Today we had our first rehearsal for our group performance exam in May. We had been given two songs just before the Easter Holidays and had to pick two. Naturally, we hadn't had a practice until today. The exam is three weeks away.
My band is comprised of myself on keyboards, Aimee and David on vocals, Ryan on guitar, Oliver on Bass and Kelvin on drums. The songs we had been given by Annette were Candy by Paolo Nutini and Sunshine on Leith by The Proclaimers.
We started off with Candy, since I know the song like the back of my head due to playing it with Music for Scotland. Oliver was rehearsing with his other band, so I took lead.
Ryan wasn't there today, so I began to play Candy on the acoustic guitar, since it is a Guitar driven song, and it didn't feel/sound right when I played lead on piano. We spent roughly 40 minutes-an hour on the song, mostly getting the structure right. It is simple until after the guitar solo, where everything drops out. I had to spend time counting the bars between where the drums start, build up, and then come in fully. When I play the song with music for scotland, we go through three lines of "i'll be there waiting for you" before bringing the whole band in; I decided to do the same here, for simplicity's sake. I nodded at Kelvin when to bring his toms in, and eventually, the whole kit. After much discussion and playing around, we decided to play the song for a bit longer at the end, to emphasise the build up. Amy and I will do backing vocals while David sings the main melody. It sounded strange because he didn't know the song properly, but we nailed the structure so it was a productive practice. We are to learn the song inside out for next week.
Sunshine on Leith was a bit different. I jumped back onto the piano for this, as it is a piano driven song. The chords I had differed from the song. Again, we focused on the structure, but only after listening to the song countless times. For now, David and Aimee will be doing the vocals themselves, but I may provide harmonies once I learn it properly. It seemed to go alright, but again, we need to each learn our individual parts before we can rehearse it effectively.
Oliver came in for the last half hour. We forgot to tell him about the extra lines at the end, but apart from that, it went well. Oliver will learn sunshine on leith like the rest of us for next Tuesday.
Once we'd rehearsed, we thought of two other songs to do - Annette picks two songs and we pick two songs, but they must have links to Scotland, for that is the theme of our end of year concert, where we will be performing. Initially, we picked Mountains by Biffy Clyro and a song by Rod Stewart, but Annette had problems with that. Aimee suggested we play 'Shout' by Lulu, as she is Scottish, and again, I had played that song in Music for Scotland. Annette approved of this.
As soon as practice was finished, I spent time on my laptop in the Music Box foyer creating a group on Facebook; Facebook is perfect for social networking, and has been used by every band I've played with, be it outside or inside of college for the past year. I invited the band members to the group, linked each of our four songs via Youtube and reminded everyone to learn their parts for next week's practice.
The songs have been picked, so Ryan will just have to accept them!
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Friday, 30 March 2012
People and Music
In this post, I will be talking about two people; one, a man who I take a lot of inspiration from, "Yes" keyboard player Rick Wakeman, and legendary jazz pianist and composer, Bill Evans.
I have been tasked with comparing my own website with Rick Wakeman's. I find this to be a trivial task. For example; Rick Wakeman is important enough to have someone design and write his own website for him. I am not. Rick Wakeman's website is filled with details of his 60+ years of life (every year is accounted for individually in his biography), and is always up to date with his constant solo shows. I have been in the music 'industry' for less than two years. I don't gig enough or do regular work to warrant a huge biography. Though I DID take some inspiration from his website.
For example, instead of having two blogs (one here and one on the 'news' page of my site, it's hardly ever used) I will list any upcoming performances I have coming up. Since I am not Rick Wakeman, I only have one listed at the moment. He has about 30.
Rick's Website is rather ugly, and some of the content isn't typed as professionally as you'd think - if he writes things, he does so very informally. He isn't a teacher. If he was advertising teaching, he'd have to keep the entire website very formal. That is what I do (bar the occasional post on the 'News' section of my Website).
As stated in a previous post, there are not a lot of photos available online of me playing. The ones I have, though, I have tried to put on the website. As time goes on and my skills improve enough for me to start performing regularly, more photos, news posts and videos will be uploaded. But just now, there is not enough content available online for me to use effectively on a website.
A link to Wakeman's site can be found here;
http://www.rwcc.com/index.asp
A Musician Who's Career Was Affected by Drugs
Bill Evans, on the other hand, doesn't have a website. He's dead. And if he wasn't, he'd probably be too old to be able to work one himself. The cause of Evans' death is the subject of this half of this post - drug use.
Evans, like many musicians of our time, had a vice. His was heroin.
Evans was addicted to heroin for most of his adult life. This not only impacted upon his health, but on his career. Yes, his career was fantastic. But his heroin addiction led to terrible living conditions, two failed marriages (one of which tragically resulted in the suicide of his wife) and eventually, his death. But it also affected his music, in more ways than one.
For example, his failed marriages. They would obviously upset him. So he wrote songs about them. Popular songs, like 'How my Heart Sings'. The emotion felt would be the drive for his soloing; the thing that made him who he was.
