Project 2 - I am doing another project and this is introducing what it is about. Check it out...
WEEK 7
technical agency (agency = ability)
extratechnical agency (transferable skills)
This project I will be working with a small school class to create their end of semester song. I have had a discussion with the kids, who have brainstormed a kind of mood board for the project:
Old School Hip-Hop
Guitar
Drums
Jazz
Keyboard
Dancy
I began to create a skeleton for the song, sitting at 100bpm, with a hop-hop beat from an old classic drum machine, and a synth sound they approved of. I aim to build the song with samples from the schoolyard and classroom to create a familiar atmosphere. The children will be recorded singing their chosen verses and choruses and raps and chants and whatever else they wish to include, so that I can layer that over the top. Then it will be possible to finalise the production, mix it and send it back for their virtual graduation!
WEEK 8
Chromatic scale: or twelve-tone scale (dodecatonic) is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone above or below its adjacent pitches.
Octatonic scale: eight-tone scale (that is, eight notes are required to fill the octave) consisting of alternating whole and half steps; often used in Jazz or Modern Classical.
Hexatonic scale: six-tone scale - famous examples include the whole tone scale C D E F♯ G♯ A♯ C; the augmented scale, C D♯ E G A♭ B C; the Prometheus scale, C D E F♯ A B♭ C; and the blues scale, C E♭ F G♭ G B♭ C. A hexatonic scale can also be formed by stacking perfect fifths; this results in a diatonic scale with one note removed (eg. A C D E F G).
Diatonic scale: heptatonic scale with five whole steps and two half steps in each octave. The two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps, depending on their position in the scale.
Music theory is something I'm only just starting to understand on a new level. Previously when playing piano or guitar I listened for the correct notes, or just learned the patterns and muscle memory took over. Though this trimester has already assisted me so much. It's exciting to be on a path that will allow me to use it as a second language: I feel like I am just starting to understand that as a concept for the first time in my musical history. I have also noticed a bit of progress by practicing guitar and piano almost daily which has been super rewarding.
I guess in that sense it is great to reflect, to pay attention to the progress, and recognise that regular practice is beneficial. Here's a stupid motivational sign I found this morning:
WEEK 9
I'm really struggling to find the motivation to write weekly blogs anymore. So I guess I'm going to reflect on that rather than sit here wasting any more time. I guess that could ultimately be attributed to the pandemic - my motivation levels have been rather down regardless. I have tried to create a daily ritual to keep myself active and motivated, but it seems that is not helping me with uni work. The creative side of my brain seems to be responding better (marginally). I feel capable of sitting down and making things (sometimes), but it seems the intellectual side has decided to go on vacation. I have recognised that I work well when surrounded by others, it motivates and inspires me. But alas here I am in my lounge room, alone, still, trying to read deeper into my transferable skills to assess why my motivation and productivity is down when quite obviously it is to do with some personal circumstances and a pandemic. How do I deal with that? I just do - I just keep trying, and try to be positive. So that's what happened, that's what it means, why it happened, and where to from here. This is the worst one yet - sorry.
WEEK 10
This week has been (and I assume the following will be) so filled with Piñata project that I figured it would be better to reflect on that than to extrapolate from another week. It has been
WEEK 11
Something I have noticed about myself this week is how much I thrive on feedback (positive or negative is irrelevant). Knowing that I have satisfied a criteria, or else am on the path to, gives me a sense of fulfilment. Working with this group, and perhaps there's a slight language barrier, and there's also the obvious communication barrier of zoom, has left me rather alone in the process, which feels discomforting when it's not my project. I'm not the most happy with the result so far. I have definitely recognised how important it is to control your environment. Ideally if I were ever to repeat this project or something similar, I would actually refuse to work on it unless they either include a budget for ADR, or demand the carpark fans be switched off. The result of not has created such a noisy background that the dialogue is extremely tricky to clean up; RX software can only do so much. This then creates such a loud ambient track that has to sit in behind most of the film. From there technical details or subtle sounds get lost, so the entire film gets louder, masking any emotive soundtrack, leaving me with the only choice for a droning, noisy, out of control audio track. But I guess in reflection, perhaps I need to reach out more, or be more demanding, or, perhaps better, be more explanatory of my needs. I always feel like I would pester people, but it's probably a reflection of how much I hate checking my virtual communication channels. So moving forward I might request a meeting with Jorge in the studio for a day so that I can get a better idea (IN PERSON) of where we're at.
WEEK 12
So whilst the AUM project 2 is still in progress (awaiting the recorded children's parts) I'd like to reflect on it as if it were finished. It has been a thoroughly rewarding experience to take part of. Initially I had to consult with the classroom remotely via a Zoom call. Talking to children was not something I was comfortable with, but it was a great opportunity to step outside my comfort zone. It was difficult enough maintaining their attention, but keeping the conversation flowing with a group of foreign students was extremely hard. I had to carefully chose my words because English was typically their second or fifth language. Though I think I managed reasonably well - the teacher I was working with said it was a great first attempt. Regardless, trying to then take their suggestions and emotions and manipulate those concepts into a cohesive project has been challenging, but highly enjoyable.
Moving forward, I hope to have their singing recording next week. From that point I will have one week to mix/master and deliver the final product. Currently, I have positioned the school bell and children's cheers at the beginning for added effect, with a sample of walking around the playground throughout. There are also samples of guitars intermittently to provide the song with some movement until the singing is in place. Honestly, I'm not very happy with this currently, but I'm sure with more time and dedication it will come out great.
I haven't been very happy with my progress this trimester in general, and that could be put down to a lack of motivation. The pandemic is taking it's toll I guess, I can't think anymore, I just want to pass.
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