop during a live performance. This was a great experience as it was completely out of the ordinary to have a "laptop" solo during a piece.
Colin's Songwriting workshop was a great help, I always seem to struggle when I'm trying to write anything other than a drum part, it was great to get an insight into Colin's way of thinking and to feed off Ideas from others in the workshop too.
On the last day of the block, I was in the studio with Owen and Ciaran playing some more Folk sets. This was cool as I was playing cajon, so it was a different setting to what i am used to playing in the studio, playing without a click track on some sets makes you realise how you need to work on internalising time, it was great to get a sense of how tight folk ensembles can be, all knowing the structure, repeats and stops for each set.
I really enjoyed this performance block as I did a lot more playing than last time, I felt a lot more involved with different bands and workshops. The only issue I think is that a lot of stuff still clashes, however this would be expected as there is so much going on at any given time.
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