There was an issue during the performance were the memory card for the camera did not work, therefore we lost a lot of footage of the performance. These are the only videos I have obtained from the final performance, the songs I am missing are You’ve got the Love an Love On The brain.
Afternoon performance
13:00- You’ve got the love
15:35- Love on the brain
19:30- transparent soul
22: 20- Seven Nation Army
Individual Reflection
For the first song of the afternoon performance I used my sustain pedal in the chorus to create a smooth flow when playing the arpeggios, I had to release the pedal every chord to make sure it didn’t create a messy sound with all the chords. Using the sustain pedal was a success as pressed it down and released it at all the correct moments in the music. Getting more familiar with the sustain pedal was also one of my targets for this year of college, this project has helped me successfully achieve that target. I also added more rhythm to the bass clef by playing the root note of the 4th chord every 4 bars in triplets, this added more energy to the music and more rhythmic depth. Unfortunately I cannot be seen on camera in this footage, therefore I could not honestly comment on my stage communication or presence.
At the very start of ‘You’ve got the love’ I played a staccato note by mistake, this is because I forgot Millie was playing the synth patch and I thought I was on the wrong patch. This lead me to quickly hesitate and let go of the keyboard, this created an abrupt accent in the music. Next time I will look around the stage to remember who is playing what instrument in the band, therefore I will not get taken surprise by other instruments in the band. During the chorus (around 15:10) I forgot to play the arpeggio for a bar, this is because I thought the final chorus was over and that we had gone into the outro. Therefore I played the triad chord formation instead of the arpeggio, to avoid issues like this I should do lyrical analysis for the songs I am performing. This will allow me to know the lyrics the singer, sings before going into the next part of the songs structure.
One thing I have improved on in Love on the brain is the fluency and accuracy playing the arpeggios, this is because in previous performances I have sometimes hit the incorrect notes which clashes with other instruments. During this performance I did not clash once with any other instruments, I also played the rhythm of the bridge more in time with the other instruments. This is because sometimes I have played slightly out of time with the other instruments in the bridge which has lead to a loss of rhythm in other band members, during this performance I was in time during the bridge. Love on the brain has a very emphasised beat due to the drums and guitar, I also wanted to put emphasise on this beat through the keyboard. To do this I played an accent on the last note of the arpeggio which ringed out through the music due to the sustain pedal and added more dynamic depth to the music.
To improve the flow of the music I could have inverted the chords I was playing in the bridge for voice leading, this would make the chord changes sound more fluent. This would sound better in the bridge as the chord changes on the keyboard sound very jumpy in terms of notes and pitch, bringing a harsh tone to the song. It would also show advanced accompaniment techniques on the piano for the band. Around 18:15 I also made a mistake were my fingers played the wrong notes on the keyboard in the transition from the verse to the chorus, this caused a noticeable clash in the music. I made this mistake as the jump from the triad D major chord to the G major 7 is a big jump, this caused me to play the wrong notes as I had to do it on beat with the music. I did not make this mistake anywhere else in the music meaning it was only a one time mistake, however just practicing jumping from one position to the other would have helped me avoid this mistake.
Band Reflection
At the beginning of ‘You’ve got the love’ Millie was unsure she was playing the notes correctly, Nail then shortly reassured her that it was correct. This shows that great stage communication as a band when performing on stage, however it also means there is room for improvement. For Millie to become more confident with her part she could have rehearsed in the practice room with it, this is because in most of our rehearsal sessions Millie did not play ‘You’ve got the love’ on the keyboard meaning she won’t have remembered it as well. After playing ‘Love on the brain’ Niall and Tia have to switch guitars for the next song, in the mock performance this switch took around 3 minuets. Taking this long can bore the audience and cause them to lose focus on the music, however during this performance the switch was relatively quick as it only took 30 seconds to do, however the song did start before Niall had finished tuning his guitar which I will talk about later on on this page.
To improve the performance Lucy could cut out the curse words in Love on the brain as there will be children present at the event that should not be hearing explicit language. Therefore she should replace the curse words to kid friendly alternatives that fit the rhyme scheme and have the same syllables, this will make it sound more natural with the rhythm of the song. Around 17:40 the lead singers both sing different lyrics, this causes them both to stop singing in hesitation leaving a gap in the music. This mistake did not happen in any rehearsals, therefore it was most likely caused by the nerves of being in front of a live audience. However to try and avoid mistakes like this the singers should repeat the lyrics until the know them to a standard where they know them off by heart, this will mean even under pressure they will confidently know the lyrics. As the lead singers are the focus of the music it is very noticeable to an audience when they make a mistake, therefore they need to try extra hard not to make any mistakes.
