Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 03, 2016, 08:41:48 am
Hey there my fellow musicians!
I am one of the members of the ATAR Notes Team. I wrote the Physics notes for the recent lecture series, and I work with Jake and Elyse to answer your questions and create new stuff that will help you guys succeed in the HSC!
The one subject I can have to myself is Music 1 ;)
Music is an awesome subject because it is so different to the others. It offers a chance for creativity, for creation, and for pursuing a hobby. For marks. Score! However, don't be fooled. Music is difficult, it demands a lot from its students.
This is why I started this thread, for you guys to ask me absolutely anything you want to know about success in Music. I scored 95, and was included in Encore 2015 for musicology , so I'm definitely qualified to give you guys a hand. Plus, I was assessed on all three major areas: Performance, Musicology, and Composition, so whatever you are up to, I can help! I definitely can't play every instrument, but that is why these threads are awesome! Post a Trumpet-related question, and a Trumpet player will hopefully see it and lend a hand. ;)
So, ask me anything! No question is too far out or too obvious, I'm happy to lend any help that I can. Music is an awesome subject, I hope this Q+A thread makes it even more awesome for you. Let's help each other do the best we can do! ;D
Post by: sarahnash98 on February 26, 2016, 05:13:26 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 27, 2016, 01:22:52 pm
Hey, I've decided to do 2 performance and 2 musicology this year for Music 1 - how would you approach beginning the musicology work? I've been listening around a lot and I want to do one on film music (maybe Alan Silvestri) and one on a flute concerto (because flute is my instrument). Anyways, how would I get started? thanks :)
Hey Sarah! Thanks for the question. Coming up with what to discuss is probably the hardest part of musicology, and there is no easy answer. Definitely, the first motel is to do some listening in the chosen area (in your case, Music for Film). Come up with some pieces that would be interesting to discuss in terms of the Concepts of Music, making sure that each piece contributes something slightly different. Compile a shortlist of possible songs.
In terms of what to discuss, you have a few options. If flute is your instrument, you could examine the role of the flute in your chosen pieces. You can be as specific (expressive techniques used by woodwind instruments to create interest in film music) or non-specific (the flute's roles in modern film) as you like. There is no single answer.
You don't have to be specific to your instrument either, you can focus on something more conceptual. For example, mine was:
How integration of various styles is used to create musical interest in Progressive Rock music, exemplified by the work of Muse.
While I used my guitar and vocals to give examples, I addressed every instrument. You, equally, could focus on something conceptual and just use your flute to give examples.
The options are really limitless for this sort of thing, I could write heaps, and I may even work on a guide to putting together a Viva. Hopefully these ideas get you started, you are definitely on the right track with your listening. Just keep shortlisting pieces and thinking about different ways you can link them together, and above all, do something that is interesting to you! It makes everything loads easier!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 27, 2016, 01:26:29 pm
Post by: caitlynmoore on February 27, 2016, 08:41:47 pm
Admittedly, I've chosen Music as a subject with the potential to drop off as I only know the basics of guitar and piano in comparison to others who have been playing piano since they were three. I'm planning on doing two performance and two musicology, but my main concern is my lack of knowing expressive techniques as I have never been able to put them into practice (eg guitarists playing hammer-ons) and an inability to tell apart different instruments during Aural exams.
If you have any tips whatsoever it would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance! :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 29, 2016, 10:18:01 pm
Wow congrats on being selected for Encore in Musicology!
Admittedly, I've chosen Music as a subject with the potential to drop off as I only know the basics of guitar and piano in comparison to others who have been playing piano since they were three. I'm planning on doing two performance and two musicology, but my main concern is my lack of knowing expressive techniques as I have never been able to put them into practice (eg guitarists playing hammer-ons) and an inability to tell apart different instruments during Aural exams.
If you have any tips whatsoever it would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance! :)
Hey Caitlyn! Don't worry, that is common, and I'm totally not against the attitude... Music is meant to be enjoyed, so anything that takes the pressure off is okay by me ;D
In terms of expressive techniques, the best way to improve is simply to practice. Look at the expressive techniques used by your favourite artists and try to replicate them. It's not super important for performances to have those techniques in there, but it definitely helps. This will also get you naturally improving in your ability to identify them. If you want some awesome work with expressive techniques for guitar, check on John Butler, he uses some interesting ones and some common ones. Tommy Emmanuel is always worth a look for technical fluency and classical technique, as is John Williams. Can't offer much in way of piano, I know that my friend (who was an amazing piano player) used Chopin pieces for her performances, maybe do some listening there for inspiration?
In terms of identifying different instruments in an aural exam, it is all about diverse listening. If you listen to a lot of rock songs, you will be able to identify rock instruments. If you listen to Classical for long enough, you will start to notice the difference between flutes and oboes, violins and cellos, trumpets and trombones, etc. Watching performances with video, and seeing the instruments, used to help me massively with learning new ensembles. But yes, it's all about knowing your typical ensembles, and knowing what each instrument normally does. Identifying instruments in an exam situation is tricky, you want the background knowledge to narrow down your choices as much as possible. And by the way, saying: "A high pitched string instrument fills a melodic role" is just as good as saying: "A violin fills a melodic role." A marker won't care about identification of instruments in comparison to discussion of what they are doing ;D
Post by: hannahboardman98 on March 19, 2016, 08:43:16 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on March 20, 2016, 07:25:26 pm
Hi I'm doing 4 performances for my HSC, I'm a vocalist and my area of expertise is music theatre style songs. I've chosen 'Out here on my own' from fame as one of my performances but I'm struggling to find others that really suit my voice and that I'll love! Can you please help me with some ideas?? :)
Hey Hannah! Awesome, I hope you are enjoying the course so far!
My performances were for guitar, so although I did do some backup vocals for other people, I definitely can't speak from experience. However, you can't go past Defying Gravity from Wicked. It is a beautiful piece, equally technical as it is powerful and emotive, with lots of opportunity for expression and dynamic variation. It can quite easily be a 20/20 if you pull it off, so I highly recommend giving it a look.
Besides this, I would recommend picking songs you like before anything else! If you are passionate about a song, you will be more likely to sing it well. Go through your favourite songs and listen for things that would make it a good performance; wide dynamic range, expressive techniques, a song you feel comfortable performing in an expressive way. Further, try not to make all your songs sound the same. Show different techniques, use your whole vocal range, show the markers the different things you can do with your voice. It goes further than singing the same style of song with the same techniques 4 times in a row.
What topics are you studying? You will likely need a piece that isn't musical theatre to fit your topic choices ;D
Post by: jessica.ngan1 on July 12, 2016, 05:23:15 pm
I'm a music 2 and extension student.
I was just wondering if you have any tips in how to approach the essay styled/extended response question in the aural/musicology paper. ;D
Many thanks, Jessica Ngan
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 12, 2016, 09:21:39 pm
Hi Jamon
I'm a music 2 and extension student.
I was just wondering if you have any tips in how to approach the essay styled/extended response question in the aural/musicology paper. ;D
Many thanks, Jessica Ngan
Hey Jess!! Welcome to the forums! ;D
I must apologise in advance, since I only did Music 1 in my HSC! So I don't know much to help from experience (maybe another Music 2 student may see this and help out?) ;D
However, I do know about this question simply due to me being interested in Music 2 (I was very close to taking it myself). It is definitely a tough ask, and one that you should spend a lot of time practicing for to get your time management and skills where they need to be. My big tip for the response is just based on me my experiences with Music 1 Aural (which, if I do say so myself, was probably my most effective area of Music 1): No wasted words. Be very efficient, you don't have the time to waste, you want every word to be gold. In Music 1 I always wrote in extended dot point, if you can do it in Music 2 I highly recommend ;)
Also, have a plan for what to do with your listening times/score reading times. In Music 1, after reading the question, I had a plan as to what I did with every listening time, what I would listen for, when I'd be listening, when I'd be writing. Plan your time effectively to respond best to the question and stick to that plan.
As a Music 1 student, that's all I'd feel comfortable offering, because I simply haven't been in your position! I'm so sorry I couldn't be of more help, I hope someone who does Music 2 can help out! ;D
Post by: Lauradf36 on July 22, 2016, 11:27:33 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 22, 2016, 11:52:23 am
I'm doing a vive voce for one of my four electives - it's on harmony on pop music! What are your best tips/advice? And could you give some examples of typical questions markers may ask??
Hey there! That's an awesome Viva topic! ;D
So the Viva Voce for Music is interesting, because they can literally ask anything. For example:
I was chatting about the use of guitar in one of the pieces I had chosen, and explained the use of "power chords" as a typical aspect of rock music. I played a progression randomly on my guitar, and they stopped me and said: "What was that?" And I said, oh, it was just a I-IV-V progression in the key of A, and they were like "Major or minor," and then I explained how it was neither, linked to the atonality of power chords, etc etc. Like over a minute of discussion, completely off track from what I was discussing. You need to be ready for anything!
In terms of advice, a few pointers:
- Know any pieces you play as example inside and out, in terms of every concept of music, they can and will press you
- For the summary sheet you present to them, make it easy to follow. They will use it to direct your discussion! Make it clear how YOU want the conversation to go and they will abide by your wishes (and then take you off track on occasion if they want to)
- Know your concepts of music and your jargon
- Make the links to your Viva topic obvious throughout your discussion
- Give practical examples whenever appropriate. I used my guitar to show progressions, play melodies, I sang a few things, I even drummed a beat on the bloody table. Practical examples are your friend!
I'm actually going to be writing some articles for Music in the next couple of weeks. I'm writing one on responding to an Aural Exam properly (that will be out next week), and another on Viva Voce's! I'll be sure to link it here when I'm done, it will contain these things plus a few more ;D I hope this helps!