The heroin made his solos...fly. Kurt Cobain was the same (perhaps Kurt took inspiration). When Kurt was on drugs, the audience could tell because of his playing. Well this was the same case with Evans.
If Evans ever played live on drugs, his solos would be different. He would be in another world. This had its good and bad points; his playing would either be otherworldly good if he was high, or down right terrible. This affected playing got him work, and lost him work.
It lost him a large part of work. Although Evans played a lot with Miles Davis, one of jazz's greatest and most renowned names, his drug use got him left out of albums that could have made him even more successful. While it's true that Evans was Davis' 'favourite pianist', and that he played on the critically acclaimed 'Kind of Blue', Davis went through a phase where he wanted everyone in his band to be 'clean' - without drugs. Evans was addicted during this phase. While he did temporarily kick his drug habit and work with Davis again, Evans was removed from Davis' band when he recorded at least two albums. At least two albums worth of money and work was lost because of Evans' drug habit.
And of course, Evans died early. He could have went on to become even bigger than he was; a name known to everyone, even those who have no interest in music at all. But he died due to heroin related health problems. His life, his career, was cut short. He became a legend much earlier than he should have been.
Many artists get themselves riddled with drugs due to the stress of their work. Sometimes they're just offered it and don't stop (it could be seen as an 'industry standard' for famous artists to become addicted to something). It affects their career, their lives and their families. Bill Evans life is a textbook case of this.
Wakeman, on the other hand, I have no doubt that after watching videos of him live, that he is on SOMETHING a lot of the time he played with 'Yes'. But he didn't let it affect him as much as Evans did. Evans said he had 'confidence issues'. The heroin probably helped him get past these issues, to make him as successful as he was. If this is true, Evans was a victim of his own success.
May he rest in peace.
Resources;
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14599
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-evans-p6477
Wilson, John S. "Bill Evans, Jazz Pianist Praised For Lyricism and Structure, Dies; 'In Touch With His Feelings' Trouble With Scales" September 17, 1980
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=28148
Handouts given in 'Writing about Music' class.
I have been tasked with comparing my own website with Rick Wakeman's. I find this to be a trivial task. For example; Rick Wakeman is important enough to have someone design and write his own website for him. I am not. Rick Wakeman's website is filled with details of his 60+ years of life (every year is accounted for individually in his biography), and is always up to date with his constant solo shows. I have been in the music 'industry' for less than two years. I don't gig enough or do regular work to warrant a huge biography. Though I DID take some inspiration from his website.
For example, instead of having two blogs (one here and one on the 'news' page of my site, it's hardly ever used) I will list any upcoming performances I have coming up. Since I am not Rick Wakeman, I only have one listed at the moment. He has about 30.
Rick's Website is rather ugly, and some of the content isn't typed as professionally as you'd think - if he writes things, he does so very informally. He isn't a teacher. If he was advertising teaching, he'd have to keep the entire website very formal. That is what I do (bar the occasional post on the 'News' section of my Website).
As stated in a previous post, there are not a lot of photos available online of me playing. The ones I have, though, I have tried to put on the website. As time goes on and my skills improve enough for me to start performing regularly, more photos, news posts and videos will be uploaded. But just now, there is not enough content available online for me to use effectively on a website.
A link to Wakeman's site can be found here;
http://www.rwcc.com/index.asp
A Musician Who's Career Was Affected by Drugs
Bill Evans, on the other hand, doesn't have a website. He's dead. And if he wasn't, he'd probably be too old to be able to work one himself. The cause of Evans' death is the subject of this half of this post - drug use.
Evans, like many musicians of our time, had a vice. His was heroin.
Evans was addicted to heroin for most of his adult life. This not only impacted upon his health, but on his career. Yes, his career was fantastic. But his heroin addiction led to terrible living conditions, two failed marriages (one of which tragically resulted in the suicide of his wife) and eventually, his death. But it also affected his music, in more ways than one.
For example, his failed marriages. They would obviously upset him. So he wrote songs about them. Popular songs, like 'How my Heart Sings'. The emotion felt would be the drive for his soloing; the thing that made him who he was.
The heroin made his solos...fly. Kurt Cobain was the same (perhaps Kurt took inspiration). When Kurt was on drugs, the audience could tell because of his playing. Well this was the same case with Evans.
If Evans ever played live on drugs, his solos would be different. He would be in another world. This had its good and bad points; his playing would either be otherworldly good if he was high, or down right terrible. This affected playing got him work, and lost him work.
It lost him a large part of work. Although Evans played a lot with Miles Davis, one of jazz's greatest and most renowned names, his drug use got him left out of albums that could have made him even more successful. While it's true that Evans was Davis' 'favourite pianist', and that he played on the critically acclaimed 'Kind of Blue', Davis went through a phase where he wanted everyone in his band to be 'clean' - without drugs. Evans was addicted during this phase. While he did temporarily kick his drug habit and work with Davis again, Evans was removed from Davis' band when he recorded at least two albums. At least two albums worth of money and work was lost because of Evans' drug habit.
