FInal Collaborative Project Progress Week By Week

Week 1

In week 1 i started my proposal and came to the conclusion my ep would be jazz based, this is because I hadn't worked on jazz music in quite a well and wanted to show the skills i had developed and compare these jazz pieces to my previous tracks, although i hadn't finished my proposal, i began to research what artists i thought i might be interested with using this website http://www.biography.com/people/nina-simone-9484532, this was useful because it helped me find artists similar to Miles Davis whom I wanted my research to be the basis of. By doing this I was on track to be able to start my first track, Conversement the following week.

Week 2

In week 2 I had gathered more website links and articles I would be using for my research so I added that to the my research notes blog draft and finished off my proposal. Furthermore I roughly understood the type of chords Miles Davis used so I had an idea for what key my Conversement would be in, thus I started working on that track. The notes i had gathered would make it easier to write up my research when it came to it.

Week 3

In week 3 I began working on my research, using the website links i gathered from the other weeks of preparation, I think spending a couple weeks on preparation made it easier to actually do the research because in this week i got a thick piece of research done. Furthermore in week 3 I decided that it would be best to ask some of my teachers who have worked within Jazz for some help and insight into the genre. Charlie Round-Turner played a big role in assisting me as he taught me about the many different modes which i will explain in a later blog post.

Week 4

In week 4 due to the help with Charlie, my track Conversement was all but finished, I spoke to all the artists with the exception of Eleanor that I would like to perform the second track Keep Us Safe, I also started the midi version of the second track, only adding notes to my research which i would develop later on. This helped because the artists were aware that I would be needing their assistance and would be ready if I called on them to record for me.

Week 5   

In week 5, once again Charlie helped with Keep Us Safe by adding inspiration to come up with the Nina Simone type chords, this helped because i was able to develop the rest of the song with ease after finding out what key I was using and following the chords, furthermore i continued the process of creating Keep Us Safe whilst researching Nina Simone so I got more influence as i proceeded. In addition i also let all the artists who I wanted to take part in performing live and recording of my track.

Week 6  

In week 6 Conversement was completely finished and ready to be bounced, the midi version of Keep Us Safe was finished, all i had to do was turn it into a score so the artists i required to play instruments and or sing would be able to do so, but this had proven difficulty, I was new to writing scores so it would take some time. But with the help of my teachers I was able to figure it out and write a score suitable to all those that needed it.

Week 7

In week 7 I uploaded all of the songs to my blog with the exception of the Herbie Hancock based song, as that week we had finished the recording but had run out of time to do the live performance of any of the songs. Since i had finished all the music I had a week to focus all my efforts on research, this helped because I had made notes of research to do and notes of sources i could use for my research. Also i spoke to Eleanor about singing on Keep Us Safe and recorded it on the friday.

Week 8

In week 8 i finished off my research double checking along the way and added my bibliography, i uploaded the final bit of youtube videos to be used in my research onto my blog and double checked everything was in order. i ensured everything was labelled correctly on my play and published.

Keep Us Safe Creation

The creation of Keep Us Safe

The beginning

When i first started working on the Nina Simone based track Keep Us Safe, there was no structure to the song. I had just started to work on any aspect of music i chose to with no plan or even clue of what key i was going to use, it sounded like the track below.

This is because I just had an idea of what instruments I wanted to use and no other plans. Below is what the track looked like within Logic. As you can see there's no structure or any plan or idea to help guide me. Furthermore the only Jazz related sound within the track was the horns, which had no structure either and didn't fit the rest of the songs.

In addition with the help from one of my teacher Charlie's, who spoke in detail about the different modes within Jazz, and after deciding what aspects from Nina Simone's Feeling Good I would take influence from, my work would come to look like the screenshot below. On the right side of the page I wrote down the key I was playing in to help ensure I stuck to that path, I also wrote down notes that would help produce the song, by making vague points on how I want the song to sound. This was helpful to me because it acted as guidelines for my song.

Furthermore the chords I used for the chords section which was the main bit that took influence from 'Feeling Good' were G minor, the C7 chord, Bb and D7 chords. At it differentiates between G minor and the C7 chord for the first 5 bars then for two bars it differentiates between Bb and the D7. This routine is the same throughout the song.

