Demo is done!

So its seems the challenge of enrolling for the degree has yet again risen as it was revealed Monday morning that no more than 28 students would be accepted for the degree course. Seeing that at the moment there are around 80 applicants inside and outside of the college the competitive nature will be fierce for receiving a place. It all really goes down to my graded unit and articulation class grades and so with that in mind I am going to have to produce the best portfolio possible to give myself a fighting chance. It’s quite ironic that a few weeks ago I was considering leaving at the end of this year but now it seems that if I don’t put the work in I may not even receive a place.

Like everyone else my week started Monday as I helped the lecturers with this years first hopefuls applying for NQ and HNC. It seems the process has changed since I last was involved and now consists of a whole afternoon instead of the small 15 minutes I was given for mine. 3 others and myself were given the opportunity to show them around and answer any questions they were inquired about the course. Not only was this a great opportunity for them to see in a bit more detail what resources they had but also benefits my communication skills as I try to make a good first impression of the college and myself as a student. I hope that next Monday will be as interesting and beneficial this session.

In the afternoon my band Feel Free Conspiracy managed to squeeze in a rehearsal for our up and coming recording session at Lo fi. I am really starting to have a better feel for each track and hope that once in the studio I can produce the goods.

With my piano lesson cancelled Tuesday became a slightly uneventful day, which gave me time to catch up on my theory practice and drumming practice. I feel that time management has become an improved ability over the last few weeks as a schedule of gigs and college work has mounted up.

Wednesday was very motivational, as our band has progressed to the final stage of rehearsals and our now polishing up our set list for the gig in Glasgow. With only a few problems concerning commitments of others I am pretty confident that we will pull off the set on the night.

My drum lesson turned out to be quite helpful in broadening my diversity as I tackled both the latin and jazz track for my end of year assessment. My tutor has showed me how sometimes even though I am playing the music as it is written the feel for the genre and timing could be improved which turns out to be as important as the notation itself. I hope to tackle this technical problem for my next weeks class.

So Thursday and Friday consisted of a hefty recording session at Lo fi studios. This was the first real time our band had recorded at a professional and paid for standard and so we wanted to take as much away from the experience as possible.

I managed to get a solid drum track on each of the three songs we recorded and took away some good advice in terms of tuning, playing to the click and orchestration of the drum tracks. I soon found out that I seemed to naturally speed up on the chorus on each of the tracks as I got more into each take. This is something I will take away when recording and playing live shows in the future.

Well in the end after spending 20 hours tapping my head and foot to our ever-progressing tracks we final got a decent sounding demo done with a whole load of experience of recording with it.

Please check it out http://www.myspace.com/feelfreeconspiracy

The page is still in the construction stages so just pay attention to the tracks.

So that sums up my week and with the demo on its way I hope my band can jump on the gigging bandwagon and get gigging!

Blogster

Lets carry on were we left off then?

This week has been rather hollow due to Wednesday’s in-service day and so, with no instrumental instruction, rehearsals or composition class I’ve been trying to catch up with my other classes with the ever-rising academics!

So Thursday morning, after walking the treacherous pathway to college I arrived at my destination of the lecture feature for graded unit class. This week was mainly based around interview skills and a questionnaire focusing on our specialised skills. As a student whose jobs have came from an informal background of outside labour were job interviews were very casual and almost unnecessary to my employers it is a field that I suffer in knowledge. I found the class most helpful and although a lot of it seemed like common sense there were many points I noted down to prepare myself for the up and coming MOCK interview.

It seems in formal situations like this I seem to lose my nerve and confidence leading to an avalanche of spoken nonsense and mumbling. To counteract this I think a lot of preparation is needed.

Yet again music history was a full on lecture as we delved deeper into the world of “aspects of genres” and “semiotics.” It all seems a bit too much for me and I know I may struggle with the essays. I have all the sources I need though and I think in good time my brain will gradually catch up with the lectures.

In session skills this week after months and months of preparation we finally headed to the recording studio to start recording. Maceo Parker’s “Shake everything you got” was the first track to be recorded which orientates mainly around the brass section. I felt my playing was put to the limits as we played through it countless times with Gav who also surprised the brass section with a cheeky arrangement of a commitments compilation to sight read on the spot. This of course did not go down well. In the end though we managed to get one take down – not the best – but a start. I have been giving the opportunity of a solo in the recording and so will practice towards recording a decent one for the following weeks.

