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PLUG & PLAY: SESSION 8 - THE COVER VERSION

This week’s task:

In groups of a minimum of 3, research and decide on a cover that you will record and playback via your blog perform next week!

Your groups must...

Explain and present to the class your MUSICAL reasons for your choice.

How you are going to arrange the music, who is going to do what, how it is going to sound and why.

You must explain and back up artistically all your reasons for your decisions.

Everyone in your group has to play or sing or do something that has contributed to the cover version and everyone has to input on how the arrangement will be manifested.

You must re harmonise some of the song and change the groove and feel. You cannot miss out lyrics. All have to be included.

You can re phrase change key to suit the main singer.

We chose to cover King Harvest’s song ‘Dancing in the moonlight’ in the style of Ben Howard. 

Vocals: Sarah Walker, Keys: Ophelia Neville, Bass: Ross Teal, Acoustic: Dylan Evans, Electric: Guy Dawes, Drums: Matt Yapp

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A playlist of reference tracks that apply an approach I may take with the Polyphonic Me module.. I've inlcuded artists who utilise some of the different techniques that we have covered.

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Polyphonic Me Session 8 Logic Task: Sound Design 2

Sound design the following only using the factory patch:

A bass sound: This should be in Mono, contain sub frequencies and benefit from timbre (filter, waveform) modulation.

A pad sound: A rich, thick and slowly evolving pad sound useful for sustained chords and pedal notes.

A bell like keyboard sound: Try to emulate a bell like sound, FM synthesis can help with this, use AMP release to emulate the natural decay of a bell sound.

A percussive keyboard sound: A short percussive keyboard sound that can cut through the mix.

A lead sound: An expressive lead sound that offers useful modulation, this should be in mono. The Sync synthesiser engine is a good starting point for the oscillators.

Compose a short section of music with your sounds, (1 minute max) try to make sure they contrast each other. You can also use MIDI FX and other sequencing techniques that develop parts and instrumentation.

This is my experimentation so far, but I plan to re-work it & create something I like a lot more.

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Polyphonic Me Session 7 Logic Task: Sound Design 1

For this short piece of music we had to use the sample sound we created for our last task (session 6) and use the EXS24 Synthesiser to edit the original sound.

My original sound was me whistling. In this piece, I have shown the progression from the original untouched whistle sound, to the edited whistle sound using the synthesiser.

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Polyphonic Me: Session 6 Logic Task - Sampling Part 2

A short piece of music I created using some sample sounds I recorded myself.

I recorded the main melodic sound by whistling a scale & mapping that whistled scale onto the midi keyboard.

The underlying sounds are a mixture of Jenga blocks clacking together with the arpeggiator effect on, and me clicking my voice with the note repeater effect on.

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PLUG & PLAY: RAYMOND CARVER SHORT STORY TASK

An original song of mine inspired by a short story called ‘Popular Mechanics’ by Raymond Carver. 

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

Underneath the surface

I’m latching on

Latching on

You know I’m here

You feel me

I’m throbbing in

I’m throbbing in your bones

 Verse 2:

In sickness and in health

Your wife thirsts to see you better

It drives your love apart

I can feel it heavying your heart

 Pre Chorus:

I know you’re both exhausted

You conceived me unexpected

Just take a break and please just take me on

 Chorus:

I’m sorry I’m addicted to this certain kind of pain

I cause the confrontation

That rips apart your frame

I can’t help being toxic

I have to keep on going

Or I’ll end up losing you

I just want to be loved

To be loved

Just want to be loved

 Verse 3:

And when the time is right

I know you’ll give up fighting

To take me on completely

And say goodbye goodbye to her

She won’t know it’s coming

But I promise it’s a good thing

You won’t have to keep on striving

Won’t have to keep on striving

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Political Economy: Let a Hundred flowers bloom

‘Write down one thing that you have learnt from this chapter and suggest how it might relate to music practice or music business.’

‘Marx believed that work can allow human beings to express their inherent creativity. He criticized the hierarchical capitalist firm for blocking such possibilities. He emphasized the dehumanizing and mind-numbing effects of the repetitive work that emanates from increasingly fine divisions of labour.’ (Ha-Joon. C, 2014, p.132).

This small section of the chapter ‘Let a Hundred flowers bloom’ links to McLuhan’s idea of automation – how automation means we can start making more creative decisions about the work we’re involved in, we can develop our own work patterns and priorities. We’re no longer forced into repetitive work? Within music I think this is becoming more apparent with all the noise, immediacy and widespread availability of music now. People are increasingly becoming fed up of the same thing or repetition ‘dehumanizing and min-numbing’ (even many of the artists themselves) and so are purposely setting out to be more creativity and express themselves in new & experimental ways.