Post by: Lauradf36 on July 22, 2016, 06:34:17 pm
Hey there! That's an awesome Viva topic! ;D
So the Viva Voce for Music is interesting, because they can literally ask anything. For example:
I was chatting about the use of guitar in one of the pieces I had chosen, and explained the use of "power chords" as a typical aspect of rock music. I played a progression randomly on my guitar, and they stopped me and said: "What was that?" And I said, oh, it was just a I-IV-V progression in the key of A, and they were like "Major or minor," and then I explained how it was neither, linked to the atonality of power chords, etc etc. Like over a minute of discussion, completely off track from what I was discussing. You need to be ready for anything!
In terms of advice, a few pointers:
- Know any pieces you play as example inside and out, in terms of every concept of music, they can and will press you
- For the summary sheet you present to them, make it easy to follow. They will use it to direct your discussion! Make it clear how YOU want the conversation to go and they will abide by your wishes (and then take you off track on occasion if they want to)
- Know your concepts of music and your jargon
- Make the links to your Viva topic obvious throughout your discussion
- Give practical examples whenever appropriate. I used my guitar to show progressions, play melodies, I sang a few things, I even drummed a beat on the bloody table. Practical examples are your friend!
I'm actually going to be writing some articles for Music in the next couple of weeks. I'm writing one on responding to an Aural Exam properly (that will be out next week), and another on Viva Voce's! I'll be sure to link it here when I'm done, it will contain these things plus a few more ;D I hope this helps!
Thanks so much for your advice! There isn't a lot of info on vivas out there (it's a bit of a weird concept) so it's good to get more perspectives than just my music teacher.
With having clear links to my topic, my teacher said you need to cover all concepts of music briefly - so some of mine don't link explicitly to harmony, I'm just talking about the similarities and differences in concepts used in pop music. Is that ok too or should I make a reference to harmony within that?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 22, 2016, 10:52:40 pm
Thanks so much for your advice! There isn't a lot of info on vivas out there (it's a bit of a weird concept) so it's good to get more perspectives than just my music teacher.
With having clear links to my topic, my teacher said you need to cover all concepts of music briefly - so some of mine don't link explicitly to harmony, I'm just talking about the similarities and differences in concepts used in pop music. Is that ok too or should I make a reference to harmony within that?
I'd try to link to harmony at least loosely, so obviously Pitch is covered. For the other concepts:
- Tone Colour: Talk about the tone colour of the harmony instruments
- Dynamics/Expressive Techniques: Expressive techniques used by the harmony instruments (this is probably the toughest)
- Structure: Changes in harmony in different sections
- Duration: Rhythms used by the Harmonic Layer
- Texture: Harmonic Role
You can definitely talk about some broader things, but you've specified Harmony, so that should resonate throughout your response! ;D
Post by: isaacdelatorre on July 23, 2016, 12:28:48 pm
Hi Jamon
I'm a music 2 and extension student.
I was just wondering if you have any tips in how to approach the essay styled/extended response question in the aural/musicology paper. ;D
Many thanks, Jessica Ngan
Hey,
I'm currently doing Music 2 and Ext, although not sure if i'm qualified enough to answer this; but here's what I've been doing in my revision.
Firstly have at least one other work from the core topic and one from your additional topic, that you have analysed yourself.
Try to make them contrasting pieces. For my 'related pieces' within the core topic: I chose Ulpirra (1993) - Ross Edwards and We are Never Ever Getting Back Together (2012) - Taylor Swift; and for my additional topic which is "music 1945 to music 25 years ago" I have New York State of Mind (1976) - Billy Joel.
For the extended response question, you almost always have to compare the provided piece (which is always from the core topic) with one of your own. The easiest way to do this is to have a thesis along the lines of "Music of the last 25 years cannot be singularly categorised; instead it is a combination of all the musical eras and cultures that predate it. Thus composers within this period produce works that contrast each other." This gives you a platform to compare the musical concepts (duration, pitch, dynamics & expressive techniques, tone colour, texture and structure).
Also, make sure that you compare the manipulation of these concepts within the piece itself. E.g. time signature changes, polyphonic to monophonic, tempo changes - and compare to your other related work. Ensure that you have adequate textual references - bar numbers or even notating pitch/rhythm/ostinatos (for your other work you will have to do this on manuscript paper provided)
Hope this helps :)
Post by: Lauradf36 on July 28, 2016, 07:39:08 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 28, 2016, 08:35:05 pm
On the topic of vivas, would you be able to check over my viva outline? (is that counted as an essay? it's not that long)
Of course! No no I'm happy to spend 5 minutes having a look, post requirement is only for the stuff that takes me a good half an hour to do ;)
Post by: Lauradf36 on July 29, 2016, 05:43:48 pm
Of course! No no I'm happy to spend 5 minutes having a look, post requirement is only for the stuff that takes me a good half an hour to do ;)
Thanks so much! This is the outline I am planning to use in a week for music trials. It has 5 excerpts which I know is a few too many, but I might cut it down before the HSC.
Contemporary Western Music: “It All Sounds The Same"
Overview
- Introduction - “it all sounds the same?”
Origins in the Baroque period 1600-1750 with the introduction of figured bass
Evolved in the 1950s-> 1960s with the growing popularity of rock
Similarities
- Harmony - four chord progression e.g. Someone Like You by Adele I IV vi V
Structure - Verse/Chorus
Tonality - major e.g. Hey by Outkast in G Major
Dynamics - scientific research e.g. graphs of decibel levels
Linked to Baroque - Canon in D by Pachelbel uses same features
Differences
- Harmony - doo wop progression e.g. Friday by Rebecca Black chords
Tone colour - electronic music introduced in 1980s
Texture - electronic, rap e.g. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons uses multiple genres
Duration - meter e.g. Hey Ya by Outkast in irregular meter
Tonality - minor keys more readily used
Conclusion - should we dismiss contemporary music?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 29, 2016, 07:50:03 pm
Thanks so much! This is the outline I am planning to use in a week for music trials. It has 5 excerpts which I know is a few too many, but I might cut it down before the HSC.
Awesome!! As a tip for the excerpts straight off, try demo-ing what you wanted to show instead. For example, just be like, "Oh, this is the chord progression in Rebecca Black's Friday," and play it on piano or guitar or something. Faster than the excerpt, does the same thing, and you get to show off ;) might work?
I really like this outline, I think it gives you a really clear direction. The trick to think is, does it give the marker clear direction? This is actually perfect, because I have exactly the same information your Viva markers will have, and I'm not 100% sure what you mean by 'Similarities' and 'Differences', do you mean with Baroque Music? If that is the focus of your Viva, that's awesome, make it a bit more obvious in the title of your Viva? You don't want the markers confused :D
As a perhaps contradiction to that idea of clarity, I also think you should be a tiny bit more vague with the musical points you wish to discuss. For example instead of saying 'Tonality - Minor keys more regularly used,' just say Tonality! The idea with those dot points is to give your markers a launch point for their questions, you don't want to answer their questions for them! You don't want, "Oh, so minor tonalities are more often used, tell me about that?", you want, "Okay, tell me about the use of tonality?"
This is an awesome outline, but it needs a little more detail in the headings/overall structure, and less detail for the individual points, in my opinion :D
PS - I've been dying to find my old Viva Voce Outline but I think I lost it!! Such sadness :(
Post by: Lauradf36 on July 30, 2016, 04:43:31 pm
Awesome!! As a tip for the excerpts straight off, try demo-ing what you wanted to show instead. For example, just be like, "Oh, this is the chord progression in Rebecca Black's Friday," and play it on piano or guitar or something. Faster than the excerpt, does the same thing, and you get to show off ;) might work?
I really like this outline, I think it gives you a really clear direction. The trick to think is, does it give the marker clear direction? This is actually perfect, because I have exactly the same information your Viva markers will have, and I'm not 100% sure what you mean by 'Similarities' and 'Differences', do you mean with Baroque Music? If that is the focus of your Viva, that's awesome, make it a bit more obvious in the title of your Viva? You don't want the markers confused :D
As a perhaps contradiction to that idea of clarity, I also think you should be a tiny bit more vague with the musical points you wish to discuss. For example instead of saying 'Tonality - Minor keys more regularly used,' just say Tonality! The idea with those dot points is to give your markers a launch point for their questions, you don't want to answer their questions for them! You don't want, "Oh, so minor tonalities are more often used, tell me about that?", you want, "Okay, tell me about the use of tonality?"
This is an awesome outline, but it needs a little more detail in the headings/overall structure, and less detail for the individual points, in my opinion :D
PS - I've been dying to find my old Viva Voce Outline but I think I lost it!! Such sadness :(
Thanks so much for your tips! A demo is a good idea, as I am having a hard time getting it short enough - especially since they might ask me random questions that get me off topic! :-\ I doubled up on "Hey Ya" to help, but do you think I would need to play it both times, or just once??
My viva is on similarities in 21st century music so I will specify that. And I agree about having less detail, I just wasn't sure if I needed to give the markers more direction so they wouldn't just ask anything. But at the same time I don't want to give too many spoilers, so I'll probably change it a bit.
Thanks so much again, this is super helpful :D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 30, 2016, 08:30:23 pm
Thanks so much for your tips! A demo is a good idea, as I am having a hard time getting it short enough - especially since they might ask me random questions that get me off topic! :-\ I doubled up on "Hey Ya" to help, but do you think I would need to play it both times, or just once??
My viva is on similarities in 21st century music so I will specify that. And I agree about having less detail, I just wasn't sure if I needed to give the markers more direction so they wouldn't just ask anything. But at the same time I don't want to give too many spoilers, so I'll probably change it a bit.
