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