Practice rehearsals

here are some dated practice rehearsals that I recorded on my phone over the past couple of weeks. I have tried to put them to the actual blog post, however I have written too many blogs and can't go back to edit them. So, I am making a brand new blogpost where I will analyse the practice sessions.


https://youtu.be/_CoZzm-Qz_4
practice of 'Seven' (V. Early on with one guitar) - BLOGPOST 3 (10/5/17)

Here is the first proper practice session of 'Seven' by Catfish and The Bottlemen. You can clearly hear that after the hour of rehearsing this song, we managed to get both the guitar and vocals really tight. I felt that this session was really productive as we managed to get a lot of work done in such a short space of time. I feel like this practice session could improve with the addition of another guitar, however we didn't have one at the time.

https://youtu.be/IIpTVaXOxBo

Development of 'Spaced' (messing with the lead guitar) BLOGPOST 8 (17/5/17)

Here is the second time we properly rehearsed 'Spaced' together. This was a week after we had written it, so we were really rough with the song. Throughout this video, you can hear the basis of what was to be the lead-line of the song, however we hadn't developed it far enough at this point. I feel like this practice session could improve by me, having all of the lead parts prepared and developed.

https://youtu.be/w5SbIFGJD1M

Practice at the park (Multicoloured Laces) BLOGPOST 13 (24/5/17)

Here is a practice of Multicoloured Laces at the park, quickly with only one guitar. You can hear in this video that we have managed to develop it into a quite a good structure and its a bit more polished than the other songs as we have practiced it more. I feel like this practice session could ave been better, if we had a clear structure that we could use, so that we know exactly when each other are playing what. This is clearly a problem when Guy mentions "I thought you were suppose to be soloing here, should I?" at 2:49 into the song.

https://youtu.be/LAI6dvdl218

Practice at the park/river with Sophie ('Spaced' with one guitar) BLOGPOST 29 (20/6/17)

In this video you can hear one guitar being played by Guy Ferris and Sophie Pagni singing along with it. Throughout the video, it is clear that we have progressed as a band and have developed the song into a catchy, very well practiced song (Sophie is still trying to learn the lyrics though, as she joined the group fairly recently at this point)

Evaluation Of The Performance

Last night, ‘Port Jackson’ performed at the Star Inn, Guildford. Here, we performed a 15-minute set of original material in front of a crowd of people, as part of our Project 4 task. In the build up to this event, we prepared ourselves as much as we could over 8 weeks, by composing some originals and rehearsing them as much as possible. My band consisted of Me, Guy Ferris and Sophie Pagni (Sophie wasn’t present at the performance due to her throat). Despite all of this, I feel that the performance was very successful.

What went well:

Both Guy and I played very well despite the loss of an important member. We managed to play the whole set, while still managing to keep the crowd entertained throughout the whole of it. Both the rhythm parts and the lead parts were played flawlessly and my guitar solo on the last song went very well too. With the right pitches, bends and timing.

The songs we performed were:

Spaced – Original song

Quarry Street – Original song

Multi-coloured Laces – Original song

Both Guy and I made our greatest efforts to really have stage presence and looking back on the performance I feel like we fulfilled this. We did this through moving about onstage and utilising the space that was provided. We also remained as a strong team throughout the performance by looking at each other and interacting with each other through the instrumental breaks and solos. Throughout the first song of the performance, I managed to get all of the crowd clapping. This was good as it meant the crowd had to give their full attention and get off of their mobile phones or put whatever they had in their hands. I also feel that we kept the crowd engaged over the whole of the performance. At the end of the performance we found that some people cried because of how emotional the last song was.

My contribution to the performance:

I feel like I contributed a lot to this performance, with not only composing the originals with Guy, but organising rehearsals for the bands and booking practice rooms. I also stayed on top of all of the work by blogging everyday. In doing this, I was more critical of what I was achieving each day, thus increasing my workflow.

Image and technique:

I feel like our image was also very good and represented how we sound. For our image we chose to wear very formal clothes such as a suit and tie, however we added a twist by painting our faces with flowers and glitter to give everyone another aspect to what we feel the music represents. I feel that my technique was very good as I used a lose wrist to play all of the chords and utilised alternative picking when it came to the lead parts and solos.

