Lost - A Review

When recoding and producing a song, it’s the ‘unique personal identity with which they infuse their productions’ (Burgess, 2013) that ultimately affects the quality of the sound of the song, making it different than the usual charted pop song. When recording ‘Lost’, I kept this in mind in trying to set it apart from the mass of generic songs and feel like I did do this justice, simply by just recording guitar and vocals, the rawest form of music.

My decision to record both the vocals and guitar separately worked well because it meant that it was easier to edit when both tracks were done, but also it meant that I could solely focus on the one task at hand – the main reason as to why it only took me two takes to record the guitar to a good standard. I feel like if I had recorded them both together, I would’ve either lost the strumming pattern or the strumming would’ve drowned my voice out. When I first played the song through using my fingers to strum, the sound was quiet and soft (which didn’t work well with the acoustic rock sound of the song) so instead I used a celluloid 0.88mm pick, giving a richer sound, producing a more vintage tone. If I could experiment, I’d like to use an acrylic pick with a thinner tip, to create a brighter and more focused sound. This became a small issue as I am not used to playing with a plectrum however I feel like I coped well with the challenge and overcame it, producing a cleaner, more rock-styled sound.

When it came to editing the track, I was interested in the effects that were used such as reverb to add a bit of warmth to the voice, as the room that we recorded in wasn’t a proper sound booth. Furthermore EQ ‘Provides mid-frequency controls in addition to bass and treble’ (Self, 2009) which meant that the high pitched sliding on the guitar could be cut out as well as the low breathing and background noise, while the mid range frequencies that could not be heard as much were brought up. And what impact did it have on your finished piece? Remember to evaluate your learning.

For next time, I think I’d be more confident, especially when it comes to recording the vocals. ‘In a state of flow, there is no room for irrelevant thoughts’ (Kircher, 2011) so by entering this state a flow, it would allow myself to feel more confident and ultimately feel better about each take, whether I like it or not. The small recording studio made me more nervous as it meant I could hear myself back as well as having someone else in the room making it feel as though they were judging me. Also, I would have liked to play more around with the effects of the vocals to give it a cleaner sound, instead of being slight ‘fuzzy’, possibly using less reverb would help to achieve this.

Finally, to develop the song even further, using a program such as Protools to create a drum beat as well would make the song more substantial as I feel like ‘Lost’ as an acoustic song works well however turning into something more rock sounding, being played on electric guitar would also work as well.

Bibliography:

Burgess, J, R. (2013) The Art of Music Production: The Theory and Practice. New York: OUP USA

Kircher, J, M. (2011) Incorporating flow into practice and performance. USA: IOS Press

Self, D (2009) Audio Engineering Explained. Massachusetts: Focal Press

Recording Continued (Bringing It All Together)

Having recorded both the guitar and vocals for my song, I was both relieved and happy when hearing it back (despite my detest for my own voice) as I finally had something I was proud of and wanted people to listen to (as opposed to the Soundcloud version which was recorded using my laptop, not quite the same).

Then came the the more technical side of the process which involved adding the effects and mixing/altering things to get it sounding as clean as professional as possible.

-Starting with the vocals, first reverb was added to give it more of a 'smoothness; and 'ambience' to suit the song, as opposed to the vocals sounding 'dry' and a bit lacking.

-Then the EQ which is a spectrum that shows the frequency in voice was looked at. It's where you can cut off the low noises (background noises) and also the very high pitched sounds (which there weren't any), however it also brings up the bits that are hard to hear to round off the piece, using a good mic means you don't have to do much with that (with was made apparent because not much needed to be done).

- Finally, the same copy and paste that was done for the guitar part, was also used for the vocals as there were bit's that I didn't like.

The guitar editing was similar to the vocals with the EQ to bring up the the quieter parts of it however there were a few other things that were used.

- One plug in that was used is a compressor which is important for a guitar - specifically when being picked as it evens out the dynamics. You can set thresholds to to louden quite notes and visa versa, which again, rounds out the piece, making it cleaner.

- Fades were also used on both the guitar and the vocals to give it a nice intro to the song and to nicely fade out with the guitar part. Also, it got rid of the background noise on the tracks, the few seconds before I started playing/singing.

Finally, to complete the recording, the two tracks were exported then imported back in as a stereo track (combining both the guitar and vocals into one track), and the maximiser was used to give it more 'power', which meant that the idea was to get the levels as close to 0 as possible without it clipping, one thing that is done in professional studios to make it as loud as possible overall.

