Listening style 5

Q1: Give as clear as possible an account of all the different sounds and instruments in the first 3 minutes and 35 seconds. You probably won't know exactly how each sound is made but you should be able to make an educated guess whether something is sampled, synthesized or actually recorded in.

Q2: What is this song about? How do the electronic instruments / sounds help to create the mood?

Answer 1: In the first 3 mins and 35 seconds, there's a lot of synthesis, There's a choir, Synth strings, drums, Electric Guitar, Synth lead/synth pad. In this song there is a lot of electrical sounds. At 2:23 I think there is a sound that was sampled in. There's many instruments that are recorded in such as the choir and the synth lead/synth pad.

Answer 2: I think this song is about a lady who left his man and the lady doesn't know how the man feels. The electric instruments creates the mood because this is a upbeat track and the instruments make it more electrical/house/dance type of track.

Listening style 4

Q1: Describe the harmony in this song. (Try and describe the pattern even if you cannot pick the chords - eg. the first chord lasts for two beats then it changes to a chord that last for 8 bars). Is the pattern familiar at all?

Q2: This song has "Blues" in the title. Is it a blues song?

Question 1:In this song the first 3 chords lasts for 2 bars, then the chords changes in the 3rd bar and lasts for one and a half bar, after that the first 3 chords goes back to normal and lasts for 8 bars again. It goes like this throughout the song. The pattern for this song is quite familar  at the beggining, but at certain parts throughout the song such as the middle part and the end, the pattern isn't that familar. 

Question 2: I think that this is a blues song because of the instruments and the chords/notes that are used. The instruments that are used in this song is a harmonica, electric guitar, bass and the Drum beat. The harmonica, Electric guitar and the bass are 3 main instruments that represents and makes the song blues.

Listening style 3

Question 1: Give an account of the vocals in this track. Things to consider: effects, timing, style, articulation/phrasing, improvisation etc.

Question 2: Compare this track with the other version above. Does the track feel different? If so, why?

Question 1: In this track there is reverb used on the vocals, this effect makes it sound echoey except that it cancels the delay. There is some improvisation when she is scatting. The style of her vocals and this song, sounds like it's jazz or blues. The vocals are in time with the drum beat, although the drum beat sounds like it's in a 3/4 time signature.

Question 2:  The difference between these 2 tracks  is the Stan Getz track is a slow version of Amy Winehouses one version. Both of them have a different feel to them the way they have a different feel to them is that Amy Winehouses version is more upbeat, there's more instruments and the vocals are different to the originial version. They don't have the same rhythm as well.

Listening style 2

Question 1: Describe the mixing and panning in this track. (Which instruments are prominent and which are in the background; which are central, which are left and which are right?) Make some suggestions about why the track has been mixed and panned in this manner. 

Question 2: Is this track a funk track? What musical / sonic components of the track suggest that it is and which suggest that it is not?

Question 1: In the this track, the organ is panned on the right, the bass is in the central and it's also prominent, The trumpets are also slightly panned on right and throughout the track the piano pans on the left at the end.
The reason why this track wasm ixed this way is because instruments needed space so that different things can happen on each ear. This was a good idea because this would mean that everything wouldn't have to sound in the middle which would make the instruments clashed together.

Question 2: This track is a funk track because of the way the bass is presented, the bass is groovy and jumpy. It's not dead on straight... Also the drum beat makes it funk because the drum beat clashes a bit with the bass and it goes along together. The instruments that doesn't make the track funk is the Organ, which makes the track less funk and more soul-ful/church like. If I compared this track to a James brown track, there would be a difference. This is because some of James Browns track are more of a upbeat type of track.

Functions of Keyboards

Solo keyboard performance -The role of a solo keyboard performance is that you are playing by yourself infront of a audience or a teache, this could be for either an assessment, if you're playing front of a teacher or you could be at a mini concert that you are performing at. In a solo keyboard performance, you would might have to play a piece - but you would have to play it correctly. Sometimes you would get assessed depending if it's a real performance or a practise one. When it comes to solo performances, you would have to organise practise times yourself and practise in your own time. You will not have any one but yourself, so you have to count on yourself to make the commitment. When you are doing a solo performance, sometimes you would have to dress appropriately, this is because people would know that you're taking your performance seriously, also when doing a solo performance you would have to keep your back straight at all times... but sometimes this isn't a case.

Live performance keyboard (band) - The main functions of a live performance (keyboard) is that you would be playing the main melody/chords throughout the whole song... the keyboard player would have to keep in time with the drums, this is one of the main instruments that keps in time with the whole band.

The role of a live keyboard player is that, you would have to play in a band. This means that you would have to make a commitment by attending rehearsals and practising a lot with your band. One of your band member's would have to book rehearsal time (unless they have a room, that they could rehearse in). For a band performance you need to be playing the piece that your band mates tells you to, you can't play whatever you like (unless you are improvising and it goes well with the song)... this is because if you're playing something different, then it would mess up your whole band.

Midi keyboard - Midi stands for Musical instrument digital interface. For this type of keyboard, you play the notes and then you record it on to logic via the region. Using this midi keyboard you have to import date to logic, how to do this is that you record yourself playing and it would come on logic as little shapes , after your done recording - it would then show a box, of what you recorded. Not only you could record using a piano, you can use a variety of instruments, to make your track more creative, you can also add in a drum beat. In Logic (Midi) you can record yourself and delete whatever went wrong, if you did a mistaken or you can edit the notes by using the piano roll which is at the bottom. For a midi keyboard , some can be compatible for using at live shows by having a 'midi in-and out' option at the back. There's many softwares that uses a midi keyboard and they are reason, abelton, fl studio and so on - if you are going to use these softwares make sure you have a midi keyboard as it would be a bit more difficult to play in the notes.
To add on midi keyboard are mostly found in studios this is because midi is mainly used for studio, recording type of work.

Differences and similarities between a Midi Keyboard, Solo performance (Keyboard and a live performance keyboard (band)

The difference between these keyboards is that each of these have different roles. For a midi keyboard you would be using this to record your own beats or drums in a studio. In a Solo performance you would be performing in a concert by yourself, however for a live performance (with a band) you would be performing with your band. When it's a Band performances (as a keyboard player) you would have to play, whatever your band is playing but when it's a solo performance, you can pick and choose whatever you want to play.
For a Midi keyboard, you'll be using Logic in the studio.
In comparision - the similarities between These keyboards, is that for a solo performance and a live performance, you would be performing on a keyboard.... but the similarities between a Solo performance (keyboard) is that you'll be playing whatever you want.