Our stage presence and confidence has also improved as throughout the performance you can everyone performing swaying there body to the beat of the music, this shows everyone is more confident to enjoy themselves on stage in front of a live audience. We also look at each other on multiple occasions on the footage and smile to show each other that there doing a great job, it also shows everyone that you are having a great time on stage. Our band communication was great however the confidence when looking at the audience could be improved. This is because me, the bassist and guitarist never really looked at the audience and only at each other. During a performance it is important to show acknowledgement of the audience or it can come across as rude, it also makes it look like you are frightened. However the only way to become more confident at looking at the audience is by performing more and more, this is because eventually standing in front of an audience will become second nature and therefore they will be easy to look at and communicate with.
Seven Nation Army
Individual Reflection
Last time during the mock performance my keyboard was not making any sound, after switching from the synth on transparent soul to the acoustic piano patch for Seven Nation Army I pressed a single note to hear if it was working correctly, as last time when I played seven nation army there was no sound coming from the keyboard. Before we went back into the final chorus when Lucy was talking to the crowd I decided I wanted to build tension before going back into the music. When they said “one more chorus” I played a crescendo on the note of G# to build up tension before going back into the music. I believe this sounded very good and I was happy I could use it in the final performance. My stage communication has improved a lot more since the mock as I often looked and smiled at my other band members and nodded at them throughout the performance, I also moved to the beat of the music which showed the audience that I was enjoying myself. Since day one of the project I believe my stage confidence has improved massively, as before my eyes were glued to the keyboard while playing.
During the afternoon performance I improvised a lot more in the verses and it sounded more interesting to the audience, however I made more mistakes in the final performance. On a few occasions I played the wrong chord which lead to clashing with the other members, therefore overall I believe the night time performance was much better than the afternoon performance. However the instrumentals I played on the keyboard was a lot more interesting to the audience and sounded more professional.
To improve my performance I could have added more variation in my play style on the keyboard, as sometimes I repeated my self on the keyboard too much in placed such as the break before the final chorus. Instead of just laying down the chords maybe I could have played a jazzy melody in the background to make it sound more interesting and professional. However just before the second chorus I played a melodic arpeggio to make a smooth transition to into the chorus, this was something I was practicing at home before the final rehearsal to make my instrumentals sound more interesting to the audience. There was a moment in the second verse where I accidentally played a clashing note with the 3rd chord which created a discordant and off key sound for a beat, however I quickly recovered from this mistake and the audience did not notice.
Band Reflection
One thing that went well during this performance was the crowd interaction, as our goal for this song was to engage the audience with our music by singing the riff. This was a huge success as the all sang it and stood up, this told us that they enjoyed it which made us all happy on stage. After the first chorus Johns Trumpet also had a reverb effect on it which created space and texture within the music, it also made the music sound all the more professional. One other thing we did well as a band was communicate as often looked at each other and smiled to tell each other that we were doing a good job, since the first rehearsal session our stage communication has improved drastically. The lead singers communicated with the audience and explained to them very clearly how we wanted them to participate in the music. They were also very confident when performing in front of the audience, and the showed advanced levels of vocal performance on the stage as they hit really tricky notes in the song. In the final chorus when we dropped out the crowd sang us the riff we came back in on the beat of the next bar, this shows that we all have great ability to count the beat of the music and know our cues for the music we are performing. The drum solo at the end of the performance also went very well as the drummer kept her rhythm and played a very tricky drum solo without making a mistake, all the instrumentalists in the band also hit the final chord on the beat with the last hit of the drum solo. This provided the audience with a powerful end to the performance.
The bass guitar was not very clear to hear during the performance, I believe this had to be louder as it was carrying the main riff of the music with it. To fix this problem we should have run Seven nation army in the sound check to get all instruments to a dynamic level where all instruments can be heard. At the end of the performance we all left the stage without standing there to appreciate our applause or say goodbye to the audience, this makes it look like we don’t want to be there. In future we should stay out a bit longer to enjoy the applause we receive and say goodbye to the audience.
Transparent Soul
Individual Reflection
Before the day of the final performance I listened to the official version of transparent soul and realised I had been playing the intro wrong, as I was holding down the notes for double the time they had to be. I corrected this in the performance by only holding the note down for half the time and playing the instrumental loop again. In previous performances the synth patch on the keyboard couldn’t be heard as the audio signal for it is weaker than the piano patch, in this performance the synth could be heard clearly which added texture and depth to the music. I also played all my cues on the correct time in the music as it is something I used to struggles with as I have to come in 4 bars into the verse, this means I have to count every beat to know when to come in on time. My stage communication with other band members during this performance went well as I often looked at my band mates and smiled over. I overall enjoyed playing on stage much more than the rehearsals and mock performance.
