Strengths – We have got the structure of the song mostly. As well as getting all the different parts of the song. Even though there isn’t much variation in the song with the structure and the parts. The part where it’s only clapping and vocals is a nice part as it sounds different from the rest of the song however with it still sounding good. Tom and Meg have learnt all the lyrics, as well as Meg learning the chords. The fill that I play is nearly there, it sounds good however isn’t perfect.
Weaknesses – My cajon beat is very simple, just a usual drum beat for a pop song. However I could make a better beat, that fits the song better as well as just sounding better. Also the fill at the end of every verse is nearly there, however I start a bit early every time, as well as it sounding a bit out of time. After the fill, when it is silence for the rest of the bar, I added some hits on the last 3 beats, however it sounds better without the hits as they are very unneeded. Tom is singing a bit off key, as he isn’t singing as high as in the original, but isn’t an octave lower. He is in-between the different keys and it can sound a bit off.
Improvements – For next time, we are going to keep working on this song, making it sound better and working on the improvements that I mentioned here. As well as working on our second song, She’s Electric by Oasis.
Strengths -This was our first time playing this song, so there is quite a lot to improve. However we all know the structure of the song, even though it is a pretty simple structure. Meg knows the chords and plays it good. This song is sung pretty high, and Tom is singing it pretty well. This is also my first time playing bass, so even though the playing isn’t great, I think after about an hour of playing I did an alright job.
Weaknesses – My bass playing isn’t the best in this video. I dip in and out of time for a lot of the song, I also mess up what I’m playing a lot of the time. As I am new to bass, these aren’t major issues as I will improve by practicing more and more. I also need to learn the structure of the chorus and when it changes which note to play. The outro also needs some work, as it lasts a bit too long and the when it ends it doesn’t sound great. Also the guitar part is played a lot more staccato, which would make it sound a lot more like this song and it sounds nicer as well. Also Meg needs to memorise the chords and not be reliant on reading them off her phone.
Improvements – For next week I need to practice my bass playing, to make this song sound better. Also next time we will be starting our third song, Still Beating by Mac DeMarco. I will be playing bass on this song so I definitely need some more practice. We also need to keep practicing the first two songs to make them sound even better.
This is the mock, this is one of the last times we will practice together before the final performance.
She’s Electric
Strengths – This is a big improvement from last time, a lot of the issues have been fixed. Such as my timing, which is greatly improved from last time, it isn’t perfect however it is better. I spent time working on the chorus and getting the structure down. This is shown as I have greatly improved in that aspect. All in all I improved a lot. Meg also learnt the chords so she doesn’t need to have them up on her phone anymore, which makes it seem a lot more professional. There is also a bit more of a staccato feel to the guitar which makes it sound nicer and makes it different as it is what makes this song sound like this song. The song sounds a lot better than it did.
Weaknesses – The outro is still pretty weak, as I’m not too confident in that bass part, and I mess up the ending. My timing on the chorus isn’t perfect, even if it is better than it was. However the main thing is that the song needs more playing in general just to sound smoother and better in general.
Still Beating
Strengths – This song sounds pretty good, as it is a simple song, there aren’t many changes in the song, so it was easy to pick up. This is Tom’s first time on the cajon, and he did a pretty good job with the beat he chose. It fits with the track, and has enough variation in it for it to not get as repetitive. The bass part I am playing is very simple, however the last part of the bass line changes so it doesn’t sound as repetitive. The guitar and vocals are also nice and sound really good.
Weaknesses – After the first chorus, there is a little gap, which is led by Meg, and on the lead up Tom got it wrong and for 2 bars wasn’t playing anything. This is a mistake and isn’t the end of the world, but is something that can’t happen in the final performance. And coming back in from that little break was also a bit rough, as both me and Tom came in late. Again my timing can sometimes be a bit off in certain moments during this song. Another thing is, in the original there are sometimes double notes instead of single on the bass line, which is something I would like to implement into the song. This would add a bit of variation and it also could sound nice if played well.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Strengths – This song is another one that is vastly improved from last time, I changed the beat on the cajon to something that fits the song better, as well as being more complicated and challenging me more. The fill is also in time and sounds better than it did before, as I’m not rushing it anymore. Also the hits when there is no other instrumentation going on sound a lot better. As I play it lighter than before, so it doesn’t just sound really out of place and it actually fits in. It also sound better as we have had more practice on this song.
Weaknesses – Tom’s vocals still aren’t in the right key, and he needs to decide whether to do it as high as in the original or take it down an octave. Also the bridge part is a bit messy. Coming out of this part is messy as we don’t really know the timing to it. Also I could support John in that part, by playing along with him in some way. That way it would sound a lot less isolated, and like the rest of the band is just watching. It would also make it sound more full. Another thing is that I would like to add some sort of fills to that sing, or some licks to make it sound a bit better. It would add some variation to the song, and it would make the song sound better.
Improvements – Some improvements for She’s Electric are to play the outro of the song and get it played to a good standard. Also I could try playing with a metronome as that’s the best way to improve timing. For Still Beating, the biggest improvement to be made is to keep playing the first chorus into the next verse, as that is the only part we really struggle on. I again need to practice with a metronome to improve that. As well as making the bass line a bit more complicated. For Crazy Little thing called Love, Tom needs to work out whether to go high like the original or go down an octave, we need to practice the bridge so it sounds good. I also need to think about what fills to add in to the song, I’ll do this by just improvising and seeing what fits. As next week is the final show, we need to practice all the songs so they all can sound the best they can.