Hi welcome to the second instalment of my music tech forum blog for first semester.
I’m really starting to settle in at the University of Adelaide now. Classes are getting more practical and more in depth, which is making my interests, grow in MIDI, audio studies and music tech. My knowledge of music technology is growing every day and I can now combine this with the performance and theory side of music I have studied in the past.
I’m performing a 3 minute piece of music tomorrow in music tech forum. Our very last rehearsal for the performance is tomorrow at 12. My group has decided to do a funk song, because it’s an easy genre of music to put together in the limited time we have to organise the piece of music. I’ll let you know how rehearsal and the performance go next week.
I’ve been looking into using MIDI with a guitar used as the controller. This interest is because I want to be able to store guitar sounds using MIDI, be able to play any kind of instruments part in a live or recording situation on the guitar and loads of other options. I found some useful information on one of Roland first guitar MIDI setups, which includes a GK-2 pickup and a GR-50 rack mounting sound module. The Gk-2 consists of a pickup which is attached to a switching unit. The MIDI pickup sits underneath the strings like a normal magnetic pickup, usually in between the bridge of the guitar and the bridge pickup. I found this is a great device because the guitar can be used normally and as a controller that sends MIDI data from each string. By doing this you can blend two different instruments to play in unison or set the guitar and other instrument to play a constant harmony. The options are endless in a live or recording situation I personally could have hours and hours of enjoyment experimenting with this device. The pickup works by sending digital data to a rack module which converts the data to MIDI. At first I was worried about having to drill holes in my guitar to attach the pickup and switching unit, but I’ve found you can attach them with an adhesive. This week I’m going to look further into the GR-50 sound module which they don’t make anymore with one they do called the GR-30. I’ll also look into why such plays as Jennifer Batten, John petrucci, and Alan Holdsworth use some kind of MIDI setup.
References
Denyer, R. (1982). The Guitar Handbook. In A. Buckingham (Ed.), Performance Technology (PP.224). Spain: Darling Kindersley Limited.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Week 3: Introduction to blog
Week 3: Introduction to blog
Hi my name is Andrew Scott I have moved to Adelaide from Tasmania. I was studying at the University of Tasmania doing a bachelor of contempery music where I studied guitar as my main instrument. Now that I’m here in Adelaide I’m stoked with the facilities, and the amount of musicians around the uni. I’ve come from working with one computer between fifteen people in tech to everyone having there individual computer. It seems like a great place to study. I’m doing a course called certificate 4 in music technology which involves the classes: Audio studies, MIDI studies, music tech forum, assignment writing, OHS, Keyboard Musicianship, composition, and concepts of music. I am currently in the process of dropping out of composition and concepts of music because my study in Tasmania covered all subject areas.
Currently in music tech forum the class has been divided into groups to perform a short piece of music (2-3 mins) to the other groups in the class. The performance will be in 2 weeks time in week five. We have no set rules on how the song will be constructed or what style it has to be. The guidelines we were given are we have to use the instruments we are familiar with, with the instruments we were shown in class this week. Some of the instruments shown were a Theramin, Analogue synthesiser, and different types of moogs. My group has organised to rehearse on Thursdays from 12:00 till 1:00. We have not had practise yet but I’ve come up with some ideas for the rehearsal. If we treat the piece as a jazz tune with an A B A form or an A B C A form, I think it will give the tune a sense of direction instead of just improvised noise throughout. Plus I know three of the four musicians have jazz experience and the forth member is a drummer. So we could write a head or A section then take turns improvising (B section), then play the melody again (A section). This could maybe make the song drag out and go for way more than three minutes, so I’ll keen you up to date with how it goes.
I’m starting to really get into learning how to use MIDI, and using the guitar as the controller. I’ve done a bit of research and have asked my teacher Luke if I can do my presentation and paper on it so I can finish the year having a really broad knowledge on this subject. I’m a real keen guitarist and composer and want to get my music out there but since I’ve just moved don’t have a band. So I’ve been thinking there’s not better way to add drum, bass, and key parts to my compositions than using a MIDI setup. I’ll go into everything here, and more next week and include some picture and audio
Hi my name is Andrew Scott I have moved to Adelaide from Tasmania. I was studying at the University of Tasmania doing a bachelor of contempery music where I studied guitar as my main instrument. Now that I’m here in Adelaide I’m stoked with the facilities, and the amount of musicians around the uni. I’ve come from working with one computer between fifteen people in tech to everyone having there individual computer. It seems like a great place to study. I’m doing a course called certificate 4 in music technology which involves the classes: Audio studies, MIDI studies, music tech forum, assignment writing, OHS, Keyboard Musicianship, composition, and concepts of music. I am currently in the process of dropping out of composition and concepts of music because my study in Tasmania covered all subject areas.
Currently in music tech forum the class has been divided into groups to perform a short piece of music (2-3 mins) to the other groups in the class. The performance will be in 2 weeks time in week five. We have no set rules on how the song will be constructed or what style it has to be. The guidelines we were given are we have to use the instruments we are familiar with, with the instruments we were shown in class this week. Some of the instruments shown were a Theramin, Analogue synthesiser, and different types of moogs. My group has organised to rehearse on Thursdays from 12:00 till 1:00. We have not had practise yet but I’ve come up with some ideas for the rehearsal. If we treat the piece as a jazz tune with an A B A form or an A B C A form, I think it will give the tune a sense of direction instead of just improvised noise throughout. Plus I know three of the four musicians have jazz experience and the forth member is a drummer. So we could write a head or A section then take turns improvising (B section), then play the melody again (A section). This could maybe make the song drag out and go for way more than three minutes, so I’ll keen you up to date with how it goes.
I’m starting to really get into learning how to use MIDI, and using the guitar as the controller. I’ve done a bit of research and have asked my teacher Luke if I can do my presentation and paper on it so I can finish the year having a really broad knowledge on this subject. I’m a real keen guitarist and composer and want to get my music out there but since I’ve just moved don’t have a band. So I’ve been thinking there’s not better way to add drum, bass, and key parts to my compositions than using a MIDI setup. I’ll go into everything here, and more next week and include some picture and audio
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