Modulus - final rehearsal & recording

Due to Emma's hectic schedule at Trinity, we have decided to shift our final rehearsal date to Tuesday 17th November. We will only be rehearsing for an hour or so, as there a few things to go through. After this, we will head straight for Coombehurst Studio and begin recording. Luckily, I don't start work until 13:45 then, which increases the amount of time I have available. We haven't been able to get in contact with Paul - the consensus being that he has gone home to Birmingham. However, Ian is getting in touch with a guitarist called Sam, who is also based at Kingston Uni.

composition - competitions

Preliminary work is being prepared on three exciting new composition competitions I have entered. I happened to notice the adverts for all of them whilst I was taking a break during band practice on Tuesday morning.

Competition 1: For the Kingston Chamber Orchestra. A piece of duration 10-12 minutes, for strings, 2 flutes, (including doubling piccolo) 2 oboe, (including doubling cor anglais) 2 clarinet, 2 bassoon, 2 horn, 2 trumpet, timpani, and percussion. Marimba or vibraphone is not allowed. The deadline is 26 April 2010.

Competition 2: For the Presteigne Festival. A chamber music composition of duration 5-7 minutes, for clarinet, cello and piano. The deadline is 8 January 2010.

Competition 3: For Jazzorg. A jazz arrangement for either big band (16 players) or small band. (7-9 players) The deadline is 4 December 2009.

Modulus - rehearsal & recording

After the constructive rehearsal that took place today, Modulus will reconvene this time next week for a final rehearsal with our new recruit Paul, who will be playing guitar for us, and Emma, who unfortunately could not be with us today due to other academic commitments. A couple of days later, we will be camping out in Coombehurst Studio and enlisting the help of another student who just happens to be a music technology and studio wizard - if you're reading this, cheers Jan! 

Our schedule for next week is:

Tuesday 10th, 09:00 - 3 hour rehearsal, Kingston Uni

Thursday 12th, 18:00 - demo recording session, Kingston Uni

'Goats and Tigers' - Android version

Also within the realm of possibility is an Android version of Goats and Tigers. Android is an up-and-coming competitor to the iPhone's Apple Store. If we were to release a version for either platform, it would cater to a potentially huge market base. Even better, since Android is a platform that runs solely on Java, there would be little or no change in programming required.

Dan has been in touch to say that the Java version of Goats and Tigers already looks better than most of the Android games out there. My immediate reaction to his comments is that we should aim to launch an Android version of Goats and Tigers as soon as possible. If we have an edge over other products we are competing against, it makes no sense to delay on a release. Following a release on the Android platform, we can then use any feedback to hone an iPhone version, especially as the iPhone version will be available to more customers. (but for how much longer?)

Modulus - rehearsals

Today at 11am, Modulus met in the School of Music common room at Kingston University to clarify the way forward for the band. It seemed, to me at least, bizarre that we have been formed for well over a year without any demos being recorded. I strongly advised the other band members that we ought to rectify this immediately; the outcome being that we will have a 3 hour band rehearsal on Tuesday 3rd November at 9am. Fortunately, our drummer Emma has every Tuesday and Thursday available until Christmas, so it was felt to be essential that we make the best use of our time with her, as she is insanely busy settling into her MMus studies at Trinity.

After this rehearsal, we can decide if we need another rehearsal before heading into Coombehurst Studio to record our first demo tracks. Another aspect of getting a demo CD recorded is that we will need something to show prospective venues and promoters to land future gigs, which is especially important around the Christmas and New Year period when bands are often best paid. We have slimmed our existing set list down to around ten songs for the purposes of recording. These songs were chosen mutually by the band, on the basis that they provoked the best audience reaction at Jenni's wedding.

We certainly hope that it will take a single rehearsal to 'get back in the groove', and can then begin the process of recording a week later, on Tuesday 10th.

collaboration - Zoe Coles

In the near future, I will be doing some sound design & music work to help out Zoë, a graphic communications student at Bath Spa University who I also used to work with at Sutton Virgin Megastore. Like virtually all projects of this nature, it is mutually beneficial: Zoë will have a quality soundtrack to go with her work, and I, in pushing my creative boundaries even further, will have another composition credit placed on my CV. I look forward to getting started!

Her website is here.

specification - 'Goats and Tigers'

Discussions are currently being held as to the feasibility of porting Goats and Tigers to the iPhone. It would be available as a downloadable application from the Apple Store. The actual concept depends on a few variables, notably if Dan can get an SDK kit to work with a Mac (we don't even know if he has one!) and some extensive rewriting of the game in all areas.

We have come to realise that, as a student project, the original version of the game served its purpose well. However, if we are to take on the fierce competition of mobile phone games, we need to acknowledge that the overall quality of these games is usually exceptionally high.

For this reason, we will need to go back to square one in terms of graphic design, programming, and music. Most mobile phone gamers these days, for instance, are accustomed to being able to stream their own music and playlists from an iPod or other portable device, so there needs to be a wider range of accessibility options available. The technical requirements of the iPhone will need to be taken into consideration as well, since the display size will be uniform and not necessarily the same as a PC version.

