For those of you who are interested in notating your work but do not have access to expensive software such as Sibelius there are free versions available via the web that you might like to try out:
Finale notepad
MuseScore
Noteflight
I know Finale is quite good and you can buy the full version fairly cheap, not sure about the other two but the reviews are rather good.
Monday, 1 December 2014
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Helpful songwriting resource: Songwriting Magazine
Hi All,
There are some really useful articles on Songwriting Magazine's website that may help those of you who are planning to write your own songs. There are also interviews with artists that may be of interest to you too.
There are some really useful articles on Songwriting Magazine's website that may help those of you who are planning to write your own songs. There are also interviews with artists that may be of interest to you too.
Monday, 24 November 2014
Rachel Sermanni: singer-songwriter and other artists.
Hi All,
I was in York at the weekend shopping for a record player (everything sounds better on vinyl) and in the shop the guy got out a few records to demonstrate the sound quality (got to admit, it was mind blowing- I can explain why vinyl is better in class). One of the artists he played was Rachel Sermanni, Scottish singer-songwriter. I have never heard of her before until this weekend but I think within the first thirty seconds of this song I was an instant fan. This particular song (below) is from her album "Under Mountains" (2012) is beautiful- simple, folk inspired, fabulous lyrics, crystal clear vocals and harmonies- I could go on and on!
Anyway, I wanted to share this with you since you are all on a song-writing journey. I have some other artists that you may also have never heard of, but who are fabulous songwriters and performers in their own right. Here is "Ever Since the Chocolate" (Onder Involed, 2013) by Rachel Sermanni:
(Onder Involed, 2013: Rachel Sermanni playing 'Ever Since The Chocolate'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-e6c_W0-Ts ACCESSED: 24/11/2014)
Other artists that you may want to investigate are David J Roch- he has collaborated with Rachel Sermanni and has a similar sound (if a bit more masculine).
One you must listen to is a guy called David Ford, ultimate favorite of mine and absolutely fantastic live. He experiments with junk instruments (an old wash board and a bin lid if I remember correctly), loop pedals, he plays every instrument going such as: guitar, ukulele, piano, drums, harmonica and one album he played the cello, violin, bass and a flute. On top of all this he writes and produces ALL of his material by himself. Here is a clip (p7ajo, 2011) from a gig I was at in 2011 (not great quality but...I have that exact hat because he gave it to me at the end!!):
(p7ajo, 2011: David Ford- Cheer Up (Your Miserable Fuck) - York - Fibbers 28/04/11. Available at :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWeN_7RTzw ACCESSED:24/1//2014)
Let me know what you think!
I was in York at the weekend shopping for a record player (everything sounds better on vinyl) and in the shop the guy got out a few records to demonstrate the sound quality (got to admit, it was mind blowing- I can explain why vinyl is better in class). One of the artists he played was Rachel Sermanni, Scottish singer-songwriter. I have never heard of her before until this weekend but I think within the first thirty seconds of this song I was an instant fan. This particular song (below) is from her album "Under Mountains" (2012) is beautiful- simple, folk inspired, fabulous lyrics, crystal clear vocals and harmonies- I could go on and on!
Anyway, I wanted to share this with you since you are all on a song-writing journey. I have some other artists that you may also have never heard of, but who are fabulous songwriters and performers in their own right. Here is "Ever Since the Chocolate" (Onder Involed, 2013) by Rachel Sermanni:
(Onder Involed, 2013: Rachel Sermanni playing 'Ever Since The Chocolate'. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-e6c_W0-Ts ACCESSED: 24/11/2014)
Other artists that you may want to investigate are David J Roch- he has collaborated with Rachel Sermanni and has a similar sound (if a bit more masculine).
One you must listen to is a guy called David Ford, ultimate favorite of mine and absolutely fantastic live. He experiments with junk instruments (an old wash board and a bin lid if I remember correctly), loop pedals, he plays every instrument going such as: guitar, ukulele, piano, drums, harmonica and one album he played the cello, violin, bass and a flute. On top of all this he writes and produces ALL of his material by himself. Here is a clip (p7ajo, 2011) from a gig I was at in 2011 (not great quality but...I have that exact hat because he gave it to me at the end!!):
(p7ajo, 2011: David Ford- Cheer Up (Your Miserable Fuck) - York - Fibbers 28/04/11. Available at :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWeN_7RTzw ACCESSED:24/1//2014)
Let me know what you think!