In the afternoon performance for transparent soul the music started before Niall had finished tuning his guitar, this made him sound off key throughout the whole song and his instrumental in the bridge. To avoid issues like this next time everyone should be asked if there ready to go before the music starts. During the afternoon performance for transparent soul the keyboard was more audible than the night time performance, therefore to hear the corrections I have been mentioning concerning the intro you may hear it clearer on the footage for the afternoon performance.
My role on the keyboard was very simple and easy to play, this makes me feel like I could have challenged myself by adding more complex role to the keyboard. One way I could have made the keyboard more advanced would be by playing the bass notes on each beat of the music. This would build up tension in the music which could have been used in the bridge, as the end of the bridge is designed to build up tension in the lead up to the chorus. I also could have looked at the audience more, this is because when I looked up at them I immediately look back down at my instrument. This was caused by nerves as I have not been in front of such as big audience before, however if I was to do the performance again I would look at them more to show them that I am a confident performer and that I am enjoying performing for them on stage.
Group Reflection
During our performance of transparent soul our stage communication with each other was improved from the mock performance, as we carried our selves more confidently on stage. Meaning we moved around more and stood upright which are both signs of confident performers. The audience also liked our performance which one of the main things we wanted from our performance, as a performance is all about entertaining people with your music and performance skills. The bass player did a very good job playing during this song as the rhythm of the bass is very fast and requires a lot of endurance to play through it. The guitar player also kept a strong foundation for the harmony of the songs chord progression. In the afternoon performance footage my instrumental in the song is more clear to hear, there you will be able to hear the improvements such as the corrected intro better.
During transparent soul the singer included the curse words in the final performance of the song, this should have replaced with a more child friendly word to suit the audience. This is because there were children present in the venue that should not be hearing explicit words like the ones included in the performance, therefore next time the lyrics should be adapted to suit the venue. At beginning of the song the guitarist played a wrong note in the riff, this created a stagger in the rhythm and threw me off a little bit, however I quickly found my feet in the music in time for my cue. This problem has not happened before during rehearsals meaning it was most likely caused by nerves, problems caused by nerves will go away when we all get used to performing in front of larger audiences. During the bridge in the song the guitar player also played the final notes of the instrumental staccato, in the original the notes are played in flowing legato style. To the audience this wouldn’t even be thought about, however in future performances he should practice playing the instrumentals with the right articulation. The staccato was only a minor issue and did not sound terrible, it would just be a small improvement in the performance.
Back To Black
Individual Reflection
At the very start of the song I accidentally used the wrong keyboard patch, this was very noticeable to the audience as they laughed at it. The patch I used was a synth lead, however the patch I was meant to be using was called Cali piano. To make sure errors like this don’t happen again I should double check that the keyboard is on the right setting before the music begins. Nic came up and put on the right patch for me as I did not know how to change the patch, therefore I should also learn how to work the instrument that I am going to be playing on stage before the event takes place. However after I got the right patch I jumped back into music on the beat with no more time wasted, this shows that I can quickly recognise my place in the music through my own ears. The articulation of the keyboard was improved since my mock performance, this is because I played all the notes staccato in the mock. This made it sound very chopped up, abrupt and unnatural. In this performance I played the notes in a legato fashion, this made the notes sound more flowing and connected. Therefore making the song sound a lot better as the abrupt notes had been removed with legatos. I looked away from my keyboard a lot more than I did in the mock, this time I was in front of a live audience therefore this shows improved stage confidence and communication.
At the end of the performance I just walked off the stage with out saying good bye or anything, this makes it look like I did not want to perform on stage in the first place. In the second chord rotation of the bridge I played each note louder than the other in a crescendo. I did this to build up tension in the lead up to the chorus, this is because the end of the bridge uses a dynamic crescendo to build up tension which then get’s released in the final chorus of the song.
Band Reflection
The performance as a band was very good however there were many improvements that could be made which I will talk about on this page. One improvement that could be made to the song would be timing, this is because there were specific moments were we all started playing at slightly different times. One example of this would be the final chorus, this is because the guitarist started playing the chorus one beat after me. This mistake made the rhythm of the song sound sloppy and unorganised, to solve this mistake we could have rehearsed more as a band. This is because I only had the opportunity to rehearse Back to Black with Taunt on two occasions, this is because I was asked if I could play the keys for it during a later time in the project. During the performance the guitarist spend the whole song looking at his instrument, for the perspective of the audience this makes it look like he is not confident or happy to be performing. Therefore to improve he should get more confident with his part in the song so that he does not need to think to much about playing the notes right, instead he can focus on communicating on stage with his band and enjoying the music he is performing.