Thanks so much again, this is super helpful :D
Definitely just play it the once! Just be like, "Yo, that excerpt from earlier? Yeah that was irregular metre ;D"
No problem at all! Happy to help ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 10, 2016, 11:53:56 am
Post by: Lauradf36 on August 10, 2016, 07:49:14 pm
For anyone interested, I've just posted an article on Tips for Viva Voces ;D
Thank you, I will be sure to have a look! I did my viva for trials last week and it was not what I expected/had practised for at all, so no idea how I went. And midway through the marker was like "I'm not exactly sure what point you're getting at here" which just made me panic :-\
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 10, 2016, 10:55:06 pm
Thank you, I will be sure to have a look! I did my viva for trials last week and it was not what I expected/had practised for at all, so no idea how I went. And midway through the marker was like "I'm not exactly sure what point you're getting at here" which just made me panic :-\
It's okay, I am sure you went fine! ;D in situations like that, don't panic! That statement was just a cue for you to attempt to explain your point again, or link to your main idea a little more clearly, though I do think it's a bit harsh to have expressed it in that fashion :P but hey, that's what Trials is about, dealing with those sorts of issues in preparation for the real thing, let me know how you went! ;D
Post by: Lauradf36 on August 10, 2016, 11:25:17 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 10, 2016, 11:58:05 pm
What are your pre-music practical exams rituals, by the way? I know there are rituals for writing ones but I wasn't sure how to get in the right head/fingerspace for music. I had to search all around the school for pianos to warm up my fingers (I obviously couldn't practise in any near the music room, where other people were being examined), and by the time I forgot my laptop for my viva as well, I was suitably stressed. And not in the best mental space to play my pieces!
Being a guitarist, I was lucky enough to be able to walk outside and play in the courtyard (at my school the whole school knows when the HSC Music Performances are on, students walking past get a bit of a free show from people practicing) ;) it's rotten that you can't practice closer!
In any case, I did my warmups about an hour before the exam. Scales, stretches, a few runs through the piece one last time. That would take me about half an hour to do properly. Checked tuning, all that stuff. For the half an hour beforehand, I honestly just talked to people, tried to keep my mind at ease. I paced, like a lot. For me, I get rid of the adrenalin by pacing, so 15 minutes before the performance I was probably looking very nutty striding back and forth around the waiting area. 5 minutes before I strapped myself up and just stretched until showtime ;D
Being organised is so key. Get there early, have everything set hours in advance, try to avoid last minute rushes for obvious reasons. From there, do whatever will make you feel most at ease. For me, it was movement, but anything that works ;D
Unexpected stuff happens though. A friend of mine had a bass string snap during his HSC warmup. They were nice enough to let him swap with the next person and all the guitarists jumped into action and had it re-strung in about 2 minutes flat, so crisis averted. The point being, it's impossible to prepare for everything, your job as the performer is just to be confident and roll with the punches. If something goes awry (forgotten laptop, jam finger in piano lid, etc), just take a breath and let it happen :)
Post by: edmododragon on October 07, 2016, 11:27:26 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 07, 2016, 12:31:50 pm
Hey, not sure if this is the right place, but I'm doing Music 2 this year, which means I had to do a composition major work. Of course, it's already submitted, but would you or do you know anyone who would be able to do a quick short mark of it so I can get an idea of how well I did (because honestly I have no clue whether it's a masterpiece or absolutely horrible)? Thanks :)
Hey Edmodo! Welcome to the forums! ;D
I did 2 Music 1 Compositions, I definitely don't consider myself an expert, but I can give you my opinion! Upload the score/musical notation, pop a link to any recording you have, and I'll give it a listen :)
Post by: edmododragon on October 07, 2016, 01:03:32 pm
Hey Edmodo! Welcome to the forums! ;D
I did 2 Music 1 Compositions, I definitely don't consider myself an expert, but I can give you my opinion! Upload the score/musical notation, pop a link to any recording you have, and I'll give it a listen :)
Thanks man :) Here's the score and a link to the mp3
https://soundcloud.com/edmond-gao/comp
Post by: Lauradf36 on October 07, 2016, 06:23:03 pm
Rip all of us
Post by: RuiAce on October 07, 2016, 06:37:57 pm
Thanks man :) Here's the score and a link to the mp3This got my attention because I'm also a pianist. I like the composition, and I also have some questions about it.
https://soundcloud.com/edmond-gao/comp
1. What was your inspiration :P
2. For a piece in duple time, why is it at around 34s in the middle of what I pictured was a phrase, the melody suddenly briefly becomes noticeably more low pitched?
3. It feels like a change from a minor to a major key occurred at around 49s, which was pretty smooth. But the diminished C Eb A?? (I think) at around 59s brings it back quite abruptly! Might there be a contrast here?
4. The tempo change in 1:07 was really noticeable. It seemed like a completely new character here. Why did you implement it?
5. How long did this take you?
That moment when paper 1 and music 1 aural are on the same day :( :( :(Struggles of every music student.
Rip all of us
Post by: edmododragon on October 07, 2016, 06:52:45 pm
This got my attention because I'm also a pianist. I like the composition, and I also have some questions about it.
1. What was your inspiration :P
2. For a piece in duple time, why is it at around 34s in the middle of what I pictured was a phrase, the melody suddenly briefly becomes noticeably more low pitched?
3. It feels like a change from a minor to a major key occurred at around 49s, which was pretty smooth. But the diminished C Eb A?? (I think) at around 59s brings it back quite abruptly! Might there be a contrast here?
4. The tempo change in 1:07 was really noticeable. It seemed like a completely new character here. Why did you implement it?
5. How long did this take you?
Struggles of every music student.
1. The prescribed topic is Australian Music of the last 25 years (although the markers say this is so broad anything fits), so my original inspirations were from the Australian pianist Elena Kats-Chernin and some of her earlier works. That being said, after the first month or so, the composition sort of transformed into a mix of that/Baroque techniques/Classical focus just because that's the sort of style I'm familiar with.
2. The piece was intended to be quite fugal and has multiple voices. The melody here is shifting to a voice in a lower register.
3. As the A section is mainly minor and the B section is mainly major, I toyed around with the ending bars of the A section, by sort of giving the marker a "glimpse" of the tonality that would come later. The diminished chord is the last chord before the transition begins so it's to add dramatic effect :p
4. Originally I had only one big fugal section, but after listening to it for 2 minutes it became quite repetitive so I decided to vary the structure and add a new section. I had to keep consistencies such as the shape of the melody and rhythm, but I added some contrast with features such as the tonality and the tempo.
5. From the beginning of year 12 to the end of August :D Although there were many on and off periods. I did a lot in the first few months, and slowed down a lot around Term 2. I made a lot of changes after trials so that's when the bulk of what you're listening to now was written.
Glad you liked the composition :)
Post by: isaacdelatorre on October 08, 2016, 10:31:10 pm
Does anyone have any tips on melodic dictation???
This is by far my weakest section across the paper and is often the cause of lost marks.
How does everyone practice it and what are some tips for on the day?
Thanks everyone :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 08, 2016, 11:58:43 pm
Hey guys,
Does anyone have any tips on melodic dictation???
This is by far my weakest section across the paper and is often the cause of lost marks.
How does everyone practice it and what are some tips for on the day?
Thanks everyone :)
I didn't do Music II so I'd feel uncomfortable giving specific advice, but I would just like to say that I have massive respect to those who can do melodic dictation well. Good friend of mine who also did Music 1 was a genius at it (classical musician, in the NSW Youth Orchestra, was just a gun) and I could never really get the hang of it.
Anyone who can offer a hand would be awesome!! :)
Thanks man :) Here's the score and a link to the mp3
https://soundcloud.com/edmond-gao/comp
I haven't forgotten you by the way edmodo! I'm just working through a mountain of work right now, I'm definitely keen to have a listen once my workload drops a tad ;D
Post by: DalvinT on October 11, 2016, 10:59:34 pm
I'm unsure about what is the best combination of pieces that I should do for my HSC 2017 for piano :/
I'm planning to do 3 performances and 1 musicology.
My question is: Does it matter if I play the same style for all the pieces (e.g. all 3 songs are from the romantic period), thereby affecting the maximum marks I can achieve? And also is better to have a range of pieces that show different expressive techniques (rubato, trills etc.) ?
What I initially plan to do:
- Chopin - Valse Op. 69 No. 1
- Scott Joplin - Bethena
- George Gershwin - Summertime? (Probably reconsidering this - want to do something jazzy/blues)
Post by: isaacdelatorre on October 11, 2016, 11:21:48 pm
Hey everyone,
I'm unsure about what is the best combination of pieces that I should do for my HSC 2017 for piano :/
I'm planning to do 3 performances and 1 musicology.
My question is: Does it matter if I play the same style for all the pieces (e.g. all 3 songs are from the romantic period), thereby affecting the maximum marks I can achieve? And also is better to have a range of pieces that show different expressive techniques (rubato, trills etc.) ?
What I initially plan to do:
- Chopin - Valse Op. 69 No. 1
- Scott Joplin - Bethena
- George Gershwin - Summertime? (Probably reconsidering this - want to do something jazzy/blues)
Hey Dalvin,
Welcome to the forums, great to see that you are preparing early for your performances as this was one of my, and many others major downfalls.
The syllabus and marking guidelines do not specify if you have to have contrasting pieces for Music 1 or 2; only for Music Extension is it specified that your pieces have to be contrasting. In saying this, the pieces I prepared were all contrasting as I wanted to show off as much skill as I could to the examiners.