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Two tasks for next week...
Arrangement task:
Your task is to create your own arrangement of an original song.
- Try and think carefully about what you are going to change/keep from the original.
- This piece is to be performed NOT recorded so I also want you to think carefully about HOW you are going to perform it in the space.
- TRY AND MAKE IT YOUR OWN.
- You can work independently, as a pair or small groups.
Literature Review task:
I would like you to go and find a book or article that discusses a technique that is relevant to either:
- Your instrumental/vocal practice.
- Your individual composing work.
Once you have read a couple of chapters, I would like you critique it… if it is vocal techniques for example, try these out and see if you think they are effective. You may agree or disagree with what they have discussed.
Write a critical evaluation of 500 words to bring in next week. (for help see LITERATURE REVIEW HELP blog post)
Literature Review Help
- What is a literature review?- What is the purpose of a literature review?
- How do I write a literature review?
- What does a literature review entail?
- Using academic language
- An example of an academic literature review
- Download: Literature review study guide
What is a literature review?
A literature review is not to be confused with a book review. It surveys scholarly articles, books, journal articles and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference papers) relevant to a particular subject, theory or area of research and provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work.
It is not a review of what has been said, but an analytical synthesis of sources that have contributed to your research. You must show awareness of the differing arguments and theories. By reviewing the literature of your subject, you will become familiar with differing methods and perspectives.
If you read any academic book or article, you will find an example of a literature review in the introduction.
What is the purpose of a literature review?
The purpose is to demonstrate your knowledge of the significant literature within your topic and to have critically evaluated it.
A literature review:
A good literature review, is critical (without criticising) of the literature significant to the subject. It raises questions and highlights areas which need further research. You will need to have narrowed down your topic before you write the literature review and have a title.
Structuring your review
The literature review is not a shopping list. You should not write about one author, followed by another and then another. Instead, structure it into themes according to your thesis. You would then relate it to your own topic.
What texts do I include?
You do not need to include everything that you have read. Select the key theorists that have written about your subject, or different areas within your subject, and group them into themes which will provide your structure. Include any canonical texts first, as this will show that you have read these texts, and then developed your thesis by reading beyond this. You do not need to discuss every theory written by each writer; just include the theories relevant to your subject.
What does a literature review entail?
Introduction - an overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration.
Organise your review - group authors who draw similar conclusions and then compare and contrast different authors' views on an issue.
Be critical - note areas in which authors are in disagreement. You need to consider each author's arguments and how they support this with evidence (case studies, narratives, statistics, etc). Ask yourself if the author is objective. Are they biased? Has information been ignored?
Link your own arguments into your critical analysis and use quotes if needed. (Less is more in a literature review). Remember to cite references accurately. (See Referencing Text sources using the Harvard Style)
Relate your own study to previous studies. Show how your study fits in with the reviewed literature and identify gaps in research.
What is your conclusion? Which arguments are the most convincing and why, and which make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of this subject?
Using academic language
Use academic language which is formal, cautious and grammatically correct. Academic writing uses the passive voice (It was found that), opposed to the more personal active voice (I find that).
You should use logical reasoning.
Do not use slang or words such as 'actually' or 'basically'.
You should avoid using first person (I, me, my, we or our).
- How do I write a literature review?
- What does a literature review entail?
- Using academic language
- An example of an academic literature review
- Download: Literature review study guide
What is a literature review?
A literature review is not to be confused with a book review. It surveys scholarly articles, books, journal articles and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference papers) relevant to a particular subject, theory or area of research and provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work.
It is not a review of what has been said, but an analytical synthesis of sources that have contributed to your research. You must show awareness of the differing arguments and theories. By reviewing the literature of your subject, you will become familiar with differing methods and perspectives.
If you read any academic book or article, you will find an example of a literature review in the introduction.
What is the purpose of a literature review?
The purpose is to demonstrate your knowledge of the significant literature within your topic and to have critically evaluated it.
A literature review:
- Identifies areas of prior scholarship to set your subject in the context of previous studies.
- Places each work in the context of its contribution to knowledge of the subject under review.