The melody was originally led by the trumpets and the keyboard, and still is in the midi version of the song  which is below. Using the same kind of idea as the antecedent and consequent phrase in Miles Davis's So What, I led the melody which starts on the keyboard into the horns which hit hard, giving the trumpets its own space with the exception of the drums helped made the trumpets the main aspect of the melody. However In the audio version of Keep Us Safe, I swapped the trumpets for the vocals as there was an issue with the recording of the vocals and we only had short time left to record the track.

The tempo of the song originally started at 100 beats per minute (bpm), I thought this was suitable at first, however after giving the score to the bass guitarist of the Keep Us Safe track and writing slow as an indicator on the score I decided it sounded better at 80 bpm. Furthermore the rhythm is held by the bass and rarely changes throughout the track, I chose to do this so the bass was calming and relaxing as a Nina Simone based piece should be.

The loudest instrument in the song would have to be the vocals for the audio version and trumpets for the midi version, this is done so the main piece of the melody is the most audible. I did this so the lyrics can be heard and so that the trumpet solo piece is as effective as it is. I had the bass and drums stay fairly quiet in the mix so that the way they repeat and are rarely changing wouldn't be cause much of a disturbance in the track.

The instruments used were; trumpets, keyboard, drums, bass guitar and vocals. The trumpets, keyboard and vocals play the melody being the loudest three in the mix, the keyboard also plays the chords that play just behind the melody but always with the keyboard melody but allowing space for the trumpet solo. The drums and bass carry the rhythm, being the quietest two instruments in the mix and being the most calming, relaxed instruments on the track.

The structure of the song, mainly follows, chords, keyboard melody with bass and drums underlying, followed by a trumpet solo with the allowance of the drums hidden under them followed by a different keyboard melody but the same chords and bass notes. This is done so the song isn't to complicated and is as comfortable to the ears as can be.

The lyrics in Keep Us Safe is a reaction to the police brutality happening all over the world but with the most reported issues in America. They were written by Eleanor in the level 3 music performance class and myself.

Below is the Keep Us Safe recoding process.

Checklist for Recording Studio

Checklist & Why

When I used the studio to record Keep Us Safe, I made a checklist so setting up the recording would be a lot more time efficient, below is the checklist for each individual band player. This made it easier so we didn't have to run in and out of the studio looking for the odd piece of equipment which would just prolong the recording as we were on a schedule. Not only was this efficient but i felt this was a professional manner of doing things which I will take on. When using studios which have to be booked and paid for by the hour this will be a key way of making use of the time given .




For Jack - Bass Guitar - SM57 - Jack to jack - Amp - Score stand - mic stand - Headphones
For Alex - SM57 - XLR - Score stand - mic stand - Headphones
For Monique - SM57 - Jack to Jack - Score stand - keyboard - Headphones
For Josh - Hi-Hats - Snare - Kick Drum - SM57 x3 - Headphones
Below is the actual checklist of what I used to ensure I had the equipment I needed.

Song analysis of Miles Davis So What

Miles Davis So What Song Analysis

Chords

The chords used in Miles Davis So What, play in D dorian mode for eight bars then switching to e dorian then returns to D dorian after 4 bars. This sequence is repeated throughout the song. The song plays at a slow calming tempo, this is done because the music uses phrases such as as the antecedent phrase and the consequent phrase which makes the instruments sound as if there is a conversation taking place. From the score below we can see what chords are played in the song.

Melody

The melody is mainly played by the horns in the song however the piano also sometimes takes over on the 32nd bar. I think this is done due to the lack of vocals so the song has very powerful horns to control the song.

Tempo/Rhythm

The tempo of the song is very smooth, slow and relaxed, it has a slight rise and release feel to it as theres a short build up then the horns and repeats the phrase. This changes when the horns have their solo and whilst the hi-hats are continuous and the walking bass is the same. The chords play on top of the horns yet quieter since the horns are in control. Since the bass in the song is a walking type which means it's mainly going up and down the scale the rhythm doesn't change too much but each horn solo it changes for around 8 bars then continues to walk.

Mix

The horns are the loudest in the mix as that's where the melody and the influential feel of jazz comes from. Throughout the horn solo you can hear the chords, bass and hi-hats, the second thing you notice is most likely the chords as they aren't as consistent as the bass and hi-hats. Also the piano is most likely the second loudest in the mix since the song was created to make it as if the piano and horns we're having a conversation.  

