Merry Christmas to all. Yes you too!
No college this week as we start the festivities however there is no rest for the wicked and I am about as evil as it gets.
I managed to use the start of this week to look over all my course work so far and remind myself of the tasks that lie ahead as I develop myself in the mould of a west end singer.
My confidence is growing all the time in this area and from the beginning of the graded unit until now I have managed to rest all the negative thoughts of lacking experience and possibly not being good enough.
The research I have been carrying out has been a big help as the variety of roles and tasks within each west end production are many and I feel that with the right commitment I can go forward and gain the experience I may need to prove myself. I am now moving on to research my 4th show, Chicago, which I have had some singing experience of from the vocal showcase I participated in throughout 2008/09. I have found it difficult however to break away from the mainstream stereotypes associated with each musical, whether it be film or television adaptations, and see this as a potential weakness that I must sort.
This week saw the last gathering of the year for Fuzzy Buck, my band, and we managed to master more recording techniques within my home studio. I feel that our experiences together are contributing towards a healthy band relationship and also reflecting in the music we are producing.
I leave it there for this week since you are all busy holidaying etc.
Until next time, I am you know who.
Friday 25 December 2009
Friday 18 December 2009
That's A Wrap!
The last week of college before the holidays was contradictorily hectic and empty.
First of all I started my week ahead of schedule after submitting my entry for The 2009 John Lennon song writing competition two days earlier than needed. Although I was not completely satisfied with the final mastering of the recording I was happy enough to have my song considered. It was a big confidence boost being able to multi track different instruments all by myself and it was a reminder than I am maybe better at multi tasking than I give myself credit for.
Tuesday was all about performance as I started the day with some Christmas Carol rehearsal before performing at the lunch time carol singing in the union. I am not a big fan of Christmas and do not celebrate this Christian past time although I do respect their customs and took part in this performance with a smile on my face.
After a small break I went into the rehearsal rooms to practice with "The Beetles" for our evening gig in the theatre. We had completed our sound check in the morning and managed to practice our set twice before the final performance. I felt that our practice had a lot of energy and gained more the second time and further more during the gig itself. For me this build up of energy helped to improve our performance and I can see how this kind of positive attitude is essential in lifting the crowd regardless of how talented you may be as a performer. The gig came and went quickly and we received some positive comments from our peers. I enjoyed performing for my fellow students and also enjoyed taking the opportunity to get to know more of them better.
I had no classes on Wednesday but it was the day of my audition for Rocky: The Musical which I was looking forward to and was hoping for any type of involvement. I was told the audition went well but I felt my acting was mediocre and my singing was well below standard. It was great being involved and I am now more aware of the importance of delivering a quality performance at these early stages of project involvement. I have since been cast as "Tony" and am thankful that I will have the chance to add something of relevance to my portfolio.
Thursday was another empty day however music theory managed to prevail in it's usual format. We are currently working on transposition and intervals. I find transposition easy as it is a skill I have used a lot while teaching myself different instruments however I realise that I am not so strong with identifying intervals and again I have the opportunity to focus on a weakness and hopefully enhance so I can pass the final set of tests in this class. This was the only class of the day and with all my DAW work complete I managed to finish off college before the holidays with peace of mind.
I will now look forward into the new year and start focusing on my Beatles presentation, vocal presentation and also the up and coming targets set out in my graded unit action plan. My west end show research is ongoing and I am almost finished researching "Grease" which will be the third show I have researched and I feel I am gaining more knowledge in musical theatre.
Well like I said that's a wrap, so tune in next Friday to find out how much I have managed to fit into another week, after all it is just another week.
Peace and love,
Daniel
First of all I started my week ahead of schedule after submitting my entry for The 2009 John Lennon song writing competition two days earlier than needed. Although I was not completely satisfied with the final mastering of the recording I was happy enough to have my song considered. It was a big confidence boost being able to multi track different instruments all by myself and it was a reminder than I am maybe better at multi tasking than I give myself credit for.
Tuesday was all about performance as I started the day with some Christmas Carol rehearsal before performing at the lunch time carol singing in the union. I am not a big fan of Christmas and do not celebrate this Christian past time although I do respect their customs and took part in this performance with a smile on my face.
After a small break I went into the rehearsal rooms to practice with "The Beetles" for our evening gig in the theatre. We had completed our sound check in the morning and managed to practice our set twice before the final performance. I felt that our practice had a lot of energy and gained more the second time and further more during the gig itself. For me this build up of energy helped to improve our performance and I can see how this kind of positive attitude is essential in lifting the crowd regardless of how talented you may be as a performer. The gig came and went quickly and we received some positive comments from our peers. I enjoyed performing for my fellow students and also enjoyed taking the opportunity to get to know more of them better.
I had no classes on Wednesday but it was the day of my audition for Rocky: The Musical which I was looking forward to and was hoping for any type of involvement. I was told the audition went well but I felt my acting was mediocre and my singing was well below standard. It was great being involved and I am now more aware of the importance of delivering a quality performance at these early stages of project involvement. I have since been cast as "Tony" and am thankful that I will have the chance to add something of relevance to my portfolio.
Thursday was another empty day however music theory managed to prevail in it's usual format. We are currently working on transposition and intervals. I find transposition easy as it is a skill I have used a lot while teaching myself different instruments however I realise that I am not so strong with identifying intervals and again I have the opportunity to focus on a weakness and hopefully enhance so I can pass the final set of tests in this class. This was the only class of the day and with all my DAW work complete I managed to finish off college before the holidays with peace of mind.
I will now look forward into the new year and start focusing on my Beatles presentation, vocal presentation and also the up and coming targets set out in my graded unit action plan. My west end show research is ongoing and I am almost finished researching "Grease" which will be the third show I have researched and I feel I am gaining more knowledge in musical theatre.
Well like I said that's a wrap, so tune in next Friday to find out how much I have managed to fit into another week, after all it is just another week.
Peace and love,
Daniel
Friday 11 December 2009
It's Showtime!
Next week brings a busy time for myself as I look forward to performances and an audition before the Christmas break.
Firstly I would like to thank Brian Lane Green for taking the time to leave a comment on my blog.
This week of college was strange as everyone seemed a bit anxious with regards to the gig next Tuesday in the theatre. Our Beatles band practice felt a bit mundane but we did manage to push through this feeling and get some constructive work done. Hopefully with a small practice on Tuesday afternoon everyone will be feeling more confident, including myself.
On the same day as the gig I have a small carol singing performance which will be a good experience as we will have a small first time practice just shortly before performing. These types of short time-scales within projects are helping me develop at a satisfactory rate and I have more confidence now that I will be able to provide quality evidence in my portfolio as a west end singer.
The biggest positive of the week was finding out I passed the next 2 outcomes of music theory and have only 2 left to do before the end of semester one. Through music theory and session skills I am seeing good progress with my sight reading skills and am also finding through a better practice and warm up routine I am developing better control within my vocal range which I am hoping to expand.
Having submitted my final draft of the planning stage of my graded unit I now look forward towards creating a portfolio. I will have to gather as much evidence as I can before editing the final content. As I have mentioned I am concerned by my lack of experience but believe I can collate enough evidence to show that I am willing and able to deliver as a west end singer.
On Thursday we had a visit form an ex-degree student named Laura. She now works for Perth and Kinross Council amidst the joy of community music. Laura showed great passion for music and also for the individual during her talk and I'm sure she motivated a lot of students discussing her experiences. For myself I liked how she discussed the historical links and importance of music in culture and also how she repeated the importance of transferable skills. I did agree with her assumptions of 99% of musicians and have found similar problems throughout my music career. Overall her talk was comforting and probably more relative than previous talks as not so long ago she was in our shoes herself.