With the kit, Apple also reviews the game code to make sure that the fundamentals are in place, and even suggests modifications from its own programmers. This is excellent technical support for software that costs £60. Ben has been telling me about an iPhone application in which a guy has taken several photos of each tube stop in London where the trains stop, presumably so people know how far down the train they can go before the doors won't open. I wasn't aware that people would be so eager to waste their money on a seemingly limited-use application, but what do I know? Apparently this guy has made £10,000 already!

Clearly, there is still a lot of hard work ahead, but the potential rewards are vast. According to the Apple Store, each iPhone application costs 59p to download, and approximately 67% of the price is paid to the game creators. So, for sake of argument, each sold copy of the game makes the creators 40p. We would therefore need to sell 900 copies of the game to raise £360, which is the forecast outlay for this project. (£60 for the SDK kit, and £300 for a Mac Minibook)

composition - videogame soundtracks for 'Bridges' and others

Today, I will be beginning work on another video game programmed by Dan Newman, which is entitled Bridges. After this work is done, there is the potential to write soundtracks for two more of his games, Tic Tac Toe and Suicide Chess. This continues the collaboration instigated with Goats and Tigers. Ben Gaskell will also be involved with elements of graphic design.

'Just Once' - lyrics

Passed through the ironwrought park gates
With the sun hanging low overhead.
Would anyone care if I vanished right now?
Would they notice if I was dead?

Sat on a bench and tried to concentrate
Could only stare vacantly out at the lake
Failed to understand the consequences
Of the mistakes that I would make.

Just once
Give me empathy, give me sympathy
Just once
Open your heart to me
Just once
Understand I’m not so different to you,
Different…

Walked by the deserted beachside
Chip wrappers floating in the air
A hollow shell of a former glory
From the tide to the funfair.

And this existential turmoil
Jaded of mind; so tired and worn,
It writhes, it panders in my veins
Sometimes I’d wish I’d not been born.

'Loveless' - reaction

Hi Jamie,

Yay it worked! Thanks a lot for sending. I just played and sang it through and I think it's really great! It has such a lovely melody, I especially like the chorus. I will try and record it soon, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy singing it :) Miss you!

Clo x

'Loveless' - score

'Loveless' - lyrics

It was late; a Friday night
In the sky, the moon hung low
I remember we were at the fairground and
You said that you had to go

But I didn’t notice then
With emotions amplified
I screwed my eyes shut, and I thought about
How you’re never satisfied

I want to care for you
I want to be compelled
But you make this too hard, too complex, and
In the end I’m just repelled
You make this too hard, too complex, and
In the end I’m just repelled

So you left me all alone
In the neon burning glare
I’m crushed, defeated, torn apart,
And everyone can only stare

Now I guess this is the end?
‘Cause the finish line’s in sight
Why did you have to go and trash my dreams
On that fateful Friday night?

I want to care for you
I want to be compelled
But you make this too hard, too complex, and
In the end I’m just repelled
You make this too hard, too complex, and
In the end I’m just repelled

Modulus - Jenni & Tom's wedding: review

Modulus were delighted to have played Tom and Jenni's wedding reception at her home in Royston, Hertfordshire on the 21st August 2009. The marquee that we were due to play in had been installed on the tennis court. Arriving just after 2pm, we were greeted with some extremely unpredictable and intemperate weather, which made us wonder if the marquee could cope with such forces of nature!

The soundcheck went smoothly, and we even discovered that using a monitor speaker rendered previous usage of a DI box irrelevant. Because of the absolute requirement for this formal occasion to go without a single hitch, however, nothing could be left to chance - therefore myself and Dee drove took a short break afterward to find some services and stocked up on 9 volt batteries.

By 4:15pm, the band were relaxed and all equipment was ready for later. Our onstage time was scheduled to be 8:15pm, although we asked to do a brief period of level balancing from 8pm. This was due to Emma attending the actual wedding ceremony at the Registry Office, and we had therefore not matched drum levels to the rest of the band.

Between that time and the onstage time, members of the band each went off for a bit. I took the opportunity to get some sleep in before dinner, and Dee went off to finalise her lyrics. I've no idea what the other two got up to! Dinner started from 7pm, with some excellent roast buffet catering in a separate, smaller marquee located just outside the main one. It was hazardous, to say the least, to be around so much wine before having to perform in front of a number of guests.

With the final noise level checks completed, someone faded out the background mix on the decks that had entertained the guests during dinner, and we launched straight into the short sharp opener that was Pretty Woman. I won't duplicate the entire setlist here as that's contained in a previous post, but it will be more than sufficient to say that the band were thoroughly pleased to have been so well received at such an important occasion for both Tom and Jenni. We were also encouraged by the number of guests hitting the dancefloor, particularly in some non-cover songs such as Never Stopped Loving You, and by the very adventurous chap who breakdanced in the final chorus of Summer of '69!

The band would like to take this opportunity to thank all guests for such a fabulous atmosphere, and Steve for being a most generous host. In addition, we wish Tom and Jenni the very best for the future, and thank them deeply for choosing us to perform at their reception over the multitude of alternatives.