The marking guidelines for a top band in performance are:
• Demonstrates highly developed technical skills incorporating technical fluency, technical facility, intonation and articulation appropriate to the
chosen repertoire
• Demonstrates perceptive stylistic understanding through performing repertoire using articulation, dynamics and expressive techniques
• Performs with a well-developed sense of personal expression, demonstrated by the use of appropriate expressive techniques and a
sensitivity to the chosen style
• Demonstrates a highly developed understanding of solo/ensemble techniques including understanding of the role of soloist/ensemble
member, communication with accompanist/ensemble and issues of balance
So... the choice is yours as to whether or not you do decide to branch out, as the first one "highly developed technical skill" may be compromised if you decide to branch out into an area that you are unfamiliar with. If you do however think that you are strong across both genres of music than I would be inclined to do romantic pieces as well as another genre - jazz/blues would be great, especially if you do some improvisation as you are showing a range of skills and techniques which appropriate to different styles as opposed to showing the same techniques (rubato, trills) for the same genre 3 times.
Hope this helps :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 12, 2016, 12:28:44 am
Hey everyone,
I'm unsure about what is the best combination of pieces that I should do for my HSC 2017 for piano :/
I'm planning to do 3 performances and 1 musicology.
My question is: Does it matter if I play the same style for all the pieces (e.g. all 3 songs are from the romantic period), thereby affecting the maximum marks I can achieve? And also is better to have a range of pieces that show different expressive techniques (rubato, trills etc.) ?
What I initially plan to do:
- Chopin - Valse Op. 69 No. 1
- Scott Joplin - Bethena
- George Gershwin - Summertime? (Probably reconsidering this - want to do something jazzy/blues)
Hey Dalvin! Again, welcome!!
Isaac's covered most of what I'd say, but I'll just re-iterate that although there is no specific requirement, it is nice to go into that 20 minute session with the markers and show them different aspects of your abilities. By all means play to your strengths, but a bit of variety is good for engagement, even subconsciously!! ;D your pieces get individual marks, but they are inevitably considered together as your 'repertoire' by the markers on the day ;D
Post by: DalvinT on October 12, 2016, 08:08:18 am
Post by: edmododragon on October 12, 2016, 01:59:05 pm
Hey guys,
Does anyone have any tips on melodic dictation???
This is by far my weakest section across the paper and is often the cause of lost marks.
How does everyone practice it and what are some tips for on the day?
Thanks everyone :)
Melodic dictation is a nightmare :( I'm not expert but here are some of the tips I use and how you could practice for tomorrow
For practice:
If you haven't already, practice being able to differentiate between intervals. A way to do this is to remember a song where the first interval of that song is the interval you're trying to remember. That way, when you hear the interval in the exam, you'll think something like: "Oh, that interval sounds like the beginning of the Australian anthem. It's a perfect fourth!"
Your practice doesn't have to be limited to past papers. Listen to any song or piece that you enjoy and try naming all the intervals between each note. This way it'll be more enjoyable than listening to the usually bland pieces they give in the exams :)
In the exam:
Different people always use different techniques. I always write down the rhythm first off so I have a framework before I work on my melody. My friend however, always writes the notes with small dots, before filling them in with the correct rhythm at the very end. It's up to you to figure out what you're more comfortable with.
I do suggest on the first one or two playings, try to remember the piece, so between playings and even after the section is finished, you can continue to work by listening to it in your mind.
Use all the interval work you did in your practice! Listen out and rememebr what songs match with what intervals, and remember that even if you screw up one interval, you wont be marked down if all your following intervals are correct, just shifted a little. One of my friends compares each note to the tonic, which also works, but I find more challenging. Again, up to you :)
Notate the easy notes first. Hear the tonic? Write it down. Not only will it guarantee you have some correct notation but also gives you more reference points for your other intervals.
In the end, it'll still be a nightmare, but I hope these tips help you to secure one or two or five more marks tomorrow :)
Post by: student123456 on October 12, 2016, 05:29:04 pm
Melodic dictation is a nightmare :( I'm not expert but here are some of the tips I use and how you could practice for tomorrow
For practice:
If you haven't already, practice being able to differentiate between intervals. A way to do this is to remember a song where the first interval of that song is the interval you're trying to remember. That way, when you hear the interval in the exam, you'll think something like: "Oh, that interval sounds like the beginning of the Australian anthem. It's a perfect fourth!"
Your practice doesn't have to be limited to past papers. Listen to any song or piece that you enjoy and try naming all the intervals between each note. This way it'll be more enjoyable than listening to the usually bland pieces they give in the exams :)
In the exam:
Different people always use different techniques. I always write down the rhythm first off so I have a framework before I work on my melody. My friend however, always writes the notes with small dots, before filling them in with the correct rhythm at the very end. It's up to you to figure out what you're more comfortable with.
I do suggest on the first one or two playings, try to remember the piece, so between playings and even after the section is finished, you can continue to work by listening to it in your mind.
Use all the interval work you did in your practice! Listen out and rememebr what songs match with what intervals, and remember that even if you screw up one interval, you wont be marked down if all your following intervals are correct, just shifted a little. One of my friends compares each note to the tonic, which also works, but I find more challenging. Again, up to you :)
Notate the easy notes first. Hear the tonic? Write it down. Not only will it guarantee you have some correct notation but also gives you more reference points for your other intervals.
In the end, it'll still be a nightmare, but I hope these tips help you to secure one or two or five more marks tomorrow :)
super helpful, thank you so much!
Post by: edmododragon on October 13, 2016, 09:15:46 pm
super helpful, thank you so much!
ironic considering I got absolutely decimated by today's dictation XD
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 13, 2016, 11:40:43 pm
ironic considering I got absolutely decimated by today's dictation XD
Stupid me didn't start a Music Exam thread, I will do this in the morning because I want to hear about the exams!! :)
Post by: gabbyhsc on November 05, 2016, 10:43:23 am
I'm a really big fan of Ed Sheeran, and I love the way he uses Loop Pedals to create his music.
Loop pedals in general are heaps cool, but I'm not sure how I could link this in to a viva voce?
Do you have any thoughts? Thank you!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on November 05, 2016, 12:52:10 pm
Hello! I have my first core viva voce coming up and I was just wondering if you had any suggestions!
I'm a really big fan of Ed Sheeran, and I love the way he uses Loop Pedals to create his music.
Loop pedals in general are heaps cool, but I'm not sure how I could link this in to a viva voce?
Do you have any thoughts? Thank you!
Hey Gabby! Welcome to the forums ;D You could frame it in a few ways!
- Use of technology by solo artists to generate musical interests
- Unorthodox sound production methods extending the musical interest of the acoustic guitar
- Just a commentary on expressive techniques in general (loop pedals sort of fall under that category, for lack of a better term)
Ed Sheeran and his loop pedals could be one example, perhaps look at John Butler's use of expressive techniques in Ocean (lots of recordings on Youtube, each one is different with cool new techniques, the guy is a genius). What's the topic for your Core? ;D
Post by: gabbyhsc on November 05, 2016, 10:30:50 pm
Hey Gabby! Welcome to the forums ;D You could frame it in a few ways!
- Use of technology by solo artists to generate musical interests
- Unorthodox sound production methods extending the musical interest of the acoustic guitar
- Just a commentary on expressive techniques in general (loop pedals sort of fall under that category, for lack of a better term)
Ed Sheeran and his loop pedals could be one example, perhaps look at John Butler's use of expressive techniques in Ocean (lots of recordings on Youtube, each one is different with cool new techniques, the guy is a genius). What's the topic for your Core? ;D
Thank you so so so much :) its music in the 20th and 21st century! so you think focus on expressive techniques or technology in general?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on November 05, 2016, 11:14:15 pm
Thank you so so so much :) its music in the 20th and 21st century! so you think focus on expressive techniques or technology in general?
No worries! Okay cool; technology is a really cool thing to bring in for that topic. Pretty much all the new genres of this era have come from technological evolution (pretty much all rock genres came because we tried to amplify a clean electric guitar sound, and it came out distorted, and someone was like "Damn that sounds dope."). So if you can find some other things that artists have done to integrate technology into their sound, that might be worth a look! Your topic could be like, "Exploring the use of technology as a means of expanding musical interest for solo artists," or something? That's if you could find enough examples of solo artists doing cool stuff with technology without making it too repetitive, which I bet you could ;D
My advice would be to do some wider listening tomorrow, go nuts on Youtube, see what you can find! Feel free to run some pieces or ideas by me :) ps - if you could get a loop pedal and demonstrate Sheeran's techniques (even in a simple manner, very quickly), live for the markers, that would earn serious brownie points ;)
Post by: ajajaj on January 26, 2017, 11:02:47 am
I'm a Year 12 student complething their HSC this year and fortuantely was able to chat with you during your 2nd Maths ATAR Notes lecture yesterday!
Do you have any articles or could you give any tips to someone that is doing a viva on the topic 'Instrument and its Repertoire'? Is it necessary to research the instrument you play (I'm a vocalist, any suggestions)?? Overall I'm completely new to this and I don't know where to start.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on January 26, 2017, 01:52:16 pm
Hi Jamon!!
I'm a Year 12 student complething their HSC this year and fortuantely was able to chat with you during your 2nd Maths ATAR Notes lecture yesterday!
Do you have any articles or could you give any tips to someone that is doing a viva on the topic 'Instrument and its Repertoire'? Is it necessary to research the instrument you play (I'm a vocalist, any suggestions)?? Overall I'm completely new to this and I don't know where to start.
