Month: January 2023

January 2023 Smart Goal Project

“music” by Robert Couse-Baker is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

SUMMARY

Focus / Instrument

Piano/keyboard

Intention (SMART Goal)

By March 1st, I will have evidence for a completed piano song, using this video, as part of session 4 of School of Rock.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

I chose Phillip Glass as a leader because he is well-known and personally I really enjoy his music. He has made beautiful compositions and he is a huge role model for me in terms of piano playing. Phillip Glass had a great deal of experience and accomplishments.

Training Source(s)

-Tlakes about minor chords (0:31)



SMART Goal Schedule

-Play around with different melodies (5-10 mins)

-Recor ideas (2 ish)

-listen back to past recordings and pick out things I still like (10 ish)

PRODUCTION

SMART Goal Starting Point Evidence

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l1sDmnV9HAZgYah2cpqzg9eNcYqUNypn/view

SMART Goal Ending Point Evidence

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving)

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

This was a solo project so I didn’t collaborate or communicate with anyone further than sharing materials and being mindful of others.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

I used a keyboard as well as a smaller one-octave keyboard that plugs into the computer so I could play things directly into Garage Band and mess with still there before playing it on an actual piano at home.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

This project really taught me the importance of time management and multitasking because it was difficult to balance this with the rhythm, melody, harmony, and base projects.

Grammar and Spelling

Grammarly

Melody Research, Analysis, and Recording Project

“Fast musical notes on a music sheet” by Horia Varlan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Summary

The Melody Project is all about how to make a melody and the way that different notes work together and how we can use them to create tension and release tension. We used hook theory to make our own melodies and listen to melodies from popular songs.

My First HookTheory Melody

I have prior musical knowledge but I just started working on writing my own songs so I am still learning how to create good melodies. For this melody, I was thinking about thirds and keeping the notes moving. I also wanted to end on the tonic so that any tension there was would release.

Melody Composition Terms and Definitions

  • Theme: A long, flowing melodic idea.
  • Motive: A short, rhythmic idea (Beethoven’s 5th).
  • Period: 8-12 measures or a musical sentence.
  • Phrase: Usually 4 measures.
  • Antecedent (Question) Phrase: First 4 measures of a period.
  • Consequent (Answer) Phrase: Second 4 measures of a period.
  • Scale Degrees (C Major Scale)
    • Tonic: C (1 , 8) – Stability and resolve.
    • Supertonic, Mediant, Submediant: D, E, A (2 , 3 , 6) – Moderate tension, useful for transitions and carrying on an idea.
    • Subdominant, Dominant, Leading Tone: F, G, B (4 , 5 , 7) – Causes the most tension, leads to the tonic.
  • Steps: Any movement using half or whole steps.
  • Leaps: Any movement using intervals larger than a whole step.
  • Conjunct motion: Melody is built primarily out of steps.
  • Disjunct motion: Melody is built primarily out of leaps.
  • Repetition: Repeated material (i.e. motive) used to create a link between two phrases of the period.
  • Contrast: Two phrases that contain contrasting material to create tension and interest.
  • Variation: Halfway between contrast and repetition. The two phrases include some recognizable material and some varied material (i.e. taking ideas up an octave).

One of My Favorite Melodies

Let it Be by The Beatles

What I like about this melody is that it uses the third scale degree as a sort f anchor instead of the tonic. This song is in the key of C major so the third scale degree is E and the tonic is C. Manny of the jumps are also in thirds and there isn’t a whole lot of dissonance. Dissonance can be really good and scary for many melodies but I like how this one is claiming because of the lack of dissonance and tension.

My Second HookTheory Melody

In this melody, I like the first half of the second phrase with all of the 8th notes because the rest of the melody is mostly quarter notes so it gives it some variety. I knew that I wanted the second to last note to be the dominant or the leading tone to create some final tension right before we returned back to the tonic (c) for the last measure. I also figured out how to use multiple octaves in Hook Theory so I took advantage of that.

What I Learned & Problems I Solved

During this project, I learned about Supertonic, Mediant, and Submediant and how they can be used to help create and release tension. The rest of the theory stuff was a good review. I also learned how to navigate Hook Theory because I haven’t used it in depth before so that was a challenge for me.

Grammar and Spelling

Grammarly

Editor

April

Resources

Songs to Share

What song has the most plays on your music device?

Song Title: All Good
Artist: Samm Henshaw
Video Link: https://youtu.be/vmtcSmyhPj8

What song might you listen to when you are sad?

Song Title: Rivers and Roads
Artist: The Head And The Heart
Video link: https://youtu.be/pop8pQlWwQo

What song might you listen to when you getting ready to go out with friends?

Song Title: Knock on Wood
Artist: Eddie Floyd
Video link: https://youtu.be/1-KWX26Dwv8

What song might you listen to when you are alone?

Song Title: What A Wonderfull World
Artist: Jon Batiste
Video link: https://youtu.be/9542BuRJq6k

What song makes you feel amazing?

Song Title: The Chain
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Video link: https://youtu.be/iLC-tHvkNvI

Who is your current favorite artist?

Artist: Jon Batiste