 Ha-Joon. C. (2014). Economics: the user’s guide. Penguin Books.

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Political Economy: Adorno, Standardization & Pseudo-Individualization

     Theodor Adorno was a German philosopher, sociologist, and composer known for his critical theory of society. He was a leading member of the Frankfurt School of critical theory and proposed the theory of Standardization. ‘In capitalist society, popular culture (and, by extension, popular music) is standardized, using the same formula to appeal to the masses. Adorno noted that all popular music contained a verse, chorus and bridge, and that these elements were interchangeable without damaging the song. However, this formula did not apply to “serious music”, saying that “every detail derives its musical sense from the concrete totality of the piece “, and arguing that even if one detail is omitted “all is lost”’ (Darbyshire. D, 2011). Adorno also implies that Pseudo-Individualization is the corresponding idea to Standardization. ‘By Pseudo-Individualization we mean endowing cultural mass production with the halo of free choice or open market on the basis of standardization itself. Standardization of song hits keeps the customers in line by doing their listening for them, as it were. Pseudo-Individualization, for its part, keeps them in line by making them forget that what they listen to is already listened to for them, or “pre-digested”.’ (Adorno and Leppert, 2002, p.445).

      An artist/group that I think symbolize Adorno’s ideas of standardization are Little Mix, who I’m using as a particular example to represent standardization along the lines of the generic ‘boy band/girl band’. ‘Of the top ten singles of the week beginning Sunday, 14 November 1999, five of those acts represented are either boy or girl bands, former members of boy or girl bands or current members of the Spice Girls exploring a solo project. The key thing about these acts is that they all fulfil the music industry’s formula for what constitutes a top-selling band. Style, image and sex appeal are key factors. From a critical perspective original songs and lyrics appear, at times, to be a little more than after-thoughts.’ (Miles. S, 2011, p.30). You could suggest times have slightly changed looking at the top ten singles of the week beginning Friday, 4 November 2016; there are a few solo artists such as Bruno Mars, Sia or Drake in some of the top spots. However, the number one post is still taken by a group/girl band (Little Mix with ‘Shout out to my ex’) and the top ten is still predominantly groups, who to a lot of people sound the same. Little Mix’s latest single ‘Shout out to my ex’ (SOTME) to me, perfectly portrays Adorno’s theory of standardization. Little Mix have received heavy criticism that SOTME sounds extremely similar to GRLs (an American girl group) song ‘Ugly Heart’. Particularly the melody and instrumentation of the chorus but also, the production of their performance on The X Factor of the song was seen to be very similar to the video of GRLs ‘Ugly Heart’. Although this is an extreme example and could almost be looked into in regards to plagiarism, it shows how prophetic Adorno was with his theory of standardisation. I believe the standardisation of pop music, particularly boy bands/girl bands, has come to such a head, that even the ownership of work and originality of the music is now being completely dwarfed. All the ideas sound the same? Everyone’s copying each other?

      Although you can see the idea of standardization across a lot of music today, I believe that it doesn’t apply to all music. ‘Frank Ocean is trying to defy the laws of consumption in a generation that can barely get through an hour album.’ (Donaldson. E, 2016) I believe in this case that standardisation comes under the hat of consumption as Donaldson goes on to say, ‘He’s an artist, far more than just a musician, so his messages are dense and tough to pinpoint without dissecting his work to pieces’. Frank Ocean is creating pieces of art. He’s trying to evoke new responses and trying to challenge the norm of mass consumption and immediacy. This was shown with the release of ‘Blond’, Frank Ocean’s 2nd and latest album released in August 2016. Ocean had been quite mysterious about the release date of ‘Blond’ suggesting dates and an album name that weren’t correct. He then released a short visual film and advertised four pop up shops in different locations across America & the UK where you could buy his magazine and with it, receive a copy of the album. ‘This was an act of swaying us away from technology, if only for a moment, to bring us into Frank’s reality. One where Frank still visits Barnes & Noble weekly for his favourite magazines and listens to all his music via a CD in his car.’ (Donaldson. E, 2016). Whilst you could argue that Frank’s focus was challenging consumerism, I believe that he is an example of an artist who is fed up of standardization of music and in turn, fed up of the consumerist culture in which standardization feeds? ‘The consumer of popular music is not happy unless he or she receives the same musical dish time after time, and the irony is that by wallowing in such predictability popular music listeners are able to convince themselves that they are actually in control.’ (Miles. S, 2001, p, 30). Ocean is serving sushi in Nando’s. Being slightly controversial with his release and his music, he is removing the ‘control’, creating a different norm and doing what he wants to do as an artist rather than copying everyone else. Ocean is not an example of standardization and his song ‘Be Yourself’ off ‘Blond’ is great proof. The song spanning just over 80 seconds, is solely a voicemail message from his mum which he has then named ‘Be yourself’. ‘Fertilizer’ a 40 second song on his first album ‘Channel Orange’ is also proof that standardization does not apply to all popular music.