And of course, Evans died early. He could have went on to become even bigger than he was; a name known to everyone, even those who have no interest in music at all. But he died due to heroin related health problems. His life, his career, was cut short. He became a legend much earlier than he should have been.
Many artists get themselves riddled with drugs due to the stress of their work. Sometimes they're just offered it and don't stop (it could be seen as an 'industry standard' for famous artists to become addicted to something). It affects their career, their lives and their families. Bill Evans life is a textbook case of this.
Wakeman, on the other hand, I have no doubt that after watching videos of him live, that he is on SOMETHING a lot of the time he played with 'Yes'. But he didn't let it affect him as much as Evans did. Evans said he had 'confidence issues'. The heroin probably helped him get past these issues, to make him as successful as he was. If this is true, Evans was a victim of his own success.
May he rest in peace.
Resources;
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14599
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-evans-p6477
Wilson, John S. "Bill Evans, Jazz Pianist Praised For Lyricism and Structure, Dies; 'In Touch With His Feelings' Trouble With Scales" September 17, 1980
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=28148
Handouts given in 'Writing about Music' class.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Project; Tour
One of the primary reasons this blog is written is to document our project work.
I was involved in two projects; the forming of the Glee club, and the Sonic Thrill February tour.
The Glee club seen me play piano for the rehearsals when needed, organise a band for one of the performances, lead and then play with said band at the Christmas concert.
All of the above was accomplished, though I feel I should have got more into the Zoho side of things.
Zoho
Zoho is a website based tool used for planning/carrying out projects. It has several, very useful features for ensuring everyone works together as a group.
Without it, we would have probably used Facebook. But not everyone uses Facebook. Zoho was useful for its milestone and task applications. Using Zoho, you can set different tasks and milestones for individuals or the band as a whole to accomplish by a set time. For example, I could give Nic the job of booking a venue for the 24th of March. If it go to the 24th of March and he hadn't marked the task down as 'done' in the Zoho main page, we would each begin to receive emails telling us that this task hasn't been done in time, and that it should be done asap. You can choose for it to send you emails daily to remind you, so if you're putting the work in, there is no excuse for you not to have done what you were told to do by Zoho. Zoho is a tool that allows a band/group/business to do something without the risk of one person doing everything. If you are set to do something, Zoho will let you know via email, text, Facebook message, anything (if you know how to work the complicated preferences menu).
One little feature I liked about it was the little gauge at the side of the screen that measures how much of your project has been accomplished. The more green this little gauge is, the more work you've done. When it is fully green, everything has been done. I must say, it was rather satisfying seeing the little red gauge get more and more green as time went on, letting me know that everyone was doing their part.
Though like most tools (which is what Zoho basically is: A complicated tool), Zoho has its ups and downs. Its advantages are that IF you use it well, it can keep you up to date and make sure you don't miss any important deadlines. We all had our individual tasks on it, but some of us did things assigned to other people anyway; while it's useful, it is difficult to get to grips with. We didn't use it as much as we could have, and certainly didn't use it as in depth as we could have. But as Annette said, this year was just to help us get used to it. We've been told that Zoho is important for next year, not this. We'll see.
Zoho
Zoho is a website based tool used for planning/carrying out projects. It has several, very useful features for ensuring everyone works together as a group.
Without it, we would have probably used Facebook. But not everyone uses Facebook. Zoho was useful for its milestone and task applications. Using Zoho, you can set different tasks and milestones for individuals or the band as a whole to accomplish by a set time. For example, I could give Nic the job of booking a venue for the 24th of March. If it go to the 24th of March and he hadn't marked the task down as 'done' in the Zoho main page, we would each begin to receive emails telling us that this task hasn't been done in time, and that it should be done asap. You can choose for it to send you emails daily to remind you, so if you're putting the work in, there is no excuse for you not to have done what you were told to do by Zoho. Zoho is a tool that allows a band/group/business to do something without the risk of one person doing everything. If you are set to do something, Zoho will let you know via email, text, Facebook message, anything (if you know how to work the complicated preferences menu).
One little feature I liked about it was the little gauge at the side of the screen that measures how much of your project has been accomplished. The more green this little gauge is, the more work you've done. When it is fully green, everything has been done. I must say, it was rather satisfying seeing the little red gauge get more and more green as time went on, letting me know that everyone was doing their part.
Though like most tools (which is what Zoho basically is: A complicated tool), Zoho has its ups and downs. Its advantages are that IF you use it well, it can keep you up to date and make sure you don't miss any important deadlines. We all had our individual tasks on it, but some of us did things assigned to other people anyway; while it's useful, it is difficult to get to grips with. We didn't use it as much as we could have, and certainly didn't use it as in depth as we could have. But as Annette said, this year was just to help us get used to it. We've been told that Zoho is important for next year, not this. We'll see.