Rehearsals:

I also feel that the build up to this through our rehearsals was very effective, despite the absence of Sophie for some of them. We managed to practice all of the songs with adequate timing just in case any changes were made. Much like the change from ‘Seven’ to our original ‘Quarry Street’. I feel that it was a good decision to rehearse extra songs, just incase this scenario happened. The only downside to rehearsing another song, is that we have to distribute our rehearsal time differently, which means that it can take away from the other songs that we are rehearsing.

I feel like throughout these rehearsals, I contributed a lot and was on time for every rehearsal. I also got everyones schedules for the week and compiled them to get times in the day that we were all free to practice. This was a good decision as I found our work flow increased when I done this. Despite only having just 8 weeks to get everything ready, I feel like we pulled it off.

Sticking to my action plan?
Over these past 8 weeks, I have stuck to my action plan closely. Keeping track on what I should be doing over each week and how I should get to doing it. I feel like making an action plan was really effective and it is a wise decision, that I will definitely consider when in the same kind of scenario again.

Problems:

I only had two problems throughout the event, however I managed to push through them and be positive throughout the gig. The first problem that I experienced was having to change the set for the performance, due to Sophie losing her voice (and deciding not to perform). Because of this, Guy and I decided to change ‘Seven’ by Catfish and the Bottlemen to an original called ‘Quarry Street’.

Another problem that I experience was when I first walked onstage. I experience a lot of nerves throughout the first song, and subsequently played a handful of dead notes during my fast guitar part in the first verse. A solution to this problem is to start become experienced, by playing gigs outside of college, so that I become more confident onstage.

Other than these small problems, everything went very well, and I was very happy with the outcome of the performance.

Watching from an audiences perspective:

After watching the show from an audience member’s perspective, I feel like I had the wrong kind of tone. I feel like it needs to be more overdriven and fatter than it was, as it sounded very weak. A solution to this would be to possibly reconsider what amp tones I choose and what guitar i will choose. Maybe choosing a solid body over a semi-hollow guitar. I also feel that I should have been a bit louder than Guy, however when up on stage you can never tell who is louder, so I left it like that. A solution to this would have been to ask the tech to turn me up louder that I was.

Goals from previous projects:

Goal 1: 'This meant making sure i was completely in tune, i had the right effects that suited the performance and i was ready to play.' Here is a quote from one of my previous tasks. I truly feel as if I have met this goal, as both Guy and I made sure we were in tune way before the performance began and we double checked shortly before we went onstage.

Goal 2: 'If the task arose again, I would definitely take more control of the groups that I choose to be in. I feel that before this, I didn’t have a good idea upon different people and how they work. So, if I had the chance to perform again, I would definitely choose people who are willing to practice'. I also feel as if i have met this goal too, as I chose Guy Ferris (who i knew was determined) to be in my group.

Goal 3: My final goal was to improve on my stage fright. I feel like despite my worries at the start of the gig, i slowly overcame my problem and was completely fine when it came to the final song.

Overall, I feel like with all of the goals i have set for myself over this year in ACM. I have overcome them when applying them to this project.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I am very happy with my final performance as a whole and I feel that I gave it my best shot. Throughout the build up to this performance I overcame a lot of issues and problems to finally get to this outcome. I also collaborated with Guy Ferris when writing the songs and am overjoyed that we got to perform our originals with a crowd that really appreciated them. On this journey, I also learnt a lot of new things about my peers and have further developed not only a musical partnership with Guy but a very good friendship too.

3 targets to improve upon for future development:

1.     I feel like I should make a deadline for when a song should be practiced and completed. In doing so, I will be able further increase my workflow.

2.     I feel like I should definitely consider tones and variation in my gear. I could do this by possibly incorporating some pedals into the performance to make my tone stand out when I solo or to make the sounds more interesting to the ear. I should also definitely consider what guitar I use and how this will affect my sound, as I didn't feel that the Semi-hollow guitar was adequate for this performance.

3.     I feel like I should consider playing more gigs. In doing so, this will allow me to become more experienced and handle situations in a different matter. such as my stage fright that was present at the start of the performance.

DAY OF THE PERFORMANCE!