After a nights good rest I freshened myself up for Friday’s articulation class, who knows what would lie through door 513 this week and if I would return after entering?

Well the class turned out to be quite interesting and digestible this week as Pete showed the class the different methods of analysing music and how many different facts socially and culturally can be taken in from a single song. It was a much less disorientated class than last week and I look forward to the next few weeks.

For my band Feel Free Conspiracy it is now less than a week before we head to Glasgow’s Lo Fi recording studio for a two-day session. In this time we hope to lay down 3 to 4 tracks depending on the pace that we work at. The last few days have seen us work on the finishing touches to our tracks in a hope to produce the best quality on the day.

I shall update next week on how the recording session goes.

Blog a million!

So the second week of semester two has begun and already I can see a vast gradient appearing in terms of course work. The academic level seems to have shot to new heights thanks to Articulation class and Music History. The reading material we have been given is of a much higher standard than I expected and so it is now time to pull the finger out on the reading side of the course and spend some focused time digesting it all. I feel that one good exercise for me to do is to attempt as much reading of articles as time gives me in the hope to broaden my reading capabilities.

After a long weekend back home in Argyll and a lot of piano playing I returned to my piano lesson Tuesday morning. Progress is at a low even though I now feel motivation is at its highest. These next few months will see me staring down at the keys in attempt to reach my planning goal of booking my planning stage comfortably by June this year in April. It may seem far away now but that only really counts for 12 piano lessons. Time is too valuable!

Every week that I spend recording our acoustic EP I seem to learn more and more about the methods used. I was pleased with our final product however many of the recordings -like painters and painting - the final product never seems to come. The raw sound we started out with is being warped with overdubs and I feel that the tracks are loosing their true feel and natural sound. Even so, I am still pleased that we are getting the opportunity.

Drum lesson and Zeppelin practice on Wednesday wasn’t the most productive combination. I feel like our set is becoming incredibly solid but due to an in-service day next Wednesday it seems that we only have 4 weeks left till the gig in Glasgow. The gig has also sparked me to consider our playlist for Glasgow. Although we are to learn a 7 song set I feel that the chance of this set being heard with the other dozen bands is a most unlikely event and so we are going to have to start looking at the strongest combination for our set. My communication skills will hopefully both be challenged as each member argues their case for a set in a hopefully democratic dispute.

Well I arrived at my drum lesson and set up only to be left alone for 90% of the lesson as I looked through my chosen pieces attempting to analyze and criticise myself however biased it may of seemed. I believe that I am now having to almost completely self motivate myself through these so called lessons which although is in bad context will benefit me when it comes to the real world in which I will be my own boss and have to keep positive. The pieces I have chosen are quite challenging to me however each is diverse as the other and range from Latin to Jazz to funk-fusion. This diversity in tracks will hopefully help enhance my versatility as a player and give me a larger field to look into when looking for work.

In composition class we were put into groups to try an attempt composing a theme tune for a chosen T.V programme. Each member of my band had their own opinion on what it should go like and how it should be done. This led to a lot of discussion and made me realise how hard it is to compromise with others and at the same time keep everyone involved without taking over and being bossy. These are skills I feel are quite difficult and so I feel this is vital in terms of improving with my people skills. In the end though we managed to compromise and did“24” justice it needed

Thursday became a day full of musical philosophy with music history, brass licks and the life of being a producer. I found the talk with Dave Paterson on a life in the studio most helpful and at the same time surprising. He showed to the class how it happens and revealed to us how the market and commercial side of music works. Dave really showed us who was buying what and gave us some beneficial tips when working in the studio. As a student who aspires to a relatively similar career the information I received sat with me. It seems that now all studio work is of course done to click however its amazing how separate drummers even playing the same music with a click can interpret and give a record a whole different feel. It is this feel that really makes drummers stand out and it is one area I will have to immensely improve on if I am to become as employable as possible. All the studio work I have done lately has however steered me on the right track and so bit-by-bit I am improving.

As mentioned earlier Fridays are now filled with articulation class and it does seem that it will be a struggle to keep up with the academics. This week the lecture was held by Pete and if I had any inspirations as a musician before the true nature and competitive market I hope to enter has now been shown to me. Pete informed the class that if we just want to play a degree really isn’t the thing for us. For an aspiring session musician this really made me think and really showed me how naive I have been while at college in looking at my chosen career path. Although due to the way Pete brought this across it seems that I should just leave college now I do feel that there seems to be no better place to meet and network with other musicians than at the college itself. Where else am I ever going to find 300 to 400 musicians all looking to play in bands and shows?