Despite the mistakes we all made on stage, the performance was still very good and to an almost professional standard. In the rehearsals for Back to Black the timing was terrible, meaning we all started at different times and we did not know our cues to drop out. This lead is to having to double the timing of the count in, which would allow us to sync with the beat of the music. During this performance we all knew our cues to drop out and started on beat with each in the music, therefore since the mock performance and rehearsals we have made major improvements in our performance. One another thing that went well was the adaption of the lyrical content, this is because Back to Black contains multiple curse words. However the lead singer replaced the curse words with a more child friendly adaptation with the lyrics “lips wet”, this was very professional as it has no negative impact on the rhythm of the song and it is more child friendly. Rhythm is very important to the song ‘Back to Black’ therefore it is important that everyone plays to the rhythm of the music correctly, during this performance we successfully played to the rhythm of the music which had tight and professional timing. In conclusion the performance was not perfect and could have been improved in many ways, however we did a fantastic job performing this song as a band to say how terrible our timing was two weeks prior to the performance.
Individual Evaluation
Before the music started I checked the keyboard patch to see if I was on the correct setting, which it was, this is because of the synth problem I addressed earlier on the page. During this performance I displayed confident stage communication as I often looked around at my other band members, I did this to show them that I am enjoying the performance and say that they were doing a good job. I have also developed as a performer as during the performance I bopped by head to the music, this shows that I have become more confident to express myself on stage. This is because initially I performed by looking down at my instrument and being as still as a statue, this makes me look nervous and scared which I was. However during this performance I did not feel scared or very nervous, which is surprising as I just enjoyed playing the music on the stage. When I got the bridge I added more dynamic contrast to the music by playing the notes at a piano level, this added a delicate and relaxed tone to the music. However on the second chord rotation I played a crescendo which made the music develop tension, this was then released in the chorus where I played the keyboard at a forte dynamic level. This crescendo was very important to the performance as it added more dynamic depth to the music, whereas before I was just playing at the same dynamic level.
A mistake I made during this performance was playing the piano at a forte dynamic level during the chorus and verse, this is because playing the forte in the verse leaves no room for dynamic impact in the chorus. This overall lead to a flat performance in terms of dynamics, to improve in the future I will be more aware of dynamics when I am performing to leave space for impact in the music when it is needed. To improve this performance I could have also learnt the left hand rhythmic pattern for the music, that is because in the official version of back to black the piano has a rhythmic pattern in the bass clef which contributes a lot to the rhythmic texture of the music. To learn more complex instrumentals in my next performance I will research how to make the keyboard instrumental more advanced, this will allow me to improve my instrumental skill and deliver a more in depth performance for the audience.
Band Reflection
One thing that we improved since the afternoon performance was the timing of the chords within the bridge, this is because we all played the notes in perfect timing which created a relaxed and synced blend of the chords in the bridge. In the afternoon performance the timing in the bridge was slightly off which created a lack of timing in the music. Ben also looked up more during the performance, one example of this was just before the bridge were he looked around at other band members. This was an improvement from last time, as it shows he is getting more confident when performing his music on stage, therefore in future performances Ben will become more and more confident which will allow him to confidently look at the audience which I something I struggle with. Another thing that went well was Tom’s confidence on playing the bass, this is because he very often looked at the audience and other band members which shows that he is comfortable on stage. He also moves a lot to the music when playing the bass which shows he is enjoying himself when performing, this also allows the audience to enjoy it. This is because if everyone is nervous on stage the crowd will be scared for them, therefore showing confidence and enjoyment will make the audience also enjoy the performance.
To improve this performance we could add more dynamic contrast to the music, meaning we all play our instruments at a quieter level than we do in the chorus. This will create a dynamic impact in the chorus, this is because during this performance most of us played at a flat dynamic level which took away energy from the music. Therefore during rehearsals we should practice more with dynamic expression to make the performance more interesting. To improve we could have looked more at the audience to make them feel more engaged in the performance as we are performing the music for them, the singer did a great job at looking at the audience and it came across as very professional and confident. However when playing instruments it feels like an easier alternative to look down at your instrument and not look up, however in future performances we have to push ourselves out side of the comfort to look at the audience. After a while we will eventually get used to looking at the audience and become comfortable with it.