When it was finally done I listened to it back and was really proud of what I had managed to achieve (with some help). It was nice to see something become more 'real' and I honestly did enjoy it, even the part about playing in front of one person as it's still some form of performance, therefore help with the confidence part of performing.

Recording in the studio

Creating something and having it on paper is one thing but actually being able to turn into something a bit more real is another.
Having been writing songs for a few months and having enough material to create an 'album' which I put on Soundcloud meant that I had accomplished something I'd wanted to have done for a while now however it's only recently where it was made apparent to me that I could actually produce this and possibly have something to be proud of (possibly doing open mics/small gigs and being able to give out CDs that I made).

Recording something is always a nerve wracking task, even though you have as many chances as you want to get it right however it's always nice to get things done it one take, for a sense of accomplishment, as opposed to performing live where you only get once chance which allows for more mistakes. "A musician's fear of failure" (Fogle, 1982) can prevent the the piece being as effective, which in a sense is also true when recording because it was made aware that no take was ever perfect for me.

Cubase 7 was used to record and edit the tracks and like Protools, I think that if I were to play around with it, it would be quite easy to grasp and record things on my own (as opposed to being aided with the technician as I had no idea what I was doing). The recording was done in two 'sections'. First I recorded the guitar part, then when I was happy with that, I moved on to recording the vocals to the guitar part I recorded. I did it this was as opposed to doing it both together so I could concentrate more on getting on part right as opposed to having to split my attention 50/50.

Tech-y things that were used:

• DI Box which made it cleaner and better to mix
• Studio mics which pick up more clarity, as opposed to dynamic mics which can take more pressure (2 for the guitar, one above the fret board, the other below the sound hole. Never put the mic over the sound hole as all you'd get is the bass notes)
• Neumann condesner mic with a pop filter (the pop filter filters out the harsh blasts of sounds when made while singing certain letters - P or S for example, therefore softens the sound)

Recording the guitar part first, to get the levels I played a bit and when it was all set, proceeded to play the song. The first time I played I wasn't happy with the instrumental so recorded it again and found that I preferred the second take - however there a few mistakes. To create the mistakes, it was as simple as copying the good parts then pasting them over the bad parts (As an observer to that, as I didn't actually do it, it seemed pretty simple...but then again, the proof's in the pudding, maybe next time I'll do it)

Recording the vocals was always going to be my biggest challenge especially since I hate my voice and think I can't sing, even thought I've been told I can. Furthermore, only have one other person in the room was a bit nerve wracking so I decided to look at the wall and zone him out (I had a preference of playing to large crowds where I can pick out an individual face). 

At first, I tried singing hearing myself back however I felt that because I could hear myself breathe, it put me off, therefore when trying it without hearing myself back, I was more comfortable with singing. 

Writing A Disco Song

Disco's all about feeling good and letting go, which is something that the lyrics are all about and reflect feeling good. Heavily influenced by a range of previously existing genres such as:

• Psychedelic music - "And the scene's combination of overwhelming sound, trip lighting and hallucinogens was indebted to the late 60's psychedelic culture" (Reynolds, 2001)
• Funk
• Soul
• Latin (especially salsa) - "the fusion of Latin rhymes, Anglo-Carribena instrumentation, North American black 'soul' goals and Euro-American melodies gave rise to the disco music" (Lipsitz, 2001)
• Gospel
• Swing

Taking into account all of this inspiration, disco became the feel good genre that allowed the masses to become free, and instead of being the part of the counterculture that was against 'the man', it was more about individuality and feeling empowered, especially for the minorities "initially, disco musicians and audiences like belonged to marginalised communities: women, gay, black and latinos" (Nicholls, 1998).

When writing 'To The Groove', I took into account the idea of the feeling of letting go of all of the weeks troubles and waiting for the weekend to begin to finally let loose on the dance floor. The upbeat tempo of it and the repeating and catchy chorus and bridge helps to create the foot-tapping and hips moving beat which is emphasised by the funky bass line and the simplistic drum beat. 

After the second chorus, a simplistic bridge is repeated several times and it builds creating the uplifting theme that disco has. Building up helps to create a climatic finish and also enables the audience to join in with the catchy song, something that is also key in disco music.

"The rhythm and the dancing, makes you move your feet

The rhythm and the dancing, moving to the beat"

The simplistic bridge that is also repeated at the end of the song as well I think helps to round off the song in a fun an engaging way, especially if the audience join in.

