Unit 358 - Rehearsal Skills
Assessing my Practical Habits, Now and Start of the Course.
Completing this True or False table made me realise how much effort I put into my practises, but it has also shown me where I can improve, for example it made it evident that I need to improve with sight reading and getting better at practising my theory side to my instrument.
Evidence Of Rehearsals:
Diary Entry 1: Wednesday Jan 11th 2017
Today I met up with my band, Three Finger Salute, for our first rehearsal for the end of year gig at the end of May. Today's rehearsal was mostly used to pick the set list, making sure that the order and choice of songs will work well, understanding whether there are a wide range of different skills that I can use and demonstrate to make sure I have the best possible chance of having a good grade. We decided on four songs and the order of these. However we decided, in order for a wider range of skills and techniques that we'd crete a new original, which we named Eton Mess. I have a fill which comes after the second chorus which is a triplet fill. This means that I can demonstrate a wider range of techniques which adds to my performance. Our set list is: Roll With It - Oasis, Eton Mess - Three Finger Salute, Louie Louie - The Kingsmen, Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cherry - Three Finger Salute. We decided to have a mixture of originals and covers so that our performance would have the right amount of new and popular music for the audience. Roll With It is a classic Oasis song and is one of their most famous songs so we knew that if we started with this song it would get the crowd on our side and would make them get comfortable with us a ban and settle them into listening to our original, which they wouldn't have known. Here is the link to the video evidence of how we created Eton Mess. Eton Mess - Practise.
Diary Entry 2: Wednesday February 22nd 2017
Today I worked on cleaning our set list up with my band for the end of year performance. The song we created especially for this performance needed improving and we needed to get much more confident with our other songs too. However our main focus was getting Eton Mess up to scratch by stripping it back and looking at it in a creative way. We decided that bringing the triplet drum fill in straight after the chorus didn't work so we decided to create a 4 bar riff after the second chorus which led into the fill. This flowed much better. Also after the fill we decided that to make the song different that the fill would lead into the end of the song which would be played in halftime. This gave the song a uniqueness to the other songs in our set list, which together makes the set list more interesting and different.
Diary Entry 3: Wednesday 1st March 2017
Today I met up with my band to rehearse for the end of year performance in May, we have already spent a large majority of our rehearsal time focusing on making song for this event. So I decided that our main focus would be getting the other songs in our set list up to scratch with our new original. We decided to focus on our two ending songs, our cover of Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan, and our original Cherry, which would end the show. We decided to put these two songs at the end as they are very powerful songs with a lot of energy, which is ideal to end a set as the audience will always remember the last song they heard. But you also want to start well so they relax and enjoy the rest of the set. Couldn't Stand The Weather went really well and we managed to have our own slant on Stevie Ray Vaughan's song. We adapted the song to fit our style and we managed to make it sound very funky and driven. There are a lot of different parts to the song, which makes it have a very interesting structure which we enjoyed playing. The last song we play is called Cherry and is an original, we took a lot of inspiration from Stevie Ray Vaughan's Couldn't Stand The Weather by his funk style and different structure. The song carries a lot of energy so today we tried to make sure that the song kept the energy right the way through the song. Here is a clip of our song Cherry from today's rehearsal: Cherry - Practise.
Diary Entry 4: Wednesday 12th April 2017
Today I had a practise with my band for the end of year performance in May and we looked at the possibility of playing another original in the set list to show a broader picture of our own creativity. The song is called Cor Ne Adito which is Latin for Don't Rip Your Heart. After going through the song a couple of times we realised that it wouldn't fit into the set list well as it was pretty similar to Eton Mess and Louie Louie structure wise. Here is the clip of us playing Cor Ne Adito: Cor Ne Adito - Trial. The ending of the song we couldn't get right, and transitioning from the middle chorus into the bridge we found difficult as well so we decided to leave it and settle for the set list we already had ready.
Diary Entry 5: Wednesday 17th May 2017
With the final performance less than a week away we decided to go through the set list as we would on the day of the performance. This helped us figure out little details, for example transitioning from different songs and how the set flows. All in all we realised that the set list flowed well but there were just small details on how we ended songs so it could lead into the next. For example at the end of Roll With It we decided to go straight into Eton Mess by me clicking us in and then playing it as we usually would just so that the set flowed better and there wasn't any awkwardness on stage. We agreed that the order of songs worked really well as the energy builds throughout the whole set, which means that the listeners keep getting more after each song.
