The end is near...(2 blogs)

Yes...I know... extremely far behind on the blog.

With the end of the college coming to a finish the last few weeks have been busier than ever and so I apologize for the inconveniance! Since my last update *checks blog to see date of last entry* I have been gigging with Feel Free Conspiracy locally and in Dundee; in the studio recording trombone for session skills; writing thousands of words for essays, reports and portfolios; playing a few degree projects and many more activities. Rather than my usual style of chronologically updating I think that this blog should be updated in under sub headings of each activity.

So...

Degree projects

Well the last few weeks have been hectic for the degree students as they desperately scavenger hunted for musicians to play in their degree projects. Although I have not been hired out as much as some students (a number performing in over 7 projects) I did manage to get involved in three. The first of these was with a bassist whose complex line up of both complex rock and jazz/fusion tracks and “improvised jams” made for an interesting and unprepared night at the Tams. If I want to become a successful musician I will have to be prepared to play material that’s complex in structure even with minimal preparation. Both these skills were required and used on the night as organization seemed to be completely out the window when I arrived. I tried to keep composed and professional throughout even though some of the tracks lost all their feel with more mistakes than hairs on my head (probably true after the gig) Overall I feel that I did my drum part justice and overall performing these complex tracks have helped me to prepare myself better for gigs and made me technically a better drummer.

The second of these projects was a Led Zeppelin tribute filled with some tricky numbers. This project helped me to become more aware of my texture for when a drummer plays Zeppelin they have to simulate John Bonham’s solid, powerful and sometimes complex feel. Overall I committed to the job in and felt that we managed to pull off a respectful show apart from a few mix ups.

Rocky the musical project was probably the most beneficial to my job speculation and was the largest production the college has put on for a while. For the show I was asked to play my trombone as part of the brass section with all the music transcribed for my benefit. For most rehearsals I was sight reading the tracks which really helped me to enhance my reading skills and playing under pressure (sometimes more pressure than others!) I was also drafted into play drums on one of the tracks at the last minute before the final show which can sometimes be a reoccurring event as a session musician that I may have to get used to. Once the final day came the whole cast, production team and musicians were running all over with stress levels reaching breaking point at times. It all came together in the end and the show was a success. The whole experience taught me a great deal about working in musical theatre and has greatly helped me improve on my general reading, trombone skills and following of MD’s. I hope to carry on learning about this musical environment and would be glad to participate in something of the same calibre in next year’s degree projects.

Each project has taught me certain values on performing and although they haven’t all been positive outcomes they have still been beneficial.

Session Skills

As this whole unit is related to me becoming a session musician I feel that a little and last update on my blog is due. On the last few weeks that I have been in the class I have been recording both trombone and drums for our production track “grits ain’t groceries”. Being in the studio and playing for the track has really helped to boost my confidence in terms of recording, getting my opinion in the studio and playing under pressure to a click. I have learned a great deal about being as versatile as possible and that sometimes a great deal of pressure is needed and strong mind to cope with some of the shenanigans that prop up in the studio. To also have the chance to produce the track has been a fascinating and educational experience and I hope the opportunity will come my way again in the near future!

Feel Free Conspiracy

Recently the band has been playing a few gigs locally helping us to cope better with live performance and setting up which at times, can be awkward. As I always say every gig is different and I take something beneficial away from everyone whether it is areas that need improvement to stop reoccurring errors or enjoyment and buzz from pulling off a pleasing show. Since the semester is reaching an end the band will now slowly disperse and so my live performance kicks will have to be released by other means. It saddens me to see this band fade however with one project ending a new one begins and I look forward to returning and starting fresh. Being in the band has greatly helped me to become a better musician in far further afield than performance. I have become much more confident player in the studio, enhanced my communication and networking skills vastly, learned many valuable lessons about the music industry and many many more factors

Here today.

So this is what it feels like to be writing one last blog...hmmm. Well since all that writing I have almost finished second year of college with just a few assignments and grades to be dealt with. I feel that my portfolio and interview for graded unit went well and although I was slightly nervous and fluency lacked for the interview the presentation has helped to boost my confidence with public speaking; something that used to put chills down my spine before! In terms of my planning stage goals I feel that a great deal have been accomplished but that’s to be saved for the final chapter “evaluation”. So for the final time I’m going to wrap this up as time is of the essence.