It has really been a week of tying up loose ends and in DAW class this week I completed the work required for outcome 1 and also got a sneak preview of the content of outcome 2 which I will now investigate further.
Fuzzy Buck have finished most of the work on the 4 written songs and will now take a little break before Christmas although myself and one of the guitarists do have some work to do on vocals and lead guitar which we hope to do soon.
I am also almost done with the Daniel Dundee track for the John Lennon Songwriting Competition 2009 and am hoping to have the track uploaded for consideration by midday on Monday.
Most of my weekend will now be spent brushing up on my Beatles performances, my Rocky impression and my Cubase skills. It's not the most exciting plans but in the long run I will have more to celebrate if I dedicate some time to these projects now.
I will sign off now but tune in next week to find out how the gig went and how I fared in my audition.
Ciao tutti.
Firstly I would like to thank Brian Lane Green for taking the time to leave a comment on my blog.
This week of college was strange as everyone seemed a bit anxious with regards to the gig next Tuesday in the theatre. Our Beatles band practice felt a bit mundane but we did manage to push through this feeling and get some constructive work done. Hopefully with a small practice on Tuesday afternoon everyone will be feeling more confident, including myself.
On the same day as the gig I have a small carol singing performance which will be a good experience as we will have a small first time practice just shortly before performing. These types of short time-scales within projects are helping me develop at a satisfactory rate and I have more confidence now that I will be able to provide quality evidence in my portfolio as a west end singer.
The biggest positive of the week was finding out I passed the next 2 outcomes of music theory and have only 2 left to do before the end of semester one. Through music theory and session skills I am seeing good progress with my sight reading skills and am also finding through a better practice and warm up routine I am developing better control within my vocal range which I am hoping to expand.
Having submitted my final draft of the planning stage of my graded unit I now look forward towards creating a portfolio. I will have to gather as much evidence as I can before editing the final content. As I have mentioned I am concerned by my lack of experience but believe I can collate enough evidence to show that I am willing and able to deliver as a west end singer.
On Thursday we had a visit form an ex-degree student named Laura. She now works for Perth and Kinross Council amidst the joy of community music. Laura showed great passion for music and also for the individual during her talk and I'm sure she motivated a lot of students discussing her experiences. For myself I liked how she discussed the historical links and importance of music in culture and also how she repeated the importance of transferable skills. I did agree with her assumptions of 99% of musicians and have found similar problems throughout my music career. Overall her talk was comforting and probably more relative than previous talks as not so long ago she was in our shoes herself.
It has really been a week of tying up loose ends and in DAW class this week I completed the work required for outcome 1 and also got a sneak preview of the content of outcome 2 which I will now investigate further.
Fuzzy Buck have finished most of the work on the 4 written songs and will now take a little break before Christmas although myself and one of the guitarists do have some work to do on vocals and lead guitar which we hope to do soon.
I am also almost done with the Daniel Dundee track for the John Lennon Songwriting Competition 2009 and am hoping to have the track uploaded for consideration by midday on Monday.
Most of my weekend will now be spent brushing up on my Beatles performances, my Rocky impression and my Cubase skills. It's not the most exciting plans but in the long run I will have more to celebrate if I dedicate some time to these projects now.
I will sign off now but tune in next week to find out how the gig went and how I fared in my audition.
Ciao tutti.
Friday 4 December 2009
A Little Bit More!
This week seemed to whizz past for me and as I gather my thoughts and recall my week I see that I have done quite a bit and that my current weekly routine is doing a lot to help me develop in all the areas that I need to in order to pass as a west end singer and also progress with my own personal projects.
I started the week with another Fuzzy Buck recording session and we have now recorded our 3rd track and hope to get the 4th done next week before commencing a new batch of writings. I am also half way through completing the track for the John Lennon songwriting competition and am looking good for the deadline.
By Wednesday I was back at college, however there was not much band practice as some members were off ill. I believe we are confident and able enough to gather and perform after a sound check so I am not that anxious about the performance on the 15th December.
Another vocal lesson went well and I had performed 2 songs after my warm up and will now move on to trying a Brian Lane Green cover of "Crying", made popular by writer Roy Orbison and then covered later by KD Laing. This song is quite slow and demands a lot of big breaths and sustained notes whilst adding a lot of vibrato to finish phrases. I am finding that my research of material is going a long way to contributing to my final performances and hope to continue this trend within my west end show research.
I finished off the day in research class discussing band set up and projects for next semester. I have now to deliver a short presentation on elements important when scoring music for a vocalist. It is important to make this presentation concise and relevant as it is aimed at helping other musicians, who may not be vocalists, to score music for a singer effectively. This will be another opportunity for me to include some more quality evidence in my portfolio.
Thursday began with a test in music theory and my biggest mistake was not going to the toilet before I began my test. I had no problem understanding any of the questions and felt quite comfortable answering them however the annoyance and distraction of my bladder pushed me into running out of time as I quickly finished off the last question. I felt silly afterwards but on the positive side it is another reminder of how small distractions can become bigger and affect the final performance and hopefully I will not be repeating these type of mistakes.
I have received my planning stage of my graded unit back from my tutor and am confident that after a few more final touches I will have a draft that I am happy with ready in time for the deadline next week.
In digital audio class this week we covered mastering techniques when looking to burn recordings to CD or other formats. This was very helpful as it is the next stage I am needing to cover with my solo and band home recordings. I have also been doing further work to my project and will complete some fine tuning next week before submitting the final mix.
This is the last week of the research on the musical The Lion King and already I have seen how much a west end singer would have to diversify. The concept of the 2 musicals studied so far are vastly different in prospective as one is regarding humans and the other animals. This also contributes to a huge contrast in scenery and costume which seems to work the cast more when the set is more complicated. I think Les Miserables is a lot easier for a singer/actor to relate to and is less restrictive during performance. A positive factor with The Lion King is that the music is very spiritual and uptempo which might contribute to the motivation of the performers. Next week I move on to Grease which I have more background knowledge of but will not regard this until I carry out my routine of research.
On a final note I have a date for my audition for Rocky The Musical and luckily I have now 2 weeks to prepare myself to impress. I will be happy with any involvement and have all I need to hopefully convince the producers I am capable of delivering.
I shall leave now before Friday becomes Saturday and I fall behind schedule.
Until then I am Daniel.
I started the week with another Fuzzy Buck recording session and we have now recorded our 3rd track and hope to get the 4th done next week before commencing a new batch of writings. I am also half way through completing the track for the John Lennon songwriting competition and am looking good for the deadline.
By Wednesday I was back at college, however there was not much band practice as some members were off ill. I believe we are confident and able enough to gather and perform after a sound check so I am not that anxious about the performance on the 15th December.
Another vocal lesson went well and I had performed 2 songs after my warm up and will now move on to trying a Brian Lane Green cover of "Crying", made popular by writer Roy Orbison and then covered later by KD Laing. This song is quite slow and demands a lot of big breaths and sustained notes whilst adding a lot of vibrato to finish phrases. I am finding that my research of material is going a long way to contributing to my final performances and hope to continue this trend within my west end show research.
I finished off the day in research class discussing band set up and projects for next semester. I have now to deliver a short presentation on elements important when scoring music for a vocalist. It is important to make this presentation concise and relevant as it is aimed at helping other musicians, who may not be vocalists, to score music for a singer effectively. This will be another opportunity for me to include some more quality evidence in my portfolio.
