I don’t think the first attempts were awful, but there are definitely many areas for improvement.
For example, as a band we need to remember who’s playing at what points, and when to come in or out of sections. I think most of us know the structure of the song, but we just need to work on strengthening all of the sections so we sound tighter as a group.
My main area of weakness at the moment is my left hand in the breakdown/bridge of the song. I can’t really get the hang of the coordination, so it’s something I need to work on and practise, as this will make the section sound a lot better, and help the piece flow together more.
I also need to improve the ending of the song. I need to start slowing down earlier, and make the last few notes sound more noticeable, as well as making the build up at the end a little longer.
Working on these sections really helped us improve. We were able to identify where we needed to improve individually, and as a band, and work on it together. Hopefully breaking the piece down into sections like this will help the song improve a lot more.
In the first song, I completely forgot the octaves for my left hand within the verse. I need to go back and practice this, as it is extremely obvious and makes the verse sound awful. I think the timing at points is a little off, especially when coming back into the chorus from the bridge.
In air catcher, the main thing I need to improve on is the timing within the last chorus. It is quite difficult with no drums to keep time but it should get easier the more I practise.
I think the bridge and the end of this song is starting to sound really good. It is difficult to get some timings and structure right without a vocalist but the more we practise the more prepared we will be.
There were points in these rehearsals where I forgot to stop when I was meant to, or I stopped too early. The timing is a little bit off in points, but it will be much easier to get these right once we have a vocalist to give us cues etc.
One thing I could improve on is being more confident when playing on my own. There are a few points where I play quieter than I should be, when I should be playing at a similar dynamic throughout the whole piece.
I think Hall of Fame is one of the better sounding songs at the moment. As a band, we need to work on the different stops within the song, as well as the structure. Personally, I need to work on the outdo a little bit more, as at the moment it sounds messy. I also need to communicate with my band more during the outdo, so they know when they should be playing.
For this song, I need to find a better sound for the keyboard. The sound I am currently using sounds a bit muted. I also need to focus on the second verse, as I keep missing when I am meant to play.
I think it sounds good at the moment, we all seem to know the structure quite well.
Going over the bridges of each song was very beneficial, as the bridges are where most of our weaknesses are.
Topping and tailing the set allows us to smoothly transition between songs, and also helps us remember the order of the set.
Our rehearsals with a singer really helped us improve our songs; it was much easier to remember the structure without having to think too much about where we are in the song, and it also allowed us to see where we can change pieces of the songs/set the benefit both Lucy and the performance as a whole. For example, we were able to recognise that we need to change the end of Adventure of a Lifetime, as we had learned the ending far too short, so needed to extend it in order to complete the song and lyrics. This is also beneficial because we are able to see where we can include some audience participation.