Writing A Psychedelic Song

Utilising non-Western, specifically those used in "Indian Classical music such as the sitar and tabla" (Rubin & Melnick, 2007) and elaborate studio effects such as "backward tapes, panning, phasing, long delay loops and extreme reverb" (Borthwick & Moy, 2004), psychedelic music's main goal is to to replicate the effect when taking psychedelic drugs - such as LSD, originally promoted as a "potential cure for mental illness" (Farber, 2002).

When writing a psychedelic song, the feeling of being under the influence of the recreation drugs is important to get across. One of the immediate things thats comes to mind when I hear the word 'psychedelic' is the colourful and bright psychedelic art and the effect that it has on your eyes when you stare at it for too long (i.e: blurred vision, 'fuzziness' and a surreal visual exploration). Writing a song about the things that one would see when taking these drugs are exploring that would help to create the lyrics that help get across the feeling without actually taking them.

Coming up with the title 'Lights' helped to shape the rest of the lyrics that I wrote to do with being under the influence, with the lyrics being about hearing voices, seeing things that aren't there and time moving at different speeds. "Sensory perception become especially brilliant and intense", "colours seem more intense" and "Time may seem to slow down...or it may stop entirely, giving place to an eternal present" (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1983). Just some of the general psychological side effects of psychedelic drugs, which I attempted to recreate when writing the lyrics such as "And it burns, the world turns. And I scream, it's a dream" which gets across the point that everything that happens isn't real. All the things felt are in the mind which is the bodies most powerful weapon and when under the influence of these drugs, the impossible can seem possible, no matter how bizarre.

Student Life

Listening to both Queen and Pink Floyd helped me to see how music had evolved from the 60s to the 70s. Rock became harder (therefore becoming heavy metal), appearance became a bit factor, more so than before (for example David Bowie and glam rock) disco became very influential, battling rock for music domination.

When asked to create a piece of music inspired by the 70s music (Queen/Pink Floyd), it was difficult to come up with one idea to try and create it around. Therefore, it was only logical to take parts from Queen, and parts from Pink Floyd.

Bohemian Rhapsody (one of the most well know songs by Queen) consists of several different sections. From a ballad, ending with a solo on guitar, into an almost opera style section and finally into a rock section. "At the time, it was the most expensive single ever made" (Cunningham, 1995).
Freddy Mercury, the writer of the song only stated the song is about "relationships; the band is still protective of the song's secret)" (Chiu, 2005)

"I think people should just listen to it, just think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them" 

Freddy Mercury (Davis, 1993, p. 20)

When taking into account both the fact that Bohemian Rhapsody has distinct sections, and that Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' is a concept album, a piece inspired by both would help to showcase the 70s better.

The main idea of this was first to build it around one specific thing (ala concept album/Pink Floyd). The easiest topic was to do something that we're familiar with: being a student. Then taking inspiration from Queen, it was clear that if it was in sections, it would help represent the life of the student that much clearer.

Starting off with a slow string and synth sound, it represents getting up in the morning and everything feeling a bit groggy.
As the guitar comes in, it helps to give it a bit of rhythm, getting into the swing of things and actually doing something. As the piano comes in, it helps to back up the guitar and make it more pronounced, keeping the string\synth sound in the background (because students are always tired). The removal of both the guitar and piano helps to create a more fluid song as it rises slightly then drops, helping to create a nice 'wave' of sound. All at once, a beat is 'dropped' and things start to build up immediately, which contrasts the previous sections. This helps to give the song a change in dynamics and also represents the party aspect to a typical student life. A more prominent synth sound is still present to recreate the feeling of being dizzy and almost drunk. The piece ends with a sudden stop of that fast beat and into the beginning however this time with almost a beat, bringing it full circle, from the moment a student wakes up, to the moment they go to sleep.