Today, went very well despite some major problems before the gig. The biggest being that Sophie lost her voice and decided not to sing. This was very bad however didn't come as a surprise due to the severity of it the day before. Because of this, Guy Ferris had to sing the part and we had to make a minor change to the setlist by changing our cover of 'Seven' to an original called 'Quarry Street'. Despite these problems the show went very well and I am very happy with the outcome. I have written a more in depth look into the performance in my 'Evaluation Of The Performance' blog. (Both Guy and I will accompany Sophie on a retake of the performance next week)

here is the makeup for the performance:
We decided to get some very bright flower and dot designs. We decided on this design, as we felt that it represented ourselves and the style of music that we played, as it harks back to a very hippie type of culture that we feel has influenced some of the lyrical ideas in our music. We also decided to wear really formal clothes. Our fashion choice was heavily influenced by Catfish and The Bottlemen, as they choose to wear nice shirts and have a black and white theme (as pointed out in my research). However we chose to add a twist to conventional styles of ordinary bands by applying face paint. Here you can see Guy and Sophie with the face paint just before the gig.

Blogpost 35 28/06/17 (WEDNESDAY)

Today, we managed to practice as group and go through all the songs. Today was a very useful day as everyone managed to arrive on time for all of the lectures and were willing to cover the songs. However their was quite a large set back, which was that Sophie was slowly losing her voice. This is very inconvenient, however their was nothing I could do about it. Eventually when we went to go and practice in Events Management Sophie's voice started to properly deteriorate and so she stopped singing and rested.
Other than this fairly large problem, the day went very well. The aim for tomorrow is to go over all of the songs again as a group and get prepared for the performance in the evening.

Blogpost 34 27/06/17 (TUESDAY)

Today, the group did not manage to practice due to arrangement issues and one of the members falling ill. This is definitely not good as the performance is very fast approaching now and we still haven't organised any practices as a group for this week, which is very worrying. I did however manage to practice all of my parts at home and continue refining them to the best standard possible.

the aim is practice as a group and go over all of the songs multiple times until we have it to a really good standard.

Blogpost 33 26/06/17 (MONDAY)

Today, I organised a practice for the whole band due to the performance fast approaching on Thursday. We organised it for 4:30, however Sophie did not turn up till 6:10 due to personal issues. This was not ideal due to the performance deadline being so close, however I couldn't do anything about this. We did manage to get in a short practice as group before we left though.

Our group also had a collaborated over social media and ended up with our facepaint designs, influenced by the hippie culture of the 60s (which ideas and topics feature prominently in the lyrics of our songs).
Here is what we have decided to settle on for the make up:

The aim for next practice is to play as a whole group and run through all of the songs.

Blogpost 32 23/06/17 (FRIDAY)

Today, Guy and I practiced for a very short time and just ran through a couple of things that we wanted to. We were planning to run through it all with Sophia as that is where most of the improvements are needed, however she didn't make it due to personal commitments. I felt that this session was not as good as I would have liked it to be.

The aim for Monday is to work with Sophia and Guy and finish up on the vocal harmonies. I also want to book a time when we can all meet up for certain, with no problems or commitments and practice as a group.

Blogpost 31 22/06/17 (THURSDAY)

On Thursday, Guy, Sophia ran through the set to just recap on the work. This session was not as productive as i would have liked it to be as it was so short, due to other commitments. However, it was good enough.

The aim is to rum through the set properly with Sophia, a number of times till we can get all of the vocal parts and harmonies right.

Blogpost 30 21/06/17 (WEDNESDAY)

Today, both Guy and I practiced for 4 hours in both Band Skills and Events Management. This was very productive as we managed to run through the songs a lot of times. Slowly refining them each time we played them. The only draw back was that Sophia didn't show up due to personal issues.This did set us back quite a bit as we were planning to work on Harmonies with Sophia for that day.

The aim for the whole band is to work on harmonies with Sophia on some of the tracks.

Blogpost 29 20/06/17 (TUESDAY)

Today, I went to go and see Guy and Sophia by the river down the road as it was such a hot day. Here, we managed to practice through the whole of the set and update Sophia on the minor changes that we made to the songs.

My aim for this whole week is to get all of the songs to the best of my ability with the rest of the band, and finish the vocal harmonies with Sophia.

Blogpost 28 19/06/17 (MONDAY)

Today, both guy and I practiced for 2 hours. Throughout this session, we ran through the set three times and ironed out all of the errors that came up throughout. Both Guy and I found this to be a really good way to work and we managed to sort a couple of problems with the solo parts and timing issues with the rhythm sections.

My aim for next week is to continue working on the songs until I get it to the best standard i can possibly get.

Stage Plan / Tech Spec / Health & Safety

STAGE PLAN

Here is my stage plan for the concert at the Star Inn pub in Guildford. Here you can see that we have laid the stage out so that Sophia is in the middle doing vocals, Guy Ferris is stage left with the guitar DI'd and a microphone for singing, and I am stage right with an acoustic guitar and amplifier.