Hey! Welcome to the forums! I remember, was hoping you'd post! So happy to have you on the site :)
So a Viva on the Instrument and its Repertoire really needs to show an in depth understanding of the instrument, and how it is used in different styles. There is a historical aspect too - You need a basic understanding of how the voice has been used over time. Often this blends nicely with style - Opera is clearly different in vocal technique to heavy metal or rap. So yep! A little bit of research is necessary to give yourself that background knowledge on the topic :)
So the idea of a Viva is to formulate a main idea or Thesis, similar to English, that you will discuss and elaborate on in your 10 minute Viva. The one I got into Encore with was (roughly worded):
How the use of polystylism creates musical interest in progressive rock music, as exemplified by Muse.
So my Thesis was; progressive rock bands use elements of styles besides rock to add musical interest to their piece. I was going to prove/show that by looking at how Muse (a really cool band I loved) did it in a few of their pieces. So that's your first job; coming up with something (related to your topic) that you can discuss. It might be, How the role of the voice differs in different styles of music, or something.
So your next step is to structure your Viva around some musical excerpts that you will analyse. I picked three songs by Muse to demonstrate polystylism - One blended rock with jazz, one blended rock with classical, and one blended rock with contemporary/dance. I used these to discuss my Thesis, I could point to them and say, "Boom, here is polystylism, told ya so," and then I explore how the concepts of music are manipulated to create musical interest.
So that's a lot, but the idea would be this. Pick 2/3/4 (?) songs that you think demonstrate different aspects of the vocal repertoire, or different aspects of your Thesis, or whatever. Discuss them one at a time, referencing differences if you want to. Is one melodic and one harmonic? Differences in tone colour? What about expressive techniques? All the concepts should be there; don't fall into the trap of just doing expressive techniques because of the "instrument and its repertoire" topic. You'll have plenty to discuss if you pick good excerpts - Remember to keep them short! Mine hit about 20/25 seconds - And my entire Viva was based around three of those excerpts.
So -
1. Do some research to give yourself some background knowledge of the topic area
2. Come up with a Thesis/idea to discuss
3. Do lots of listening and choose excerpts to use in your Viva
4. Analyse those excerpts in depth (using concepts of music) to explain how they 'back up' your Thesis
That would be my rough plan of attack. I did write an article on this too, check it out here!
Really hope this helps - Welcome to the forums once again ;D
Post by: ajajaj on February 05, 2017, 10:36:08 pm
In your opinion, what aspects of your viva voce were the strongest / helped you get into Encore? I need to get an idea of what makes an average viva compared to what would make a Band 6 worthy viva.
Also, how did you come up with a sophisticated and original thesis?
Thanks heaps again :))
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 06, 2017, 12:00:06 am
Hey again! Thanks for answering my last question, it helped alot (as well as the article on vivas)!
In your opinion, what aspects of your viva voce were the strongest / helped you get into Encore? I need to get an idea of what makes an average viva compared to what would make a Band 6 worthy viva.
Also, how did you come up with a sophisticated and original thesis?
Thanks heaps again :))
Hey! Glad it helped, no problem at all ;D
I think what I did really well was musical examples. I had my three short excerpts, for sure, but I had a LOAD of examples. I played riffs and chord progressions and bass lines on my guitar, demonstrated expressive techniques etc. Incidentally, I held the guitar through the whole Viva, and I specifically had to train myself not to play it while I was talking (when I hold a guitar I play it, I'm bad). I printed a score for one of my excerpts and used bar numbers to reference things I was discussing. I drummed rhythms on the table, I sang melodies and demonstrated vocal techniques. I used an effects pedal to demonstrate tone colours on the guitar. Essentially, lots of stuff for the marker to listen to, and point to, in my Viva.
I think I answered questions well too. At one point I played a random chord progression for them to demonstrate the atonality of a power chord, and one piped up and was like, "What progression was that?"
I'm like, "Oh, it's a I-IV-V progression".
"In what key?"
"Oh, um (looks down briefly to check lol) A"
"Major or minor"
"Well, neither, and that's the point. That tonic chord is lacking that major or minor third, so the progression isn't major or minor so it's..."
I struggled a tad to find the word there, but I distinctly remember one marker smiling at me and completing my sentence for me, "Atonal, great, thank you!" That was the moment I knew I'd done well - It was near the end and she seemed really pleased with me at that point. Nice confidence boost to finish it was ;D
The point being, they pressed me. On all sorts of concepts of music - And I think I responded really really well to those questions. So if I were to pick two big strengths - Those would be it!
On coming up with a Thesis - It is hard. A good thing to look at is HSC questions from Aural Exams that focus on something besides a concept - Unity and contrast, musical interest, style, etc. Those normally make for an interesting take on the concepts of music, which you can integrate with say, a time period or an instrument, to form a cool idea. But it's a lot of trial and error! Hang in there, and feel free to run any ideas past me if you'd like to :)
Post by: DalvinT on February 06, 2017, 08:07:09 am
Discussion of the concept of music on the comparison between John Field's and Chopin Nocturnes.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 06, 2017, 08:56:37 am
Hey Jamon! Do you think a good viva voce question for my HSC could be this :
Discussion of the concept of music on the comparison between John Field's and Chopin Nocturnes.
I think it is good! What are you trying to demonstrate with that comparison though? Is it a comparison of eras? Comparison of styles? Comparison of ensembles? It works as it is but some sort of additional rationale would make it even better :)
Post by: waterdancer on February 19, 2017, 06:49:38 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XloGWZA85f0
Post by: ajajaj on February 19, 2017, 07:43:58 pm
From your knowledge what do you know about doing a comp for an elective?? I really want to try it out since I got full marks for my first HSC internal assessment, which was a comp, and was told that I need to refine it / add sections. However I've been told by many people that it's very hard to get good marks, and Band 6 comps are bascially professional level compositions. What do you think?
Post by: waterdancer on February 19, 2017, 08:27:47 pm
Hey again Jamon!Hi, I'm not Jamon obviously, but I will tell you what my music teacher told me about choosing composition.
From your knowledge what do you know about doing a comp for an elective?? I really want to try it out since I got full marks for my first HSC internal assessment, which was a comp, and was told that I need to refine it / add sections. However I've been told by many people that it's very hard to get good marks, and Band 6 comps are bascially professional level compositions. What do you think?
You have to be willing to put in a lot of time to perfect your work, and it really has to be able to impress the markers. It's all well and good writing a nice four chord pop song for simple guitar and voice, but in reality, that isn't going to get you those top marks. Within the piece you really need to show off, use expressive techniques and above all else know how to score for the chosen instrument. Bow markings for strings, knowing whether an interval is possible to reach on a piano or not, that sort of thing.
It's a lot of hard work, but if you really enjoy composition and did well in the internals, I'd say go for it. It can't hurt to ask your teacher for their advice, they are there to help you do the best you can after all. You find that it is mostly Music 2 that does the really professional insane compositions, since they only have two minutes to play with, but for Music 1, with four minutes you generally get a bit more slack, and the course is designed for beginner/intermediate musicians anyway. The markers understand this, they understand that composition is most likely a new thing to most students. Just play around with any ideas you have, get advice from as many people as possible on how to improve, and honestly don't stress too much about it.
Good luck with whatever you decide to choose :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 19, 2017, 09:18:21 pm
Hey again Jamon!
From your knowledge what do you know about doing a comp for an elective?? I really want to try it out since I got full marks for my first HSC internal assessment, which was a comp, and was told that I need to refine it / add sections. However I've been told by many people that it's very hard to get good marks, and Band 6 comps are bascially professional level compositions. What do you think?
Hey aj! I really agree with water dancer on this one - You really need to be passionate and invested enough to be able to sit at your computer/instrument for a long time and perfect what's in front of you. Plus, you need to keep a portfolio, which is a huge task by itself. I did two compositions - The portfolios nearly killed me ;)
But with those two negatives out of the way, you should definitely consider giving it a go! They won't expect Hans Zimmer or Beethoven levels of compositional genius, they are just seeing (from the rubric):
- Composes a work that successfully and coherently represents the chosen topic, demonstrating perceptive and accomplished understanding of style, the concepts of music, and the relationships between the concepts - This just means, how well have you understood the requirements for the piece you are composing (EG - not putting a sung melody with lyrics in a film score designed to sit beneath dialogue), and how well you've understood how to use the concepts of music to achieve the correct style
- Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and understanding of score conventions and performance directions appropriate to the chosen topic - This is your score, have you notated tab for the guitarist correctly? Written a proper sheet of music with the right directions for a pianist correctly
- Demonstrates high level skills in organising ideas into musical structures Basically, how well the piece fits together and flows, both on a high level (verses/choruses) and a low level (how well does your drum beat match your guitar riff)
It's not about being the next prodigy - It's about starting to demonstrate some key compositional skills :) it sounds like you did well and are interested, you should give it a go!!
Would it help if I uploaded my composition(s) and scores for you to see the standard for? I don't know the marks for these directly, but I got 95 in Music 1, which means they have to be Band 6 quality (no way I got full marks in my other sections to compensate, lol ;))
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 19, 2017, 09:36:47 pm
Hello, I'm partway through a piano composition for the topic of An Instrument and it's Repertoire, just wondering if anyone could take a look and give me any feedback? Here's the youtube link with the audio as well as the score, so if I've made any errors in notating or just a part sounds bad please let me know. Thank you ;D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XloGWZA85f0
Bloody gorgeous!! I love it water dancer! Seriously, seriously good stuff ;D
Take my points with a grain of salt; you are composing for Music 2 (I'm guessing?), which means you likely possess far greater musical knowledge than I ;) I also can't provide much guidance on the performance direction for piano, on my knowledge the score looks well notated!!
