Strengths – This is by far the best time we have played this song, it isn’t perfect however for a final performance I am happy with it. Tom’s beat on the cajon is improved upon, as last time it was sort of improvised, and didn’t have any structure. It still sounded good, however his beat here is thought about more and sounds better. Meg also does a really good job, she sings it even better than she did in the rehearsals, with a bit more variation in the vocals, and some nice high notes that she added. Also her guitar playing is just that bit smoother and cleaner to make it sound even nicer. In terms of my performance, I am relatively happy with it. I have improved from the rehearsals and the mock, with my timing being better for the most part, and I play it a bit smoother than in the mock as well. Also coming into the stop is a lot better, as we are all in time for that bit.
Weaknesses – Even though this is one of our better run throughs, it definitely isn’t perfect. Coming back into the song from that stop is still a bit rough, we all start playing at different points, even though we recover from that well, we were still out of time for a bit. My bass playing is also not perfect, as sometimes I can miss a note out, which is just a mistake but it happened quite a lot. As well as this, my timing can sometimes be a bit off, especially with the double hits, as that’s something I was trying to get perfect for this performance but I wasn’t able to. Tom and Meg didn’t really have many weaknesses like I did, apart from the stop part.
Improvements – If we were to do this again, we would have to rum through the stop part completely so we can do it while being in time. I also need to keep playing the bass line to get it down so it sounds a lot better. However I am happy with this song, with only a few mistakes and timing issues I think it is a good track. Especially to say I have only played bass for the duration of this project, I am happy with my performance.
Strengths – This is probably our strongest song out of the three. Tom did a really good job with his vocals here, as he sounds really good. Meg’s guitar playing is also really good, as it has that staccato feeling that really makes the song. Which has been lacking in the rehearsals, so it sounds really good that it’s played like that here. The outro is also greatly improved, as it was still messy and out of time in the mock. Here it sounds clean, tidy and how it should do. My bass playing has also improved, especially with my timing on the chorus. As that was a big issue, I practiced and got it sounding loads better. My timing in general in this song is a lot better. I practiced this song the most and I think it shows as my playing is smooth and sounds nearly professional.
Weaknesses – Once again, my bass playing still needs some work. There are a lot of times when either during the verse or the chorus that I go a bit out of time on one or two notes, even though I recover from all of them pretty quickly, it happens a lot and definitely too much. Also on the first chorus, me and Meg are half a bar late into going into the next chord. It should happen when Tom says “time.” Even though this isn’t really noticeable as a mistake, and it doesn’t change the song too much, it’s still a mistake and should be fixed. Tom messed up a lyric in the second verse, however he recovered basically instantly, which is a really good skill to have. So this mistake probably shows off his skills more than his weaknesses. Tom and Meg again both play the song really well throughout, and there isn’t a lot to critique.
Improvements – If we were to do this again, I would definitely have to practice the bass line again. Also the bass line that I am playing isn’t the one that’s in the original. So if I were to do it again, I would try and learn that bass line as it sounds a bit better. We would also rehearse the chorus again to get the timing right. However I am very happy with this song, as it sounds great apart from a few mistakes.
Strengths – This is the best time we have ran through this song, like with the other two songs. My playing is good and consistent throughout, without many mistakes or slip ups. I did add a couple fills into the songs, and they sound nice and add something more to the song. I am happy with my performance for this song, as I am relatively new to the cajon. So I think I did a good job. Tom did a pretty good job with his vocals, having improved from the mock. Meg also does really well, her vocals are really good and both of them singing in this song sounds really good. The acapella section has also been improved, as John is playing the bass notes which makes it sound better. It also helps Meg come back in on the right note. Both these parts gives it that difference from the original and makes it stand out a bit. The guitar playing is also top notch as usual. The bridge also sounds a bit better Also John, our tutor, did a very good job playing bass for us on this track.
Weakness – The bridge still needs a bit of work, mostly from my part. As for the last part of the bridge I forgot the timing which makes it sound a tad bit messy. However most of the bridge is still strong. Tom forgot a line, however he didn’t recover as well as he did in She’s Electric. This is only a mistake and can easily be fixed. He also starts off the song singing out of key, which he fixes but sometimes dips in and out. Most of the song, he’s in key, however for certain parts he wasn’t.
Improvements – This is another strong song, however if we were to do this again we should practice the bridge more and Tom needs to rehearse his vocals. I am happy with this song, as we all did a good job and it sounds good.
All in all, I think we did a really good job with this performance. All 3 of the songs were the best versions of them we have ever done. And it showcased our skills. However, as an audition this doesn’t really show my skills. Both the instruments I used in this I am new to. Even though this showed my skills as a multi-instrumentalist, it doesn’t showcase my main musical skill, which is my drumming. To add to this audition, I would do something that showcases my drumming skills.