Here is the tech spec to the performance. 

In channel 1, you can see that we have listed Sophia (lead vocalist) to just have an SM58 microphone. 

In channel 2, you can see their is just an SM58 listed for Guy Ferris (lead vocalist)

In channel 3, we have listed an amp for me, that i will plug into before the show. we have also listed me to have an SM57 microphone however this is just an error.

In channel 4, their is just a straight DI for Guy Ferris Playing rhythm guitar.

Here is monitor mix 1, with lead vocals, rhythm guitar, BVs and lead guitar in monitor mix 1.

Monitor mix 2 which also contains lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar and BVs.

RISK ASSESSMENT

This a check list that we go over to decide on the risk that we might face, and the severity of the risk.

when then go onto talking about them in the Risk assessment form (Part B).

here is the risk assessment form. This just covers over what the problems are and how we can combat them when it comes to the performance. An example of one of the problems we might face, is Noise. This is a problem because too much noise can deafen you. A way we might combat this is by wearing earplugs. This then reduces the severity of the risk as we have some sort of protection that combats the problem.

Evidence Of Collaboration

Evidencing collaboration

Emails:

Throughout the past couple of weeks the group have been exchanging emails, about what we had to do and how we would do it. However this eventually got to hard to do as it took along time to receive the emails, as all of the members didn’t have their emails open and logged out after they had been on it. We eventually gave up with this idea and chose to use Instagram messenger throughout the rest of the weeks.

Here is an example of what we discussed:

Instagram group chat:

Here the exchange of conversation was much easier on all of us as we all have Instagram on our phones, so we could see the conversation as it was happening. This was really useful to brainstorm ideas and gather inspiration from each other, as it was very quick and easy.

Here is an example of what we discussed:

Texting:

Throughout the past couple of weeks, Guy, Sophia and I have been texting each other as a standard form of communication. We used this generally to remind each other on rehearsal times and other important events such as meet ups and band pictures.

Here is evidence of our discussion:

                 

    

Peer evaluation:

We also got peer evaluation from each other when performing the songs to different people. We generally got a lot of peer evaluation from Sophia, as she wasn’t in our group at the time but use to tag along on our rehearsals, as she didn’t have a band. I have no evidence of collaboration for this  however this was very helpful as it really refined our songs.

Poster for the gig + Online Promotion

Poster 1

For our first poster, we decided to take direct influence from Oasis, who we take a lot of inspiration from in our song writing. In this poster, we took inspiration from Oasis's debut album 'Definitely Maybe' by trying to recreate the album cover and the way they are positioned in the image. We also chose the colours for the poster to be very contrasted and lazy as we feel that this represents who we are, with our very laid back, happy kind of sound.

We also took a lot of inspiration from the text art and the cursive style of text that they used.  Here, we tried our best to replicate but added our own twist to it, with the addition of different coloured text.

I feel that this poster is very chilled and relaxed, much like Oasis's album cover and has a very acoustic looking quality to it.

Poster 2

Here is our second poster. For this design, we took direct inspiration from the 1998 video game "Grand Theft Auto". Our idea behind this, was to have a very nostalgic feeling around the poster, due to the use of the 90s style media. Here is the original cover art for "Grand Theft Auto":

We decided to use this, as it was very popular at the time that bands such as Oasis where at their peak and we feel that it really represents our sound because of this.

I feel that this poster is very nostalgic and stand out from the crowd due to the influences that we used, such as the colours and pictures

The poster that we have decided to use is Poster 1 as we feel that it best represents us, with its very laid back looking vibe.

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Online promotion -

We promoted ourselves online through a Facebook page that Guy Ferris made. Here is some pictures of the page.

Here you can see the front page for Port Jackson's Facebook page.

Here, you can see the gig date, displayed on the page

Setlist For The Show

The setlist for the show is:

Other Song (On My Head)

Seven by Catfish and the bottlemen

Multicoloured Laces

The reason why we chose the setlist to be this way, is because of the tonality of the songs. The first song is fairly upbeat and will get the crowd going as it is very enjoyable to listen to. This song is also very enjoyable to play and is very happy and upbeat. We feel that this will also draw in the attention of the crowd more than a slow song would to start.
We then chose 'Seven' by Catfish and The Bottlemen as the next song due to the popularity of the song and the fact that people can tap their feet to it as it has a really good rhythm running all of the way through it.
We then progress into the last song (Multicoloured Laces). We chose this song as we feel it is the best of all of the songs and has a very laid back, calming vibe to it that we feel is perfect as a final song.

