SUMMARY
Today we were able to explore how to plan and initiate our musical compositions What are some good tips from the highly experienced? What were the key features we took? You know the drill! Read more!
CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)
Holistic Songwriting by Friedemann Findeisen
An Example: The Swift Formula – One Note Melodies
- Pick a video essay from Holistic Songwriting’s Artist Series and watch it.
What I found interesting was the fact that many pop songs have this simplicity written into their melodies. It explains why I’m rarely amused by pop songs since they lack the melodic variety I adore in orchestral music. Though, this root-note simplicity isn’t the main culprit to my lack of interest; the video highlights how the singular note melody is used as well. That explains why I can detect a substantial amount of quality towards my standards in pop music.
How interested in learning more about music theory and song analysis?
- 1 (YUCK!)
- 2 (not really)
- 3 (sorta interested)
- 4 (interested)
- 5 (YUM!)
Your score: 5
LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)
Explore the tutorials (but you do not need to watch all of them – just pick what looks interesting to you) from the:
- Songwriting Series. (4 videos)
- Lyrics to music videos (2 videos)
I found a handy formula for what to aim for when it comes to the quantity of music composition! Time[Minutes]*Tempo[BPM]/Beats in Measure = # of Measures
Some further notes will be provided as follows:
- Average melody as about 4-5 syllables
- Say lyrics with the beat to give rhythm
- Stable scale degrees correlate with chords
- Unstable scale degrees do not correlate with chords and are typically used to create tension
How interested in learning more about HookLab and HookTab?
- 1 (YUCK!)
- 2 (not really)
- 3 (sorta interested)
- 4 (interested)
- 5 (YUM!)
Your score: 4.5
PRACTICE ROOM (GUITAR LESSONS)
Watch Mary Spender: Powerful advice from 10 Professional Musicians you need to hear (14:15)
Start his 117 Free Lessons YouTube Playlist
Start the series of videos, follow his directions, and check out his website, justinguitar.com.
Set a timer. About an hour a day working with classmates.
I would really enjoy working with classmates on this activity due to my advanced abilities with the guitar. Though, I’m more advanced than a beginner, there are still many things I have to learn.
- Be curious about Justin.
- Mr. Le Duc considers him the best beginning guitar teacher online. He’s not the only one that thinks this. Check out some of the celebrity endorsements at justinguitar.com.
How interested in learning more about playing the guitar?
- 1 (YUCK!)
- 2 (not really)
- 3 (sorta interested)
- 4 (interested)
- 5 (YUM!)
Your score: 4
OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY & THE BRAIN)
Watch Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life. (20 minutes)
Go for a walk and think about what this video meant to you.
When taking my walk, I enjoyed my time outside with my friends! I was able to remind myself what it feels like to manage my enjoyment and needs for a healthy life. Physical, emotional, mental, and social aspects of my life were enhanced and reminded. I was able to keep this feeling and how to achieve this feeling in mind and note for future reference.
How interested in these topics about the brain, creativity, and productivity?
- 1 (YUCK!)
- 2 (not really)
- 3 (sorta interested)
- 4 (interested)
- 5 (YUM!)
Your score: 7
STUDIO (SONGWRITING)
Watch Holistic Songwriting: Do THIS with every song you write | Hit Song Architect S1E3
Here are some notes I took to keep some ideas in mind:
- Make the chorus big
- Make versus small
- Don’t make the chorus bigger, make what comes before it smaller
- Find out what instrument impacts your audience the most\
- Don’t overwhelm the audience
How interested in songwriting, song structure, and music production?
- 1 (YUCK!)
- 2 (not really)
- 3 (sorta interested)
- 4 (interested)
- 5 (YUM!)
Your score: 6
CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING)
Watch Clark Eagling: Soundtrap tutorial 5 – Arranging the song, Mixing and adding effects
Watch all five videos in the playlist, if you are interested.
I didn’t really get much from this video, perhaps this is targeted towards beginners more. Despite my disinterest, I was still able to analyze the formating of the song. It highlights the development and the addition of instruments as the song moves forward. I remember doing something like this when I first started.
How interested in recording, engineering (sound effects, EQ), and mixing?
- 1 (YUCK!)
- 2 (not really)
- 3 (sorta interested)
- 4 (interested)
- 5 (YES!)
Your score: 2.9
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
Today we were able to grab the fundamental ideas of the origins of songwriting and composition so we would have an idea of how, what, and where to start! I was able to get some reviews and memories for when I started this process and learned the psychological aspect of expressing yourself in songwriting. I then proceeded to look back at my old compositions and discovered I did just as the lecture taught me when I first started! I also continued working with others on our collaboration project as well as continue on my own project.
TODAY’s ACTIVITY EVALUATION
Content (The WHAT)
Rating: OK – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – HIGHLY ENGAGED
Rating: 5
The psychological aspects between life and music heavily intrigued me considering the fact that psychology is my current career path.
Process (The HOW)
Rating: OK – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – HIGHLY ENGAGED
Rating: 5
The lectures and review on how songwriting works did an excellent job teaching me new ideas as well as remind me of ideas as well!