Thursday began with a test in music theory and my biggest mistake was not going to the toilet before I began my test. I had no problem understanding any of the questions and felt quite comfortable answering them however the annoyance and distraction of my bladder pushed me into running out of time as I quickly finished off the last question. I felt silly afterwards but on the positive side it is another reminder of how small distractions can become bigger and affect the final performance and hopefully I will not be repeating these type of mistakes.
I have received my planning stage of my graded unit back from my tutor and am confident that after a few more final touches I will have a draft that I am happy with ready in time for the deadline next week.
In digital audio class this week we covered mastering techniques when looking to burn recordings to CD or other formats. This was very helpful as it is the next stage I am needing to cover with my solo and band home recordings. I have also been doing further work to my project and will complete some fine tuning next week before submitting the final mix.
This is the last week of the research on the musical The Lion King and already I have seen how much a west end singer would have to diversify. The concept of the 2 musicals studied so far are vastly different in prospective as one is regarding humans and the other animals. This also contributes to a huge contrast in scenery and costume which seems to work the cast more when the set is more complicated. I think Les Miserables is a lot easier for a singer/actor to relate to and is less restrictive during performance. A positive factor with The Lion King is that the music is very spiritual and uptempo which might contribute to the motivation of the performers. Next week I move on to Grease which I have more background knowledge of but will not regard this until I carry out my routine of research.
On a final note I have a date for my audition for Rocky The Musical and luckily I have now 2 weeks to prepare myself to impress. I will be happy with any involvement and have all I need to hopefully convince the producers I am capable of delivering.
I shall leave now before Friday becomes Saturday and I fall behind schedule.
Until then I am Daniel.
Friday 27 November 2009
It's Eid!
Another week of college goes by and although it was halved this week due to internal events I still managed to progress with all current projects and was able to clarify a few things before deadline days and test times arrive.
I am feeling more confident with music theory than I have ever done before in my life and believe that my sight reading skills are improving quickly so I must take advantage of this learning sprout and practice reading music more. I was flicking through a guitar tutor book that extensively covers a few areas of music performance and production for the budding guitarist and throughout the theory sections I was noticing many mistakes regarding scales, keys, chords and other fundamentals. I was quite shocked to find such a high level of mistakes and shudder to think what the ratio of mistakes is amidst the global library, however I did take some inspiration and confidence from the fact that I noticed them. Ending on a high I have also settled my life long debate regarding when to use a sharp and when to use a flat and will now live the rest of my life in musically correct harmony.
College band practice was a bit rough around the edges and being a man down didn't help. With a practice gig next week and the final performance in 3 weeks the pressure is on to sharpen up our routine and hopefully deliver a quality performance come gig time, else the quality of my portfolio evidence decreases!
On the plus side my first study went well again and I feel I am gaining momentum regarding the improvement of my solo performances. I have covered 3 songs with ease and am now moving on to a bigger challenge with a song I think will showcase my talents and improve any chance of successfully proving myself as a west end singer.
Creative musicianship was spent covering a few project deadlines and also the all important music theory revision. Next week is test time for music theory and I am confident that if I focus during the test I should pass comfortably. It is important for me to achieve a high grade throughout most of my classes to enhance the cohesion with the type of evidence and level of planning I have already committed to within my graded unit.
The highlight of Wednesday was attending the meeting arranged by the degree hons students to arrange auditions for Rocky: The Musical. As I mentioned before I am hoping to secure a prominent role in this production and use the process and performance to clarify my abilities within my portfolio. I have already began researching the two movies covered and will also be practising "Eye Of The Tiger", as well as reading small scripts for the 4 different male roles. This early involvement has already shown me that a west end singer needs to be more committed and flexible than the front man of a local rock band, although I'm hoping to be both.
Although I had completed my planning document I have the opportunity to improve the document and gain feedback to then further improve before the final deadline, which I will make the most of as I feel any chance to improve my grade in small steps will greatly improve the bigger picture.
Had another recording session with Fuzzy Buck this week and although we were also a man down we progressed well and have now started work on multi-tracking our second song. We have 4 songs completed and hope to add another 2 to contribute towards a self-published EP. Our new bassist has taken to the songs quickly and is also suggesting riffs and ideas for new songs which will be a big help as we hope to move on and secure some gigs to performs our songs. Daniel Dundee has not been forgotten and final takes are now being completed for his entry in this years John Lennon Song Writing Competition.
The West End show research I am carrying out continues and next week I will report on the differences and similarities I have found between the first 2 musicals researched, Les Miserables and The Lion King. I am glad I have been doing this research and found the same style of research useful when I looked for information to help with any audition for the Rocky musical. Through this I am seeing more how to transcend different skills into other areas of my course and hopefully this will help me get the best out of each class and use each module to support the progress within other modules.
If you are still reading I am going to say bye for this week. CORRECT
If you're still reading I'm going to say bye for this week. WRONG
Sta bene,
Daniel.
I am feeling more confident with music theory than I have ever done before in my life and believe that my sight reading skills are improving quickly so I must take advantage of this learning sprout and practice reading music more. I was flicking through a guitar tutor book that extensively covers a few areas of music performance and production for the budding guitarist and throughout the theory sections I was noticing many mistakes regarding scales, keys, chords and other fundamentals. I was quite shocked to find such a high level of mistakes and shudder to think what the ratio of mistakes is amidst the global library, however I did take some inspiration and confidence from the fact that I noticed them. Ending on a high I have also settled my life long debate regarding when to use a sharp and when to use a flat and will now live the rest of my life in musically correct harmony.
College band practice was a bit rough around the edges and being a man down didn't help. With a practice gig next week and the final performance in 3 weeks the pressure is on to sharpen up our routine and hopefully deliver a quality performance come gig time, else the quality of my portfolio evidence decreases!
On the plus side my first study went well again and I feel I am gaining momentum regarding the improvement of my solo performances. I have covered 3 songs with ease and am now moving on to a bigger challenge with a song I think will showcase my talents and improve any chance of successfully proving myself as a west end singer.
Creative musicianship was spent covering a few project deadlines and also the all important music theory revision. Next week is test time for music theory and I am confident that if I focus during the test I should pass comfortably. It is important for me to achieve a high grade throughout most of my classes to enhance the cohesion with the type of evidence and level of planning I have already committed to within my graded unit.
The highlight of Wednesday was attending the meeting arranged by the degree hons students to arrange auditions for Rocky: The Musical. As I mentioned before I am hoping to secure a prominent role in this production and use the process and performance to clarify my abilities within my portfolio. I have already began researching the two movies covered and will also be practising "Eye Of The Tiger", as well as reading small scripts for the 4 different male roles. This early involvement has already shown me that a west end singer needs to be more committed and flexible than the front man of a local rock band, although I'm hoping to be both.
Although I had completed my planning document I have the opportunity to improve the document and gain feedback to then further improve before the final deadline, which I will make the most of as I feel any chance to improve my grade in small steps will greatly improve the bigger picture.
Had another recording session with Fuzzy Buck this week and although we were also a man down we progressed well and have now started work on multi-tracking our second song. We have 4 songs completed and hope to add another 2 to contribute towards a self-published EP. Our new bassist has taken to the songs quickly and is also suggesting riffs and ideas for new songs which will be a big help as we hope to move on and secure some gigs to performs our songs. Daniel Dundee has not been forgotten and final takes are now being completed for his entry in this years John Lennon Song Writing Competition.
The West End show research I am carrying out continues and next week I will report on the differences and similarities I have found between the first 2 musicals researched, Les Miserables and The Lion King. I am glad I have been doing this research and found the same style of research useful when I looked for information to help with any audition for the Rocky musical. Through this I am seeing more how to transcend different skills into other areas of my course and hopefully this will help me get the best out of each class and use each module to support the progress within other modules.