Blogpost 27 16/06/17 (FRIDAY)

Today, I didn't manage to practice however i did manage to stock up on my guitar picks through purchasing 24 of them on eBay for £8. The reason for not practicing was that i have been trying to focus on getting all of my work done and ready for the deadline next Monday.

Blogpost 26 15/06/17 (THURSDAY)

Today, Guy, Sophia and I managed to practice for a short while. Throughout this session we covered over the other song (Which currently under a working title of 'On My Head') and sorted out some of the vocal harmonies. This practice session was really good and useful as we did manage to get a lot of work done (which was much needed, knowing the amount of time that we have left)

the aim for the next practice session is to finish all of the vocal harmonies with Sophia on all of the songs.

This includes:
Multicoloured Laces
On my Head
Seven (Catfish and the Bottlemen cover)

Blogpost 25 14/06/17 (WEDNESDAY)

Today, I managed to practice with Guy and Sophia for a really in-depth rehearsal for 2 hours throughout Band Skills. We managed to cover all of the songs really well and got the vocal harmonies to a very good standard on multicoloured laces with the help of Tom Stevens. We also managed to come up with a solo that i can play again and again without having to improvise my way through the song. This is really useful, as now i can practice the whole song straight through on my own.

My next task is to complete all of the vocal harmonies with Guy and Sophia for all of the songs. This will be the very useful as then we can progress to completely finalising the songs with Sophia.

Blogpost 24 13/06/17 (TUESDAY)

Today, we didn't manage to practice as all of the band members had other commitments, However i did manage to get in a short practice of 20 minutes. Throughout this practice, i worked on the scales and notes that i should use to solo, that fit really well with the song. I feel that this practice was fairly useful however i still really need to rehearse Seven with guy as that is the song that i am least practiced on.
My aims are also the same, as nothing has progressed.

Blogpost 23 12/06/17 (MONDAY)

Today, I practice with just Guy for 2 hours, as Sophia had other commitments. Throughout this session we managed to cover all of the songs, and carried on slightly tweaking what we are doing to them to get them more refined. This practice session was very long and tiring however i feel that this was very good as it got us really prepared to perform as we know what we are doing and how we are going to do it. The only problem that we encountered was trying to pay attention to the task, as it was such a hot day. We soon found ourselves changing subjects after about 10 minutes of intense practice.  such as starting write a new song or noodle.

Aims for next session:
My aim for next session is to work together as a group and help decide on vocal harmonies for other songs with Sophia.

Blogpost 22 09/06/17 (FRIDAY)

Today, we didn't manage to practice as both Guy and Sophia had other commitments, however i did have a very short practice of 'multicoloured laces'. I feel that this practice didn't do much apart from make me more confident in what i am playing.

my aim for next time is still the same because i didn't see Guy and Sophia.

Blogpost 21 08/06/17 (THURSDAY)

Today, I practiced with the group for 1 hour. We managed to practice the vocal harmonies with Sophia and work on them a bit. I feel that this practice was quite good. However, I feel that this could have been made better by us managing to complete all of the vocal harmonies for one song, so that we could atlas have got something to practice properly instead of making improvements and changes.

My aim for next session:

Is to practice with Sophia and Guy, and manage to work on a song until we can play it with no problems and make no further adjustments to it.

Blogpost 20 07/06/17 (WEDNESDAY)

Today, I practiced with Guy Ferris and Sophia Pagni throughout the Band Skills lesson. This practice was really important as we had to fit Sophia into our group. I feel that we did manage to achieve this though, with not much of an issue. We managed to play through the songs and slowly start to work on harmonies and helping Sophia learn the harmonies to the songs. However i do feel that we really need to practice this in order to get this correct as it looks pretty hard to do, however i guess this just takes some time.

We also went over to the Star Inn to write out our Stage plan, Tech spec and Risk assessment. (separate blogpost)

my aim for next session is:
To practice as a full band and get sophia to work out what the vocal harmonies are to the songs.

Blogpost 18 06/06/17 (TUESDAY)

Today, I practiced with only Guy Ferris, so that we could just try to get our guitar parts tighter than before. We practiced for roughly 1 hour and covered all of the songs. I feel that this was another good refresher from that fairly long break that we had before.