The Glee club still runs, but we're needing an extra recruitment boost for future performances; something we're working on now.
The project that gave me the most work, however, and that was more valuable in terms of experience gained was the Sonic Thrill Feb 2011 Scottish tour.
And that, I feel, was a great success.
To start off, we each worked toward the same goal; tightening, solidifying and then recording the songs we had. Booking practices was a shared venture. We each did that.
After that, individual roles were given; Nic booked gigs, Matt booked van hire, I booked accommodation, Hannah booked train times, Kieran did promoting and bus travel, etc. There were some minor hitches along the way such as some tickets not being valid, meaning we had to spend more, etc...but in general, the tour was a huge success.
I will say this, though; it was very, very costly. I didn't expect us to make a profit from the EPs and touring just yet. I expected to pay and in return, receive lessons for future career moves, live performance experience, and a hint about what life as a musician can be like.
And I must say, I learnt all of the above, and some. For a start, we learnt the importance of organisation. When bands read the Gig information for bands pages we'd made on Facebook, there were no issues; bands knew who was bringing what gear, who was using what, and what time soundcheck, etc, was.
When a band turned up an hour late without a guitar amp or their own snare drums, it was obvious they hand't taken the time to research the info we had sent them.
There was even a case where, at an over 18s gig only, we'd sent a message to all of the bands confirming that they were all of age and that they would bring ID if there looked like there would be any doubt.
One band was half underage, the other forgot to bring ID. The result was that the lineup was shifted around so that one band could play and then leave, and Nic, who promoted the gig, received hails of abuse from the venue staff.
When bands read the information, however, everything went perfectly. There was an understanding of who used what, and the nights became a lot more enjoyable.
We felt let down by some of the independent promoters, however (Nic promoted most of the gigs bar a couple). We had sent flyers and posters to all the venues for them to display. A couple didn't bother. We even found one of the opened envelopes under the sound desk one night, full of all of the posters we'd paid to send.
In most cases, everything was good. We mixed with other bands, made friends, had a few drinks and then played music, which everyone seemed to enjoy. In the venues where we had a decent audience, at least. A couple of gigs on the tour may as well have been an open band practice. In such a case, though, we tried other ideas in songs, seeing what worked and what didn't. There wasn't really a 'bad' gig on tour.
We sold quite a bit or mercy too, especially at Electric Circus, in Edinburgh. There were even people who flew from Germany just to see us. They were given CDs for free.
As well as learning the importance of promoting, we learnt the importance of communicating as a band. The tour was spent with us crammed together in the van (or a bus/train in certain circumstances) so there was plenty of time for us to bond.
"I think tonight we should skip this 5/4 part out and go straight into the bridge"
"We should try this part differently tonight."
"That's a terrible idea. Shut up."
Many bands are scared to voice their opinions on songs, but touring and playing as much helped us start to get more comfortable around each other when discussing our songs.
I personally also learnt a lot about how I want my keyboard set up. I was able to tell the soundtechs my specifications, and in some cases, provided my own back line amp as a monitor, which they appreciated. They were also impressed by my use of MIDI on what would normally be a standard stage keyboard. Which, to be fair, is very simple, but if others don't know that...
After every gig, we always took time to chat with the sound tech and were always thankful, no matter the sound. I think they appreciated this.
Touring was an experience, and I probably haven't described it half as well as I could have. Because of it, we were given a gig at King Tuts, one of Scotland's most popular venues, and our fan base is growing more rapidly since it. Touring is what an independent musician needs to do to get themselves out there. You need to spend money to make money. People don't get this.
From this project, I have learned a substantial amount, about both gigging and myself as a musician. There is still project work left to do for Glee, I believe, but if this is what my HND1 project has been, I can't wait to see what HND2 brings.
Now I need to begin work on my final exam pieces. Fantastic.
And I must say, I learnt all of the above, and some. For a start, we learnt the importance of organisation. When bands read the Gig information for bands pages we'd made on Facebook, there were no issues; bands knew who was bringing what gear, who was using what, and what time soundcheck, etc, was.
When a band turned up an hour late without a guitar amp or their own snare drums, it was obvious they hand't taken the time to research the info we had sent them.
There was even a case where, at an over 18s gig only, we'd sent a message to all of the bands confirming that they were all of age and that they would bring ID if there looked like there would be any doubt.
One band was half underage, the other forgot to bring ID. The result was that the lineup was shifted around so that one band could play and then leave, and Nic, who promoted the gig, received hails of abuse from the venue staff.
When bands read the information, however, everything went perfectly. There was an understanding of who used what, and the nights became a lot more enjoyable.
We felt let down by some of the independent promoters, however (Nic promoted most of the gigs bar a couple). We had sent flyers and posters to all the venues for them to display. A couple didn't bother. We even found one of the opened envelopes under the sound desk one night, full of all of the posters we'd paid to send.
