“Theory is a six-letter dirty word to most musicians, but hey, musicians love dirty words, right? And just like all the other dirty words, theory is easy to learn and fun to use!” ― Ray Harmony, Hack Music Theory, Part 1: Learn Scales & Chords in 30 minutes
SUMMARY
This week I’ve done a lot of homework for other classes but this classes homework was nice and easy which was really nice because it is a lot less stressful.
OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)
Image from bananatreelog.com
Some things that help me a lot with dealing with anxiety is to do breathing exercises. There are so many different variations you can do but by doing them they slow your heart rate and force you to focus on something other than why’re you’re anxious in that moment.
CONCERT
I listened to the song So Far Away by Crossfade.
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
Some problems I solved this week are getting my homework done in a good amount of time.
Some of the guitar tracks over lap each other and it sounds really cool together. Also some vocals.
Finally, what do you like about the overall COMPOSITION?
I just love how everything fits together. How it starts with some little guitar and quiet singing and then the guitar gets loud and the drums start and it just fits so good.
“A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections.” wikipedia.org/wiki/Song
“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.” – Leonard Bernstein
SUMMARY
This week I practiced my guitar and worked in soundtrap. I watched one of Justin’s videos and learned string muting and I also watched a video by Clark Eagling that explained how to arrange parts of a song in soundtrap.
PRACTICE ROOM (GUITAR LESSONS)
I watched one of Justin’s videos about string muting. It helped a lot but I am going to have to practice this a lot!
Chose from the following…
Screenshot from Paul Davids ChannelScreenshot from JustinGuitar.comScreenshot from signalsmusicstudio.com
How interested in learning more about playing the guitar?
1 (YUCK!)
2 (not really)
3 (sorta interested)
4 (interested)
5 (YES!)
Your score: 5
CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)
Screenshot from Rick Beato’s Channel
How interested in learning more about music theory and song analysis?
How interested in recording, engineering (sound effects, EQ), and mixing?
1 (YUCK!)
2 (not really)
3 (sorta interested)
4 (interested)
5 (YES!)
Your score: 5
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
I learned about string muting and I learned some new songs on my guitar. Some problems I solved were organizing my homework and getting it all done in time!
This week I worked in soundtrap for about an hour and I watched the video of how to write a song.
PRACTICE ROOM (GUITAR LESSONS)
Screenshot from Mary Spender’s YouTube ChannelScreenshot from JustinGuitar.com
How interested in learning more about playing the guitar?
1 (YUCK!)
2 (not really)
3 (sorta interested)
4 (interested)
5 (YES!)
Your score: 5
CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)
Holistic Songwriting by Friedemann Findeisen
Screenshot from Holistic Songwriting’s Channel at YouTube
An Example: The Swift Formula – One Note Melodies
From Holistic Songwriting’s How Taylor Swift Writes Melodies at YouTubeFrom Holistic Songwriting’s How Taylor Swift Writes Melodies at YouTubeFrom Holistic Songwriting’s How Taylor Swift Writes Melodies at YouTube
How interested in learning more about music theory and song analysis?
1 (YUCK!)
2 (not really)
3 (sorta interested)
4 (interested)
5 (YES!)
Your score: 3
LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)
Screenshot of Lyrics Melody and Chord Progressions from HookTab at YouTube
How interested in learning more about HookLab and HookTab?
How interested in songwriting, song structure, and music production?
1 (YUCK!)
2 (not really)
3 (sorta interested)
4 (interested)
5 (YES!)
Your score: 5
CONTROL ROOM (RECORDING & MIXING)
I spent like an hour in this room making my version of the Avatar theme song.
Soundtrap mixing and publishing at Clark Eagling’s YouTube Channel
How interested in recording, engineering (sound effects, EQ), and mixing?
1 (YUCK!)
2 (not really)
3 (sorta interested)
4 (interested)
5 (YES!)
Your score: 5
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
I learned a lot of new things about songwriting and I learned how to do some new things in soundtrap. Some problems I solved were how/when to get my homework done.
Teens are overwhelmed, partly because they don’t yet have the skills to manage the unprecedented amount of stuff that enters their brains each day. – from LifeHacker.com
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
This week I just was trying to make plans to get all my homework done but also have free time.
PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)
For this room I watched a Justin Guitar video about how to train your ears. It makes it really nice to be able to actually know how to work on your listening skills. I love his videos, they help so much!
What I’ve learned from David Allen’s Getting Things Done process is to not be constantly doing work. You should make time for breaks all the time that way you don’t get as overwhelmed. Another thing is that you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself because you are doing the best that you can and that is all that matters! We should really take more time for our mental health because if you don’t have a healthy mind, you can’t accomplish tasks as well as if you had a clear, healthy mindset.
LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
What I learned from this video was that you should build maps of everything that you do, no matter how small it is. You should write the things that you need to get done down, decide the actions and outcomes of these situations and then just make your map. This will help you look at what you need to do and be more organized.
I have an app on my phone that makes it easier to organize what I need to get done and when they need to be done by
I write down when my homework was assigned on my planner
OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)
I wasn’t able to go for a walk because it’s been very rainy gross so I worked out instead. While I was working out, I started thinking about what days things were due and I was able to actually make a good plan for how and when to get my homework done.
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
Somethings that I have learned this week are better ways to organize everything I need to do. Some problems I have solved is getting all my homework done before Sunday that way I have at least one day to have for me because taking time for yourself is very important.