If you are still reading I am going to say bye for this week. CORRECT
If you're still reading I'm going to say bye for this week. WRONG
Sta bene,
Daniel.
Friday 20 November 2009
Role Play!
A more positive week for myself this week as I look to gaining more experience as a musical show singer and also look at how different roles I carry out already can contribute towards the evidence I need to support my application to become a west end singer.
The biggest opportunity at the moment looks to be any possible involvement with the degree project titled "Rocky: The Musical". There are auditions next week for parts in this musical and I think if I can secure a prominent role then this may provide me with the foundations of the type of evidence I wish to include in my portfolio. The musical itself will be written and produced by 2 degree students and plenty involvement from myself will help me gain further insight into the world of musicals! Having completed a SWOT analysis I have identified areas in which I am not experienced enough in and hopefully involvement with such projects will help me improve any chance of getting any job as a west end singer.
I have also been thinking about the different roles I portray as the solo artist daniel dundee and also as front man of the band Fuzzy Buck. For me these roles are different although they are played by the same person, me!, I can see how I can use them as evidence of my ability to act, project dialogue and maintain character on stage.
College started off well this week and in band practice we done more work on our original compositions. Again I found a use for role play as I switched character to improve the likeness to the Beatles in our psychedelic track. I had previously been sounding too much like a mellow Jim Morrision and found that opting for an angry John Lennon was the key to enhancing the psychedelic qualities of our track. It has also been very productive having Michael around during band practice as we are now getting honest feedback on our performances which is helping us progress and improve.
My vocal lesson was back on track as my tutor returned and I have began working on another song as well as having more options for future performances, which I hope to use as evidence in my portfolio.
I am feeling a lot more comfortable with music theory at the moment and I have discovered that I am improving at sight reading and also notating music due to the exercises we have been given. The test is in 2 weeks and I feel confident that I can pass as long as I keep a regular study pattern.
I have also completed the planning stage of my graded unit and feel I have all I need to move forward and that each step of my action plan will provide me with more experience and evidence come interview day.
In session skills this week I took the opportunity to show my diversity and spent the session as rhythm guitarist, which was a fun change despite the dodgy squire telecaster I had! We went over 2 songs and I felt I handled them quite well despite not practising guitar that much recently.
I finished off Thursday by completing my first Cubase/Reason project and although it is not my greatest creative contribution I feel that it has turned out quite well. My emphasis throughout this project was to explore the operations of these audio programs and using many of the different options I now feel I have better knowledge of both Cubase and Reason. This will be of great assistance when I need to record 4 songs from the musicals I am researching to contribute to my portfolio.
My West End show research has continued with The Lion King and already I have noticed great variances from Les Miserable in terms of me being able to transcend successfully across different musicals. The Lion King offers songs that are not entirely in English and call for a greater need of phonetics as well as having a more varied and complex style of costume.
A busy week, and one with a better outlook I thought!
Tune in next Friday to find out how the audition goes!
Ciao tutti, Daniel.
The biggest opportunity at the moment looks to be any possible involvement with the degree project titled "Rocky: The Musical". There are auditions next week for parts in this musical and I think if I can secure a prominent role then this may provide me with the foundations of the type of evidence I wish to include in my portfolio. The musical itself will be written and produced by 2 degree students and plenty involvement from myself will help me gain further insight into the world of musicals! Having completed a SWOT analysis I have identified areas in which I am not experienced enough in and hopefully involvement with such projects will help me improve any chance of getting any job as a west end singer.
I have also been thinking about the different roles I portray as the solo artist daniel dundee and also as front man of the band Fuzzy Buck. For me these roles are different although they are played by the same person, me!, I can see how I can use them as evidence of my ability to act, project dialogue and maintain character on stage.
College started off well this week and in band practice we done more work on our original compositions. Again I found a use for role play as I switched character to improve the likeness to the Beatles in our psychedelic track. I had previously been sounding too much like a mellow Jim Morrision and found that opting for an angry John Lennon was the key to enhancing the psychedelic qualities of our track. It has also been very productive having Michael around during band practice as we are now getting honest feedback on our performances which is helping us progress and improve.
My vocal lesson was back on track as my tutor returned and I have began working on another song as well as having more options for future performances, which I hope to use as evidence in my portfolio.
I am feeling a lot more comfortable with music theory at the moment and I have discovered that I am improving at sight reading and also notating music due to the exercises we have been given. The test is in 2 weeks and I feel confident that I can pass as long as I keep a regular study pattern.
I have also completed the planning stage of my graded unit and feel I have all I need to move forward and that each step of my action plan will provide me with more experience and evidence come interview day.
In session skills this week I took the opportunity to show my diversity and spent the session as rhythm guitarist, which was a fun change despite the dodgy squire telecaster I had! We went over 2 songs and I felt I handled them quite well despite not practising guitar that much recently.
I finished off Thursday by completing my first Cubase/Reason project and although it is not my greatest creative contribution I feel that it has turned out quite well. My emphasis throughout this project was to explore the operations of these audio programs and using many of the different options I now feel I have better knowledge of both Cubase and Reason. This will be of great assistance when I need to record 4 songs from the musicals I am researching to contribute to my portfolio.
My West End show research has continued with The Lion King and already I have noticed great variances from Les Miserable in terms of me being able to transcend successfully across different musicals. The Lion King offers songs that are not entirely in English and call for a greater need of phonetics as well as having a more varied and complex style of costume.
A busy week, and one with a better outlook I thought!
Tune in next Friday to find out how the audition goes!
Ciao tutti, Daniel.
Friday 13 November 2009
The Philosopher's Box.
I finished off my week at college by missing my train home by no more than 5 seconds, however for some reason this trivial issue lingered with me and whilst I sat in the semi-heated glass box on platform 2, I began to consider my varying journey's and the detail in each step made. I saw many points in this particular journey where I might have saved myself 5 seconds and achieved my goal of catching the early train and this led me to think about the planning of my graded unit. I am already slightly concerned that I have no experience as a West End singer yet I must collect enough evidence to prove that I can be a successful and professional singer in a West End show. I think that if I don't give enough attention to the detail in the planning stages then the final outcome may leave me in an undesirable position. I have also been affected by the lack of response I have had regarding local amateur societies, which is mainly due to me building up my hopes too early and maybe thinking with a hint of "everyone will stop to help me". I have managed to motivate myself again and realise that if some avenues I go down are a dead end then I just need to find another relevant avenue.
On the plus side I am eager and excited at the possibility of any involvement with the degree projects and in particular, "Rocky: The Musical". I believe that these types of opportunities will be the best for me to try and expand on my experiences and aim them towards applying for the position as a lead role or understudy in a West End show.
On Tuesday night 4/5 of Fuzzy Buck gathered for their second jam which went really well with everyone having an improved awareness and feeling for the 4 songs we are working on. I also managed to test out some of my recording set up and using Cubase I recorded some stereo takes of each song we were jamming on. Getting use to my home recording facilities will be essential for next semester when I plan to record myself performing different musical songs to include in my graded unit portfolio and presentation.
Wednesday saw me back at college and in band practice we spent most of the time working on our psychedelic composition which I think will give me scope to gather evidence showing aspects of my showmanship and acting abilities which will contribute towards my portfolio for the graded unit.
In research and analysis we looked at "The Beatles", also known as The White Album by many atheists. This is one of my favourite Beatles albums and I am very happy to be covering 2 songs from this album with the college band. For the presentation I am feeling confident and already have most of what I need to complete my presentation but as it isn't for a few weeks yet I have plenty of time to run over it and fine tune my performance. This presentation will also be another opportunity for me to demonstrate my acting abilities and communication skills.
