By the end of this class, as part of the school of rock class, I will have completed a three-minute song by “mastering” Soundtrap for my independent project. In this song, I will try to use all the new skills I’ve learned over this course and compare the finished song to my older work. that way I can see my progress and growth.
July 9th- Experimenting
Today I wanted to get more accustomed to Soundtrap and its capability. In order to do that, I worked on a song that showcases what Soundtrap can do. That means that I used a chord progression from Hookpad and a pre-made drum loop from Soundtrap. then I used the fade in and out tool and tried to add effects to the interments.
July 12th- Is it jazz?
Jazz that’s the style that’s stumping me, and that’s the style I’m going to use to do my project. Call me stupid, but I want the challenge. Plus it gives me the chance to get better feedback for my “jazz.” Moreover, it would be the perfect way to show improvement. Today I showed the draft of my project to the class and decided that it needs more. In the afternoon I worked on jazzing up my bass line.
July 13- slow and steady
So… I was just inspired to do something else. I had the idea to do a slow and more emotional song instead of my other jazzy idea. Jazz is hard but I won’t give up on it. I’m just going to keep trying jazzy sounds on my own time so I can get this project done. Anyway, I want to use the Bb minor scale for this piece. I have the chords recorded, and the melody. I think I’m going to record it in one take on the piano (acoustic) so I can get that homemade, intimate type of sound.
July 14- Its all coming together, maybe
I worked on the project all day, and I got a nice chunk of it done. It has a feel that I like, and The setup to the sub-bass is really cool. I started with a slow melody and chords that turned into “jazz” then into what it is right now. I don’t necessarily know how to describe it other than It fits the style of my older songs. I’m very proud that I didn’t give up on it, and I’m excited to continue working on it.
July 15- Now its all together
For some reason, today was way better than yesterday (productive-wise). I’m almost done with the draft of my project. All I need to do is mix it and write a better ending. So far, It comprised of piano, synths, and a bit of sound effects. Writing that makes it sound like None of those would work together, but they do. (A more in-depth description of what I did today is in the blog post, day 13)
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_6rukrjYzy4X9TWCy8oqPJtJpn7kxZT9
July 15- Final touches
Today I worked on the details of my project. That meant shining up the trouble spots, and overall mixing. I decided that I want to add a line of sixteenth notes so I can build the piece better. I’m also playing it through different speakers and headphones like my car stereo and earbuds. That way I can get it mixed well enough to sound good in most speakers.
Final Project
Piece to compare (Mindscape 0.1, made before course)
Mindscape 1 (compare final with this)
Mindscape 2.0 (actual project)
because now I can, This piece is in Bb minor, and starts with a tonic of Eb.
Training Resources
Holistic Songwriting’s Artist Series
Justin’s 117 Free Lessons YouTube Playlist
I learned a lot from these two resources, the first one helps with songwriting and is interesting to watch. And the second link is very helpful for learning guitar. Moreover, I will probably use these links more in the future. Except out of all the resources I will most likely use Soundtrap the most.
Reactions to the Final Version
I love the feedback that I received. I wrote this song to tell a story. It wasn’t meant to be a specific story with pre written characters but instead, was written to show a feeling. hopeless, or drifting. That was what I was going for. And because it wasn’t a specific story, I was excited to hear what the other students imagined. It was called mindscape for a reason.
“I feel like I went through the stages of grief, in a good way”
-Hem
“Helpless in space”
-Jessica
“Gliding above Mountain tops and desserts”
-Brynn
Self-Evaluation of Final Version
I wanted to fight with a repairer, instead of a sword. I wanted it to hurt just a little bit more with every strike, and notes (a little exaggeration). After listening to the feedback and the two tracks next to each other, I learned that I improved tremendously. And not only that, I meant my goal. plus, the listeners were able to catch the feeling I was throwing at them.
Grammar and Spelling
Editor
Hem
21st Century Skills Demonstrated
Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)
- Learning interments like the guitar
- learning how to work with new programs
- Finding bugs in the system and fixing them
Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)
- collaborating
Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)
- Mindfulness and creative learning
Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)
Even before this class, I’ve wanted to do something with music when I grew up. wither it was writing, producing, conducting, or performing, that was the dream (well, living in a cabin in the woods is “the” dream). And it still is. From this class, I’ve gotten experience and resources that I will use in my professional life. I’ve turned my “infant noob-ish” music, which was thrown together with minimal knowledge into meaningful and thought-out pieces. basically, what I’ve gotten out of this class, is improved knowledge of professional music and its industry. The system, work ethic, tools, and helpful people/recourses. (I’ve also gotten mindfulness/ creativity tips)