Although writing a weekly blog has at times been a soul destroying chore I feel that it has done more than help to increase my overall grade. Writing my weekly thoughts and events has helped me to realise a great deal more about myself as a musician and helped me to focus on areas that have needed improvement and assisted me on preparation on the weeks that followed. So for the last time I say farewell and thank you to all you followers for putting up with my consisting ranting and whining.

Cya in a bit!

hmm....I just don't know anymore!

This week strangely enough started Sunday night - due to the time span between blogs in which I pulled out my fiddle for a traditional rehearsal on our broadly chosen material. I feel we are coming along slowly but steadily and that the material will be ready for the first gig and that the material will be ready for the gig. However our progress I sadly cannot attend the gig as I feel I am going to have to give my fiddle playing a break as there just isn’t enough time in the closing weeks of term to keep up with practice. This is for the best as college work comes first and I would not be doing myself and the band any favours if I didn’t keep up with rehearsals. It seems that the lesson learned here is sometimes you have to make room for the things that are more important and make changes. As an aspiring session player this would be something I would frequently have to be used to coping with.

On Monday Feefree Conspiracy were up bright and early for a practice towards our up and coming gig supporting Eat Dr Ape at their album launch. Our new material is piecing together nicely and I feel that Saturdays gig will go well. I however am finding it hard to be enthusiastic when playing on my uncomfortable and mechanical electric drum kit as it is nowhere near the real deal. However with practice rooms fully booked and acoustic kits nowhere to be seen I just have to adapt. This is a skill that a musician has to be capable to do for it never go to plan!

The afternoon consisted of a degree practice for the Led Zeppelin dude which turned out to be quite enjoyable. Since we are all major Zeppelin fans all the tracks are being polished off in minimal time and I look forward to end product and gig.

Tuesday morning was hectic as I ran through the streets of Perth to turn up to my piano lesson late. If that wasn’t bad enough I made a complete fool of myself by destroying every piece that was put in front of me. I feel that the reason for this was I wasn’t composed and was still all flustered from the run which really emphasises on how being on time is of the utmost importance!

The afternoon was Rocky rehearsal which was a little more complex than usual with the parts testing me slightly in both range and intonation. Since a lot of the music is writing in the lower range I find it hard to control my air which leads to bad tuning and so with this new material pushing me I hope to get the problem sorted. Other than that the songs are coming forward nicely but whether it will come together nicely is another question!

Wednesday was slightly shorter than usual but even so, I felt like I had done a good days work after the morning. In our Band project we decided to change our chosen festival from Isle of White to the year 1973. It was mutually thought that there just wasn’t enough enthusiasm and varies of genre to tackle it and so now we are looking at the tracks Hotel California, Money and Dancing Queen! If I am to become a successful musician I will need to be able to change from genre to genre without hesitation and be capable of churning out the tracks without mistake. After a hectic drum lesson I was back in the practice room for 20 to 11 and pretty much stayed there until 4 o’clock playing for a Jazz funk degree project and my own band rehearsals. However long it was an exhausting I did enjoy playing for so long. If I want to become a session musician I will have to be able to play constantly for long hours without losing focus and so this is preparing me if such an occasion is ever to occur. Apart from composition class cancelled my day was its usual self. I spent the rest of my time catching up on the Everest of work that has been thrown at me with no mercy.

Thursday I had no graded unit but I used my time to piece together my portfolio which is ever so slowly coming together. History was yet again incredibly intellectual and I left feeling I knew less than I did when I entered the classroom. Clearly my mind is not made for this philosophical side of music. Session skills was spent in the studio mixing down the tracks and preparing for next week in which I will be coming into the studio to record the trombone part to grits ain’t groceries.

Digital audio went well and I spent the most part at the electric kit recording for outcome two for each student. It was all made up on the spot with our recordings ranging from funk to blues to country. It was a good little exercise for my playing and will help me in my climb to perfection as a player.