      An artist that symbolises Adorno’s ideas of pseudo-individualization is Jack Garratt. ‘Blending fragments of R&B, rock and any other genre that springs to mind into his dense, multi-layered electronic soundscape, Jack Garratt makes music that defies easy categorization.’ (Wass. M, 2015). Although Garratt’s music ‘defies easy categorization’, under Adorno’s strict and to be honest quite brutal categorization of “serious” music and not, Garratt would easily be categorized under standardized and is proof of pseudo-individualization. Initially his creativity and ‘one-man band/producer’ quality projects a newness and individuality about him, but really, if you listen to one of his songs, for example, ‘Worry’, it could sound alike any other electro, down-tempo, R&B pop song in regards to its chord structure and lyrics. Jack Garratt speaking in an interview says ‘The word 'performance' brings with it this idea or stigma that there is a thing to show off, a thing to prove, from the person onstage. Actually, the way I think about it is the exact opposite – I am the least important person when I'm in that environment. Even though I'm the only one there. The most important people are the people who are watching me. The crowd.’ (Murray. R, 2016). Could this also suggest that Garratt is much similar to a lot of other current artists at the moment? With so many artists now it’s all about the image; all about what will make money; what does the audience want? Wearing the hat of Adorno, what makes Garratt different to any other artist out there at the moment?

      Wolfgang Tillmans, a fine art photographer recently released some music which completely goes against the norms and is very different. How could he possibly fall into being pinned as someone who’s an example of pseudo individualisation? He’s proof that pseudo-individualization does not apply to all popular music. One of Wolfgang Tillmans’ songs called ‘Make it up as you go along’ just repeats the words ‘make it up as you go along’ for five minutes. There is no typical chord pattern or song structure. It’s just completely random; utterly bonkers. I get excited by Wolfgang Tillmans’ music as it feels like he set out to challenge some of the ideas of standardization and pseudo-individualization in popular music. To me there’s an obvious difference in the sound of a song or an album when you can tell someone is authentically expressing creativity & what they want to do compared to someone who’s being forced into this ever-present cycle of standardisation and genericism who’s in it for the money or to fit into a certain stereo-type.

 Bibliography:

Darbyshire. D. (2011). Culture Industries and Adorno’s Theory of Standardisation. Available at: https://loudmimedave.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/culture-industries-and-adornos-theory-of-standardisation/ (Accessed: 15October 2016).

Adorno. T. and Leppert. R. (2002). Essays on Music. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press

Miles. S. (2001). Social theory in the real world. SAGE Publications Ltd.

Donaldson. E. (2016). Frank Ocean’s ‘Endless’ & ‘Blond’ Create Two Vastly Different Realities. Available at: https://medium.com/@SermonsDomain/frank-oceans-endless-blond-create-two-vastly-different-realities-121c72be02a#.3jlw7s20v (Accessed: 15 October 2016).

Wass. M. (2015). Jack Garratt On New EP ‘Synesthesiac,’ Touring America & The Creative Process: Idolator. Available at: http://www.idolator.com/7594796/jack-garratt-interview-synesthesiac-ep-american-tour-songwriting (Accessed: 15 October 2016).

 Murray. R. (2016). Going through phases: Jack Garratt. Available at: http://www.clashmusic.com/features/going-through-phases-jack-garratt (Accessed: 15 October 2016).

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Plug & Play: Stage plots

Compare & Contrast two stage plots:

·      Home Remedy (HR) stage plot uses images of actual equipment – could make it clearer to see what is needed & reduce room for error/wrong equipment or confusion

·      However, HR stage plot is not labelled – solely relying on the images to tell you what is needed – the Johnny Knox & HI – TEST (JK) stage plot has clear labelling & description which would ensure there are no mistakes

·      On the JK stage plot, they have two side fill monitors which provide sound to the band which the floor monitors don’t cover – the HR stage plot only have the front floor monitors – this suggests JK may be able to hear themselves more clearly above everything else

·      Also on the JK stage plot, each front mic (VOX or Sax) has two floor monitors either side of the mic rather than just one as seen in the HR stage plot.