This was made using Protools (which I am still getting use to) however I am pleased with the result of it. One improvement is that the middle section is a little out of the time (the piano is with the strings). Although I know it's wrong, it could be interpreted as a blur of the two sections from waking up to every day activities.
Also, I think that maybe a sound that lasts the whole piece would help to give it more of a foundation. Maybe utilising another thing from Pink Floyd (music concrete). The sound of static, faintly in the background would help to represent the brain of a student and how they aren't fully taking anything in (almost a sense of being broken)

Disco in the 70s

Synonymous with the 70s is of course disco music. The groove became big and took off, clashing against the previously dominating rock music.
It contains elements of pop, funk, soul and even psychedelic to create brand new genre that people had not experienced before and were ready to get down to.
Well known performers such as ABBA, The Bee Gees, Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor became the frontrunners for disco music and is the reason it is so popular now (everyone knows a bit of ABBA whether they like it or not)
The main music components of disco music include piano, synth string,  and electroacoustic keyboards, however the core of disco relies in the beat and the prominent bass line on a bass guitar. Backed up with layering using high pitched instruments (to create harmonies) such as the violin, harp, flutes, saxophones and other wind and brass instruments.
With a heavy inference from latin music (such as the samba and the rhumba(, disco relies on a steady four on the floor beat being aided by a rhythm guitar (however it is not as present in disco compared to rock).
All of the instruments used create a soaring and uplifting tune that people associate with having a good time, which disco was all about.

Formed in 1972, ABBA (an acronym of the first letters of all 4 members) are known as one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music (after winning Eurovision in 1974 and becoming the most successful to date)
Selling over 380 million albums worldwide, they quickly dominated the 70s with their disco music and are still the second most successful music groups.

The Bee Gees started out their career as a 'rock' band in the late 60s however in the 70s, they took on a more disco feel to their music and perhaps was one of the most successful career choices to make. Famous for their signature and recognisable 3 part harmonies, the three brothers quickly made a name for themselves and have managed to sell 220 million albums worldwide, again like ABBA, making them one of the best feeling music artists of all time.
"Only Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees" (1997)
Agreeing to participate in the creation of the Saturday Night Fever was the pivotal moment in their careers where they experimented with disco, prolonging their success as well as disco's.
"Fever is credited with kicking off the whole disco thing - it really didn't. Truth is, it breathed new life into a genre that was actually dying" (Kashner, 2007).
'Night Fever' charted at number one in both the UK and the US with other songs such as 'Stayin Alive' 1 in the US, 4 in the UK

In today's music scene, disco is still present in some songs. In particular, 'Meet Me In The Pale Moonlight' by Lana Del Rey features a funky guitar in the background, very disco. Furthermore, 'I Want It All' by Karmin also has a disco feel with the funky bass line, the horn sections in the chorus, the rhythm guitar and the faint 'cowbell' sound in the background. Finally, 'Take Back The Night' by Justin Timberlake is a fusion of both disco and R&B with its use of high vocals (falsetto), horns, guitar and keyboard.

The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd

The Dark Side Of Moon (1973), synonymous with rock music (although could be classed as psychedelic or prog rock) is one of Pink Floyd's greatest legacies and will be forever known in history as "one of the best selling albums of all time" (Werde, 2006 p. 12). Remaining on the Billboard album chart for 741 weeks, while in the UK, it is the 8th best selling of all time.

The famous album cover shown above has a strong connection to the lyrics of the song itself, and was created by George Hardie and Storm Thorgerson. The white light represents unity and was suggested by Waters (Schaffner, 1991, pp. 165-166)  which passes though the triangle which represents society, suggested by Thorgerson himself (Harris, 2006, p. 141). The 6 colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue & violet (missing indigo) represents unity being 'diffracted'.

The album has two sides both a continuos piece of music that flow into each other, a reflection of life and how it doesn't stop. How life keeps on going no matter what happens. Also, to give the album a 'life', with the beginning and ending with a heartbeat

"After Syd Barett descended into mental illness, Roger Waters took over as Pink Floyd's driving force" (Harris, 2003)
Described as a concept album, The Dark Side Of The Moon was created without Barrett's songwriting abilities. Water's wrote all of the lyrics to the album, which they had not experimented with before. The main fear was if it would work with the absence of what had been there in the previous albums. The lyrical themes include "conflict, greed, the passage of time, death and insanity, the latter inspired in part  by Barrett's deteriorating mental state" (Pink Floyd, 2003)

"The album also is also notable for its use of musical concrète" (Mabbet 1995). This is where music is taken from instruments, the voice and also everything else (such as the cash machine sound in the opening of 'Money', to symbolise the greed and consumerism).
Other instruments used - apart from the usual guitars, keyboard and occasionally a saxophone - were coins, tearing of paper and a clicking machine (all used in 'Money'). Also, on multiple tracks, for example 'Brain Damage', a synthesiser was heavily used as well as an organ and also laughter to create the descent into madness. The heartbeat sound was made using a specific drum and also a clock ticking can be heard in tracks such as 'Time'.