The night of Eat Dr Ape’s album launch at the Twa Tams came and due to the boys expertise in promotion the venue was more packed than I had ever seen it. When it was our turn to play I felt the sound we got was superb and with it came a good crowd. It was one of these gigs in which everything goes well. Overall I felt it was one of the best times I had ever played live. It really showed me how important a good sound and atmosphere where to performing to the best of my abilities and taught me to really attempt to get the best out of the equipment and be truly comfortable before a show, as it makes the world of difference to the product.

The End.

eltit a fo gnikiht rehtob t’ndluoC

So we are gathered here again for the weekly informative and somewhat enlightening update on my musical path to a professional musician. This pathway I tread however fulfilling seems to be narrowing now as I struggle to find any time to rehearse with my instruments and outside of college band with the most part of my day spent on this laptop. Since time is a factor I shall briskly move forward to the events of my week and what stood out and benefited my aspirations.

Monday was a lazy start to the week however after some well needed piano practice I headed into to college for an afternoon of Led Zeppelin degree project. This project has been slightly unorganised with breakdowns in communication and a great deal of chasing up to find out potential set lists. In the end however we did manage stumble in to a room together –sadly without a basses- to start looking over the chosen material. The sound of course was slightly empty and the tracks were not up to scratch but I hope that with time and given my own space to look over them they will improve. I just hope that another practice is arranged shortly!

Like past projects this one has again emphasised on some of the important abilities and pressures to cope with in being a pro. There is always the chance that there will be a lack of communication and chasing up will have to be independently done. Playing under a great deal of pressure with minimal rehearsal time is yet again something that is propping up, especially at this time of year and something I am just going to have to get used to if I am to go anywhere with my playing.

Tuesday’s morning piano lesson went very well for a change with my pieces coming along nicely. With my teacher, I began to expand on my technique and attempted to find the best methods to go around practicing the difficult sections of my repertoire. Even with the flaws I felt slightly more confident and I now hope that over the next few weeks my progress with each shall be steady. My teacher has also given a more difficult Schuman piece called Erinnerung just to keep me on my toes and give me a little more diversity.

After the lesson I headed into college for a tasty practice with bass and guitar. It felt good to play with no pressure and just for leisure as it seems such a long time since I’ve been able to use the word fun to describe the practical side of the course. Halfway through our playing we were asked to come down to the studio and lay down a live recording of our jam. It was good to get back in the studio and to record as a live band. It was the first time that I had recorded without a click in a long time and was good to get this break from a robotic method of time-keeping and just use my ears to listen and keep the feel.

After the tracks was down it was Rocky degree practice with my trombone. It was the first time I had seen the pieces and so most of my playing was sight reading. Except for a few mistakes I held it together and to play with trumpet player Gavin is always good for small tips and helping hands with my technique. Overall the tracks are coming along nicely and I just hope that it all comes together in the end. Either way I am gaining a lot of experience with my trombone playing and feel that my reading is getting better with every rehearsal.

To round the day off I went to Rhythm Wave which was its usual hectic self.

Wednesday was the first real practice with our new HND band and to be honest the rehearsal could have gone better. The band was a bit disorientated and I just hope for next week that it will come together. In first study my tutor yet again addressed my texture and feel when playing different styles and although it is still a problem I am gradually overcoming the problem.

The morning also had me playing for a jazz – funk fusion project which for the first time in a while was quite enjoyable. I think the Easter break has been helpful in stopping a chain of monotonous rehearsals and now a little refreshed I feel a bit more enthusiastic about the task in hand.

The afternoon consisted of our compositions being played back to the composers to hear and sadly, wasn’t as successful as I had wished for. I hope next week with more parts my piece will sound slightly fuller and more like a piece and hopefully soon enough a song (if I can ever get my head around writing lyrics).

Thursday morning was portfolio check and mine seems to be coming along nicely. I just need to gather as much evidence I can in the weeks left so as to make my case for the “job” as strong as possible. Apart from that Thursday wasn’t the most eventful day a well, except for calamities in digital audio but there’s no need for details.

