The song I analyzed is Waiting On The Sky To Change by Downplay. I chose this song because I think it has a really good beat and amazing guitar sounds, also because Downplay is one of my favorite bands and I plan on learning this song eventually, but overall, I think this song is excellent and could be used in almost anything, if that makes any sense.
Song Analysis
TOPIC
MY RESPONSES
SONG TITLE
PLACE YOUR RESPONSES IN THIS COLUMN (DELETE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE YOU WRITE)
COMPOSER(S)
YEAR
COUNTRY
If you could work on this song (change it), what would you change and why?
Finally, what do you like about the overall COMPOSITION?
“A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections.” wikipedia.org/wiki/Song
Note: This is Dustin Bates when he is in the band Starset, not Downplay, and I’m learning a song by Downplay but this is all I could find on creative commons.
SUMMARY
Role
Guitarist
Intention (SMART Goal)
Learn the rest of Hated You From Hello by Downplay.
PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY
Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)
The video tutorial I’m using.
Training Source(s)
SMART Goal Schedule
PRODUCTION
SMART Goal Starting Point Evidence
SMART Goal Ending Point Evidence
Note: I have only made two mistakes in the final recording, I’m sure you’ll recognize them, I normally play this song perfectly, its just that I get a little shaky when recording and also its the whole song, which is a lot to put in. Also, some of the pauses I do in this recording are in the song, the others are just from me being a little nervous. Listen to the song or watch the tutorial above and you’ll see which pauses are from me and which pauses are in the song. One more thing, I played this song a little faster in this recording due being a bit shaky.
POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION
21st Century Skills
Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)
I just practiced a lot.
Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)
I didn’t really communicate with anyone.
Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)
Guitar and youtube tutorial.
Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)
Right now I am just a high school student. But after high school I am going to start my own band and go on world tour.
Reactions to the Final Version
Complete and really good.
Self-Evaluation of Final Version
Complete and really good just some parts are a little faster cuz I got this in on the last day of the SMART goal.
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
My Second HookTheory Melody
What I Learned & Problems I Solved
I learned that sometimes the song won’t load. I solved this problem by just going to Youtube and embedding the video from there.
We recorded three audios. We took three pictures. The first two were me saying stuff. The third one was recording one of my teammates’ guitar sounds. The first one was in the main room. The second one was outside. The last one was in one of the sound rooms.
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
I was learning how to play a section of Blood//Water by grandson.
Audio File Formats and Definitions
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format): stores standard CD-quality audio; similar to WAV (Higher Quality)
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format): CD audio; can be saved with different sampling and bit rates; similar to AIFF (Higher Quality)
MP3 (Audio File): Used to store audiobooks and music on a hard drive; Close to CD-quality sound; the higher quality sound comes from higher bit rates which also take up more storage space
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface): music data: notes played, when notes are played, how long each note is played, and the velocity of each note played; used to be able to exchange and use information between software and hardware programs; no actual audio data
All the audio file format information is found at: fileinfo.com