Month: May 2022

Audio Recording Sound Safari

maryamss on
microphone

Summary

The intention of this project was to analyze the way that different types of recording equipment interacted with their environment. This meant experimenting with different factors such as what is being recorded, where, and the distance between the sound source and the recording equipment. Members of my group (group 5) recorded a sample of a guitar in a classroom setting, and samples of their voices in both a classroom setting and outside to hear these variations.

Audio Terms and Definitions

  • Sound Wave
    • A vibrational disturbance that involves the mechanical motion of molecules transmitting energy from one place to another.
  • Compression
    • Reducing a signal’s output level in relation to its input level to reduce dynamic range.
  • Frequency
    • The # of times per second that a sound source vibrates, is expressed in hertz (Hz).
  • Hertz
    • Unit of measurement of frequency; numerically equal to cycles per second (cps).
  • Infrasonic
    • The range below the frequencies is audible to human hearing.
  • Ultrasonic
    • The range above the frequencies of human hearing.
  • Pitch
    • The subjective perception of frequency – the highness or lowness of a sound.
  • Fundamental
    • The lowest frequency a sound source can produce. In other words, it is also called the first harmonic or primary frequency which is the lowest, or basic, pitch of a musical instrument.
  • Sound Frequency Spectrum
    • The range of frequencies audible to human hearing: about 20 to 20,000 Hz.
  • Octave
    • The interval between the two frequencies that have a tonal ratio of 2:1.
  • Bass
    • The low range of the audible frequency spectrum; is usually from 20 to 320 Hz.
  • Midrange
    • The part of the frequency spectrum to which humans are most sensitive; is the frequencies between roughly 320 Hz and 2,560 Hz.
  • Treble
    • The frequency range between roughly 5,120 Hz and 20,000 Hz, the highest two octaves audible to human hearing in the sound frequency spectrum.
  • Equalization
    • A signal-processing device that can boost, attenuate, or shelve frequencies in a sound source or sound system.
  • Amplitude
    • The magnitude of a sound wave or an electric signal is measured in decibels.
  • Decibel (dB)
    • A relative and dimensionless unit to measure the ratio of two quantities.
  • Wavelength
    • Distance between two peaks of a wave
  • Velocity
    • Speed in a given direction
  • Harmonic
    • Is a multiple of the fundamental frequency
  • Phase
    • Factor in the interaction of one wave with another, either acoustically or electronically

– Audio terms and definitions from Wikipedia

Voice Recording

Outdoor/Environment Recording

Instrument Recording

What I Learned & Problems I Solved

From this project I was able to learn a bit about identifying different audio features and how they can be manipulated alongside different factors. Although, the thing I benefited from the most during this project was getting to better understand the vocabulary.


For the length of time this project was being tested I was not present and therefore did not have direct access to the experiment to witness firsthand the details of the process. This problem could have been a greater setback, however, due to the efforts to collaborate within my group, they were able to communicate with me in order for me to access that information and complete this project.

Resources

April 2022 SMART Goal Project

maryamss on

SUMMARY

For my Smart Goal of April 2022, I wanted to learn to play some of the guitar parts to Deftones’ My Own Summer. The segments of this song I wanted to learn were segments I chose because I believed they would require only slightly more skill than that of my Smart Goal for last month. This decision was made in an effort to be realistic about my rate of change. I would come to realize the most necessary change for me was a change in speed and a better understanding of how to read time when it comes to a musical context.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

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

Ricky Olson/Ricky Horror

Ricky has been an active member of the band Motionless in White since the year 2009. This time was spent alternating between the roles of supporting vocalist, bassist, and guitarist. Despite referring to several sources, the details of his journey as an instrumentalist are too vague to recount.

Monte Money

My discovery of Monte’s career as a guitarist was through his role as guitarist in the band Escape the Fate. His guitar experience began when he was fourteen during the year 2004 when his grandfather bought him his first guitar. That same year he founded Escape the Fate with friends of his and remained a member till the year 2013.

Alex Garcia

Alex Garcia was someone I became aware of through listening to the band Mayday Parade. Similar to Ricky Olson, his journey as an instrumentalist is not well documented online. However, I was able to find a very brief description. “After basic training and convincing that it was possible, Alex pursued joining a band. After a short break, he returned with specific interests and goals in learning the fretboard, becoming a lead guitarist, and honing his songwriting skills.” (littletonguitarschool.com)

Training Source(s)

The originally released version of Deftones’ My Own Summer
Tutorial used in reference

SMART Goal Schedule

Similarly to the practice schedule used for last month’s Smart Goal project, my schedule was largely intuitive. I would require myself to fulfill a minimum of 15 minutes of practice a day from the beginning of the project. This was time spent reviewing the material and generally practicing the guitar in relation to the assignment. Occasionally the timing of my practice sessions would fluctuate but this duration set the expectation.