Psychedelic Rock

The term 'psychedelic' was "first coined in 1957 by psychiatrist Humprhy Osmond as an alternative descriptor for hallucinogenic drugs" (Murray, 2003 p. 413) while the first use of it in a musical sense was thought to have been by the "New York- base group The Holy Modal Rounders on their version of Lead Belly's 'Hesitation Blues' in 1964"  (Hicks, 2000, p. 59-60)

Typical instruments and effects and characteristics are:

• Guitars often with distortion and extreme reverb. "The guitar, once known as the "Queen of instruments" became an intense masculine tool" (Hicks, 2000, p. 22)
• Non-western instruments, often of Indian origins such as the sitar and tabla
• A keyboard sound - organ/harpsichord
• Electric instruments such as synthesisers of theremins
• Lyrics often referring (directly or indirectly) to drugs or alcohol

As John Lennon once said, "If someone thinks that peace and love are just a cliche that must have been left behind in the 60s, thats a problem. Peace and love are eternal" 
The 60s was all about loving each other and fighting 'the man'. It was about exploration and a general consensus to unite and come together, something that the world had no done in a long time.

With that idea, it paved the way for music to reflect this and to bring about a decade of unusual genres not heard of before. 
If someone was to think of The Beatles and the genre of music that they released, you might say 'pop' or 'rock'. It would be a shock if the word 'psychedelic' was mentioned, a cliche of the 60s and it's portrayal in the media. "''Hey Bulldog' boasts the Beatles' best ever psychedelic riff" (DeRogatis, 2003, p. 50)
During a recording session, "McCartney and Lennon ended up woofing and howling, and the title became 'Hey Bulldog'" (Costello, 2011)

When the members of the Beatles finally went their own ways, Lennon - the biggest user of psychotic drugs - distanced himself from that lifestyle and instead concentrated on writing song of influence and his personal experiences.

The Rolling Stones were the bad boys of the 60's. Publicly smoking, drinking and with society aware of their drug habits, they were the epitome of psychedelic rock. 
With songs such as 'Paint it, Black' having Eastern undertones and 'Something Happened To Me Yesterday' being described as "The most accurate LSD song ever" (DeRogatis, 2003, p. 53)
With several of the members being charged with drug accusations and on bail, they started to write their eleventh studio album 'Their Satanic Majesties Requests'. 
A combination of theremins, synthesisers, a string arrangement, the Stones wanted listeners to open their mind and "let the pictures come".
Albums that followed, strayed away from the psychedelic sounds and instead became less 'Rolling Stones'. 

Help!

Serving as the title song for the 1965 film and soundtrack album, 'Help!' was written by John Lennon (but credited as Lennon - McCartney).
In an interview with Playboy, Lennon stated that "[He] was fat and depressed and [he] was crying out for help" (Spitz, 2005, p. 555) which inspired the lyrics such as 'Help me if you can, I'm feeling down'
Originally meant to be at a slower tempo which Lennon intended it to be, it was made more upbeat to make it more commercial.

The song featured:

• Lennon on a twelve stringed rhythm guitar while providing lead vocals (double tracked as he always did)
• McCartney on bass guitar and providing backing vocals
• Harrison on lead guitar and providing backing vocals
• Starr on drums and tambourine

'Help!' went to number one on both the UK and US charts in late summer of '65 and was the fourth of six number one singles in a row on the American charts: 'I Feel Fine', 'Eight Days A Week', 'Ticket To Ride', 'Help!', 'Yesterday', 'We Can Work It Out' (Wallgren, 1982, pp. 38-45).

With all that in mind, I recently learned how to use  Pro Tools which is a bit like Audacity however it is more professionally used in recording studios. Like with anything new, it looked complicated however like most things, the hands on approach works wonders. It soon became apparent that it's not a difficult program to use and it was simple to correct a mistake when made.

Learning how to use Pro Tools gave me the perfect opportunity to try and create something, and what would be better than the song the song I've been analysing.

Finding the chords for the song was easy to do (http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/b/beatles/help_crd.htm) and to do the chords on piano was relatively straight forward, seeing as I'm stranger to it. 

First, I started off with using a piano sound (up the octave) and recording that, then adding on another layer down the octave. Then from there, adding on a 12 string rhythm guitar and bass.