In the evening however I travelled through to Glasgow for a gig with Feel Free Conspiracy at the bar Box. The venue was surprisingly packed reasons probably due to it being a charity night. There was a lot of waiting around however as we were not on till 10.45. When it finally came to our turn we managed to clamber on stage and play a somewhat set but the quality of our playing and sound were far from being at its usual standard. I felt this was due to an exhausting wait and also that there wasn’t much enthusiasm between the group in which preparation time had been minimal. Well you win some and lose others and so I just hope are next local gig at the Tams will be up to scratch for the evening. An even bigger down on the late trip home was to find a parking ticket mocking and dancing in my face outside my window screen. A nice £30 pound fine to end the night!

That’s about it for this week as Friday’s articulation class was cancelled so until next week... Farewell!

The Last Few Leaps

Back at college now for what I have been informed is the last 9 weeks before all assignments are to be handed. So, writing a three minute piece, creating and finishing a portfolio showing all the “fantastic” experiences I have had in my musical career (which I feel really hasn’t even begun as of yet), a PowerPoint presentation and graded interview and countless essays are just a few things that have been placed on my to-do list. Of course this shall all have to begin promptly if I am to avoid losing sleep and what hair I have on my head however, for the time being this is getting slightly too negative for my liking and so I’ll just get onto the weekly events.

Technically Wednesday was the beginning of my week due to my late return on Tuesday evening and as I arrived in for 9.00a.m I was reformed with my Led Zeppelin band to discuss our next project which was agreed to be the 1970 Isle of White festival. I was happy with our choice of songs and am confident that this time we will be able to pull off a passable performance. This was soon followed by my drum lesson which turned out to be exceedingly beneficial to my texture playing of styles. The advice I received has given me more to think about when playing in different styles and so I hope overtime, with practice that my texture will improve leading to me becoming a more versatile and diverse drummer.

In afternoon composition class the group was given deadlines for our three minute pieces and how we should be structuring ourweeks. The second half consisted of the first of many talks on the instruments we would be using in our songs with the guitarists taking the limelight. The talk was somewhat helpful and I just hope that when I hand out my sheet music next week it will make sense and sound like I expected. This task will greatly help me on my aims as a musician for the more I understand about writing music the stronger and more confident my general understanding of reading it will become. I just hope I can finish it in time.

Thursday was as usual a stretched day starting with graded unit where the dates for our interviews were handed out. Four weeks from the day I will be suited out and hopefully proving why I am right for the job confidently, delivering my epic fifteen minute presentation on my incredible skills and talents...in a perfect world that is. More realistically I will be in my rags cowering in the corner panicking over my few slides of presentation that don’t seem to be working while rummaging for my misplaced portfolio. Just hope I can get somewhere between the two. The pressure of small deadlines will hopefully help me to be more organised and prepared for as a session musician this skill will have to be accomplished.

In history a date has been set for our Adorno essay and yet again it all seems a bit too close for comfort. I am in desperate need of some intellectuality before I can begin so if anyone knows where I could purchase some I would be most grateful if the known address could be sent to me.

Session skills was for the first time in weeks productive. The music for Grtis ain’t Groceries was handed to me and we were put in the studio and told to be ready in a couple of minutes to record with click. I really don’t have to go in into detail of how this benefited me on my aims as a session for musician for this was as real as its going to get in the college at this time - except of course the fact there was no money involved. I managed to nail it and was happy to sit back and watch as each musician went into to gradually layer the track. I hope that next week will be as eventful.

Digital audio seems to have never been mentioned in my weekly blogs for I felt the class did not go anywhere however this week after talking to the lecturer we are now back on track and at the moment I am currently creating a web page advertising myself as a musician. Although the page will not be published the task has given me ideas for when the time comes to advertise myself via the web as a working musician.

Friday’s articulation class was as interesting as ever as we delved into African music and the association it has with blues roots. Every week I find this class more fascinating and take away a great deal of artists to look into helping to expand my knowledge of music outside of popular music terms.

In terns of our transcription assignment I have finally chosen the piece for analysis however it sadly wasn’t my first choice. At first I wanted to tackle the opening of Elgar’s cello concerto in E minor, then I lowered my standard to attempt Eric Whitacre’s unaccompanied choral piece Sleep however, with both, there just wasn’t enough time to transcribe the scores accurately in the given time slot. So now I’m in the middle of writing out Regina Spektor’s “Us”. The song is a straightforward transcription however the words have an ambiguous and deeper meaning and so I hope to grab my 1000 words from a lyrical perspective.