I have also started to come to terms that it is the most unlikely event that I will be able to support myself alone with sessions or even find a way in to that world. With a degree, the chances of employment are much more likely in any field of work than an HND. For the moment all my time shall be focused on getting that sought after degree hopefully in the attempt to broadening my career paths to support a roof over my head.

Who knows…I may be able to support a lifestyle by just playing drums, but I can’t say I really have met many people that have managed successfully. With the degree coming closer and closer it seems that now is the time to look at the bigger picture with my own eyes and come to terms with what lies out there.

Lol these blogs seem just to stretch and blabber on more week by week however I do feel in analysing my own week and activities I am learning more and more about myself as a musician with every word I type.

Ticking the boxes!

Hello again!
It has just been too long!

Hmm well yet again I sit on my comfy seat at the flat, in a small but spacious corner attempting to reiterate the week’s activities in an interesting yet “graded unit” related style.
First good news of the week; I passed the final theory exam! This joyous occasion has given me the boost to keep focused on revision for my up and coming Grade 5 theory exam on the 4th of March which really isn’t as far away as it seems. I have began to look at past papers and have been fairly surprised on the many methods and details I need to look into if I am to pass. I feel that my main let down is the identifying of chords and intervals and so for the next weeks this will be my main focus. As a player mainly of linear pitched instruments I have never really had to worry about chords however with my attempts to learn the piano I hope to take away some harmony knowledge relative to my cause.
Well good news aside the week has been tiring but one that has brought great productivity and opportunity.
Many an hour this week has been spent in the studio which for an aspiring session musician has been a supportive experience. On Tuesday morning after my piano lesson I headed to the studio for our weekly acoustic session. Playing acoustic has been a new experience for me as a drummer and I have really enjoyed experimenting with different sticks and brushes to get the right sound for the track. Since everything was recorded live with no click I realised how significant dynamics were in terms of hearing and playing off the rest of my band. I also managed to use my new toy (the ocean drum) and experimented on a few of the tracks with positive results. Although it is fun it is a long process, and at times can be quite stressful but with patient sound engineers and good recording techniques I look forward to the final product.
Wednesday saw my band at the other side of the recording spectrum trying to polish off our tracks for an EP. I am really impressed with the quality of sound on the mixed down version and have been lucky enough to learn how it all gets done. Although I am impressed with the product as a band we have decided to put some of our own money down to record some of our fresher material for two day session in Glasgow Lo Fi studio. This will be a relatively new experience for me as I have never recorded in Glasgow and look forward to the professional standard we will be working at and the experience that will come with it.
I was also happy this week to find in my inbox my Glasgow course composition. After a good listen I am happy with the quality and hope to add it to my graded unit hopefully showing my level of dedication, versatility and knowledge as a musician.
As mentioned earlier I have managed to tick off another box in my goals for graded unit by purchasing an Ocean drum. Already I am picking up the basics and fingering patterns needed to play correctly and hope to get it out gigging and recording as much as possible ion the future.
This week I was asked to play trombone or violin in a Billie Holiday degree project. My string skills are at no standard to perform in a degree project but I gladly accepted on brass terms. After a little research into her I am looking forward to playing some old school trombone and hopefully some of my favourite Gershwin tracks with a vast range of talented musicians. This will give the chance to work on my networking skills and communication skills especially in terms of playing with the other brass musicians in analysing the patrts.
It was the first time in a while this week that I attended the samba band practice for Rhythm wave. My attendance had begun to lack for the Tuesday evening rehearsals due to an extremely busy schedule - which I am glad to see has simmered down. It’s great to see so many new people joining in now and watching the band grow in numbers and in sound. I was happy to see my position on snare drum was still open and also that I could remember the old patterns. I now feel pushed to attend this group for playing snare drum will help me with improving my wrist technique and general playing.
This week I finally presented my Beatles presentation on Indian influences. The fact that it was held in the lecture theatre gave me a slight boost in confidence and helped me to present it successfully. I feel that my presenting skills have come on considerably from last year and hope that I can keep up this confidence for my up and coming interview in later in the year for graded unit.
Well, I sense I have sat on this seat too long now and need to stretch the old legs.
Until next week!

