Project 4: Building Textures and Layers

You will create a composition in Soundation that demonstrates your understanding of building texture in music.

Objectives:

• To understand the concepts of layers and texture in music
• To use layering of sounds to build tension and excitement in your composition
• Use your critical listening skills to identify the best order of instrument entrances in your composition
• Balance track volume using automation and use pan for final mixdown stereo effect

Process:

1. Use loops from the library that are all part of one folder (i.e. 95BPM).  This will ensure that all choices will be pitch matched correctly. You may use sounds from multiple folders if you ensure they match correctly.
2. When choosing melodic instrument (not drums or beats) use instruments that are in the same musical key. i.e. SynthArp C and AltoSax C are both in the key of C and will work together. BassLine A is in the Key of A and will not match with the loops in the key of C.
3. Start with one sound, then add another 4 bars later.  Repeat this process until you have at least 6 different tracks and 6 different sounds.  Keep each sound going until the end of the piece.
4. You must have (minimum)
1. drum or beat ( or a combination of several drum sounds that make up a drum kit)
2. bass
3. a combination of any 4 melodic instruments (synth, piano, guitar, instruments, etc
5. Additional tracks are your choice, but must not conflict with the drum tracks already chosen.
6. Your piece must be a minimum of 32 bars long.
7. Use the Automate Volume function to control the volume of your tracks and balance your sounds.
8. When you are done, use the "Pan" function to make your tracks fill the left and right ear to create a stereo sound. 
9. Optional: Drop the beat; add your own MIDI track; record a vocal on your phone and import it.  Be creative! 
10. Complete the Checklist.
11. Submit as a .wav file and a .sng file  (Project 4 Your Name.sng)

Due: End of class on Friday, Oct. 31

Preparation for Project 4: Texture and Layers in music

Texture in music is the way multiple voices interact in a composition.

Read this introduction to texture and listen to the audio examples on the page.

Consider these questions:
We have already created a composition that is "polyphonic." Which project was it?
We have created a project that was "homophonic."  Which project was that?

Using Soundation, we will be creating a song with a texture that starts very simple, or thin, and becomes increasingly more complex.  Before we do this, you will do some listening and analysis of examples of this kind of texture and layering of sound.

Texture Assignment: DUE Wednesday, Oct 29
Complete on word document and submit.

1. Analyse the song "Wonderwall" by making a list of the instruments or vocals that you hear in the order which they start to play or sing.
Wonderwall by Oasis

(For example:)
Wonderwall, by Oasis
1st -  Acoustic Guitar
2nd - Male Vocals
3rd -
4th -
etc.

2. Find the video for another song that follows this texture pattern.  The song should start with one instrument or vocal and slowly add more and more.  The song can be from any style or genre of music.  Remember to choose "Radio Edits" if you song has profanity.  Provide the name of the song, artist, and a link in the Word document.

3. Analyse the song you chose in the same way as you did "Wonderwall."  Make a list of the instruments or vocals in the song in the order in which they start to play or sing.

More Test Prep

First:

Complete these theory exercises and games about Rhythms

1. Rhythm Match
2. Rhythmic Hoop Shoot
4. Rhythm Math

Complete these exercises and games about the piano keyboard
5.  Keyboard Words
6. Keyboard Battle: Play in pairs

Next:
Complete the worksheet distributed by Ms. Moynihan about the Soundation program.

Test Preparation

We will have a test on Monday October 27. 

Today you will be preparing for the test by doing the following tasks:
1. Practice note reading by doing Exercise 1-3 on the theory page until you have 20 correct answers each.
2. Practice keyboard notes by doing Exercise 4-9 until you have 20 correct answers each.
3. Create a study sheet in Word with definitions and images (where appropriate) for the following terms:

MIDI:

• MIDI
• MIDI controller
• Event Data
• virtual keyboard
• Piano Roll

Soundation:

• Audio Channel
• Virtual Instrument Channel
• Solo
• Mute
• Play, Stop, Record
• Loop
• Metronome
• Sound Waveform
• Tempo
• Library

Project 3: Pachelbel's Loops

Your next project uses MIDI input by mouse and the Virtual Keyboard to create your own unique version of a famous 17th century "loop" by Johann Pachelbel.

Watch this video to listen to the original "Canon in D."