My next task is:
to practice as a full band with Sophia Pagni, so she can learn all of the parts and fit into the band. This is very important as we only have a very short amount of weeks until the concert, and we all want to be very tight.

Blogpost 17 05/06/17 (MONDAY)

On Monday, i didn't get the chance to practice with Guy as he had other commitments. However, I did get the chance to practice at home for 30 minutes. Throughout this session, I managed to practice all of the lead lines to multicoloured laces. This was quite useful practice as it was a good refresher on the song after the changes that we had made throughout the half term.

My aim next time is:
Practice all of the changes that we made with Guy and Sophia.

The Star Inn (Pub Visit) 08/06/17 (WEDNESDAY)

On Wednesday, I went to the Star Inn throughout my events management class. Here, I checked out my surroundings and the pub layout. When we arrived Guy, Sophia and I stepped up onto the stage to  decide on our stage plan setup. Here, we decided on putting Sophia in the middle of the stage and Guy (Stage Left) and me (Stage Right). After this, we also went and completed our stage plan sheet. Throughout this sheet, it contained a stage plan, tech spec and a risk assessment.

Half term (1 week) | Blogpost 16

Over the half term, i had been travelling a lot with my dad so i didn't have as much time as I would have liked throughout the break. However here is a list of what i had achieved throughout the break:

Monday: I managed to practice 'Multicoloured Laces' for 30 minutes. I also worked on the chorus section and have managed to develop something that sounds a lot better than what i was doing before. I feel that this sounds better, as it is different to what Guy plays.

Tuesday: I didn't manage to practice, as i was working on my side project, which is also very important.
The group also got a very big change made to it by the addition of a new member. Our new member Sophia Pagni is now our singer along with Guy. So our group has changed to a trio.

Wednesday: I managed to practice for about 30 minutes. Throughout this practice, i managed to cover all of the songs, and go over some of the struggles that I had with Seven by Catfish and the bottlemen.

Thursday: I did not manage to practice anything, as i went on a road trip with my dad for the day.

Friday: I chatted to Guy Ferris over skype and we exchanged improvements on our guitar parts and any changes we wanted to make with the song. Guy came up with the idea to prolong the transition into the chorus by one bar in order to make it easier to play.

Saturday: I practiced for 1 hour. Throughout this practice, i managed to cover all of the songs, and iron out a lot of the problems that I had. One problem that I did encountered that i couldn't fix, was playing Seven by catfish and the bottlemen, as it is very hard to practice the lead guitar with nothing backing it.

Sunday: I didn't manage to practice at all, as i had a lot to do that day. Throughout this day I worked on the side project.

Blogpost 15 26/5/17 (FRIDAY)

Today, I practiced the lead lines to the song for 30 minutes. This was quite a good refresher on what i have to play as we have been focusing on other thing for the past week and i have been quite busy outside of college. I also still have the same task to do.

Blogpost 14 25/5/17 (THURSDAY)

Today, I didn't manage to practice as it was extremely hot and i really didn't feel like sitting inside, however i did manage to discuss the verse lyrics with Guy and we do have some sort of plan. So now we just have to get round to doing it.

My next task is to finish the verse and in corporate Sophia into the group.

Blogpost 13 24/5/17 (WEDNESDAY)

Today, I managed to practice with Guy for about 3 hours throughout our sessions. However we have had a bit of a mixup with the groups as Sophia Pagni had to join our group. This waisted quite a lot of our much needed practice time, but its ok. We also didn't really get a lot done as Sophia kept on interrupting the practice. However, we did manage to practice 'Beggin' by Madcon as Sophia wanted to cover this.

My aim for next session is to incorporate Sophia into our group and find out what we will have to change and incorporate into the songs.

Blogpost 12 23/5/17 (TUESDAY)

Today, i managed to practice for roughly 1 hour. Throughout this session, i managed to come up with more ideas, write a lead line and write some more lyrics for the verse.

Blogpost 11 22/5/17 (MONDAY)

Today, i didn't practice with Guy as i don't usually on a Monday and Tuesday due to his other band commitments. I also didn't manage to practice today as i had other things to do. However, i did manage to go over too andirons to get new guitar strings and picks, to be ready for the assessment.
I also still have the same aims for my next practice session.

Blog Post 10 19/5/17 (FRIDAY)

Today, we didn't manage to practice. However, i did continue to practice at home for 1 hour and come up with some lyrical ideas for the verse that needs to be written. I have also got new ideas for another song however at this stage, i don't think we need more songs as we already have quite a lot.