Thursday always comes round too soon although I do enjoy the thinking time I get in the graded unit and music theory classes. If I haven't mentioned already I passed the music theory test I was dreading and am now cautiously moving on with the next outcome. The graded unit action plan is due to be handed in next Thursday and although I have completed it I will spend the rest of the week checking over the cohesion of my plan and also the detail and relevance of how I will shape my development towards providing an impressive portfolio as a West End singer.
As for my West End show research I have now moved on to The Lion King. I feel that my research of Les Miserable was too comfortable for me as I know and like this musical. I think that once I've completed researching The Lion King, which is less familiar to me, I can then look back and review how I researched Les Miserable and try to offer something different to the opinions I have held since I first saw Les Miserable.
This weekend I will not be moving from my home until I have made satisfactory progress with the song that I am intending to enter into The John Lennon Songwriting Competition 2009. I have a deadline of 15th of December to submit this entry and will report later on my progress.
That's about all for this week and hope that next Friday I have some more positive things to offer my blog book and the eyes of those looking in.
Daniel I Am.
On the plus side I am eager and excited at the possibility of any involvement with the degree projects and in particular, "Rocky: The Musical". I believe that these types of opportunities will be the best for me to try and expand on my experiences and aim them towards applying for the position as a lead role or understudy in a West End show.
On Tuesday night 4/5 of Fuzzy Buck gathered for their second jam which went really well with everyone having an improved awareness and feeling for the 4 songs we are working on. I also managed to test out some of my recording set up and using Cubase I recorded some stereo takes of each song we were jamming on. Getting use to my home recording facilities will be essential for next semester when I plan to record myself performing different musical songs to include in my graded unit portfolio and presentation.
Wednesday saw me back at college and in band practice we spent most of the time working on our psychedelic composition which I think will give me scope to gather evidence showing aspects of my showmanship and acting abilities which will contribute towards my portfolio for the graded unit.
In research and analysis we looked at "The Beatles", also known as The White Album by many atheists. This is one of my favourite Beatles albums and I am very happy to be covering 2 songs from this album with the college band. For the presentation I am feeling confident and already have most of what I need to complete my presentation but as it isn't for a few weeks yet I have plenty of time to run over it and fine tune my performance. This presentation will also be another opportunity for me to demonstrate my acting abilities and communication skills.
Thursday always comes round too soon although I do enjoy the thinking time I get in the graded unit and music theory classes. If I haven't mentioned already I passed the music theory test I was dreading and am now cautiously moving on with the next outcome. The graded unit action plan is due to be handed in next Thursday and although I have completed it I will spend the rest of the week checking over the cohesion of my plan and also the detail and relevance of how I will shape my development towards providing an impressive portfolio as a West End singer.
As for my West End show research I have now moved on to The Lion King. I feel that my research of Les Miserable was too comfortable for me as I know and like this musical. I think that once I've completed researching The Lion King, which is less familiar to me, I can then look back and review how I researched Les Miserable and try to offer something different to the opinions I have held since I first saw Les Miserable.
This weekend I will not be moving from my home until I have made satisfactory progress with the song that I am intending to enter into The John Lennon Songwriting Competition 2009. I have a deadline of 15th of December to submit this entry and will report later on my progress.
That's about all for this week and hope that next Friday I have some more positive things to offer my blog book and the eyes of those looking in.
Daniel I Am.
Saturday 7 November 2009
The Week In Review: Part II
Firstly it's Saturday and not Friday so let's just get that out the way first. Apologies to anyone who tuned in!
This week at college was one of the first weeks where I felt in total control of all the subjects on my course.
Wednesday brought band practice and my singing lesson, both going well despite absences, and with new tutor Michael on board the band received a lot of direction and advice regarding our choice of Beatles songs and how we are performing them. Finished the proposal for my research presentation and am now looking towards creating the PowerPoint presentation that I will use to see, "What's Inside the Apple Corps?"
The day was topped off by confirmation that I have passed Outcome 1 of music theory and can now get on with Outcomes 2 & 3 which I feel more comfortable with. Gotta love your comfort zone!
For the graded unit class on Thursday we had Lorenz Cairns in for a chat who proved to be more helpful to my own cause compared to previous speakers. He talked about his experiences throughout college and becoming a session player/singer. His information regarding performing as an understudy in a West End show was very helpful and has given me a better idea of how to gain more experience through the possibility of being an understudy myself.
Session skills followed music theory and towards the end of the class we had a dozen or so musicians and performers in one session which brought a good atmosphere and gave more energy to the performance. Straying from the Motown collective we were given Princes' "1999" to perform and I felt we did very well and that it didn't feel to far away from the Motown vibe.
DAW class was cancelled so I finished off the day listening to some of the HN1 bands performing in their first gig of the year, I believe. I was very impressed with some of the singers and am now looking forward to shaking a tail feather myself.
I will report back next week regarding my West End show research and have also decided to shift my weekly blog to a Friday so that I can effectively report on my week and also make better use of scheduling in between college weeks.
Finally the great Fuzzy Buck are back! Had a jam last night with 2 guitarists I work with and also Steven, a bass player from my course. I am the front man of Fuzzy Buck and we partially split early in the year, however after finding a great bassist and drummer from college it looks like the Buck are back! Last night's jam went better than expected and I am feeling motivated again about writing and recording with other musicians again.
Think I'll leave it at that for this week and all being well I shall be back this Friday.
You, me and everyone else!!!
This week at college was one of the first weeks where I felt in total control of all the subjects on my course.
Wednesday brought band practice and my singing lesson, both going well despite absences, and with new tutor Michael on board the band received a lot of direction and advice regarding our choice of Beatles songs and how we are performing them. Finished the proposal for my research presentation and am now looking towards creating the PowerPoint presentation that I will use to see, "What's Inside the Apple Corps?"
The day was topped off by confirmation that I have passed Outcome 1 of music theory and can now get on with Outcomes 2 & 3 which I feel more comfortable with. Gotta love your comfort zone!
For the graded unit class on Thursday we had Lorenz Cairns in for a chat who proved to be more helpful to my own cause compared to previous speakers. He talked about his experiences throughout college and becoming a session player/singer. His information regarding performing as an understudy in a West End show was very helpful and has given me a better idea of how to gain more experience through the possibility of being an understudy myself.
Session skills followed music theory and towards the end of the class we had a dozen or so musicians and performers in one session which brought a good atmosphere and gave more energy to the performance. Straying from the Motown collective we were given Princes' "1999" to perform and I felt we did very well and that it didn't feel to far away from the Motown vibe.
DAW class was cancelled so I finished off the day listening to some of the HN1 bands performing in their first gig of the year, I believe. I was very impressed with some of the singers and am now looking forward to shaking a tail feather myself.
I will report back next week regarding my West End show research and have also decided to shift my weekly blog to a Friday so that I can effectively report on my week and also make better use of scheduling in between college weeks.
Finally the great Fuzzy Buck are back! Had a jam last night with 2 guitarists I work with and also Steven, a bass player from my course. I am the front man of Fuzzy Buck and we partially split early in the year, however after finding a great bassist and drummer from college it looks like the Buck are back! Last night's jam went better than expected and I am feeling motivated again about writing and recording with other musicians again.
Think I'll leave it at that for this week and all being well I shall be back this Friday.
You, me and everyone else!!!
Monday 2 November 2009
The Week In Review: Part I
I have decided to split my weekly blog into two parts as I feel I don't have that much to log on the grand diary.
