Vocal Strain Tuition:

During this session I was taught how to properly sing without forcing my throat into painful submission. My music teachers both instructed  me to open my mouth wider when singing and while inhaling, to gain as much breath as possible before singing. They demonstrated this by placing a clipboard on my stomach and tasked me with having to raise the board while breathing in as to ensure I breath in to a more suitable extent. This was vital as it helped me in my previous attempts at large interval leaps during certain performances.

Practise 04:

For this session I used the same 20 minute method in order to increase production of results.

> For the first increment, I again repeated the bridge section of "Say it ain't so" to increase and consolidate confidence in the section. I did this by isolating particular interval leaps and repeating them to identify and correct any problems that occur consistently. I was successful in this part as I managed to meet my goal yet strained my throat again in which makes my goal for next practise to sing the same section whilst attempting to eliminate any vocal strain.

> For the second 20 minute interval I rolled a dice in order to alleviate boredom through repetition of the same things. I landed on tone production.
For this I decided to develop an appealing/suitable tone for "Just" by Radiohead. I did this by listening and studying the track and picking out the qualities and aspects of the lead guitar players tone on the track. This is so I could attempt to emulate the same kind of tone that he used. Due to the single coil pickup configuration on his guitar (which happened to be a telecaster) I activated the coil tap on my guitar to change my configuration from hum bucker to single coil as well. In terms of actual tone I used a high distortion option on my pedal board and increased the bass which more or less matched the original players tone. This is important because due to other relative frequencies on the song and the techniques and styles involved in performing also included (especially the octave sliding section) it is easy to become to integrated with other instruments. It is paramount in this case as a lead part that the tone stands out.

Ensemble Practice 02

For the second practise, an alteration was made as we changed the the song from Breeze-blocks to Hey Ah! by Outkast in the hopes that the modification would make a more suitable ensemble due to the simplicity of the arrangement yet leaving space for more stylistic interpretation between parts. For this practise we simply repeated the the song from start to finish and went back to places in which errors were made in order to correct them. Rehearsing the song from start to finish proved effective because we were able to drop out when mistakes were made on individual parts and come back in when appropriate which helped to maintain the continuity of the practise.

By myself I decided to make my own bass line to Hey Ah! in order to try to gain extra marks through interpretation. I did this by using a metronome at 4/4 tempo and slowing the chord sequence down so that I could develop a more technical, unique and appealing bass line. For every chord I played the root note first and then played notes from the scale of the chord, experimenting with different techniques and note choices. Through this I was successful in being able to make my own bass line which added both texture and interpretation to this performance.

Ensemble Practice 01

During the first ensemble practice of the unit. The group used isolation as an effective practice technique to perform our first song Breeze-blocks by Alt J. This was done by repeating a key transition point in the song that was prone to mistakes or lack of continuity which reduced the sudden change in its effectiveness. The repetition of this particular section helped to develop our familiarity of the transition and made us less likely to make errors.

I myself perfected the transition by isolating the problem on my own and repeating the chord sequence change in which helped as the main rhythm section of the group for the whole contingent to improve. By isolating this part myself, I was able to identify the problem clearly and when playing it slower by myself, eliminate the problem.

Practice 03

For this session I spent an equal medium of time In which to practise any chosen part of my solos. In this case I spent 20 minutes for each part and reviewed my progress on each after these intervals. These were my results:

> Firstly I practised sweep picking in which is required in one of the guitar solos of my pieces. To develop my competence in this particular technique I "swept" movable A minor triads starting on the low E string. This included inversions. I did this at starting at a slow tempo and building up to a speedier tempo in order to develop confidence in sweeping.
The result was a success as after I had completed the set time I had achieved smoother playing of swept triads and was even able to apply it in a musical situation. However, I believe my progress may have been faster if I had used a metronome as it could help substantially with increasing the speed in which I developed.

> Secondly I practised the higher notes of the bridge in "Say it ain't so" through repeating the bridge section over and over. This consolidates familiarity and confidence of this potentially vocally straining section which includes large interval leaps.
The result was not a complete success as I only partially managed to produce a more competent approach to the bridge but singing half if not most of it with more conviction.

> Thirdly I spent 20 mins inserting more interpretative techniques into the final guitar solo of "Just" by Radiohead. I did this through addition of more erratic pitch bending and chromatic note placement where appropriate in order to create an even more blues-esque sound.
The result was a complete success with the solo much the same but could be considered tailored to my style of playing. It would have been better if I could have played it with the backing track so that I had the harmony underneath the guitar melody. This could of helped me to create a more accurately interpretive solo.

Practising 02:

Yesterday when I practised I took a different approach by trying a brand new warm up in order to vary my practice regime and therefore make it more interesting. I played sweeped arpeggios to a backing track that increased in tempo after every run through. The advantage of this is that the scales I played over it are moveable and so can be played everywhere and so increase my versatility even though it was solely in the key of Am. I then switched to sweeping major triads instead.

Practise 01:

The methods in which I practise my pieces are written within this post, however beforehand I would usually warm up:

For guitar:
>Play chromatic scales in order to stretch fingers and prepare for faster playing when practising. A better way to practise this is to start slow and use a metronome to gradually speed your playing up and therefore again prepare your fingers for perhaps fast runs, licks or scales. Play these starting on different frets and continue them across different strings, ascending and descending.

For Vocals:
>Sing scales starting in your low range and ascending across first of all 2 octaves until your reach your higher register. Depending on what you are singing, you may want to do the same with chest voice as you do falsetto. Remember to use different vowel every 3 scales. Doing this before practising or performing can relax your voice and make it more comfortable with the notes at the ages of your range yet at the same time increase your range as your try to sing higher and lower every over time. However it is important not to strain and potentially lose your voice by doing this warm up. Depending on the piece I am practising determines the key in which I sing some scales.

Practising:

A normal practise for me would usually last an hour. I schedule my practise by prioritising by doing techniques first and learning songs second. By scheduling your practise, I maximise the efficiency of the time set in which makes it easier to achieve my set goals.
For 25 minutes (after warming up for 5) I practise individual guitar techniques such as, sweeps, scales and perhaps learn another chords shape and apply it to a progression in order to consolidate its uses for my musical benefit.
For the rest of the practise (30 Min's) I work on my pieces I have set to perform in which are written in the previous posts with a 5 minute break in between. I do this for this length of time to ensure I rehearse the pieces set well.

Performance Practise:

My practise performance performing my own composition went fairly well for something that was just written the night before (but subject to change in the near future).

The good points during the critique were:
> Volume/projection was very good
> Variation of guitar parts noticed

Bad points:
> Possibly singing from the throat more than the chest

Tracks performing for assesment:

Links to the covers I am currently practising towards my assessment: 10 minute set of 3-4 songs that are identifiably different.

1.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXvZ9YRjbo Weezer: (Say it ain't so) - Guitar and vocals.
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers: (Otherside) - Guitar and Vocals
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_qMagfZtv8 Radiohead: (Just) - Guitar.
POSSIBLE COVER:
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr0ynt4CCG8 Avenged Sevenfold (Bat Country) - Guitar.

Introduction

Hi, this is my blog following my progress, evolving practise techniques and coursework in "harmony" (no pun intended) with my music performance coursework.