·      There is even a small notice for ‘all vocals’ on the JK stage plot stating what kind of reverb & delay they use – this would be useful for the sound technician and save the band time when sound checking – there is nothing like this on the HR stage plot

·      The drums on the HR stage plot are risen above the normal stage level whereas there is nothing to state the drums being risen on the JK stage plot – a similarity with both drum kits is they both have a side fill monitor by their kit

·      With both stage plots the general layout looks very similar – the singers are all at the front, the drums at the back/quite central and then bass & guitars either side

·      The amps in both stage plots are all towards the back & facing the audience

·      The layouts of both stage plots are quite spread out – everything isn’t all crammed into one tiny part of the stage – they have used up as much stage room as they can

 “How to” guide: creating a stage plot

 ·      Make it clear who your band consists of – what instruments each person plays & also their names – helpful for the sound technician during sound check to identify people 

·      Where do you want each person to be on stage? Can you see everyone clearly?

-      The lead vocalist would usually be central front with BVs or other guitar’s/keys either side, and the drums central back – do you know if the venue has any things obstructing the view of the stages at certain points? E.g. pillars - Take into consideration when positioning on stage?

-      Make sure there is enough space for each person and their instruments – well-spaced out – not too crammed together – for safety and aesthetics

 ·      How many mics and amps do you need? Where do you want them to be? (Usually a microphone is drawn on a stage plot by putting an X within a circle & an amp is represented with a rectangle).

-       Will you need a mic stand for each mic? – probably a good idea

-       Will you need a different type of mic for different things?

-       What mic positioning will get the best sound quality?

-       Will you need to mic up any of the amps?

 ·      How many monitors will be needed?

-       The drummer usually needs some kind of side fill monitor or floor monitor to hear everyone else’s parts

-       The rest of the band also needed to be able to hear themselves however much they want – can each band member hear through a monitor?

-       There are usually a few wedges in front of the vocalists so they can hear, and some side fills will probably be needed if there is a bassist and guitarist (wedges are usually represented by triangles on a stage plot but some monitors are represented by rectangles).

 ·      Do you need anything else?

-       Sometimes the drums are risen above the normal stage level on a small platform

-       How many DI’s are needed?

-       Do you have any particular guidelines for vocals? Just to help the sound technician? E.g. warm room reverb

 ·      Make sure everything is as clear as possible – labelled correctly – with the correct information (names, equipment, what mic needed, what each mic is for – lead, BVs, how many DI’s?)

 ·      Try and make it look professional – people are more likely to take you seriously & may find your stage plan easier to follow

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Polyphonic Me: Session 5 Logic Task - Sampling

‘Make 1-minutes worth of music that is only composed from exisiting pieces of recorded music’

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Plug & Play - Production Research: Bon Iver Voice

18|10|16 Performance Equipment Sony C-37 - microphone from the fifties. Became the cornerstone for their second record Single Shure SM57 Instrument/Vocal Microphone Production Equipment Pro-tools “Mbox” digital-audio interface Laptop loaded with Pro-Tools “Mpowered” DAW that comes bundled with the purchase of every new “Mbox” interface (ibid) Production Technique Recorded in a cabin deep in the woods in Wisconsin Comb-filtering Hardware/Software Processes Manipulated his recorded vocals using the software Auto-Tune

References http://equipboard.com/pros/justin-vernon http://arpjournal.com/microphone-practise-on-bon-iver’s-“skinny-love”-2/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Emma,_Forever_Ago#Recording_and_production

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PLUG & PLAY: MELODY ANALYSIS 

‘Please don’t go – Joel Adams’

Intro 

- The intro riff starts on the minor which makes it quite interesting and just goes up and down on just a few of the same notes - it’s easy to the ear, simple and repetitive and that’s why it’s catchy.

There’s rhythmic repetition - it get’s engrained in your head which is important because it’s the basis of the melody for the whole song and underlying throughout all of it

·      The whole melody is like an expansion of this simple riff from the intro – the whole song kind of flows in and out and intertwines with this riff - sometimes it’s the simple riff on its own (at the start and at the end) and then the chords and notes all fit into this melody of the riff throughout the song. It’s like a progression of textures adding bits and bobs to this riff which create a cliff with the music and then leaves the cliff drop at the end i.e. the simple catchy riff back on it’s own again like at the start - it’s leaving you with that at the end so you’ll be singing it all day. 