Apart from college my only real out of hours event this week has been a traditional band practice. The band has now chosen a date for a half twelve concert sooner than I hoped for and so now we are choosing material for the up and coming gig. Although I am happy that we have a target to aim for and am sure that the gig will boost my confidence as a fiddle player I feel that this slight pressure will rip the fun out of coming together and playing the music. I surely hope that this doesn’t happen but as the date draws closer I am sure that tensions will rise.

So that’s that, next week is surely to be a hectic one as I begin to play for degree projects and my own HN2 performance. An update will follow one week from today on these activities!

The Holiday for Eggs

So I felt to keep in the productive side of graded unit I would have an update on my holiday escapades and the and how this season has benefited and brought me closer to my aspirations as a musician...not too much in all honesty. Firstly a small update on the last week of college.

In the last week before breaking up there were a few lectures and speaker that were both interesting and educational. Firstly games composer Stuart (“I can’t quite remember”) came in and talked about his time at Perth and what the life of writing for video games was like. It was good to hear from someone who had successfully pulled together a career from their time at Perth College and also to hear about the methods and abilities that are needed to become a composer. The second fascinating talk also took place in the Brahan lecture theatre and consisted of a successful engineer referring to his career and how he had managed to climb up the employee ladder to become the boss of an established company. This talk really helped to motivate me for the gradual rise in jobs to become accomplished striked similarities to that of being a session musician.

Now however the holidays areover and have almost been too good and enjoyable to return for as I gradually drive up the treacherous A83 for my return Perth, all fun and motivation seems to drain. With 7-9 weeks till the end of college and now at the last hurdle I need to find all the enthusiasm and focus I can for the many hours of studying that lies ahead.

Having access to a piano over the holidays has given me a much better balanced practice schedule with the weighted keys and acoustic sound restoring some enthusiasm and fun into playing. At my last piano lesson before the holidays I sadly had to reschedule my associated board grade 4 exam for a later date. Recently I had begun to notice my practice schedule had been cut due to college assignments and so I feared that work may get in the way again as the exam date drew closer only leading to stress and lack of preparation. So now I set my target for November sadly making my planning stage goals one less completed.

Speaking of Associated board exams after what seems months of waiting I finally opened up my e-mails to find out that my exam results for my grade 5 theory had been published online. After finally finding the old e-mail with my password and account number on it I logged in and slowly watched the buffering page reveal that I had passed with distinction -93%! This result has given me a boost to look at the grade 6 paper and although I know it is rare seeing as grade 5 is the bench mark I feel that it would benefit me, obviously on an academic level but also force me to learn more about the classical side of music and the fundamentals that come with it. It is after all the foundations of popular music and to an extent helped to shape it to what we know it as.

I don’t know what it is about this course but it seems the more I study the popular side of music the greater my admiration to western arts music and orchestral music seems to grow. Whether this is because I have a natural reaction to rebel or because it is a genre I lack knowledge in it seems that more and more frequently my iPod is churning out Debussy over Dave Matthews band and Thomas Newman (film composer) over Tool. Whatever the reason it has caused me to look into this genre for choosing my transcription for articulation class. Over the holidays I have looked over countless contenders in terms of chamber music, overtures and symphonic poems however the position is still open and the quicker it is filled the better. I feel the next stop will be an analysis of film composer that could become a candidate for my complex analysis. Although this is an extreme challenge I believe that the amount I will learn from classical music and the orchestra in general will benefit me in later life.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that while at home I was strangely asked to be on the judging panel at a local music talent contest. This opportunity was both fun and difficulty as I had never before judged anyone’s talents in such a formal manner and had always been one to be judged and brought to criticism than bring it on others. The contestants were of all ages and talents with acts ranging from guitar, accordion and violin players to singers/songwriters and small choirs. The talents that some people showed were incredibly admirable for their age with posture, intonation, maturity and their general musical ability commendable. I almost felt that some of these young kids had a better knowledge of their instrument and music that they could replace many students here at Perth.