My task for the next practice session is to show Guy the ideas that i have come up with and start to develop them and try to finish this verse.

Blog Post 9 18/5/17 (THURSDAY)

Today, I rehearsed with Guy Ferris for an hour. I felt that this session was very productive as we continued to develop the songs that we had written. However, we did not manage to write the 2nd verse of our song. throughout this session, we worked on continuing to practice our songs to a decent standard and ironing out some timing problems that we had.

my task for the next session is to write the verse for our new song. We will also continue to develop and write new songs.

The Wytches gig | 3rd April 2017

On the 3rd of April 2017, i went to go and see The Wytches at The Boileroom. I really enjoyed this gig and i really enjoy their music. Though their was a problem, as I had to bring my guitar to the gig as i had an assessment that day, so i didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, as i had to look after my guitar throughout it and make sure no one crushed it. At the end of the gig i went to go and buy a shirt from the stall and got to speak to the drummer and bassist. I then managed to meet the rest of the band after the concert and i got my guitar signed by them and got to have a conversation with the lead singer.

Blog Post 8 17/5/17 (WEDNESDAY)

Today, both Guy and I had a 4 hour session as we were practicing throughout both of our lectures. Throughout these lectures we managed to write a whole song. This song is currently under the working title of 'Multi-coloured Laces', however we are not certain on the real title of the song. I feel that throughout these lectures, we have managed a lot of work and i feel that we have also vastly improved upon the song(s) we are covering.

My task for our next session is to continue practicing the song and try and get it to a really good standard. We will also continue try to write a new song if we can with the spare ideas that we have made.

Blog Post 7 16/5/17 (TUESDAY)

Today, I have continued to practice the songs and have also written a new idea. I feel that my workflow is going really good, as I am doing things to the deadlines and sticking to my action plan. In sticking to my plan it will means that i can reach the declines of projects on time and understand what i will be doing, and when.

My task for next session, will be to start to develop the songs with Guy and make a full song by the end of the lesson.

Blog Post 6 15/5/17 (MONDAY)

Today and over the weekend, I have done approximately 4 hours practice in total for the assessment, as I have another project that I also have to spend a lot of time on. Throughout these practice sessions, i have managed to practice all of my parts and come up with two original ideas that i think are worthy of developing. I have also discussed more songs that we should cover and we have chosen to play an original instead. This is because we believe we can write a new song with the ideas we have collated.

My task for next session is to continue on getting the ideas and songs down really tight. This will allow us to be more productive with our workflow as we will have already learnt the songs and will just need to piece it all together.

Blog Post 5 12/5/17 (FRIDAY)

Today I was planning on continuing working on the songs. However I forgot to organise another practice session with Guy and so the session didn't end up going ahead. However, I did manage to practice 'Seven' and our original at home for 1 hour. this session was not as productive as i would have liked it to be as i am playing both the lead and some rhythm part of the songs, so I will preferably need to have Guy playing along with me. However, I did manage to develop the new idea a bit more.

For both the Mondays and Tuesdays every week. Guy will not be able to practice with me as he is practicing in another group. However this allows me to practice my parts to the best of my ability before my next session with Guy. So my aim is to practice the songs we have been working on completely and learn a new song which we will decide over Email.

Blog Post 4 11/5/17 (THURSDAY)

On Thursday, both Guy and I booked a practice room after our lessons for an hour. we chose to run it from 2:15 to 3:15. during this session we continued to practice our two songs. We also came up with a new idea that we will be working on during the coming weeks. Our aim for this session was to get our two song really tight and develop 'Seven' into a different style. We were also trying to come up with a good idea that we could use

I found this session to be really productive and i felt that we did meet our targets of developing 'Seven' into something really new.

My aims for the next session is to finalise the songs and continue to write and develop the new song.

Blog Post 3 10/5/17 (WEDNESDAY)

Both Guy and I worked on trying to get 'Seven' by Catfish And The Bottlemen to a decent standard. we both managed to play the whole of the song completely with no mistakes. After, we started to develop the song and start making some changes to it. After an hour of this, both Guy and I then progressed to writing an original. We both found that we had a really productive session, and we managed to complete finish a song. I really enjoyed this practice session as we have already progressed a lot in this project, despite only practicing for a very short number of days.

