https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7jLF9Mnf-s&feature=youtu.be
Individual and group strengths:
As an individual I would say that I know the parts to the song very well and I don’t forget or miss a beat that much, and for the most part I keep in time. I think as a group our rhythm is quite good as we sound good together. The structure of the song is slightly different, as we have made it a bit shorter so the song doesn’t drag. On drums the melody is very basic so I can play it well, the guitarist and the bassist both know the parts well and play it well. The keyboard drops in and out of the song which sounds good as if it was always playing the keyboard wouldn’t stand out as much. The songs builds up in the verse to the chorus, and in the chorus everyone is playing.
Things to improve as an individual and as a group:
Our stage presence could definitely be improved, we don’t have an image yet as we haven’t worked on that part of the performance yet. We haven’t figured out the lighting or staging yet either. Our communication could also definitely be worked on, as we aren’t very confident performing live, we don’t have much of a stage presence or communication with the audience, that is something we need to work on. Our dynamics aren’t very good, as sometimes it sounds like we are playing the same volume all through the song, where as it should start off quiet in the verse, then build up and get louder during the verse, and be the loudest in the chorus. We also play the song slower than it should which can make the song drag on, we need to work on it being the same speed as the original. Also sometimes I can go out of time, as it is such a simple drumming beat it has to be played very well and be perfect, so the smallest of mistakes sounds quite bad, so I need to work on making it perfect. The timing of the group in general can sometimes be a bit off.
The targets for next rehearsal is to make the song up to the original speed, and work on dynamics and just all round making it tighter. That is going to be an individual and group effort. We will also be working on our next song which is kids by MGMT.
Week 2:
This we worked on improving our first song Somebody That I Used to Know, and we also figured out our second song which is Kids by MGMT.
This is a video of our rehearsal of Kids by MGMT.
Individual and group strengths:
When we rehearsed Somebody that I Used to Know, it sounded quite good. This is because as we have played this song for quite a while now we all know all our parts for it and we play together as a band overall. And after a few more practices it sounded the best it’s ever sounded. I improved my drumming in the song as I figured out something that fit the song but also wasn’t as basic and sounded better. Our dynamics are a bit better but not perfect. We also improved our tempo so the song is faster and it doesn’t drag.
While practicing Kids by MGMT, we had to do a lot of work. As this was our first time playing the song together as a band, we had to figure it all out, and we got it sounding to a good level. We made the song our own by not making it as long and cutting out some of the unneeded parts. The tempo of the song is also quite good as it isn’t too fast but it’s fast enough for the song not to drag but for it to sound good. Everyone’s part in this song sounds good but still could be worked on. For the drumming in this song, I did differently to what it is in the original, but what I’ve done isn’t as basic and it has more to it.
Things to improve as a group and an individual:
On Somebody That I Used to Know something we still need to work on is dynamics, it is better than it was last week but still could be a lot better. That is something I need to work on especially more than the rest of the band. I could still do a bit more to make the drumming a bit more interesting.
On the song Kids, I need to improve on making the fills differentiate more, because there are only 2 different fills, I need to figure out other fills that sound good. I also need to work on timing as I sometimes go either too fast or too slow, this is something I am constantly trying to improve.
Our bassist Isaac is new to bass so he has to work on his confidence and his timing but is still really good to say he’s new to the instrument. Our vocalists Tom and Millie who are also now our keyboard players are really good however they need to work on their confidence and learning the keyboard parts and getting more confident in them. Our guitarist Ben needs to work on his bar chords for the chorus in Somebody That I Used to Know, but apart from that is doing really well. We also need to work on our stage presence and making ourselves feel like a band, and what we’re going to wear for the performance.
All in all we are improving as a band a getting better, we still have a lot to work on.
The targets for next week are to keep improving our 2 songs we have got now, and work on our third song which is going to be Somebody to Love by Queen.
Week 3
Somebody that I used to know
Kids
Individual and group strengths:
As an individual I improved in Kids, I figured out a better drum beat but it still fits with the song. I also figured out that doing a complicated fill distracts from the song and puts too much emphasis. Not shown in these videos but I also figured out a better beat for Somebody that I used to know. I added a ruff at the end of the beat instead of the two toms and it sounds a lot better. I have also improved my timing a little bit as I amusing my ear more.
Our guitarist Ben has improved, it isn’t shown in the video but he figured out a better guitar riff for Somebody that I used to know, and it sounds a lot better. Isaac our bassist has improved his confidence a lot so when he’s playing he sounds and looks better, he has also improved his playing. Our singers and keys players Tom and Millie have both improved their keyboard parts in the song massively, they have also gained more confidence so their voices sound better.
As a band we sound much better as we have had more rehearsal time together so we sound better together. Also me, Ben and Isaac have become better together as we all play off each other now and don’t just follow one person.
Things to improve as an individual and as a group:
As an individual I need to improve my fills on Kids, as I speed up on the fills so I come back into the beat out of time, which disrupts the whole band. I also sometimes slow down or speed up when it is unnecessary, I need to listen to the band better. In the chorus of Somebody that I used know I sometimes play a bit too loud and I can drown out the rest of the band members. I still need to work on dynamics throughout Somebody that I used to know and not just on the build during the second verse. The song should slowly build in the first verse however it doesn’t really do that.
During the chorus of Somebody that I used to know, Ben and Isaac still play the verse chords and not the chorus chords, if they played the chorus chords it would make the song sound just that much better. Sometimes Tom and Millie can mess up their keys, but they are getting better with every rehearsal so that isn’t something to worry about.
During this performance of Somebody that I used to know, me Ben and Isaac messed up and went out of time after the first chorus and before the build.
Targets for next week:
As next week is our final performance, we need to make sure both these songs sound the best they possibly can. I need to sort out my timing and dynamics and as a band that is also something we need to work on.