At that point, I decided to be creative in the way I was playing each 'instrument' to make it different and also, I added on same male 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' to try and input harmonies. From there, I would have inputted actual vocals of the lyrics however I felt that from where it was, it was a good starting point.

The 1960s In Film (And Music's Influence)

The 1960s was the decade where free love and counterculture emerged meaning movies could be more graphic and lest 'prim and proper' as opposed to it's predecessors. This new found sense of freedom gave directors a chance to spread their wings and movies that people had never experienced before came onto the big screen. 

Psycho
Released: 1960

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Although not deemed as a good movie by critics when the movie first came out, public consensus meant that critics re-reviewed with TIME magazine  switching it’s opinion from "Hitchcock bears down too heavily in this one” (TIME, 1960) to "superlative" and "masterly”

Bernard Herrmann wrote the score with the movie even thought at first, Hitchcock did not want any music in the movie although later remarking "33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music”(Smith 1991, p. 241)

Perhaps one of the most iconic sounds originates from this film with the violin, viola and cellos in the shower scene, simply called “The Murder”.

The sound of the knife entering the flesh was the sound of stabbing a melon (which is what they do even now, for example, for Doctor Who)

Breakfast At Tiffany's

Released: 1961

Director: Blake Edwards

‘Moon River’ – Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer

“The song was tailored to Hepburn's limited vocal range, based on songs she had performed in 1957's Funny Face” (Spoto, 2006, p. 204 – 205)

"Moon River" is sobbed by a plaintive harmonica, repeated by strings, hummed and then sung by the chorus, finally resolved with the harmonica again.” (TIME, 1962)

The Sound Of Music

Released: 1965

Director: Robert Wise

Music and lyrics written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II respectively, based on the book by the same name by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse (based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers”, 1949)

Popular songs:

‘The Sound of Music’ (Ranked tenth in the American Film Institutes list of the 100 Greatest songs in Movie History)

‘My Favourite Things’ (Skoda Fabia advert featuring the car made out of cake. Also covered on many Christmas albums from Rod Stewart to Kelly Clarkson and even by the cast of Glee) 

‘Edelweiss’ (During the 1970s in the US, the song became a popular tune to sing the blessings to in some Christian churches)

‘So Long, Farwell’ (Natwest advert)

It's easy to see how how music has been so pivotal in the film industry even going back 55 years ago with the shower scene from Psycho. If Hitchcock had his way, that scene would've been silent and the movie would not have been as memorable as it is now. With the use of the music in the final cut however, it's clear that music has and will always have a great impact on the way we watch films

The Swingin' Sixties

Previous to the 60's, music in the UK (and even the US) was tame. It consisted of simple songs, all about love and happiness and that was it. There wasn't any experimenting in terms of music, because that's how it was.

Come the 60's, there was a huge rush of new genres of music that excited the nation. Gone were the days of singing about love, and in were the lyrics of drugs, sex and rock & roll. 

Amongst the chaos and the free love of the 60s (and sticking it to the man), many new artists emerged that have greatly shaped and influenced the music scene as it now is. Artists like The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, to name a few, have continued to inspire people into thinking free. (For example, Bob Dylan is one of Ed Sheeran's main inspiration because of his ability to let the lyrics speak for themselves, in protest to the current social unrest at that time).

Genres

Rock - The Beatles (started off) / Rolling Stones

Hard Rock - Led Zeppelin / Jimmy Hendrix

Bubblegum Rock - The Monkees / Archies

Psychadelic Rock - Pink Floyd / 13th Floor Elevators

Folk Songs - Bob Dylan (both plugged and unplugged)

Soul - Otis Redding / Aretha Franklin

Motown -  The Supremes / Stevie Wonder

Surf Music - The Beach Boys

As you can see, the 60s introduced many new genres of music that was influenced from 50s genres (Jazz, Rock & Roll, R&B, Blues).

The new technology in the 60's also meant that new things could be done with music that had never been done before. Reverb was a heavy feature in psychedelic music as was distortion to create the 'free vibe' of that genre. Double track / multitrack taping was also prominent and meant that the sound could be recorded on both then one was slightly offset creating a 'warmer' sound (which is what John Lennon always did, as he didn't like the sound of his own voice). 