- Describes how each study relates to the other.
- Identifies gaps in previous research and emphasises new ways to interpret the subject.
- Proposes areas for further research.
A good literature review, is critical (without criticising) of the literature significant to the subject. It raises questions and highlights areas which need further research. You will need to have narrowed down your topic before you write the literature review and have a title.
Structuring your review
The literature review is not a shopping list. You should not write about one author, followed by another and then another. Instead, structure it into themes according to your thesis. You would then relate it to your own topic.
What texts do I include?
You do not need to include everything that you have read. Select the key theorists that have written about your subject, or different areas within your subject, and group them into themes which will provide your structure. Include any canonical texts first, as this will show that you have read these texts, and then developed your thesis by reading beyond this. You do not need to discuss every theory written by each writer; just include the theories relevant to your subject.
What does a literature review entail?
Introduction - an overview of the subject, issue or theory under consideration.
Organise your review - group authors who draw similar conclusions and then compare and contrast different authors' views on an issue.
Be critical - note areas in which authors are in disagreement. You need to consider each author's arguments and how they support this with evidence (case studies, narratives, statistics, etc). Ask yourself if the author is objective. Are they biased? Has information been ignored?
Link your own arguments into your critical analysis and use quotes if needed. (Less is more in a literature review). Remember to cite references accurately. (See Referencing Text sources using the Harvard Style)
Relate your own study to previous studies. Show how your study fits in with the reviewed literature and identify gaps in research.
What is your conclusion? Which arguments are the most convincing and why, and which make the greatest contribution to the understanding and development of this subject?
Using academic language
Use academic language which is formal, cautious and grammatically correct. Academic writing uses the passive voice (It was found that), opposed to the more personal active voice (I find that).
You should use logical reasoning.
Do not use slang or words such as 'actually' or 'basically'.
You should avoid using first person (I, me, my, we or our).
Monday, 27 October 2014
Blog Presentations: Timetable
Presentation Dates:
28th October:
|
Kristy Brown, Molly Carter, Jen Cunningham, Sophie
Dalrymple
|
4th November:
|
Rachael Davidson, Levy Furey, Devin Gilbraith, Kayleigh
Johnson
|
11th November:
|
READING
WEEK
|
18th November:
|
TUTORIALS
|
25th November:
|
Sarah Ketchin, Laura Krusinskyte, Veronica Nolasco,
Karen O'Leary, Kirsty O'Neil
|
2nd December:
|
Vaso Papadopolou, Gil Parker, Sophie Scott, Natalie
Smith, Victoria Strachan
|
9th December:
|
ASSESSMENTS
GROUP PERFORMANCES/PRESENTATIONS
|
For
the presentations:
(they are only 2-5mins each max) I
would like you to consider:
1.How your
independent instrumental/vocal work is developing.
2.What your
ideas are for your independent work.
3.Show how
you might have drawn some ideas from the lectures so far.
You can play
some examples from your blog to support your points.
Tuesday, 21 October 2014
Monday, 20 October 2014
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Monday, 13 October 2014
Sunday, 12 October 2014
A taste of what this weeks session has in store...Improvisation
Limb, C (2011) TED Talks: Your Brain on Improv. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_your_brain_on_improv?embed=true
(Accessed 12/10/2014)
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Selby (2006)The making of the modern vocalist: become a great singer in 9 lessons. London, Songetry.
Some of you expressed an interest in developing your vocal techniques. This book is a good starting point, I will look up some more tutorial-based ones and add them to here in the near future:
Monday, 6 October 2014
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Monday, 29 September 2014
Levitin, D (2006) This is Your Brain on Music: Understanding a human obsession. London, Atlantic Books.
This is the Google link to the reading from last week:
Friday, 26 September 2014
Week 1 PowerPoint
This is the PowerPoint from week 1's session. I will also make this available on SunSpace so it is downloadable.
Saturday, 13 September 2014
What is Musicianship?
Musicianship is a broad concept that covers a complex range of musical abilities, [...] it is loosely defined as the ability to ‘think in sound’. This occurs when a musician is able to produce music which they perceive internally and in the imagination, whether through playing by ear, singing, reading from notation, or through improvisation.
(ABRSM, 2014)
(ABRSM, 2014)
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