This weeks concludes the first musical I will be researching and hopefully this will give me an idea of how to start any development.
First Study progressed well and my tutor has given me some guidance on what type of material to research with regards to West End musical hits. Prior to this we had a productive band practice and have now a good grasp of 4 of the 5 songs we are to perform and also changed the remaining song from "Something" to "Blackbird", a personal favourite.
On Thursday our graded unit was a one to one with our tutor in which I picked up some valuable guidance on how to develop my planning document and will be working on this soon. Music theory has moved onto pitch related topics which I feel are more of a strength and will hopefully be proved right come test time.
In session skills we have moved on to a third Motown track and the band seem to be getting the hang of working in a session. Almost done with my Cubase project and will be sorting out the final mixing and mastering stage before it's big release!
I haven't heard back from any of the amateur musical societies I contacted but hopefully will have something to report soon.
Onwards in a new week now and another couple of days of college will bring you some more news.
Tune in this Friday for Part II of my weekly blog.
Until then Sto Zitta!
This weeks concludes the first musical I will be researching and hopefully this will give me an idea of how to start any development.
First Study progressed well and my tutor has given me some guidance on what type of material to research with regards to West End musical hits. Prior to this we had a productive band practice and have now a good grasp of 4 of the 5 songs we are to perform and also changed the remaining song from "Something" to "Blackbird", a personal favourite.
On Thursday our graded unit was a one to one with our tutor in which I picked up some valuable guidance on how to develop my planning document and will be working on this soon. Music theory has moved onto pitch related topics which I feel are more of a strength and will hopefully be proved right come test time.
In session skills we have moved on to a third Motown track and the band seem to be getting the hang of working in a session. Almost done with my Cubase project and will be sorting out the final mixing and mastering stage before it's big release!
I haven't heard back from any of the amateur musical societies I contacted but hopefully will have something to report soon.
Onwards in a new week now and another couple of days of college will bring you some more news.
Tune in this Friday for Part II of my weekly blog.
Until then Sto Zitta!
Monday 26 October 2009
Repeat Petition
Like it states in the title, it was back to college last week and all in all it wasn't to bad. Felt like I was going back to the treadmill but when I got there it wasn't so. Lesson of the moment, don't always trust your current mood!
On Wednesday our band made a bit of progress with another 2 Beatles songs giving us 4 songs of decent standard to add dynamics too. I also had my first vocal lesson with new tutor Michael, who seems highly motivated and also has experience working on the West End so I hope this well help me to progress forward with my first study and also the work I am doing for my graded unit.
In research class we had another go of our rendition of "Ticket Tor Ride" and even though initially no one in the band could remember what we had done previous, it all came back quickly and we've got it set in stone now, but keeping in mind that stones can be crushed!
The first joy of Thursday was my half price return train ticket which set my day off on a plus. I had done some good work for the Graded Unit so didn't have to much to do although it gave me time to develop my ideas further and discuss them with other students. Then came the Music Theory test which drained my brain! Col pa Mia! I took my time with the test and think I've done OK but felt I was losing focus and direction when writing out the dictation and also other scores. Nothing a kick up the butt can't fix.
Session skills was a joy this week as we had a full ensemble of musicians having a go at a couple of Motown classics. Was nice to hear the keys and some brass and also to have another singer backing me up.
Friday afternoon was spent watching Pingu with my niece, in which I found inspiration. If everyone in Pingu Land can understand the foul mouthed penguin then I can surely improve my sight reading skills!
Think I need to do more with my weekends! Used to be performing or going to see performances and was also able to do quite a bit of networking, however months of absence from the scene has left me rusty and out of reach. Feel I've got to make more of an effort to establish these links again and start getting my music out there for the public to digest.
Just away to e-mail my planning document for scrutiny and hope the week is as good as it can be.
Until you know when I'm you know who.
On Wednesday our band made a bit of progress with another 2 Beatles songs giving us 4 songs of decent standard to add dynamics too. I also had my first vocal lesson with new tutor Michael, who seems highly motivated and also has experience working on the West End so I hope this well help me to progress forward with my first study and also the work I am doing for my graded unit.
In research class we had another go of our rendition of "Ticket Tor Ride" and even though initially no one in the band could remember what we had done previous, it all came back quickly and we've got it set in stone now, but keeping in mind that stones can be crushed!
The first joy of Thursday was my half price return train ticket which set my day off on a plus. I had done some good work for the Graded Unit so didn't have to much to do although it gave me time to develop my ideas further and discuss them with other students. Then came the Music Theory test which drained my brain! Col pa Mia! I took my time with the test and think I've done OK but felt I was losing focus and direction when writing out the dictation and also other scores. Nothing a kick up the butt can't fix.
Session skills was a joy this week as we had a full ensemble of musicians having a go at a couple of Motown classics. Was nice to hear the keys and some brass and also to have another singer backing me up.
Friday afternoon was spent watching Pingu with my niece, in which I found inspiration. If everyone in Pingu Land can understand the foul mouthed penguin then I can surely improve my sight reading skills!
Think I need to do more with my weekends! Used to be performing or going to see performances and was also able to do quite a bit of networking, however months of absence from the scene has left me rusty and out of reach. Feel I've got to make more of an effort to establish these links again and start getting my music out there for the public to digest.
Just away to e-mail my planning document for scrutiny and hope the week is as good as it can be.
Until you know when I'm you know who.
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Back We Go!
Not a great deal to report this week other than the progress I've made with the graded unit. Managed to finish my SWOT analysis and organise the research I need to do as well as e-mailing Downfield Musical Society and Broughty Ferry Amateur Opera Society. Feeling quite focused with the graded unit and see clear direction with how I will approach my research and presentation.
Research started this week (19/10/09) and I will be researching different renditions of Les Miserables looking at factors like character, costume, stage direction, musical direction and concept.
For the research class this week I've made some headway with a little research on Apple Corps Ltd, which I hope will be the foundations of my 15 minute presentation on the same subject.
Biggest advance of the week came as I sorted out my own library of original songs and have clearer focus of how I am going to go forward with them as tangible product.
Another big plus this week, other than the holiday, was my recovery from the annoying flu bug I've had. Sometimes you need to feel bad to truly appreciate feeling good!
Managed my workload so that I can go into this week with nothing to do other than study for the music theory test, which I better pass first time after such a bold statement.
If anything notable happens from now on you'll read it here first,
Out and over,
Daniel
Research started this week (19/10/09) and I will be researching different renditions of Les Miserables looking at factors like character, costume, stage direction, musical direction and concept.
For the research class this week I've made some headway with a little research on Apple Corps Ltd, which I hope will be the foundations of my 15 minute presentation on the same subject.
Biggest advance of the week came as I sorted out my own library of original songs and have clearer focus of how I am going to go forward with them as tangible product.
Another big plus this week, other than the holiday, was my recovery from the annoying flu bug I've had. Sometimes you need to feel bad to truly appreciate feeling good!
Managed my workload so that I can go into this week with nothing to do other than study for the music theory test, which I better pass first time after such a bold statement.
If anything notable happens from now on you'll read it here first,
Out and over,
Daniel
Tuesday 13 October 2009
Holly Day Blog
It's holiday week, which means no college, but the blog is strong and must push on!
A good week at college, felt more in control of my week since I had all my assignments done.
My vocal tutor is leaving to sort out the problems in The Middle East, so good luck Mary.
The band had another Beatles composition to consider, same melody different accompaniment. It was "Ticket To Ride", which I know well in many forms, however I was surprised with the outcome. An impressive suburban funk track, tinted with some Celtic grunge!