One of the bands that emerged in the 60's and were part of the British Invasion (were British musicians travelled to America to take them by storm), were The Kinks. Fronted by lead singer Ray Davies in London, they started the same time as The Rolling Stones which they shared common music styles from their 'heavy guitar riff based sound' from the Stones to their 'popular melodic style and a willingness to experiment' from The Beatles (Hurry, 2001, p. 160). Their single 'All Day and All of the Night' reached number 2 in the UK charts in 1964 and was their second major hit (with their first being 'You Really Got Me').

The simplicity in the song is the minimalistic guitar riff that is played right from the beginning, making it memorable, even if the words are not remembered. Coupled with the simple chorus (repeated twice with an almost jazz styled impressed guitar solo as a bridge), it is clear why the song became so popular.

In terms of the of lyrics and the singing, Davies almost speak sings (coupled with distortion), with a very small vocal range (only three pitches) and even in the harmonies, they're parallel, meaning they move in parallel with the melody, not so difficult in terms of music. Although a danger of making the song too tedious if too long, it works well for the song which spans 2:23 minutes.

Fallen Angel: A Review

There are “six types of songs that shaped human nature - friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion and love songs” (Levitin, 2008, pg. 7). When writing, I chose to use this concept to find inspiration on which to write about. In the end, I chose to write about a mixture of friendship, comfort and joy, writing from personal experience about feeling down and not being able to see the good in things.

“The clearer your concept, the more professional your song” (Citron, 1985, pg. 17). The concept I had was personal which inspires many current songwriters in the modern music scene (such as Ellie Goulding’s ‘I Know You Care’, written about her father leaving her). When writing the lyrics first (which as Ed Sheeran says, is the most important – Access Hollywood, 2012), I found describing my own pain and putting it to paper comforting which is what helped to create a heartfelt and emotional song – with lyrics such as ‘Don’t’ try to numb the pain with liquid amnesia’, getting the point across that drinking alcohol won’t solve anything. Like Sheeran, I wanted to recreate what he did with ‘Small Bump’, “[Packaging] a weighty lyric about a miscarriage into a palatable three-minute pop song. (Pearson, 2014)

When composing the melody of the song, I chose to use simplistic chords of C, F & G for the majority of the song with slight variations at the end of the chorus. I did this so as not to distract the listener to the meaning behind the lyrics and replace it with meaningless riffs that are similar to many of the ones in the charts. Writing a finger-picking pieced helped to show off my newly honed skill and also added to the sad and sombre piece. Furthermore, I decided to hit the bottom string against the fret to create a beat which is another thing Sheeran does in songs such as ‘Take It Back’ and ‘Don’t’ (when played live). The reason behind this was to create a ‘fuller’ piece and also to make the actual rhythm stand out as well.

When it came to performance, I thought that it went okay however there were some things I could’ve improved upon. As it was a live performance, I’d only one take and I slightly messed up the lyrics at the start however carried on. Moreover, during the bridge, as I don’t think the capo was tight enough, the strings buzzed and therefore it put me off, meaning I had to improvise with the finger-picking.

To improve the song, I think a violin in the background coming in on the chorus would have given the song a bit more strength and dynamics music wise, in such that coming in quiet at the chorus then getting louder would have personified the feeling of hope. Also, to compliment the bridge, I think mimicking the notes on a piano would also have helped to give the piece more of a classical feeling as well as having the violin and the guitar, however it would’ve given the piece a bit of diversity, taking inspiration from songs such as Clean Bandit’s ‘Mozart’s House’, combining modern music and classical.

Bibliography

• Access Hollywood (2012) Available at: http://www.accesshollywood.com/ed-sheeran-talks-musical-influences-writing-songs-and-the-pitfalls-of-signing-with-a-label_video_1405986 (Accessed: 18/01/2015) 
• Citron, S (1985) Song Writing: A Complete Guide To The Craft. New York: Limelight Editions. p.17
• Levitin, D (2008) The World In Six Songs. USA: Dutton Penguin. p.7
• Pearson, R (2014) Sheeran The Showman. Evening Standard. 25^th March, p.19.

Discography

• Clean Bandit (2013) ‘Mozart’s House’ [New Eyes]. United States: Atlantic Records 
• Ed Sheeran (2014) ‘Don’t' [X]. United States: Asylum Records
• Ed Sheeran (2011) ‘Small Bump’ [+]. United States: Asylum Records
• Ed Sheeran (2014) 'Take It Back' [X]. United States: Asylum Records
• Ellie Goulding (2012) ‘I Know You Care’ [Halcyon]. United Kingdom: Polydor Records