Diary Entry 6: Wednesday 23rd May 2017
Yesterday I had my final performance for my RSL Music Course and I chose to play with my band. We have been practising for this performance since early January in order to make sure we give a well structured and organised performance. It went really well, however we did have some unforeseen troubles. The main thing was the fact that my bass drum kept moving away as I used the kick pedal. This caused problems as James had to come up twice to sort it out, pushing it back into the right position. Luckily we decided to get some weights to make sure that it stopped moving, but thinking of these things is important in the future as it all contributes to how you look as a band and how ready you are to perform a professional set. However apart from this trouble the set went very well and we kept in time and tight, mostly because our rehearsals were very professional and we concentrated well through out the performance. As a whole the performance went very well. Here is our final performance: Final Performance 22/05/17. The main thing which we need to improve on is our stage presence and interaction with the audience. We are all quite static, meaning that it takes it away from the music as we don't seem as though we are selling ourselves or enjoying it. That's the main thing that we will take from the performance and make sure we improve for future gigs.
How I Wanted My Performance To Look and Feel:
I wanted my performance to look like a normal gig with my band. I didn't want any specific detail on my performance as in any other gigs it will be about the whole band and how we gel and communicate as a band and to the audience. So a basic set up was what I went for to not distract people from the music. In the terms of the feel of the performance, I wanted to create a lively and entertaining set. It is important for me that the audience feel apart of the performance and if we don't get the audience involved and enjoying their time you will never succeed as a musician as music is all about entertainment and enjoyment.
Equipment Needed:
I brought my own drum kit in so setting up that was quite simple, but making sure the other musicians in my band had working amps and cables was the main concern. We managed to use amps from college and they had brought their own cables. As a review it would've been better if we all brought what we needed as A) it looks more professional and B) it would've caused less hassle and it would've been a situation of just going straight into our sound check.
Rehearsal/Sound Check:
The Sound Check went really well as a whole. We warmed up with Couldn't Stand The Weather as thats what we always do in practises as it is a musically demanding song and it gets us all loose and ready to play. Afterwards we discussed what we were going to do in each song, a.k.a. solos, half time and double choruses. We then went through the set list in order and stopped anywhere we thought we needed to tweak to make it sound how it should. We didn't have to do this much and it went well.
However there could've been some improvements. For example we should've worked out and new whether we were going to have solos, half time sections and double choruses before our final rehearsal. Also we should've all faced each other so that we could communicate and understand the song sections more come the actual performance. Also our cables weren't taped down so there was always a trip hazard.
In the future we will be more confident in how each song will be played and improve on our communication during the rehearsal as we can talk to one another as its not a performance. Tape down the cables.
Review Of My Performance Through Feedback:
Based on my feedback I think my performance went well, the feedback I received was mostly positive and people liked the feel and atmosphere of the set. People also commented on our originals, saying they were very good and they were surprised with the quality of the songs.
Completing this True or False table made me realise how much effort I put into my practises, but it has also shown me where I can improve, for example it made it evident that I need to improve with sight reading and getting better at practising my theory side to my instrument.
Evidence Of Rehearsals:
Diary Entry 1: Wednesday Jan 11th 2017
Today I met up with my band, Three Finger Salute, for our first rehearsal for the end of year gig at the end of May. Today's rehearsal was mostly used to pick the set list, making sure that the order and choice of songs will work well, understanding whether there are a wide range of different skills that I can use and demonstrate to make sure I have the best possible chance of having a good grade. We decided on four songs and the order of these. However we decided, in order for a wider range of skills and techniques that we'd crete a new original, which we named Eton Mess. I have a fill which comes after the second chorus which is a triplet fill. This means that I can demonstrate a wider range of techniques which adds to my performance. Our set list is: Roll With It - Oasis, Eton Mess - Three Finger Salute, Louie Louie - The Kingsmen, Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cherry - Three Finger Salute. We decided to have a mixture of originals and covers so that our performance would have the right amount of new and popular music for the audience. Roll With It is a classic Oasis song and is one of their most famous songs so we knew that if we started with this song it would get the crowd on our side and would make them get comfortable with us a ban and settle them into listening to our original, which they wouldn't have known. Here is the link to the video evidence of how we created Eton Mess. Eton Mess - Practise.
Diary Entry 2: Wednesday February 22nd 2017
Today I worked on cleaning our set list up with my band for the end of year performance. The song we created especially for this performance needed improving and we needed to get much more confident with our other songs too. However our main focus was getting Eton Mess up to scratch by stripping it back and looking at it in a creative way. We decided that bringing the triplet drum fill in straight after the chorus didn't work so we decided to create a 4 bar riff after the second chorus which led into the fill. This flowed much better. Also after the fill we decided that to make the song different that the fill would lead into the end of the song which would be played in halftime. This gave the song a uniqueness to the other songs in our set list, which together makes the set list more interesting and different.