Quite happy with my choice for the research presentation, was flicking through "Apple To The Core" which has many points of interest regarding Apple Corps and I have some of my own ideas.
Feeling a lot more confident with theory but know I'll need to keep fresh until test time!
The graded unit has had more attention this week and I think I've made some good progress. I have created a Gantt chart to manage my West End Show research, for which I'm now going to research 7 shows as that is the number of shows being re-cast by the company I am applying to. I have also identified 2 local musical theatre societies that I can contact and will do so very soon. Just to add to my planning document and start my research before the holiday is over.
Session skills was a good experience this week as we were asked to perform in a session like environment and had to rely on our reading skills whilst performing the Motown classic, "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted". I felt that myself and the other two in the trio read the music quite well and despite being familiar with the song we were performing, I managed to focus on reading the music and found it a great help as the top line melody had been improvised. Fun was had by all!
At home in the studio I'm finding my way more with Cubase and Reason and can now express my ideas a lot more efficiently and effectively which is motivating me to push on and find out more.
Overall I'm finding many inspirations and avenues of motivation as I realise the quality of musicians I am working with on my course. Although I don't know everyone that well I have been impressed with the individual abilities of my classmates and also the varied influences they speak of. The tutors are not bad too!
Topped off the week by starting the start of a new band with a bassist and drummer from my course. Don't know where it's going to go but I'm excited to find out.
Off to deal with my daily insomnia and save the world in my head. Allora proximo settimana.
A good week at college, felt more in control of my week since I had all my assignments done.
My vocal tutor is leaving to sort out the problems in The Middle East, so good luck Mary.
The band had another Beatles composition to consider, same melody different accompaniment. It was "Ticket To Ride", which I know well in many forms, however I was surprised with the outcome. An impressive suburban funk track, tinted with some Celtic grunge!
Quite happy with my choice for the research presentation, was flicking through "Apple To The Core" which has many points of interest regarding Apple Corps and I have some of my own ideas.
Feeling a lot more confident with theory but know I'll need to keep fresh until test time!
The graded unit has had more attention this week and I think I've made some good progress. I have created a Gantt chart to manage my West End Show research, for which I'm now going to research 7 shows as that is the number of shows being re-cast by the company I am applying to. I have also identified 2 local musical theatre societies that I can contact and will do so very soon. Just to add to my planning document and start my research before the holiday is over.
Session skills was a good experience this week as we were asked to perform in a session like environment and had to rely on our reading skills whilst performing the Motown classic, "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted". I felt that myself and the other two in the trio read the music quite well and despite being familiar with the song we were performing, I managed to focus on reading the music and found it a great help as the top line melody had been improvised. Fun was had by all!
At home in the studio I'm finding my way more with Cubase and Reason and can now express my ideas a lot more efficiently and effectively which is motivating me to push on and find out more.
Overall I'm finding many inspirations and avenues of motivation as I realise the quality of musicians I am working with on my course. Although I don't know everyone that well I have been impressed with the individual abilities of my classmates and also the varied influences they speak of. The tutors are not bad too!
Topped off the week by starting the start of a new band with a bassist and drummer from my course. Don't know where it's going to go but I'm excited to find out.
Off to deal with my daily insomnia and save the world in my head. Allora proximo settimana.
Monday 5 October 2009
The Pre Holiday, Pre Plan Plan.
What week are we in? Just kidding, I've got it under control.
This week has been more steady at college and I feel I have a better grasp of the subjects I am studying.
Band practice went well this week and we have added "Back In The USSR" into our repertoire as well as our much loved own interpretation of Like Dreamer's Do.
For research and analysis I think I am going to research the beginning of Apple Corps., The Beatles trading company which started shortly after the death of Brian Epstein. I think this topic will provide me with some interesting angles of research.
I have been bogged down with a nasty cold and swollen glands so have spent the past few days catching up on essays and assignments as opposed to practising. Although I've not enjoyed this at all it has helped me to realise that I need to be more motivated with regards to less practical assignments and deadlines.
At home my studio is set up well with all the favourites and leaves me with no excuses for a more productive year of recording. Got my M-Audio MIDI keyboard so I can sack the orchestra now.
With all my essays and assignments done for the week I have plenty of time to consider the planning of my graded unit. I will need to start a research and review routine to ensure that I am developing myself with the attributes needed to gain employment as a West End singer in mind. I have decided to watch and research at least one musical/west end show every 4 weeks and look into the different roles portrayed and especially how they differ across live and pre-recorded performances. My favourite has always been "Les Miserables" so I think I'll start with that. This will help me build my portfolio and improve the quality of my presentation.
Overall a more focused week which I feel will be an important one when I look back on the year and the decisions I made and also how they progressed, but not if I don't top it off with some music theory revision.
Until next week, I'm still Daniel.
This week has been more steady at college and I feel I have a better grasp of the subjects I am studying.
Band practice went well this week and we have added "Back In The USSR" into our repertoire as well as our much loved own interpretation of Like Dreamer's Do.
For research and analysis I think I am going to research the beginning of Apple Corps., The Beatles trading company which started shortly after the death of Brian Epstein. I think this topic will provide me with some interesting angles of research.
I have been bogged down with a nasty cold and swollen glands so have spent the past few days catching up on essays and assignments as opposed to practising. Although I've not enjoyed this at all it has helped me to realise that I need to be more motivated with regards to less practical assignments and deadlines.
At home my studio is set up well with all the favourites and leaves me with no excuses for a more productive year of recording. Got my M-Audio MIDI keyboard so I can sack the orchestra now.
With all my essays and assignments done for the week I have plenty of time to consider the planning of my graded unit. I will need to start a research and review routine to ensure that I am developing myself with the attributes needed to gain employment as a West End singer in mind. I have decided to watch and research at least one musical/west end show every 4 weeks and look into the different roles portrayed and especially how they differ across live and pre-recorded performances. My favourite has always been "Les Miserables" so I think I'll start with that. This will help me build my portfolio and improve the quality of my presentation.
Overall a more focused week which I feel will be an important one when I look back on the year and the decisions I made and also how they progressed, but not if I don't top it off with some music theory revision.
Until next week, I'm still Daniel.
Monday 28 September 2009
Week 3: And 3 Is The Magic Number!
Quite a busy week at college and at home in my studio, but towards the end of it I felt more positive about the direction I am following.
Wednesday started off with a left channel orientated band practice where we covered "Taxman" by The Beatles (need I mention?) and also worked on our own composition in which we need to create a Beatles-like sound and insert Beatles lyrics. I was impressed with our efforts and understanding of ideas and look forward to working more with the guys I'm in the band with.
My vocal lesson went better than the previous I felt and now I'm armed with exercises and advice that I can follow to improve. I've been performing "Beyond The Sea" which I enjoy and will also help me in building my profile for the Graded Unit. I think it will be hard to motivate myself towards a more disciplined routine of practice, but knowing the future benefits out weigh the current comforts will be enough to push me on.
Due to our hard work in band practice Research and Analysis was converted into study time! Woo-hoo!!
On Thursday, (the longest day of the year!), our graded unit class was in a bubble of acetone and bleach, which gave me some focus strangely enough, only for my dreamy dreams to be crushed by Pete Honeyman, for which I extend my thanks. His statement about learning music theory without harming your creativity gave me a wake up call for this is something I have always stated but at times felt I was being lazy and stubborn. He also mentioned about not having some dream and focusing on a career in music whilst developing personal interests, which gave me some food for thought. I kindly digested and am willing to comply.