The Usual Crack!

So it’s the second official week back at college and what appears to be the last of the semester. New bands are settling down nicely; the long process of presentations are well under way; song after song is being added to the long list of repertoire (a list that seems to have no end!) and all the snow seems to have dissolved into the earth. Having received my planning marks back I am happy to see I passed but now is the time to put all my promises into action and take some initiative!(seems to be the word of the week) The sooner I break down my goals and start working on them the higher the probability that I will achieve my aims in the given time. With the clock ticking I can happily say that I can tick my first box by booking my Grade 5 theory for March of this year. With the ball now rolling I feel that this extra pressure will cause me to work harder and revise more for the up and coming. It seems that this college year has revealed to me how much more efficient I work when I put myself in these timed situations under pressure. I suppose this is a most beneficial ability when it comes to playing my role as a session musician and I hope to develop it in the up and coming months.

On Tuesday as usual I had my morning piano lesson. Over the holidays being at home had the benefit of a real piano and so with structured practice I really felt that my chosen pieces came on in leaps. It seems though that hours of practice on the same three pieces can have its side effects as well as it advantages. My piano teacher began to inform me that although I was improving with my pieces my reading skills may have been suffering for the advances of my pieces had almost became a process of decoding than an actual interpretation of the notes. This seemed to be the case for not only could I almost play the pieces without the music glaring back at me but even when it was in front of me I felt that I wasn’t even following it note by note. Although this was good for my chosen pieces my sight-reading and general following of music was suffering so, for next week a brand new piece has been put on my plate, which I look forward to practicing for my next lesson. I also figured that a few sight-reading examples a day could benefit me significantly.

Well that’s enough piano chat for now.

The rest of Tuesday was spent in the rehearsal rooms and a laid-back trad jam in the evening were I wiped off the dust from my fiddle case and attempted to tune the old rusty strings up. Although the fiddle has no main aim in my studies it has been incredibly helpful with my pitching, sight-reading and communication skills in terms of playing and arranging with other musicians. Although I am becoming a more confident player I do feel that I am slightly naïve about how good my technique actually is and so still have not obtained the confidence to perform to an audience. The gradual enlargement of our trad group though should hopefully help me overcome these fears and there’s no better way to learn an instrument than to play it in a musical situation.

On Wednesday I attended my usual drum lesson and band rehearsal in the morning and afternoon composition class. Zeppelin practice was very productive and I feel we are making good progress for the up and coming show in March. With this new band comes new musicians and so I feel my communication skills are being improved with the new approaches I take in discussing our songs and up and coming shows. The fact that it is also a band with two drummers creates the benefits of a stronger and more detailed talk into the drum parts of our covers and originals and also gives me the opportunity to give and receive tips on each others playing. The fact that I also have to only learn half a set means I can work twice as hard on getting it right. This situation will hopefully benefit my plying technique in the future and help me on my aspirations to become a session musician.

In my weekly drum lesson I began the lesson rather originally by asking my tutor the question “how do you hold drumsticks?” This may seem slightly basic and immature for a drum student in his second year of degree however I am now at a stage where I am analysing every prospect of my playing. I have begun to notice over the last few weeks a strain on my left hand when playing for long periods of time or when over playing. It is almost now at the stage were I just have to stop and rest and so has to be taken care of before it begins to seriously affect my chosen career path. On analysing my playing my tutor broke down the reasons for my strain injury and showed me where I was going wrong. Sticking is a major part of any drummers playing and I feel that it is almost too easy to fall into bad habits in which problems may occur. If I were to become a session drummer I would hopefully be playing for countless hours a day and so if my hands were not in top order my playing would suffer.

I have really begun work on extending my trombone technique lately thanks to a new book of “Arban’s method for trombone.” The book is filled with hundreds of studies and gradually helps to build on technical ability and positioning. In session skills this Thursday I was surprised to find a brass orientated piece on the music stand called “Shake Everything You Got.” With the little extra help of Natalie on saxophone and Gav on trumpet I really felt that the brass brought so much to the track. After the session I managed to steal Gav for a few seconds to ask him about methods for extending my range. He gladly showed me a few tips and so with dedicated practice I hope to be a few tones higher in the next few weeks

Anyway I think I have blabbered on enough this week and so I leave you in peace until next time.