In most cases, everything was good. We mixed with other bands, made friends, had a few drinks and then played music, which everyone seemed to enjoy. In the venues where we had a decent audience, at least. A couple of gigs on the tour may as well have been an open band practice. In such a case, though, we tried other ideas in songs, seeing what worked and what didn't. There wasn't really a 'bad' gig on tour.
We sold quite a bit or mercy too, especially at Electric Circus, in Edinburgh. There were even people who flew from Germany just to see us. They were given CDs for free.
As well as learning the importance of promoting, we learnt the importance of communicating as a band. The tour was spent with us crammed together in the van (or a bus/train in certain circumstances) so there was plenty of time for us to bond.
"I think tonight we should skip this 5/4 part out and go straight into the bridge"
"We should try this part differently tonight."
"That's a terrible idea. Shut up."
Many bands are scared to voice their opinions on songs, but touring and playing as much helped us start to get more comfortable around each other when discussing our songs.
I personally also learnt a lot about how I want my keyboard set up. I was able to tell the soundtechs my specifications, and in some cases, provided my own back line amp as a monitor, which they appreciated. They were also impressed by my use of MIDI on what would normally be a standard stage keyboard. Which, to be fair, is very simple, but if others don't know that...
After every gig, we always took time to chat with the sound tech and were always thankful, no matter the sound. I think they appreciated this.
Touring was an experience, and I probably haven't described it half as well as I could have. Because of it, we were given a gig at King Tuts, one of Scotland's most popular venues, and our fan base is growing more rapidly since it. Touring is what an independent musician needs to do to get themselves out there. You need to spend money to make money. People don't get this.
From this project, I have learned a substantial amount, about both gigging and myself as a musician. There is still project work left to do for Glee, I believe, but if this is what my HND1 project has been, I can't wait to see what HND2 brings.
Now I need to begin work on my final exam pieces. Fantastic.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Irony.
My first post here said 'I have nothing to do. Nothing to practice.'
Now I've far too much to do and no time to practice it.
Touring, work, college, band rehearsals. They all make my free time in the next two weeks basically non existent. I have no time to practice for;
Exams, Music for Scotland, Improvisation, any class in college ever. Once I'm free to practice again, I'll get myself set into a strict practice regime, using the 'Perfect Practice' strategy, found on this wonderful website I found; http://pianoaddict.com/
A fantastic site. If you're a keyboard player, you should treat it as your second Bible. Because your first Bible should be the Holy Bible.
Aye.
Now I've far too much to do and no time to practice it.
Touring, work, college, band rehearsals. They all make my free time in the next two weeks basically non existent. I have no time to practice for;
Exams, Music for Scotland, Improvisation, any class in college ever. Once I'm free to practice again, I'll get myself set into a strict practice regime, using the 'Perfect Practice' strategy, found on this wonderful website I found; http://pianoaddict.com/
A fantastic site. If you're a keyboard player, you should treat it as your second Bible. Because your first Bible should be the Holy Bible.
Aye.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
My Website...again.
I have discussed this before, but I have a website (which is still very much under construction, moreso due to Weebly (the host site) being a pain to use. Really, I can spend half an hour setting up certain tabs or photo pages and 80% of the time it erases all the work I did when I click the 'Publish and Save' button.
Many people create fan sites, or include fan site work in their own websites. Most of those are actually illegal. Calling yourself someone else online is again, punishable by law. It's just not often you hear about people getting prosecuted for it, because "everyone" does it.
http://www.cracked.com/article_19284_5-seemingly-innocent-ways-you-risk-your-identity-every-day.html
http://www.cracked.com/article_19450_6-laws-youve-broken-without-even-realizing-it.html
But anyways, as with any website, there are various legal ramifications one has to consider when setting up a website, be it through Weebly or elsewhere.
For example; photographs. Some professional photographers do not allow people to upload photos taken by them to their Facebook/websites. I was lucky, as there aren't many photos of me on the internet, and I only ever take photos from my own phone or my Facebook page, meaning they're allowed to be used anyways. If I was to have a professional photographer take photos of me playing at a gig, for instance, the chances are I would have to ask his permission/buy the photo before being able to publicly put it on my website. Normally for Facebook, no charges apply, but I did my research and discovered that since this website of mines promotes business, I'd be using his photo for potential financial gain, meaning I'd have to pay him and have his or her permission to use it for my site.
Another thing to take into consideration when hosting photos online is that if there are others in a photo you uploaded, who did not consent to having their photo online, they can seek legal action against you. This means either getting permission from anyone who may be in the photograph, gambling that they 'won't see it or care' or not putting it up at all. Depending on the circumstance, though, some thing are more lenient than others. For example, if you're at a gig and someone asks you for a photo with them, there is a very small chance that they will mind you posting a picture online.