Overall his summary of his career as a session musician and instrument instructor, and also the questions he answered for me on session singing, have given me some good pointers on how to expand my options and maintain my development. From this I believe I need to approach each individual task with a more focused attitude and leave the creative dreaminess for when I am actually creating.
Music Theory pops up just after this and I readied my hands for some more clapping! I wish we had a bus!
I have struggled a little with the listening aspect of time signatures but after following tutor advice I believe I have a better understanding of the time signatures that are causing me problems. Clap On!
Session Skills with Gavin brought some informative stories of days gone by and some that are present. Really looking forward to creating some Motor Town sessions and getting down with The Funk Bros! The role of the session musician has been explored aurally and orally so merrily we go along and shall be writing a piece on the aforementioned subject.
The DAW class has been really informative and productive and definitely another class I feel the benefits of at home in my studio. Tutor and funky drummer Scott Donald managed to unlock the secrets of "the college e-mail at home" and completed my administrative knowledge. I can get on with the music now. Next Thursday I will be starting work on the audio creation I must submit via Cubase and Reason.
The biggest benefit I see in this week is practising at home more, both with performing and recording. The guidance I have received lately has helped me get more out of the time I have and also the equipment I own at home, which should set me up for a good year at college.
As for the Graded Unit I have confirmed my selection for the job application and looked at some planning. I thought about looking to gain some experience with a local amateur theatre company along with visiting Centrestage in Kilmarnock and also re-visiting the last MD I worked for.
Wednesday started off with a left channel orientated band practice where we covered "Taxman" by The Beatles (need I mention?) and also worked on our own composition in which we need to create a Beatles-like sound and insert Beatles lyrics. I was impressed with our efforts and understanding of ideas and look forward to working more with the guys I'm in the band with.
My vocal lesson went better than the previous I felt and now I'm armed with exercises and advice that I can follow to improve. I've been performing "Beyond The Sea" which I enjoy and will also help me in building my profile for the Graded Unit. I think it will be hard to motivate myself towards a more disciplined routine of practice, but knowing the future benefits out weigh the current comforts will be enough to push me on.
Due to our hard work in band practice Research and Analysis was converted into study time! Woo-hoo!!
On Thursday, (the longest day of the year!), our graded unit class was in a bubble of acetone and bleach, which gave me some focus strangely enough, only for my dreamy dreams to be crushed by Pete Honeyman, for which I extend my thanks. His statement about learning music theory without harming your creativity gave me a wake up call for this is something I have always stated but at times felt I was being lazy and stubborn. He also mentioned about not having some dream and focusing on a career in music whilst developing personal interests, which gave me some food for thought. I kindly digested and am willing to comply.
Overall his summary of his career as a session musician and instrument instructor, and also the questions he answered for me on session singing, have given me some good pointers on how to expand my options and maintain my development. From this I believe I need to approach each individual task with a more focused attitude and leave the creative dreaminess for when I am actually creating.
Music Theory pops up just after this and I readied my hands for some more clapping! I wish we had a bus!
I have struggled a little with the listening aspect of time signatures but after following tutor advice I believe I have a better understanding of the time signatures that are causing me problems. Clap On!
Session Skills with Gavin brought some informative stories of days gone by and some that are present. Really looking forward to creating some Motor Town sessions and getting down with The Funk Bros! The role of the session musician has been explored aurally and orally so merrily we go along and shall be writing a piece on the aforementioned subject.
The DAW class has been really informative and productive and definitely another class I feel the benefits of at home in my studio. Tutor and funky drummer Scott Donald managed to unlock the secrets of "the college e-mail at home" and completed my administrative knowledge. I can get on with the music now. Next Thursday I will be starting work on the audio creation I must submit via Cubase and Reason.
The biggest benefit I see in this week is practising at home more, both with performing and recording. The guidance I have received lately has helped me get more out of the time I have and also the equipment I own at home, which should set me up for a good year at college.
As for the Graded Unit I have confirmed my selection for the job application and looked at some planning. I thought about looking to gain some experience with a local amateur theatre company along with visiting Centrestage in Kilmarnock and also re-visiting the last MD I worked for.
Tuesday 22 September 2009
Disrespectfully Late! La Fiona McKenzie Visit
Last week brought a valuable visit from Fiona McKenzie, for which I was a little late. Fiona runs her own musical theatre company in Kilmarnock called Centre Stage and has a vast amount of experience throughout the music department setup within the Scottish education system. The talk from Fiona summarised brief moments of her career as a musician, teacher and entrepreneur, which I found inspiring, and not only detailed her actual experiences but also displayed her character and passion for what she does within music, both to benefit herself and the many people she has provided facilities and development for.
Although teaching is not of immediate interest to me I took many strong points from the things Fiona mentioned regarding her teaching career. Professionalism and an eagerness to succeed was discussed at length which gave me more clarity on how vital these attributes are. I also feel more focused and motivated with regards to working with others and developing my skills individually and also as part of a group.
I also took the time to talk with her co-worker Dan regarding my graded unit and pursuit of a position as a West End singer, from which I have arranged to make contact and hopefully visit and experience the ongoings at Centre Stage which I believe will assist me greatly in the completion of my graded unit.
Overall I found the talk very helpful and was enthused when hearing how much Fiona has enjoyed her career regardless of the downs and ups it has taken her through. It is always inspiring to hear someone of more experience assure you that working hard for your dreams does not lack common sense and is highly achievable.
Well that's all for now as I've got a Beatles song with awkward secondary dominants to analyse!
Who said it was all I-IV-V???
Although teaching is not of immediate interest to me I took many strong points from the things Fiona mentioned regarding her teaching career. Professionalism and an eagerness to succeed was discussed at length which gave me more clarity on how vital these attributes are. I also feel more focused and motivated with regards to working with others and developing my skills individually and also as part of a group.
I also took the time to talk with her co-worker Dan regarding my graded unit and pursuit of a position as a West End singer, from which I have arranged to make contact and hopefully visit and experience the ongoings at Centre Stage which I believe will assist me greatly in the completion of my graded unit.
Overall I found the talk very helpful and was enthused when hearing how much Fiona has enjoyed her career regardless of the downs and ups it has taken her through. It is always inspiring to hear someone of more experience assure you that working hard for your dreams does not lack common sense and is highly achievable.
Well that's all for now as I've got a Beatles song with awkward secondary dominants to analyse!
Who said it was all I-IV-V???
Thursday 17 September 2009
The GU2 Unit
Having negotiated myself past the induction and first week of college I am now in a good position to push forward in the areas I most wish to do so. Names and room numbers are easier this week giving me more room to get on with the curriculum.
Having being blessed with a great research topic for the course I feel that I must put extra effort into the non-Beatles related work.
Is the term "Beatles" an anagram for "Les Beat"?
However all this aside the monolith that is the graded unit must be conquered. For this I have decided to push in the direction of a West End Singer and develop my talents and research towards applying for this position as I feel it gives me more of a challenge to perform in a different atmosphere of professional singing.
My personal library and the wonderful wonderful inter web shall once again bow down to my needs as I go in search of the "Holy A".
That's all folks!
Ciao per now.
Having being blessed with a great research topic for the course I feel that I must put extra effort into the non-Beatles related work.
Is the term "Beatles" an anagram for "Les Beat"?
However all this aside the monolith that is the graded unit must be conquered. For this I have decided to push in the direction of a West End Singer and develop my talents and research towards applying for this position as I feel it gives me more of a challenge to perform in a different atmosphere of professional singing.
My personal library and the wonderful wonderful inter web shall once again bow down to my needs as I go in search of the "Holy A".
That's all folks!
Ciao per now.
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