- On the whole, really enjoyable piece to listen to - Loved it and some really great melodic and harmonic ideas
- I'd maybe like to see a bit of unity a tad more obvious throughout - Perhaps the more obvious repetition of some melodic phrases. I'd love for those accented quavers in Bar 7 to appear again, for example, those appearing in the middle of all the faster passages was really enjoyable to listen to.
- I think you could do a little more with dynamics (though actually, now I think, this is the Sibelius MIDI audio of the score? It should be better when you perform it live, perhaps even throw a bit more rubato in there for some expression)
Yeah, not much I can say - I really enjoyed this and really keen to see where it goes from here!!
Edit: I'm going to ask one of our moderators Rui to check this out, he's a pianist, reckon he'd give better feedback than I ;) )
Post by: RuiAce on February 20, 2017, 02:00:29 pm
Hello, I'm partway through a piano composition for the topic of An Instrument and it's Repertoire, just wondering if anyone could take a look and give me any feedback? Here's the youtube link with the audio as well as the score, so if I've made any errors in notating or just a part sounds bad please let me know. Thank you ;DHere are the things that come to mind when I listen and study this composition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XloGWZA85f0
As I progress:
- The trill in the opening seems effective at evoking some kind of suspense, and it resolves down. Complements the arpeggio melody in the bass line well.
- Followed by a whole sequence of arpeggios. An idea of what the piece will be like is developed.
- LOVE the contrary motion in bar 3
- In bar 3, the second set of semiquavers involves LOTS of ledger lines. Looks very exaggerated. Maybe try replacing with an ottava
- Chords chosen in bar 7 are effective in continuing the melody line, however this may just be me (and for all I know, a better pianist will tackle it) but
I feel I must look at it again. The melody line is more legato and I'm not sure if the transition of the chords will be smooth.
- A resolve doesn't seem to occur at the key change, but rather in the middle of bar 17. Fascinating. But it seems to just keep continuing.
- The key change brings out a new character. This is good.
- A resolve comes in at bar 24, although it feels early. Here's one important thing: I begin to feel that the piece is lacking direction. After this bar, I feel like I've basically been walking around in a circle. The melody line is beautiful but it becomes difficult to shape a story out of it, because the only really unexpected effect happened in bar 17.
- Once again, the key change brings out a new character. As I hoped for. But of course, this section is to be continued and thus I won't comment too much on it.
Praises:
- Very pleasing melody. I can imagine it as both calming and soothing (which, was probably the intended), but also suspenseful at the same time.
- Wide range of keys hit. "Simple" things like arpeggios and contrary motion well synthesised.
- The key changes over to the key of the dominant (of the original keynote) with added effect.
- Several characters observed.
- 2 against 3 was well used in my opinion
- Trills and ornaments fill in some otherwise blank spaces
Critiques:
- As mentioned above: lacks direction. The melody doesn't seem to portray something (or possibly just not yet)
- Could do with more cadences; need some more effective resolutions every now and then (hopefully this is to come). Even an interrupted cadence if you're good enough to incorporate one in the middle of the piece.
- Jamon and I both thought about this - calm down a bit. There's beauty in simplicity every now and then; there's no need to make it so continuous unless your goal is to compose a study (which even then it should be calmer).
- The new character introduced in the key change to C# minor (unless that was E major...) presented a much slower pace. I would like to see more of these tempo changes.
Questions:
- What period of music are you aiming to reflect?
- Is this piece going to follow some form?
- Which composers influenced you to produce this work?
Overall: This piece is promising. I can see good results coming out of it. But sometimes it may help to take a piece easier rather than focus on the fanciness. Very nice job. :)
Post by: DalvinT on February 20, 2017, 07:57:42 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMycSccobc - Btw, im struggling with the rhythm and on the verge to giving up learning this piece. >:( :'(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKjUDHghgjw - Dreading the hanon exercises to help with this piece and also, the metronome :-[ :-[ :'(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92HtJHxosWg - Learning just the notes/rhythm for now...
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 20, 2017, 09:19:58 pm
Hi Guys! I'm learning these pieces right now and I'm not sure whether they will potentially be Band 6 quality pieces...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMycSccobc - Btw, im struggling with the rhythm and on the verge to giving up learning this piece. >:( :'(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKjUDHghgjw - Dreading the hanon exercises to help with this piece and also, the metronome :-[ :-[ :'(
On the first - I think that technically it could definitely be Band 6 quality piece if you performed it well!! I do think its a little repetitious though, definitely could do more with dynamic range, and perhaps (not a piano expert) a bit more with expressive techniques as well?
On the second - I don't think it's quite to the same technical level as the first, but it does have a better dynamic range and so would probably let you play more with expression - Add in a bit of rubato perhaps :)
I think both definitely have potential to be Band 6 level pieces though! As they are performed in the videos, I think both would get a Band 6 level mark for sure - The dynamic range in the second makes up for the slightly less technically difficult piece ;D its about what you can play the best, and also what you enjoy more!!
Edit: Really like the third one - Quite technically interesting, dynamically interesting, LOTS of room for expression as a performer ;D
Post by: RuiAce on February 20, 2017, 09:45:03 pm
Hi Guys! I'm learning these pieces right now and I'm not sure whether they will potentially be Band 6 quality pieces...And now that Jamon's answered the main question, here are my tips for practicing these pieces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMycSccobc - Btw, im struggling with the rhythm and on the verge to giving up learning this piece. >:( :'(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKjUDHghgjw - Dreading the hanon exercises to help with this piece and also, the metronome :-[ :-[ :'(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92HtJHxosWg - Learning just the notes/rhythm for now...
Piece 1: Evidently there's a lot of dotted notes, and it can be hard matching up the semiquavers and quavers properly between the hands. You just need to force yourself to practice SLOWLY. Try using a metronome AND counting the beats: 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and-...
Even in 8th grade with AMEB (and aspiring to do AMus) I still use the counting technique. It works miracles.
Also, every now and then there may be a need to revert back to separate hands here.
The piece is repetitive like Jamon said, however in all honesty way too many pieces are repetitive anyhow. A possible explanation is that this piece may??? be in rondo form or something similar, where one section gets repeated multiple times. Despite the fact that the section gets repeated, try to contrast between your choice of dynamics when you perform it the first, second time and so on...
Remember: COUNT THE BEATS.
I don't have the music in front of me to comment too much though.
Piece 2: As Jamon pointed out, this piece is not to the same technical level. If you want to pull off something like this, dynamics are a must.
A word on dynamics: Look for patterns. If you see a scale/arpeggio pattern then consider ascending-crescendo descending-diminuendo. If you see a chords pattern or something, decide if there should or should not be accents based on what proceeds the chords. The trill pattern around 54 seconds is repeated about 4 times, and that's something I'd definitely insert a diminuendo in, rather than bluntly repeat.
Don't forget, as a rule of thumb the voice with the least notes is usually the melody. The more the notes, the more it tends to being accompaniment and thus should be played at a relatively softer volume (with a bare-slight exception of the highly contrapuntal music of the Baroque period). Notice how in that one, the melody is more in the left hand for the first 16 seconds, and then shifts to the right hand.
Hanon exercises are really just "more useful things than scales" the way I see it. Hanon exercises allow you to practice patterns that you'd normally ignore. So treat them as though they were scales. At the start, play it at a moderate speed so that your fingers adjust to the new pattern. Then, gradually speed up until you reach about 15 bpm above your piece's performance speed. If you practice a piece faster, and then play it at the performance speed in the exam (slower than your practice), you will feel like "oh this is easy" and stress less.
Once you excel at the Hanon exercise, play it about twice a day. That's plenty if you ask me.
Never put your metronome too high if you can't handle it.
Piece 3: I played a piece by Chopin, and the left hand has the same sort of thing going on. Bass note, chord, bass note, chord. At the start, you want to take this REALLY slowly so that your hands don't jump onto the wrong notes later on.
Separate hand practice is highly advised. Keep an eye out on phrasing and where the slurs are.
Post by: ajajaj on February 20, 2017, 09:56:40 pm
Would it help if I uploaded my composition(s) and scores for you to see the standard for? I don't know the marks for these directly, but I got 95 in Music 1, which means they have to be Band 6 quality (no way I got full marks in my other sections to compensate, lol ;))
That would be excellent, thanks Jamon and waterdancer! I'm also really curious to know how it sounded and what program you used. If it's possible can you please upload your composition process diary???
Post by: waterdancer on February 20, 2017, 10:09:00 pm
Bloody gorgeous!! I love it water dancer! Seriously, seriously good stuff ;D
Take my points with a grain of salt; you are composing for Music 2 (I'm guessing?), which means you likely possess far greater musical knowledge than I ;) I also can't provide much guidance on the performance direction for piano, on my knowledge the score looks well notated!!
- On the whole, really enjoyable piece to listen to - Loved it and some really great melodic and harmonic ideas
- I'd maybe like to see a bit of unity a tad more obvious throughout - Perhaps the more obvious repetition of some melodic phrases. I'd love for those accented quavers in Bar 7 to appear again, for example, those appearing in the middle of all the faster passages was really enjoyable to listen to.
- I think you could do a little more with dynamics (though actually, now I think, this is the Sibelius MIDI audio of the score? It should be better when you perform it live, perhaps even throw a bit more rubato in there for some expression)
Yeah, not much I can say - I really enjoyed this and really keen to see where it goes from here!!