NEW - Listen to this completed version of the Pachelbel's Loops Project (without an added optional rhythmic track)

Objectives:

• Learn to identify piano keyboard notes
• Learn to record your own loops using MIDI
• Learn how to select instruments for MIDI
• Improvise your own melody
• Use the metronome, tempo and quantize tools.

NEW - Due: Wednesday, Oct. 15 by the end of class.

Preparation: Go to the Theory Tab on the top of the blog and practice keyboard key names.  Do exercise 4, 5 and 6 until you have 30 correct answers each.

This project is in three parts.  Please check with Ms. Moynihan once you have finished each part and before proceeding to the next. 

Part One: (Video Help: MIDI Clips)

1. Open up a new file in Soundation and click on the blue instrument channel.  Each blue Instrument Channel has a synth sound automatically.  
2. Choose the Edit Instrument menu with the word "Simple" and choose GM-2 (Beta).  This is General MIDI.  Choose a bass sound from these collections. 
3. Click on first bar of the Instrument Channel and the piano roll will appear.  Select the pencil tool. Using the pencil tool, make a note on the first beat of C4 and drag the right side of the note to fill the whole bar of 4 beats.  
4. Using only notes between C4 and C3, input the following notes for your bass line in this order. C4, G, A, E, F, C3, F, G.  Each note is one bar long and begins at the 1st beat of the bar. You should have 8 bars in the end. Play it back and listen.  Save.
5. In the Piano Roll, click the cursor tool.  Drag and select all the notes you made and click Quantize to 1/1 (Whole note). 
6. Turn on the Metronome tool.  You will hear that there are 4 beats in each one of your notes.  CHANGE THE TEMPO to a slower tempo (around 90bpm).  Listen again. 
7. Drag the bottom right corner of the loop to trim extra empty space, then drag the top right hand corner to repeat and extend the loop 5 more times till the end of bar 48 or the start of bar 49.  

Part Two:(Video Help: The Virtual Keyboard)

1. Create a new Instrument Channel.  Choose any piano sound. 
2. Turn on the metronome and turn off the loop button. 
3. Open up the "Virtual Keyboard" in the bottom right of the screen.  Locate and try out the Musical Typing letters ASDF GHJK.  (If there is a large delay between hitting the key and hearing the sound, there is Latency between the computer and the program.  Go to the Settings Menu and choose Edit Settings.  Choose a smaller number for the Buffer Size and retry.  Keep going lower until your delay goes away.)
4. While listening to the Bass line you created, improvise a new melody using two notes per bar  using the white keys on the piano (the ASDFGHJK keys on the keyboard).  Your new melody must be made of notes that are two beats long (half notes).
5. When you are ready, click the Record button and listen to the bass line for 8 bars, at the 9th bar, start to play your two beat note melody in bars 9-16.  When done, listen and fix notes on the piano roll or delete and try again.  Don't be hard on yourself, MIDI allows you to fix your mistakes.
6. When done, select all notes on the piano roll and Quantize to 1/2 notes.  You will have 16 notes in total from bar 9 to the end of bar 16. Listen to playback.  Save.
7. Select your new clip, trim it and drag it to extend and repeat it 3 more times to the beginning of bar 41. 

Part Three:

1. Open a new Instrument Channel and pick a new sound. Repeat the above process and improvise another melody line that has 4 beats per bar (1 note per beat of the metronome).
2. When ready, start to record at bar 17 for 8 bars.  You will have 32 notes.  Quantize all notes to 1/4 notes.  
3. Drag and extend your new clip one more time to the end of bar 32 (beginning of 33). Listen to playback. Save.
4. Optional: Now you can choose one or two Rhythm tracks (only drums or beats and no melodic instruments) to accompany your new piece.  Save. 
5. Adjust your volume levels to create good balance between your tracks.  
6. Consider a tempo change if you wish.
7. Have a peer listen and critique.  Adjust and tweak until you are satisfied. Save.
8. Export as .wav AND Export as .sng file named "Your Name Project 3" to the Project 3 folder. 
9. Complete the Checklist using your TDSB Google account through the school's AW Page.  If you complete the form using your personal email, I cannot mark it.  

*If completed, you may start work on your Independent Creative Project.  This project is a song composed by you with no restrictions.  Make anything you want and make it the best song you can.  This is an ongoing project that you can work on when you are done other class work.  Save your work frequently and be as creative as you can.