Instrumentation

In the track the instruments used are a type of horn instrument most likely the saxophone, a piano which plays the chords, a bass guitar and a drum kit which the hi-hats is the most used part. The horns play the melody and an influential type which is done so we remember the horns as the main piece. the bass guitar plays the rhythm along side the drums as there is almost never a time where they aren't playing in the song.

Structure

Miles Davis' introduction was unique to the whole song, it was a slow build up with the keyboard, that eventually led to the bass guitar and horns taking over the song.

Lyrics

There are no lyrics in the song. Miles Davis keeps listeners interested for his renown antecedent and consequent phrases, this is effective because it allows the instruments to sound like they are having a conversation.

Modes Within Jazz

Modes Within Jazz

Different types of modes

The different types of modes mainly used in improvisational jazz are Ionian which starts on the first degree of the major scale if you are looking at the stave from C major scale, Dorian which starts on the second note of the major scale, Phrygian which is on the third note and so on from the Lydian, Myxoldian, Aeolian to the Locrian which starts on the seventh note.

Why modal jazz is used in improvisational jazz

Many musicians say that within modal jazz there's more space for your own input whereas in other types of jazz like bebop for example they feel the progression is a lot more unnatural. It's also said it can be played in almost any musical situation. Improvising with modal jazz makes the person playing to use melody, rhythm, timbre and emotion since modal makes the use of chords almost useless. Chords are still used but with less emphasise.

History of modal Jazz

Miles Davis is a key figure in modal jazz, In his single Milestones his A sections were played in the G dorian scale and his B sections played in the A aeolian scale, he was one of the first to do this and this was a crucial point in jazz alongside the release of his album Kind of Blue. 

Midpoint Evaluation & Notes

Midpoint Evaluation

Explain midpoint evaluation, e.g half way through we decided it would be good to present our research to recieve feedback from the class. from this midpoint presentation you could say. From my midpoint presentation I realised that quite a bit of what I was researching would mean nothing if I didn't research deeper. For example I am researching modal Jazz but it could be more useful to research the different modes so I have a better understanding of modal Jazz and all the different types of Jazz like bebop. Furthermore looking more into the different types of improvisational Jazz could also benefit me. In addition it was also brought to my attention that I could research more into electronic fusion Jazz as that's what one of the artists I am research; Herbie Hancock who is a main part of research focuses on.

Case Study on individual songs

Miles Davis So What

Miles Davis' So what starts off in D dorian mode which means it uses the notes of the C major scale but starting on D. After 8 bars it switches to E dorian which has 5 flats and returns to D dorian after 4 bars, this sequence replays throughout the song. Since Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album is mainly improvised, a lot of people doing covers or trying to replicate the song will have to add their own improvisation. Below is the chord sheet of Miles Davis' So What. Many people will say that the riff in So What, is what makes the improvisation so interesting, due to how harmonic it is. I think many people think the riff plays this role so well because between the bass and the rest of the instruments, even though they're not playing at the same time, it's almost like a conversation being led by the bass. So the bass plays what is known as the antecedent phrase, this phrase is followed by the consequent phrase which is played by the rest of the instruments. This is a really interesting aspect that Miles Davis added to the majority of his songs on Kind of Blue, i wish to add this idea to my own work and maybe slightly change the mode it's played in. It was reissue produced by Michael Cuscuna and the remix engineer was Mark Wilder. It is said that So What was recorded in two days and in one take even though the band were given little instructions and we're newly formed. His band for So What consisted of Julian Adderley who played the alto saxophone, John Coltrane who played the tenor saxophone, Bill Evans who played the piano, Paul Chambers on the bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. 

Nina Simone Feeling Good

Nina Simones feeling good doesn't change key, it plays in G minor as seen below, this pattern is the same throughout the song. I think this is done because the instrumental is fairly simple but the singing is what holds the thickness of the song. The song was written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. It was produced by Hal Mooney. Furthermore in my piece which will be influenced by Feeling Good I plan to make sure the vocals play the key part they do in Feeling Good. I think this is important because without the vocals i don't think the song would be as powerful as it is or hold the smooth jazz feel it has. The other sheet of music below is  a look at how other people may try to play feeling good but in D minor which is quite interesting.

Herbie Hancock Cantaloupe Island
Much like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock's style is very improvised. However whilst Miles Davis uses a modal style of Jazz, Herbie Hancock uses a range between the bebop jazz and electronic fusion. He is said to be one of the most renown artist for electronic fusion as from early in his career he used a Rhodes electronic piano and continued to increase his collection of synthesizers.