PRODUCTION

SMART Goal Starting Point Evidence

SMART Goal Ending Point Evidence

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

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

While learning My Own Summer on guitar I had difficulty managing my speed. I took the initiative to research exercises that could be implemented so that I could positively influence this and incorporated them into my practice sessions.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

Not much collaboration was necessary for me to complete this assignment. Briefly, as I was considering which composition to learn, I consulted some of my peers. I described my current skill set and the pieces I wanted to learn and asked for their input. This was the extent of their involvement.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

Since being enrolled in School of Rock I have learned how to use some new technology. Most of these introductions occurred last month. During April I got more practice with these systems/websites.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

Self-management and self-assessment skills continue to be inherent and crucial to completing this assignment. These skills are easily recognized as important abilities needed to be translated to every aspect of what we do in life to make necessary improvements and in order to find stability.

Reactions to the Final Version

Hearing the audio recording of myself playing the segment I intended to learn I am displeased with several things. I can still hear loud scraping from the strings, some notes seemed to slur accidentally, and my attempts to reach a certain speed may have impacted accuracy. Despite this, I can still hear some amount of progress which I am glad I’ve been able to make.

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

After having reached my Smart Goal of being able to play the intended segment of Deftones’ My Own Summer, my only grievance is that I struggle to play according to the time signature. More specifically I struggle to play faster than I have been. This has introduced a new goal. To somehow adjust myself or the guitar in a way that would be optimal to increasing speed. As briefly mentioned, I have started looking into exercises to benefit this cause and began applying them in practice.

Grammar and Spelling

Grammarly

Editor

Melody Research, Analysis, and Recording Project

maryamss on

Summary

The goal of this project is to improve understanding of musical techniques used to engage the listener and harness certain features. Learning to do these things effectively can be important to musicians who strongly value being understood amongst a large audience.

My First HookTheory Melody

When directed to create an eight-measure melody during the class period I created the melody above (my first melody created with HookTheory). I would have wanted the melody to be faster and to have adjusted certain segments but it was difficult to be precise. However, I generally liked the sound of the sequence.

Notes from Howard Goodall’s Melody Video

CueNotes
How did cultures go about developing more notes once progressing past pentatonic notes?

Why have humans not come to a global consensus on how many tones to use on a scale? What impacts the decision that causes scale length to vary?





– All music “uses the same baseline”

– Some melodic principles are universal to every culture around the world

– Every music system uses the same five notes- instincts for language and frequencies seem to have been instilled in us since birth—” these five notes are like a human inheritance”—pentatonic notes–

– Tone variation is impacted by culture

-Movement between whole tone to whole tone is more common (especially vocally) because more people struggle with transitioning from whole tones to half-steps/ semitones.

– Note groups-scales are called modes

– Modes—moods in different cultures

– Across all frequencies we pick notes and assign moods/feelings—these are called modes

– Sharpening—raising by a semitone/half step—yearning/reaching

– In declination, modes are left without alteration/sharpening—this later started to lead to lowering/flattening. False relations occur when these alterations are overlapped.

– The melodic modifications applied to the vocals of different genres can be cultural–blue notes–

– Standardized tuning–diatonic tuning gives people the option to join frequencies that complement each other

– Ionian-major scale
minor scale designed to be compatible with major leaving room for a smooth transition between the two

– Identifying which mood is intended to be channeled before assembling a song could help establish a starting point through modes.

– Jewish melody was crucial to creating the foundation of American broadway-style music.

————————————–

tonic-tonic –closed off phrase no tension
tonic-dominant–tonic—high tension–demands the second phrase to resolve tension
submediant–not high tension/not tonic
focus on creating patterns

Summary: The overarching idea I was able to take from the video was that humans are naturally attracted to certain sounds, tones, and frequencies. This causes them to reappear within different cultures and ultimately influence those listening, even subconsciously.

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

  • key of f, tonic note, and tension notes
  • What do you notice about the note structure/pattern of the theme of the melody?

My Second HookTheory Melody

  • Place a screenshot of the melody notes on HookTheory
  • Link to a .mp3 file of your second melody from HookTheory
  • Write a brief reflection about this melody. What do you like about it?
    • Where did you raise tension or suspense in the melody?
    • Where did you resolve tension in the melody?
  • DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS AFTER COMPLETING THEM

What I Learned & Problems I Solved

This project introduced me to new terms and definitions. I also learned about some of the historical and cultural influences that have impacted music and musical terms, this is something I thoroughly enjoyed. A challenge I encountered during this project, was using the resource in a way that was honoring the ideas I had. HookTheory is objectively simple and easy to understand, but I would quickly forget how to do certain things, and struggled in length with adjusting the duration of individual notes in ways which complemented one another for some time.

Resources