Diary Entry 3: Wednesday 1st March 2017
Today I met up with my band to rehearse for the end of year performance in May, we have already spent a large majority of our rehearsal time focusing on making song for this event. So I decided that our main focus would be getting the other songs in our set list up to scratch with our new original. We decided to focus on our two ending songs, our cover of Couldn't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan, and our original Cherry, which would end the show. We decided to put these two songs at the end as they are very powerful songs with a lot of energy, which is ideal to end a set as the audience will always remember the last song they heard. But you also want to start well so they relax and enjoy the rest of the set. Couldn't Stand The Weather went really well and we managed to have our own slant on Stevie Ray Vaughan's song. We adapted the song to fit our style and we managed to make it sound very funky and driven. There are a lot of different parts to the song, which makes it have a very interesting structure which we enjoyed playing. The last song we play is called Cherry and is an original, we took a lot of inspiration from Stevie Ray Vaughan's Couldn't Stand The Weather by his funk style and different structure. The song carries a lot of energy so today we tried to make sure that the song kept the energy right the way through the song. Here is a clip of our song Cherry from today's rehearsal: Cherry - Practise.
Diary Entry 4: Wednesday 12th April 2017
Today I had a practise with my band for the end of year performance in May and we looked at the possibility of playing another original in the set list to show a broader picture of our own creativity. The song is called Cor Ne Adito which is Latin for Don't Rip Your Heart. After going through the song a couple of times we realised that it wouldn't fit into the set list well as it was pretty similar to Eton Mess and Louie Louie structure wise. Here is the clip of us playing Cor Ne Adito: Cor Ne Adito - Trial. The ending of the song we couldn't get right, and transitioning from the middle chorus into the bridge we found difficult as well so we decided to leave it and settle for the set list we already had ready.
Diary Entry 5: Wednesday 17th May 2017
With the final performance less than a week away we decided to go through the set list as we would on the day of the performance. This helped us figure out little details, for example transitioning from different songs and how the set flows. All in all we realised that the set list flowed well but there were just small details on how we ended songs so it could lead into the next. For example at the end of Roll With It we decided to go straight into Eton Mess by me clicking us in and then playing it as we usually would just so that the set flowed better and there wasn't any awkwardness on stage. We agreed that the order of songs worked really well as the energy builds throughout the whole set, which means that the listeners keep getting more after each song.
Diary Entry 6: Wednesday 23rd May 2017
Yesterday I had my final performance for my RSL Music Course and I chose to play with my band. We have been practising for this performance since early January in order to make sure we give a well structured and organised performance. It went really well, however we did have some unforeseen troubles. The main thing was the fact that my bass drum kept moving away as I used the kick pedal. This caused problems as James had to come up twice to sort it out, pushing it back into the right position. Luckily we decided to get some weights to make sure that it stopped moving, but thinking of these things is important in the future as it all contributes to how you look as a band and how ready you are to perform a professional set. However apart from this trouble the set went very well and we kept in time and tight, mostly because our rehearsals were very professional and we concentrated well through out the performance. As a whole the performance went very well. Here is our final performance: Final Performance 22/05/17. The main thing which we need to improve on is our stage presence and interaction with the audience. We are all quite static, meaning that it takes it away from the music as we don't seem as though we are selling ourselves or enjoying it. That's the main thing that we will take from the performance and make sure we improve for future gigs.
How I Wanted My Performance To Look and Feel:
I wanted my performance to look like a normal gig with my band. I didn't want any specific detail on my performance as in any other gigs it will be about the whole band and how we gel and communicate as a band and to the audience. So a basic set up was what I went for to not distract people from the music. In the terms of the feel of the performance, I wanted to create a lively and entertaining set. It is important for me that the audience feel apart of the performance and if we don't get the audience involved and enjoying their time you will never succeed as a musician as music is all about entertainment and enjoyment.
Equipment Needed:
I brought my own drum kit in so setting up that was quite simple, but making sure the other musicians in my band had working amps and cables was the main concern. We managed to use amps from college and they had brought their own cables. As a review it would've been better if we all brought what we needed as A) it looks more professional and B) it would've caused less hassle and it would've been a situation of just going straight into our sound check.
Rehearsal/Sound Check:
The Sound Check went really well as a whole. We warmed up with Couldn't Stand The Weather as thats what we always do in practises as it is a musically demanding song and it gets us all loose and ready to play. Afterwards we discussed what we were going to do in each song, a.k.a. solos, half time and double choruses. We then went through the set list in order and stopped anywhere we thought we needed to tweak to make it sound how it should. We didn't have to do this much and it went well.
However there could've been some improvements. For example we should've worked out and new whether we were going to have solos, half time sections and double choruses before our final rehearsal. Also we should've all faced each other so that we could communicate and understand the song sections more come the actual performance. Also our cables weren't taped down so there was always a trip hazard.
In the future we will be more confident in how each song will be played and improve on our communication during the rehearsal as we can talk to one another as its not a performance. Tape down the cables.
Review Of My Performance Through Feedback:
Based on my feedback I think my performance went well, the feedback I received was mostly positive and people liked the feel and atmosphere of the set. People also commented on our originals, saying they were very good and they were surprised with the quality of the songs.
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