So that was another experience to add to my portfolio with it I also managed to get a picture in the local paper.

So that’s my thoughts on this ever so sunny day, back to college in a few days whether it be for better or for worse I don’t know.

....exhausted

So this week has been a quietly stressful one as the due date for the Fabbri essay draws near. My progress has been steady with this assignment and I do hope that my many hours of writing and researching will pay off and get me that pass that I need… and maybe even deserve!

Sadly many of my weekly activities had to be re scheduled to make time for Fabbri such as Rhythm wave rehearsal and Tuesday morning piano class. Hopefully I shall get some free time next week to catch up.

Due to the degree presentations and HND performances in Glasgow all of my Wednesday classes except for drum tuition were cancelled. My technical ability is gradually on the up rise thanks to tips from my tutor and I hope over the next few weeks this progress will continue to grow on my kit playing.

So Wednesday afternoon “Stairway to Kevin” set off on an escapade to Glasgow’s Pivo Pivo’s for the HND performances. The venue was somewhat central and with a little help with directions we managed to locate it. To an extent it was crowded, making for a good atmosphere with the sound quality form each bands sound check coming out superb…the potential for a good performance was there. Of course when it was our turn to perform all that potential drained and dispersed. After all our hard work we managed to make a pig’s mess of the gig failing to keep anything together. This is one gig I won’t be looking back on with a smile however as an aspiring session musicians there’s good days and bad days. Just got to put it behind and carry on. Overall though the rest of the night was a success and the rest of the bands and the Guinness went down well!

On Thursday while nursing a slight hangover I was informed of my audition piece for the degree. Every drummer has been given “Funk Shuffle” from the Dave Hassel book two to prepare. Grade 8!…Hmmmmm, I’m not too sure it comes close. There are however sections for soloing and so it is these oarts that I will have to play to impress. I have started looking at a few potential second pieces which I will try to narrow down in the next few days.

Well that was pretty much it for Thursday as it seemed there was no classes taking place. This gave me a couple of hours to work on my piano playing (if it can really be referred to in this term) and time to hand in my completed essay.

On Friday articulation class was cancelled due to the degree presentations taking place in the Brahan theatre. I took a wander up and sat in on most of the afternoon presentations. Many of the proposals were interesting and gave me an insight into ideas for my own and what level I should be looking to achieve. Some students on other hand should have been caged, boxed up and sent on a one way rocket to Mars as soon as they concluded for the standard brought new levels to low.

So that was my eventful and diverse week. No cheesy endings, too much work and brain power needed elsewhere.

Writing, Writing and more Writing!

With just over a week until the essay on Fabbri is due its hard get away from the many books and articles to find time for the rest of my assignment. Even writing my “weekly masterpiece” has taken a back seat! I’m making good progress though and so just hope that it will be done in time.

So this Monday was my groups turn to show the many applicant hopefuls around the college. Every instance is a fascinating and new experience and to extent rewarding to know that I am helping each person to be in as comfortable a set of mind for their audition and answering any queries they have on the college.

This is assisting me in my general confidence and communication, helping me to become a relatively better speaker. This boost in confidence will help towards my graded unit interview and generally with every musical escapade that comes my way.

After college I received a call to attend Clearwater studios to record trombone for a local band that were in need of a horn section. It was through saxophonist Felix that I was asked as he was putting down saxophone at the same time.

The piece was fast paced but only needed small sections for brass which were repeated throughout. It was a job to get in an out as quickly as possible and so In and out in 15 mins. Although it wasn’t paid I never complain as time in the studio is always an experience. If I asked for money I would never get the chance to meet new musicians and who knows, one day they might need me for a bigger event…maybe even paid!

Bright and early Tuesday morning I went to my piano lesson however my busy schedule sadly meant my playing did suffered. My teacher had sympathy for me and gave me advice about habits she had noticed over the past few weeks. She talked of how every week I would come in and play the piece up to a certain point before crumbling. It soon became clear to me that this was due to my regime of starting a piece at the beginning and running straight through to the end resulting in the complex sections not receiving the attention they needed. I started to realise that this was not only true for piano but for every other instrument I have taken on as well. Hopefully my improvement will be vaster weekly thanks to these critical pointers.