Edit: I'm going to ask one of our moderators Rui to check this out, he's a pianist, reckon he'd give better feedback than I ;) )
Hi Jamon,
Thanks so much for the feedback, it's really helpful! It's a no to the Music 2 I'm afraid. I enjoy composition but really lacked the theory skills to do well in Music 2. Music 1 all the way! :)
In regards to the unity, I was intending perhaps to repeat some of the melodic lines as the piece progresses, but since it's still a work in progress it's hard to say really. I tend to be all over the place when I compose, and once I have a piece that s on it's way to having real substance then I tend to really look deeply into it to get those little repeated motifs and such. But will definitely take it on board and try some combinations out!
Yes, the dynamics! I tried to add in the markings on Sibelius, but for some reason they didn't come out as pronounced as I hoped they would. Might just be something I'm doing wrong with the program, but absolutely I will look further into it. Thank you again for the kind words, it's always wonderful getting feedback ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 20, 2017, 10:26:13 pm
Hi Jamon,
Thanks so much for the feedback, it's really helpful! It's a no to the Music 2 I'm afraid. I enjoy composition but really lacked the theory skills to do well in Music 2. Music 1 all the way! :)
In regards to the unity, I was intending perhaps to repeat some of the melodic lines as the piece progresses, but since it's still a work in progress it's hard to say really. I tend to be all over the place when I compose, and once I have a piece that s on it's way to having real substance then I tend to really look deeply into it to get those little repeated motifs and such. But will definitely take it on board and try some combinations out!
Yes, the dynamics! I tried to add in the markings on Sibelius, but for some reason they didn't come out as pronounced as I hoped they would. Might just be something I'm doing wrong with the program, but absolutely I will look further into it. Thank you again for the kind words, it's always wonderful getting feedback ;D
Oh right Music 1! I purely assumed Music 2 because you talked about it a bit above, and the composition in its current form only being a minute long - Jumped to a conclusion, sorry! As a complement to you, I'd easily buy that as a Music 2 composition - It is really brilliant! :)
Definitely keen to see it develop - I am sure the unity and direction will become a little clearer as the piece progresses :)
Sibelius MIDI will NEVER get the dynamics you want. Like, the virtual instruments are world class, but the dynamic range is just not there. To get it you need to literally mark fortississimo - Which isn't something you should do at all unless you literally want the performer to kill their instrument ;)
Your best bet is to perform it live, or if you can't yourself (totally understandable, I couldn't play all the parts of my guitar quartet composition to my satisfaction), find someone who can. As a backup, take the MP3 of the audio file, pop it in to Garageband or similar, and add some volume swells manually (be careful to do this well, it can sound really unnatural really quickly) :)
Happy to give feedback!! I really like this piece, super keen to see it progress ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 20, 2017, 10:30:28 pm
That would be excellent, thanks Jamon and waterdancer! I'm also really curious to know how it sounded and what program you used. If it's possible can you please upload your composition process diary???
Happy to! I'll try and find the files, I know I have the audio but the scores could have been lost :-[ I'll try and find the composition process diary too, but I think it is way too big to upload everything (~100 pages, don't feel like scanning that in to a PDF, aha!)
I used Sibelius for my composition - As to how it sounded, I guess you'll see when I upload! ;D
Post by: waterdancer on February 20, 2017, 10:35:56 pm
Here are the things that come to mind when I listen and study this composition.
As I progress:
- The trill in the opening seems effective at evoking some kind of suspense, and it resolves down. Complements the arpeggio melody in the bass line well.
- Followed by a whole sequence of arpeggios. An idea of what the piece will be like is developed.
- LOVE the contrary motion in bar 3
- In bar 3, the second set of semiquavers involves LOTS of ledger lines. Looks very exaggerated. Maybe try replacing with an ottava
- Chords chosen in bar 7 are effective in continuing the melody line, however this may just be me (and for all I know, a better pianist will tackle it) but
I feel I must look at it again. The melody line is more legato and I'm not sure if the transition of the chords will be smooth.
- A resolve doesn't seem to occur at the key change, but rather in the middle of bar 17. Fascinating. But it seems to just keep continuing.
- The key change brings out a new character. This is good.
- A resolve comes in at bar 24, although it feels early. Here's one important thing: I begin to feel that the piece is lacking direction. After this bar, I feel like I've basically been walking around in a circle. The melody line is beautiful but it becomes difficult to shape a story out of it, because the only really unexpected effect happened in bar 17.
- Once again, the key change brings out a new character. As I hoped for. But of course, this section is to be continued and thus I won't comment too much on it.
Praises:
- Very pleasing melody. I can imagine it as both calming and soothing (which, was probably the intended), but also suspenseful at the same time.
- Wide range of keys hit. "Simple" things like arpeggios and contrary motion well synthesised.
- The key changes over to the key of the dominant (of the original keynote) with added effect.
- Several characters observed.
- 2 against 3 was well used in my opinion
- Trills and ornaments fill in some otherwise blank spaces
Critiques:
- As mentioned above: lacks direction. The melody doesn't seem to portray something (or possibly just not yet)
- Could do with more cadences; need some more effective resolutions every now and then (hopefully this is to come). Even an interrupted cadence if you're good enough to incorporate one in the middle of the piece.
- Jamon and I both thought about this - calm down a bit. There's beauty in simplicity every now and then; there's no need to make it so continuous unless your goal is to compose a study (which even then it should be calmer).
- The new character introduced in the key change to C# minor (unless that was E major...) presented a much slower pace. I would like to see more of these tempo changes.
Questions:
- What period of music are you aiming to reflect?
- Is this piece going to follow some form?
- Which composers influenced you to produce this work?
Overall: This piece is promising. I can see good results coming out of it. But sometimes it may help to take a piece easier rather than focus on the fanciness. Very nice job. :)
Hi Rui,
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my piece. All feedback is good feedback, I'm always eager to see ways I can improve what I compose.
I have to admit I was very frustrated when I started writing the piece. I had finished writing a big orchestral film score only to be informed that the teacher had changed the topics were were studying and I could no longer use it for HSC. That could account for the full-on nature of the composition, I wasn't in the best of moods I'm afraid. Didn't have an aim as such when I began composing, hence the lack of direction, but I think once half yearlies are over and I have some more time up my sleeve I will definitely give the piece a pretty big overhaul. I think I still want to keep a lot of the more dramatic elements for flair, but will add some calmer sections to break it up. I don't think I would be able to maintain such a high level of energy throughout the piece for much longer anyway.
I can't say I'm entirely sure what a cadence is or how I might incorporate more sorry. Here comes my lack of musical theory knowledge haha. As to your questions, I'm afraid I can't answer them very well. I'm not sure which period I am really writing for. I'd say mostly if has elements of Romantic, yet it doesn't entirely fit into it completely. I'll try and get a clearer idea of a form to structure the piece to, and organise my rather haphazard outpouring of frustration. When I was writing it I wasn't trying to follow any specific ABACA form or anything like that, it was just whatever came to my head that sounded semi-decentish.
I spent many years playing Classical and Romantic piano, so I suppose any one of those composers could have influenced me. Chopin and Liszt have always fascinated me with their complexity and elegance within their pieces, so if it was anyone it would have been those two mainly. Yet I also listen to a lot of jazz piano, lots of insane virtuosic performances. Guess I was trying a little too hard to emulate their awesomeness.
But seriously, thank you so much for the feedback. No one else I showed this to could really offer me anything since they don't play piano themselves. I shall endeavour to put all of your comments to good use and try to tame this composition somewhat. Guess I should really learn the rules of music first before I try and break them, hey? :P
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 20, 2017, 10:38:04 pm
I have to admit I was very frustrated when I started writing the piece. I had finished writing a big orchestral film score only to be informed that the teacher had changed the topics were were studying and I could no longer use it for HSC.
What bullshit!
Sorry, excuse the French, but that hits home hard, because that was one of my compositions too. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it would be to have it taken away >:(
Post by: waterdancer on February 20, 2017, 10:46:42 pm
Oh right Music 1! I purely assumed Music 2 because you talked about it a bit above, and the composition in its current form only being a minute long - Jumped to a conclusion, sorry! As a complement to you, I'd easily buy that as a Music 2 composition - It is really brilliant! :)
Definitely keen to see it develop - I am sure the unity and direction will become a little clearer as the piece progresses :)
Sibelius MIDI will NEVER get the dynamics you want. Like, the virtual instruments are world class, but the dynamic range is just not there. To get it you need to literally mark fortississimo - Which isn't something you should do at all unless you literally want the performer to kill their instrument ;)
Your best bet is to perform it live, or if you can't yourself (totally understandable, I couldn't play all the parts of my guitar quartet composition to my satisfaction), find someone who can. As a backup, take the MP3 of the audio file, pop it in to Garageband or similar, and add some volume swells manually (be careful to do this well, it can sound really unnatural really quickly) :)
Happy to give feedback!! I really like this piece, super keen to see it progress ;D
Yes, it was a definite struggle choosing between Music 1 and Music 2. Put a lot of research into it, bombarding teachers and past students with millions of questions, so I gained a fairly decent understanding of both courses. But when you are faced with the prospect of being the only one in the class who has not been doing musical theory since they were 4, as well as the only one who did not do AMEB grades of any form, it was just too daunting to consider.
Not sure if I'd be able to play some of the sections of the piece, plus I am an awful performer. If there was an option to not have to do a performance you can be sure I'd be the first to take it up! There is one really good piano teacher at the school, might ask his opinion to see if he might be able to play it. If not, I have a few friends that have used Sibelius for longer than I have, so I will get their advice on how to improve the sound. Might just have to export the audio with dynamics set to fff and then change it on the score to submit back to actually manageable dynamics. Will have a play around with Garage Band though, haven't done much work with it but will see how I go! Thank you again :D
Post by: waterdancer on February 20, 2017, 10:50:26 pm
What bullshit!