Similar to pictures is information. If a fan wants a photo of you with them, and you put the caption to the online photo to be "Samantha - Age 18, Galashiels" that is a breach of privacy. Information like that being put up without Samantha's consent can get any website host/designer in trouble - it makes it easy for possible predators to locate her. A legal rule of the internet is that you, a third party, cannot openly share the personal information of others with the general public. That is why Facebook doesn't let you export your friends list to other people.
Another thing to take into consideration when hosting photos online is that if there are others in a photo you uploaded, who did not consent to having their photo online, they can seek legal action against you. This means either getting permission from anyone who may be in the photograph, gambling that they 'won't see it or care' or not putting it up at all. Depending on the circumstance, though, some thing are more lenient than others. For example, if you're at a gig and someone asks you for a photo with them, there is a very small chance that they will mind you posting a picture online.
Similar to pictures is information. If a fan wants a photo of you with them, and you put the caption to the online photo to be "Samantha - Age 18, Galashiels" that is a breach of privacy. Information like that being put up without Samantha's consent can get any website host/designer in trouble - it makes it easy for possible predators to locate her. A legal rule of the internet is that you, a third party, cannot openly share the personal information of others with the general public. That is why Facebook doesn't let you export your friends list to other people.
There are actually no videos of me online, so I didn't have to worry about videos, which unless taken from Youtube, have stricter restrictions on websites than photos (for example, you can't upload videos to Weebly unless you have a paid account; this is for legal reasons).
Perhaps the most obvious thing to take into consideration is copyright of music and/or website names. A website with a name too similar to one that already exists is subject to legal action of the original website and it's lawyers. And if you host music on your website that isn't yours, without contacting the Copyright holder, there is a high possibility that legal action may be taken on you. Especially if you claim that the music is yours, when it isn't.
Perhaps the most obvious thing to take into consideration is copyright of music and/or website names. A website with a name too similar to one that already exists is subject to legal action of the original website and it's lawyers. And if you host music on your website that isn't yours, without contacting the Copyright holder, there is a high possibility that legal action may be taken on you. Especially if you claim that the music is yours, when it isn't.
Many people create fan sites, or include fan site work in their own websites. Most of those are actually illegal. Calling yourself someone else online is again, punishable by law. It's just not often you hear about people getting prosecuted for it, because "everyone" does it.
The website can be found here;
jhopemusician@weebly.com
As I said, I make changes to it often, but Weebly doesn't seem to like me.
Resources;
http://www.brightlabs.com.au/page/Web-Design-Blog/Social_Media_and_Legal_Implications/
News Scientist, 2011 issue.
Resources;
http://www.brightlabs.com.au/page/Web-Design-Blog/Social_Media_and_Legal_Implications/
News Scientist, 2011 issue.
http://www.cracked.com/article_19284_5-seemingly-innocent-ways-you-risk-your-identity-every-day.html
http://www.cracked.com/article_19450_6-laws-youve-broken-without-even-realizing-it.html
Monday, 30 January 2012
Semester 2: A fresh start. A confident start.
Semester 1 was a funny one. For a start, I finally realised I wasn't the only keyboard player in the course, be it HND1, HND or even the DFM year. I realised that I had to start working.
Last year, my feeling was that I had nothing to worry about. I was the only keyboard player in DFM. Bands who wanted a keyboard player had no choice but to ask me to play for them, and I happily did. The amount of experience I gained last year was phenomenal;
I played more genres than I ever thought I'd play,
I gained more performance experience than I'd ever had before,
I gained a certain degree of confidence,
I gained a certain degree of competence when it came to recording and setting/gearing up for performances.
I began the year working at Grade 4 theory, requested to be transferred to Grade 5 two weeks before the exam and received a 94% mark after two weeks of solid work at it.
I jumped from playing Grade 5 pieces (my audition) to Grade 7 pieces (my final exam) without practicing all the 'recommended' work in-between.
The latter of which, I found unbelievable. I went from playing Grade 5 pieces at a Pass level to playing Grade 7 pieces at Merit level. I achieved an overall distinction for my work over the entire year. As a musician, I progressed more than I ever thought I would in my first year at college.
That was last year, though. This post is about this year. And this year, for my first semester?
I was a lazy bastard. For the first two months of the course, I still lived in Hawick, which meant regular travel (2.5 hours from home to college, each way) was my most common option. It destroyed my will to attend. It destroyed my will to work (who wants to practice after being at college for 4 hours and travelling for 6 hours in a single day?). The only thing I felt improving was my theory knowledge. I was making a start on the jump from Grade 5 theory to Grade 7.
I will admit that I didn't do half the work I could have in the first semester, especially during our performance blocks. Not to say I wasn't busy; I had pieces to learn for group performance classes, Glee club, my solo classes, new band work, etc...I got through them all, just not as well as I could have.
I then joined Sonic Thrill, a band comprised of people from inside and outside college. The musicians in this band are phenomenal. Playing a few gigs with them not only gave me more valuable live performance experience (I can now speak to a sound man confidently about how I want sound, along with how my keyboard setup can best be used) but playing with them made me want to be able to play as well as they did. That was the start of my inspiration.