Verse

·      The chords follow what was happening in the riff but they’re just simple chords rather than the riff as well - this adds depth to the music and creates a real emphasis of those peak moments in the chorus and on that riff - but the progression of the chords just mean you can imagine humming this riff in and out the verses

 Chorus 

·      The first word of the chorus ‘please’ is emphasised by the sustained high note - peak of the song – the ‘please’ in the chorus always hits this same note so the rest of the lines in the chorus almost roll off the tongue – you kind of know where its heading – because of the phrasing as well ‘please’ is separate to ‘don’t go’.

·      Towards the end, Joel starts singing extra trills on words of the chorus which repeat the melody of the riff and add weight to it throughout - it’s basically just like a massive ‘let’s celebrate this riff party’ and that’s the whole point of the song. To get stuck in people’s heads. To be singing all day.

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PLUG AND PLAY: SONGWRITING TASK

11|10|16

A song we wrote for our plug and play module called 'Moon'. 

We were inspired by Mental Health awareness day and wanted to create some lyrics talking about depression. We wanted to make a song that was a bit more uplifting and had a positive aspect to it rather than a song that felt very low and monotonous. We also wanted to make it a bit less obvious what we were talking about i.e. using the metaphor of the moon and personification to make it more intriguing and more captivating.

Verse 1

There once was a girl called moon Her precious light shone through the dark But the night became more powerful casting shadows over her reflections

Verses 2

her songs she would sing in the night an abstract constellation of gold now a dim whisper she’d rather retreat from the world

Chorus

Moon, oh precious moon your so precious and so complex your vulnerable yet strong Your light shines in the darkness yet the darkness cannot not overcome

oooooh oooooh oooooh 

Vocals: Chloe Hepburn & Ophelia Neville

Acoustic guitar: Ed Jones

Keys: Ophelia Neville

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Polyphonic Me: Session 4 Logic Task - Grid Aesthetic 3 (Drum Programming)

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Polyphonic Me: Session 3 Logic Task - Grid Aesthetics 2 (Midi FX)

A short piece showing the use of MIDI FX Plug In's on Logic. Note repeater, Arpeggiator and the Chord Trigger.

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PLUG & PLAY: Song Analysis

11|10|16

‘Oceans’ – Hillsong

The intro of spectral sounds and strings creates a certain atmosphere. The floaty instrumentation sounds like a sea breeze and sets the tone for the first verse which is very stripped back and only has a simple chord pattern throughout. This leaves space for the imagination. Although the lyrics do introduce the theme of the song of trusting God and the idea of the ocean, they also still leave a lot to be uncovered. ‘The great unknown’ and ‘The mystery’ - it leaves us pondering - an ocean is calm yet powerful, peaceful yet treacherous.

The first chorus introduces the main idea of the song. It expands on the picture of the ocean, ‘when ocean’s rise’ creates more of a vivid image, when the ocean is becoming more powerful. This teamed with the small layers of instrumentation added and particularly at the end of the first chorus adds more of a sense of progression to the song. And to the ocean rising. ‘My soul will rest in your embrace, for I am yours and You are mine’ are very intimate lyrics. As it’s a song meant for people to sing along, the intimacy suggested prompts there’s something more to come. Almost like it’s saying ‘prepare yourself’.

In the second verse the tempo begins to build and theres more layers added. A subtle drum beat adds a bit of excitement to it. The word ‘sovereign’ is used which contrasts with the idea of intimacy in the chorus. But then ‘you’ve never failed and you won’t start now’ strengthens the idea of trust and intimacy.

Then the instrumental before the bridge really builds up. It’s louder, there’s a lot more going on, the drums become more powerful and Taya’s voice steps up a notch. You can imagine the ocean becoming more and more powerful and rising up as the instruments do the same.

When it comes to the beginning of the bridge it suddenly becomes a lot more stripped back again. Like the ocean can often be crazy and then quite calm. I think this space in the song is there to remind you of the intimacy again but prepare you for the journey you’re about to go on. Like at the moment you’re paddling in the water with your feet on the sand, and then as the bridge builds, you’ll be in the deepest part of the ocean with the ferocious waves. The bridge is repeated five or six times which shows it’s importance. Rather than supposed ‘passive’ declarations of the lyrics in the verses, the lyrics in the bridge are actually asking for something to change. Each time the bridge is repeated Taya has more to offer with her voice, until at the end of the bridge you hear the truly mighty, fierceness of her voice. This is the mountain top of the song.

The outro is then there as the end of the journey. The sounds remind me of the deep sea, underneath the water. Rather than the sea breeze that we hear at the beginning like you’re stood on the shore, it’s like you’ve reached the point the song wants you to get to. The deep parts of the ocean. Not just the lines of the shore.