Modulus - Jenni & Tom's wedding: set list

MODULUS: THE WEDDING SET
ROYSTON, HERTFORDSHIRE
FRIDAY 21ST AUGUST
SHOWTIME: 20:15


01. PRETTY WOMAN

02. IF I EVER LOSE MY FAITH

03. & 04. LOVE LIFTS US UP //
YOUR SONG

05. I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER

06. DANCING QUEEN

07. FIELDS OF GOLD

08. NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU

09. THE BOYS OF SUMMER

10. YOU REALLY GOT ME

11. MERCY

12. DON'T STOP ME NOW

13. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

(INTERVAL)

14. SWAY

15. MOONDANCE

16. A WHITER SHADE OF PALE

17. RESCUE ME

18. STAND BY ME

19. UNINTENDED

20. WHEN I'M SIXTY-FOUR

21. SUMMER OF '69

22. MERCY

23. SON OF A PREACHER MAN

24. BROWN EYED GIRL

25. MR BRIGHTSIDE

26. CAR WASH

27. ENCORE: DANCING QUEEN

'Coldwintermoon' - score

'Coldwintermoon' - lyrics

I lie in a hard indifferent bed.
A cold winter moon glares down at me.
I think of the lies you said, but it'll
Make no difference now.

And all through the madness
Did you lose your mind?

I twist and turn all night.
You're in a better place, no doubt.
Like chess pieces we always fight
Until one of us drops out.

And all through the madness
Did you lose your mind?

The truth will out one of these days
I'm not going to go away just because you want me to.

(Instrumental)

I get up, since sleep won't come,
A leaden sky comes to the fore,
I want to escape the thrum,
And forget you forevermore.

And all through the madness
Did you lose your mind?

'Cadeau de Lumiere' - lyrics

Ce matin, je vais a la forêt.
Il n’y avais pas de son être entendu,
et alors le soleil a miroité par les arbres
pendant que mon coeur a grossi avec l'espoir.

Un espoir que les choses iraient très bien, finalemente.
Bien que le chemin serait évidemment chargé avec périlleux,
parce que mes professeurs toujours m'ont dit que
votre titres peuvent tout emporter de vous mais votre espoirs.

Il n'est pas grandiose être la persienne?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, I went to the forest
There wasn't a sound to be heard
And then the sun glimmered through the trees
Whilst my heart swelled with hope.

A hope that things would be all right in the end,
Though the path would obviously be fraught with danger
Because my teachers always told me that your enemies
Can take everything away from you but your hopes

Isn't it grand to be blind?

Modulus - Jenni's wedding gig: preparations

Preparations for the gig at Jenni's wedding reception are in full swing. Between now and the 21st, the date of the reception, we have scheduled two final rehearsals, on the 14th and 20th. Power requirements have been given to the handyman via Emma. The band is totally determined to learn from past experiences, and put on an amazing show for our friend on her special day. With 150-170 guests in attendance, it will also be a great opportunity to get some positive exposure for the band, and maybe get repeat bookings.

The band will be using Emma's gigantic 1000W PA system. We anticipate the set to last around 95 minutes after the addition of five or six new songs into the band's repertoire.

At some point in the future we will sit down as a band and talk again about local gigs and shows that we could do. For now, though, everyone is focused on delivering a great show.

'Foiled' - score

'Foiled' - techniques

Background

As a challenge to myself, I tried to write a song about a man and woman in a relationship - without hopefully going into cliche or cheese, which as we all know is extremely easy to do with songs of this nature. The focus in this song, Foiled, is really about the extent to which the man depends on the woman for more or less everything in his life. Without her, there is no sense of order or of logic.

Time Signature

For an added bit of interest, I chose to write the piece in 6/8 time, lending the lyrics a lilting quality and simultaneously underlining the desperation that this fictional man feels about his situation. I felt that these two effects would be lost if a 'normal' 4/4 time signature was used.

Harmonic Schemes

The piece begins in C major with a straightforward cycle around chords IV and V. The chorus ("look at me...") starts with a semitone rise on the dominant to Ab major. The harmonic patterns orbit around chords III, IV, VI and V11 before the chorus ends on this new tonic of Ab. The further the song progresses, the more eccentric the harmony becomes. This is intentional - it was my aim to reflect the man's psychological state and delusionary tendencies. Hence, verse 2 opens with a Cb6 chord, with rapid progression passing through Db7 into Ebm. The harmony eventually stabilises on "ticking over", where a previously used chord of Fdim7 is found. Verse 2 ends on a downbeat with the original dominant G7, neatly leading back into the final verse in the original tonic of C major.

Other Techniques

I picture this fictional man as having several thoughts rapidly enter his head while he's contemplating his relationship. For this reason I have deliberately set quite a lot of syllables of the lyrics per bar of the song, in order to reflect his thoughts constantly jarring his 'reality'. I have also paid attention to the rate of harmonic change within the song and structure; that is, in the beginning there is hardly any harmonic shift while he begins his introspection, but by the time we learn of his full thoughts, there is rapid harmonic acceleration. It was my aim to have the harmony 'not know where it is', reflecting the man's viewpoint.