Inspiration; I'll stop there. I think that's the main word I should use to describe Semester 1. It gave me the inspiration to start doing that work I'm doing now in Semester 2.
I mentioned at the start of this post, other keyboard players, in my year and the year above. I decided to speak to them all, even if I didn't know them. Each one of them has more technical ability than myself on the keyboard. I know this, I have heard all of them play off the bat. They can improvise and make it sound good on the spot. I can't. But I asked them questions. I may have got jealous and worried when our performance groups (our year and the year above) were merged meaning we'd be playing with more experienced players at the start, but I soon saw past that. I saw it as an opportunity to learn and then challenge myself. Which I have now done. Every one of the fantastic keyboard players in the years/levels surrounding mine, be it above or below, I have questioned and learned from. And I now do not find myself nervous playing in front of other keyboard players - last year I was the only one, so I didn't have to worry about people hearing my keyboard related mistakes.
Of course when talking about keyboard players, I should mention my new teacher, Steve Grossart. Steve is a fantastic teacher. From the way he talks and explains things to the way he plays, I leave every lesson inspired, with an optimistic buzz.
Steve is fluent in every genre, from classical to blues to jazz. I can play the start of ANYTHING, be it a Bach Prelude, a melody from a less known blues track or a even just simple chord progression played to a certain rhythm, and he will say "oh, that is this, isn't it?" and play it through. Like most piano teachers, he uses it as an opportunity to show off ["or you could play it like THIS..."], but that's what excites me. It makes me think "I will can play that soon." He was happy with my Merit reward for my Grade 8 piece two weeks ago; he now aims to bring my final performance mark up to a Distinction.
Which brings me to the main point of this post; work. Last Semester I was sloppy. This semester, I am letting no such thing happen.
I started the semester, as I said, achieving a Merit in my Grade 8 solo keyboard piece. I am over the moon with this. Last year at this time the very thought of performing a Grade 8 piece made me feel sick. Now I have learnt that with the work, I will be able to play almost anything [note: anything is a strong word. Not anything.]
The pieces I have chosen for my final exam are difficult pieces. Stupidly quick ragtime, overly complicated pieces in 9/8 with a separate 4/4 swing section, more complicated Jazz pieces...it's daunting thinking that I have only two months to perfect them.
But I am confident. Because for the past week now, since timetables have returned to normal, I have been practicing at least two hours a day. Receiving such a good mark with my Grade 8 piece has made me realise that I can do anything I want, providing I put the work in.
For example, improvisation will always be a struggle to me. My solution? Buy a Jazz piano book written by one of history's most esteemed Jazz pianists, rent out books on improvisation from the college library and destroy all music saved on my phone so that it can be replaced by jazz songs. Then transpose a selected few of said jazz songs.
And then practice my theory next to the piano; playing through every chord, every scale in every key. Every night, before I even think about playing tunes. If I do this, by March, hopefully myself and my tutors will see a huge improvement in my performing.
I have a lot of work to do. And rather than spending my time blogging, I should be playing. Expect more updates in future.
o/
Last year, my feeling was that I had nothing to worry about. I was the only keyboard player in DFM. Bands who wanted a keyboard player had no choice but to ask me to play for them, and I happily did. The amount of experience I gained last year was phenomenal;
I played more genres than I ever thought I'd play,
I gained more performance experience than I'd ever had before,
I gained a certain degree of confidence,
I gained a certain degree of competence when it came to recording and setting/gearing up for performances.
I began the year working at Grade 4 theory, requested to be transferred to Grade 5 two weeks before the exam and received a 94% mark after two weeks of solid work at it.
I jumped from playing Grade 5 pieces (my audition) to Grade 7 pieces (my final exam) without practicing all the 'recommended' work in-between.
The latter of which, I found unbelievable. I went from playing Grade 5 pieces at a Pass level to playing Grade 7 pieces at Merit level. I achieved an overall distinction for my work over the entire year. As a musician, I progressed more than I ever thought I would in my first year at college.
That was last year, though. This post is about this year. And this year, for my first semester?
I was a lazy bastard. For the first two months of the course, I still lived in Hawick, which meant regular travel (2.5 hours from home to college, each way) was my most common option. It destroyed my will to attend. It destroyed my will to work (who wants to practice after being at college for 4 hours and travelling for 6 hours in a single day?). The only thing I felt improving was my theory knowledge. I was making a start on the jump from Grade 5 theory to Grade 7.
I will admit that I didn't do half the work I could have in the first semester, especially during our performance blocks. Not to say I wasn't busy; I had pieces to learn for group performance classes, Glee club, my solo classes, new band work, etc...I got through them all, just not as well as I could have.