Though there was a problem with bands and the organisation problem with the college. So, throughout the events management session we did have to change things up and add members. This has made things really inconvenient for me as we will now have to organise a time that we can all practice at. The reason why i chose a duo was because we were only relying on ourselves to organise the practice session, which made progressing in this project very easy as we could choose when we wanted to practice. However, now we have to organise a room that has a drum kit and is accessible to whole band which is going to be a really hassle and stressful as i also have a lot of very important career commitments outside of college.

my aims for next session is to continue to practice playing 'Seven' and our original and write another song or idea that we could work around.

Blog Post 2 9/5/17 (TUESDAY)

Today, I focused on just learning how to play the songs on my own as Guy was practicing with another group. I found 'Seven' to be fairly easy to learn however since i was learning the Intro Solo, i found it kind of hard to play. As, on the recording the solo sits right back in the mix, so it is fairly of hard to hear. Other than this slight problem, i found that i have had quite a productive practice session.

My three aims for tomorrow are to:
practice 'Seven' with Guy and get it to a decent standard.
Write an original with Guy.
Discuss more songs that we could cover.

Blog Post 1 8/5/17 (MONDAY)

Today, both Guy and I discussed about what were going to play and how we are going to organise our practice sessions. After a fairly long discussion we settled on rehearsals on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Both guy and i decided on this as it is a really good timing for both of us. We also decided on our songs that we would practice for this week. We have decided on learning to play 'Seven' by Catfish and the bottlemen and play one Guy's own songs. At the moment, since we are still only in the preparation phase, there isn't anything that I feel I can improve on or criticise.

Review of practice routine from the past week

Here is my review on how I have found my practice routine to be over the past week. I have found that overall, it has been very well planned out and I have really enjoyed the routine.

How effective do you feel the routine has been?
I feel that my routine has been very effective with a focus on different topics and techniques everyday. I feel that there is a massive leap in my knowledge and skills as they were worked on regularly, unlike my normal practice routine, which consisted of noodling to a backing track and focusing on trying to compose good licks.

How easy was it to stick to the routine?
I found that the routine was easy to stick to apart from on theory based topics, which i found hard to concentrate on. As some of the theory that i was trying to learn, was really hard to get my head around.

What have you specifically improve on from your routine?
I have found that i have specifically improved on learning the modes and studying the uses of them, as before, I hadn't really looked at them in great detail, however now i believe that i have greater understanding on how to apply them to different things.

Have I improved from having a structured rehearsal?
Yes, i believe that i have improved and will continue to improve at a faster rate to which i would normally do with my previous routine.

Continuation with practice diary?
I have been continuing with my practice diary, and have stayed on top of it as i have felt that i have benefited greatly. I have found that it gets me more open to all different genres when looking for something to play.

Work Experience (so far)

I do not have a job at the moment, due to personal commitments after college and during the weekend however, i have learnt quite a lot and had quite a lot of experience in the music industry.

Experience i have had in the music industry:

I studied BTEC music in secondary school for two years. This then gave me the opportunities to:

• Set up for all of the Jazz concerts that were going on in my school.
• I went on tour with a Jazz band from my old school, where we travelled across France and played shows in town halls and public places in places like Monaco. All of the money that we raised went toward charity.

• Do Front Of House for the the talent contest twice, and take part in it.
• My BTEC group put on a concert where we hired bands for a show in the school hall. We raised over £150 for the school that night.
• I went around the Royal Albert Hall and found out about how they put on their shows.

• I have recorded tracks in the school's studio.

The skills that i have taken away form these experiences that i could apply to the music industry and my future in music:

A develop understanding of using a mixing desk and setting up equipment such as microphones. This is useful as i means that i don't need to rely on other people to setup equipment for a gig or the studio, as i can just do it myself.

A very developed understanding of using Logic Pro X and its features. This is useful as Logic is a widely used DAW and is sometimes very complicated and hard to use, This means that i will have a better knowledge of the different ways of using it.

To know what it takes to put on a concert. That includes hiring bands, getting all of the equipment and doing it all in a professional manner. It also means knowing how to advertise the event properly and professionally.

To understand what it takes to be a touring musician. This means respecting other musicians (on very long journeys) and setting up throughout different time frames.

A deep understanding of a music studio and how to run it efficiently throughout very short time frames.

A wide knowledge of all of the equipment that is used in the studio and the names of the items. This can help me greatly in the industry as it means that i can find different items quickly.

Knowledge on the different types of microphones. This is useful as it means i know what microphone i should use, for what instrument and how to apply them properly to different studio setups.