Rhythm wave went well this week and saw me coming off snare and onto rhapiki (god knows how it’s spelt!). This drum has no real rebound and so my wrist technique was in need of change before I did myself damage. On drum set I have also started to learn traditional grip, not because it looks so much cooler but because strain injury playing matched grip has started to get in the way of my playing.

While at the practice I sadly had to turn down a gig for the college open day due to its clashing with my classes. With the degrees competitive nature I really have to buckle down and attend every class again. You just can’t please everyone nowadays!

So Wednesday was a day of mixed production as yet again I seemed to turn up to my lesson to find no teacher to guide me through the 20 mins. That ofcourse didn’t stop me as I used my lesson time to look over my pieces probably gaining the same aount of productivity from it. I find that the colleges drum rooms are a much different kettle of fish to drum kits I am use to. Since the whole kit is as muffled and dampened to the level that even breathing is heard over it(slight exaggeration) I feel that I really need to rearrange my playing style to get the feel across. These kits will be used for my end of year assessment and my degree audition and so the more comfortable I am the better my chances are of entering into the degree. This drew to my attention that a lot of the time could be using someone else’s set up. If I want to make it as a session musician I think playing as many different set ups as possible could help strengthen my general co-ordination of the kit for who knows, I may once turn up to a gig and have to use a left handed drummers kit!

My Led Zeppelin cover band is at performance level now for our gig next week and as long as we keep it tight and together I think we can pull off a good show.

Later in the day in composition class we were put into our groups to begin looking at the best ways to compose for the Tom and Jerry track. In my group are people I have not worked with before and so this task shall be good experience for enhancing my communication in group situations.

Wednesday evening was occupied with final rehearsals for the concert hall show “Rock the Catwalk” taking place this Saturday. With a small problem only on intonation I feel the show will be good fun to be a part of and play in. Time management however was not in my side that night as I arrived slightly late for rehearsal and of course paid the pitiful consequences of shame. Just have to make sure it doesn’t happen again!

Thursday morning was graded unit portfolio check as I showed what potentially could be with my planning document. It seems I am on the right path and will now have to turn ll my thoughts into the physical thing!

Marlissa also informed me that Fiona from Kilmarnock Centrestage would expect to perform the musical “Songs for a New World” soon after the Easter holidays. I am keen to focus on my reading again and look forward being part of the show again.

Session skills saw me unexpectedly take my trombone out for a run through some of the tracks that are soon to be recorded. It just wasn’t my day for tuning or playing in general and so a few position techniques will be in order before I head back to studio.

After a hard at college on Thursday I packed my stuff and headed to Dundee union for a gig with my band Feel Free Conspiracey. The gig went well and we managed to pull a decent crowd however the sound was a different matter as we were far too loud throughout. At the end of the day I suppose a gig as a gig.

Friday’s Articulation class yet again turned out to be the fascination of the week as Pete Honeymoon brought analysis to a new level with the piece “My Song” by the American Jazz composer and pianist Keith Jarrett. The class was all in relevance to our assignment due after the Easter holiday in which each has to transcribe a piece and write about the image that it creates. I look forward to the challenge and hope to learn a great deal in terms of transcribing the piece by ear. These skills of transcribing will hopefully benefit me in the music world.

So Saturday came and finally “Rock the Catwalk” took place. Overall the whole experience was superb and really showed me the level I should be working towards as a musician. It was a long day of rehearsals starting at nine in the morning until ten at night showing me how as a musician the days can sometimes drag on. Even though I had been playing the same pieces over and over throughout the day I had to go out and play with forced enthusiasm not showing any of the exhaustion that lay behind my face. Overall however I have enjoyed my time there and have met many great people and musicians in general. With all the publicity it received and the full 1000 booked out show I hope to have managed to getmy face on the map slightly and hope to gather evidence from publicity and papers for my graded unit portfolio.

So that was my week.

168 hours into 1384 words.

Hope you "enjoyed" it as much as I did!