I thought it was really cool learning about drums and arrangements. I think this is valuable information, and I’m gonna use it to make percussion lines for my songs.
After importing the song, I went into the midi work station and made my own beat in soundtrap. It was very fun and straightforward.
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
I learned about how to create good habits, and how to do really easy things, and to build off from there. As for Problems, the main problem that I had was that I kept finishing parts of my song, but Soundtrap would be acting weird, and when I logged back on to the project, my progress was deleted. Thankfully, I was able to work through it and create better music than the previous stuff that I lost.
Today was my most efficient practice day as I got 4 practice sessions in as opposed to the usual 2. I practiced my form for playing keyboard, and mostly worked on Hey Bulldog by The Beatles using Hookpad.
I liked listening to the song and messing around in Hooklab. Didn’t do too much in Hooklab, but I did learn that so many pop songs recycle and repurpose existing chord progressions.
Go for a walk and think about the Tonic (1 chord) and the Dominant (5 chord) and how they create push and pull tension and release in composition. Also, think of songs you like and where is the tension or build-up in the songs?
Tonic and Dominant chords create pushes and pulls as I noticed that each chord plays on alternating keys, which is interesting. Rocky Raccoon uses dissonance and tugging and pulling to create tension. The song opens with a verse with rhythmic speech, introducing us to our main character rocky raccoon. After that section, we got the song’s main motif;
Rocky Raccoon
Checked into his room
Only to find Gideon’s bible.
After this section, the song pulls and tugs, creating tension as you wait for the song to kick back into the chorus, as it keeps dragging you along until Rocky is shot, breaking into a catchy bridge. We then come back for one more verse, with a reprise of the chorus, and then we play the catchy bridge again. This is an example of a song that is structured perfectly, telling a compelling story about revenge and death.
I don’t play guitar, but his advice was very useful!
CONTROL ROOM
I liked play chords and power notes. I thought they were fun.
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
I learned a lot about Harmonies and chords, and was given foreshadowing on future lessons to come. I’m currently working on two projects for the class and I’ve hit a creative wall.
DAILY ACTIVITY EVALUATION
I practiced a lot more efficiently, took notes in class, didn’t do too much with Hooklab, and spend a lot of time working on a song.
The TED ED video is very important for me, and has very important information. So important that I am going to refer back to it and take notes.
Practice went well today. I got the same amount of sessions in, and I am feeling more confident about my musical abilities. With the structure of this class, I feel very productive, which boosts my ego and confidence.
Watch the tutorial. How was this activity? Write a reflection on what you did and learned. It was fun. I didn’t really do anything productive, but Hooklab is fun.
Tell your daily story here! Highlight what you learned and enjoyed most. Problem-solving is one of the most essential skills you need in life. Employers want to know HOW you get stuff done as much as WHAT you got done.
I learned a sh*t-ton of stuff today. To summarize, I learned a lot about music, a lot about creativity, a lot about well-being, and how to work on group projects. As for problems, bringing this song to life is no walk in the park.
DAILY ACTIVITY EVALUATION
Give feedback on today’s class Content and Process
I practiced playing on the keyboard, Took Notes on a lot of videos, experimented in HookLab, and spent a good chunk of the day working with my group to get a song together.
I got almost all of the piano parts recording for my song. I also practiced playing the piano correctly, practicing with hey bulldog. I took some breaks, messed around with drums, and I have lyrics written for my song. Tomorrow, I plan to refine the current instrumentation, and add a couple of parts to the song to enhance it, and make it sound less repetitive. On Friday, I plan to record peurcussion, and possibly get my vocals done.
PRACTICE ROOM
Practicing felt weird. Whenever you start something new, you suck at it. However, the longer you stick with it, the better you get. Trying to learn how to play the piano correctly is like learning to draw or type professionally. It takes a long time, but, eventually, you get really good. It also felt weird as I had learned how to play piano “the wrong way” (or the less efficient way) and playing it “correct” felt unnatural.
I noticed that the song had grey ghost notes that wouldn’t be played, which is kinda weird.
JOURNAL
It’s interesting how It’s been 3 days, any I already feel like a belong. Almost everyone in this class give me the impression that they accept me for who I am, and are extremely chill, unlike regular school where some of the kids don’t give a sh*t about themselves or anyone else in the class, leading to them being extremely judgmental and hurtful. I love school of rock and would like to come here next summer if I’m able.
What did you think about today’s introduction to Music Will resources?
I liked the introduction, but I had no clue on what I was doing on Jam Zone. I would look up songs and the website would give me chords that don’t sound like the original song. Maybe I’m not getting something, but I wasn’t understanding what the website was giving me.
Add details to the notes below that you found interesting…
Goal: listen to music in a way that will enrich but not harm you
10%-20% of high schoolers have hearing damage
Hearing damage can happen on one occasion and doesn’t have to be constant
No cure!
Temporary Threshold Shift: “hearing hangover”
Wearing earplugs doesn’t change the quality of sound but just the volume
High-frequency loss is most common among musicians
Distancing yourself from the source and earplugs is the best way to prevent hearing loss
Stimulants while listening to music can increase the risk of hearing damage
Resting your ears is important, space out concerts
70 dB, no risk
85 dB, risk after 8 hours
91dB, 2 hours without damage
100 dB, 15 minutes without damage
115 dB, 1 minute without damage
140 dB, immediate damage and pain
Symptoms of damage, tinnitus, muffled hearing, and other mental and physical problems like irritability, depression, high blood pressure, and fatigue
Damage is done when the cochlea hair cells in the inner ear are damaged. They do not grow back. These are what interpret vibrations and turn them into what we hear.
Safety Online
Participate in the Netsmartz.org Internet safety discussion about being safe online
“It’s really fun to learn about some of the Chord progressions and notes that make up my favorite songs. I find this tool extremely useful for 2 reasons. First, with this tool, I’m able to learn about chord progressions and how they support songs. Even though I don’t know much about chord progressions, this program has inspired me to go learn more about chords. Second, I can use this program to learn how to play a song on keyboard/piano.
OUTSIDE
Listen to a chapter of The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Go for a walk and think about the chapter.
When you come back, write a short reflection and then share with the group what you thought about.
STUDIO
Join our Soundtrap Group
https://www.soundtrap.com/invite/48XRAXW
Invite code: 48XRAXW
Start Soundtrap.com expert training here…
https://academy.soundtrap.com/p/soundtrap-expert
CONTROL ROOM
Finish Soundtrap.com expert training here…
My Certificate:
STAGE
We will work on MusicWill.org materials when ‘on stage’.
This is the performance room.
The Instrument that I chose first is Keyboard. Pianos and Keyboards have such a wide range of musical potential, and are key for creating songs.
I learned quite a bit today. I think today was a lot better than day zero. I have a good understanding of what was going on and Im so excited for tomorrow.