I then joined Sonic Thrill, a band comprised of people from inside and outside college. The musicians in this band are phenomenal. Playing a few gigs with them not only gave me more valuable live performance experience (I can now speak to a sound man confidently about how I want sound, along with how my keyboard setup can best be used) but playing with them made me want to be able to play as well as they did. That was the start of my inspiration.
Inspiration; I'll stop there. I think that's the main word I should use to describe Semester 1. It gave me the inspiration to start doing that work I'm doing now in Semester 2.
I mentioned at the start of this post, other keyboard players, in my year and the year above. I decided to speak to them all, even if I didn't know them. Each one of them has more technical ability than myself on the keyboard. I know this, I have heard all of them play off the bat. They can improvise and make it sound good on the spot. I can't. But I asked them questions. I may have got jealous and worried when our performance groups (our year and the year above) were merged meaning we'd be playing with more experienced players at the start, but I soon saw past that. I saw it as an opportunity to learn and then challenge myself. Which I have now done. Every one of the fantastic keyboard players in the years/levels surrounding mine, be it above or below, I have questioned and learned from. And I now do not find myself nervous playing in front of other keyboard players - last year I was the only one, so I didn't have to worry about people hearing my keyboard related mistakes.
Of course when talking about keyboard players, I should mention my new teacher, Steve Grossart. Steve is a fantastic teacher. From the way he talks and explains things to the way he plays, I leave every lesson inspired, with an optimistic buzz.
Steve is fluent in every genre, from classical to blues to jazz. I can play the start of ANYTHING, be it a Bach Prelude, a melody from a less known blues track or a even just simple chord progression played to a certain rhythm, and he will say "oh, that is this, isn't it?" and play it through. Like most piano teachers, he uses it as an opportunity to show off ["or you could play it like THIS..."], but that's what excites me. It makes me think "I will can play that soon." He was happy with my Merit reward for my Grade 8 piece two weeks ago; he now aims to bring my final performance mark up to a Distinction.
Which brings me to the main point of this post; work. Last Semester I was sloppy. This semester, I am letting no such thing happen.
I started the semester, as I said, achieving a Merit in my Grade 8 solo keyboard piece. I am over the moon with this. Last year at this time the very thought of performing a Grade 8 piece made me feel sick. Now I have learnt that with the work, I will be able to play almost anything [note: anything is a strong word. Not anything.]
The pieces I have chosen for my final exam are difficult pieces. Stupidly quick ragtime, overly complicated pieces in 9/8 with a separate 4/4 swing section, more complicated Jazz pieces...it's daunting thinking that I have only two months to perfect them.
But I am confident. Because for the past week now, since timetables have returned to normal, I have been practicing at least two hours a day. Receiving such a good mark with my Grade 8 piece has made me realise that I can do anything I want, providing I put the work in.
For example, improvisation will always be a struggle to me. My solution? Buy a Jazz piano book written by one of history's most esteemed Jazz pianists, rent out books on improvisation from the college library and destroy all music saved on my phone so that it can be replaced by jazz songs. Then transpose a selected few of said jazz songs.
And then practice my theory next to the piano; playing through every chord, every scale in every key. Every night, before I even think about playing tunes. If I do this, by March, hopefully myself and my tutors will see a huge improvement in my performing.
I have a lot of work to do. And rather than spending my time blogging, I should be playing. Expect more updates in future.
o/
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Lots and lots and lots of things. Going. On.
This post is just a list of things I have to practice. I am over the moon. I'm filled with determination just now, and I know that after practicing everything here enough, I'll be a much better musician than I was last week.
-Grade 8 Piece 'Silent Movie Chase', for my Exam in January.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdGTDMW5IDw [I will play it better than that]
-Glee song, "Halo/Walking on Sunshine"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZorGm7Kcj4
-Autumn Leaves, stride style.
-Black and White - Ragtime piano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQqBdezXKuI
-Blue Rondo a la Turk - Dave Brubeck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc34Uj8wlmE
-All the Things You Are - Ella Fitzgerald (have learnt it in two keys so far, need to learn it in another one)
-songs for my band Sonic Thrill
www.facebook.com/sonicthrill
-Songs for the performance block (unknown yet)
Probably more, but I've forgotten. This is just now, anyways. As well as various scales, chord voicings and modes. Love it.
I just hope my motivation sticks.
-Grade 8 Piece 'Silent Movie Chase', for my Exam in January.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdGTDMW5IDw [I will play it better than that]
-Glee song, "Halo/Walking on Sunshine"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZorGm7Kcj4
-Autumn Leaves, stride style.
-Black and White - Ragtime piano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQqBdezXKuI
-Blue Rondo a la Turk - Dave Brubeck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc34Uj8wlmE
-All the Things You Are - Ella Fitzgerald (have learnt it in two keys so far, need to learn it in another one)
-songs for my band Sonic Thrill
www.facebook.com/sonicthrill
-Songs for the performance block (unknown yet)
Probably more, but I've forgotten. This is just now, anyways. As well as various scales, chord voicings and modes. Love it.
I just hope my motivation sticks.
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