Sorry, excuse the French, but that hits home hard, because that was one of my compositions too. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it would be to have it taken away >:(
It was a pretty big punch in the gut. 21 instruments, four minutes long. Not to mention the many, many pages I did of the reflection journal. But what can you do? It's a good thing I love composing, so was able to do another piece, but still it hurts to have that much effort put in for nothing
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 20, 2017, 10:57:43 pm
Yes, it was a definite struggle choosing between Music 1 and Music 2. Put a lot of research into it, bombarding teachers and past students with millions of questions, so I gained a fairly decent understanding of both courses. But when you are faced with the prospect of being the only one in the class who has not been doing musical theory since they were 4, as well as the only one who did not do AMEB grades of any form, it was just too daunting to consider.
Not sure if I'd be able to play some of the sections of the piece, plus I am an awful performer. If there was an option to not have to do a performance you can be sure I'd be the first to take it up! There is one really good piano teacher at the school, might ask his opinion to see if he might be able to play it. If not, I have a few friends that have used Sibelius for longer than I have, so I will get their advice on how to improve the sound. Might just have to export the audio with dynamics set to fff and then change it on the score to submit back to actually manageable dynamics. Will have a play around with Garage Band though, haven't done much work with it but will see how I go! Thank you again :D
We sound like peas in a pod - My school doesn't normally offer Music 2 but it was offered to me specifically (I seriously impressed with a composition in Year 11 and had always smashed the theory), but just didn't think that it would be a smart choice. I had the theory knowledge, but I was still a relatively raw musician (having played only a few years), and the styles of music you had to study in Music 2 didn't really suit my interests :) most guitarists don't really do Music 2, but hey, I did a film score anyway ;)
I don't hate performance, but definitely prefer other options! It's why I did only composition and Viva for electives. Yep, just explore your options, I'm sure you'll figure it out! :)
Post by: RuiAce on February 20, 2017, 11:02:34 pm
Hi Rui,Music is more effective than even books and artworks at conveying one's feelings if you ask me. I'd say your reasoning for the full-on nature of the composition (thus far) was well justified. Compositions can mean a ton.
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my piece. All feedback is good feedback, I'm always eager to see ways I can improve what I compose.
I have to admit I was very frustrated when I started writing the piece. I had finished writing a big orchestral film score only to be informed that the teacher had changed the topics were were studying and I could no longer use it for HSC. That could account for the full-on nature of the composition, I wasn't in the best of moods I'm afraid. Didn't have an aim as such when I began composing, hence the lack of direction, but I think once half yearlies are over and I have some more time up my sleeve I will definitely give the piece a pretty big overhaul. I think I still want to keep a lot of the more dramatic elements for flair, but will add some calmer sections to break it up. I don't think I would be able to maintain such a high level of energy throughout the piece for much longer anyway.
I can't say I'm entirely sure what a cadence is or how I might incorporate more sorry. Here comes my lack of musical theory knowledge haha. As to your questions, I'm afraid I can't answer them very well. I'm not sure which period I am really writing for. I'd say mostly if has elements of Romantic, yet it doesn't entirely fit into it completely. I'll try and get a clearer idea of a form to structure the piece to, and organise my rather haphazard outpouring of frustration. When I was writing it I wasn't trying to follow any specific ABACA form or anything like that, it was just whatever came to my head that sounded semi-decentish.
I spent many years playing Classical and Romantic piano, so I suppose any one of those composers could have influenced me. Chopin and Liszt have always fascinated me with their complexity and elegance within their pieces, so if it was anyone it would have been those two mainly. Yet I also listen to a lot of jazz piano, lots of insane virtuosic performances. Guess I was trying a little too hard to emulate their awesomeness.
But seriously, thank you so much for the feedback. No one else I showed this to could really offer me anything since they don't play piano themselves. I shall endeavour to put all of your comments to good use and try to tame this composition somewhat. Guess I should really learn the rules of music first before I try and break them, hey? :P
I agree that some of the dramatic elements must stay. The drama actually develops new characters very effectively, and each tell a story in their own. So the idea is to create some more calmness to contrast between the calmness now. Also, much like creatives in English, try to tell a story as you're composing. Music is subject to thousands of interpretation so think of a generic story line, and put down notes (and dynamics and etc. ) that you feel best complement what is on your mind.
So I will get you started on a cadence. You should be at the very least familiar when I start talking about scale degrees (e.g. V - the dominant, I - the tonic etc.). From your past experience of piano, you'd definitely know what a chord is. A cadence is a two-chord progression, usually designed specifically for the purpose of resolving. There are 4 principal cadences, the big one being the perfect cadence (V-I, i.e. chord 5 to chord 1) which has the most grand and complete feeling. (Which is why you should only use a perfect cadence at the very end of a section or the piece.)
When writing cadences involving the leading note (VII), your leading note should always resolve up to the tonic. Try playing just G-B-C on the piano; it will have that good feeling of completion (albeit no fanciness because you're hitting just notes and not chords).
There are tons of chord progressions. I'm learning them now in Grade 4 theory and, in all honesty, finding it really hard to keep up with all of them (we have to do harmony writing). Explore many possibilities out there. (This means that you should note that the 4 principal cadences are not the ONLY chord progressions.)
Word of advice on the other 4 principal:
- Plagal (IV - I or iv - i) - This cadence resolves down. Think carefully about if it's what you want. It's usually referred to as the 'Amen' cadence though.
- Imperfect (anything - V) - This cadence sounds incomplete. Useful for ending a phrase but you have plans to continue it soon.
- Interrupted (V - vi) - Compare this to a perfect cadence. It will sound very strange, even off. Because it resolves from the chord of a major key, to that of a minor key. This is basically put in the middle of a section/piece.
Recommended: YouTube some cadences to listen to them.
Elements of classical music and romanticism are definitely present and make sense to me. There are many quaver/semiquaver patterns being executed here and the homophonic nature of classical music is present, but the thorough usage of the pedal installs a romantic feel. You will have called upon many experiences to build up to something like this.
That being said, as you pointed out it's definitely leaning towards the Romantic Period. Romantic period composers really wanted to put emotion into their pieces. Explore change in dynamics and definitely rubato here and there. Whilst this potentially implies slowing down more than speeding up, well executed speed up (piu moto, accelerando, ...) could make the piece more interesting. (Tension!)
Also, consider things like chromaticism every now and then (recall your chromatic scales - going up/down by semitones). If you want to lean towards the Romantic period, there's no need to make your major/minor key sharply defined (no pun intended with 'sharp').
Very quickly, ABACA is characteristic of what we know as the "Rondo form". The "form" of your composition is basically the overarching structure of your composition. When people are using these forms, they try to insert subtle changes in how section A gets repeated so it doesn't become mundane. Ornaments may appear out of nowhere, and some chord progressions may unexpectedly turn into a scale pattern. Just as examples.
Finally, being influenced by a variety of composers of all periods is a good thing if you ask me. That's the good about living in the 21st century. Whilst the Baroque composers probably established almost every foundation we need, we choose what we want to make our compositions. The important thing to maintain is the flow of your music. Of course, unexpectedness is praised in music, but it shouldn't be so unexpected that what your doing becomes out of place and questionable. If the flow of the music can be maintained then you should still be able to produce a beautiful composition.
Also, one last tip - Explore the use of rests and the occasional use of fermata!
Good luck with this work! Look forward to hearing a newer version if that time comes. :)
Post by: DalvinT on February 24, 2017, 04:24:19 pm
And now that Jamon's answered the main question, here are my tips for practicing these pieces.
Piece 1: Evidently there's a lot of dotted notes, and it can be hard matching up the semiquavers and quavers properly between the hands. You just need to force yourself to practice SLOWLY. Try using a metronome AND counting the beats: 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and-...
Even in 8th grade with AMEB (and aspiring to do AMus) I still use the counting technique. It works miracles.
Also, every now and then there may be a need to revert back to separate hands here.
The piece is repetitive like Jamon said, however in all honesty way too many pieces are repetitive anyhow. A possible explanation is that this piece may??? be in rondo form or something similar, where one section gets repeated multiple times. Despite the fact that the section gets repeated, try to contrast between your choice of dynamics when you perform it the first, second time and so on...
Remember: COUNT THE BEATS.
I don't have the music in front of me to comment too much though.
Piece 2: As Jamon pointed out, this piece is not to the same technical level. If you want to pull off something like this, dynamics are a must.
A word on dynamics: Look for patterns. If you see a scale/arpeggio pattern then consider ascending-crescendo descending-diminuendo. If you see a chords pattern or something, decide if there should or should not be accents based on what proceeds the chords. The trill pattern around 54 seconds is repeated about 4 times, and that's something I'd definitely insert a diminuendo in, rather than bluntly repeat.
Don't forget, as a rule of thumb the voice with the least notes is usually the melody. The more the notes, the more it tends to being accompaniment and thus should be played at a relatively softer volume (with a bare-slight exception of the highly contrapuntal music of the Baroque period). Notice how in that one, the melody is more in the left hand for the first 16 seconds, and then shifts to the right hand.
Hanon exercises are really just "more useful things than scales" the way I see it. Hanon exercises allow you to practice patterns that you'd normally ignore. So treat them as though they were scales. At the start, play it at a moderate speed so that your fingers adjust to the new pattern. Then, gradually speed up until you reach about 15 bpm above your piece's performance speed. If you practice a piece faster, and then play it at the performance speed in the exam (slower than your practice), you will feel like "oh this is easy" and stress less.
Once you excel at the Hanon exercise, play it about twice a day. That's plenty if you ask me.
Never put your metronome too high if you can't handle it.
Piece 3: I played a piece by Chopin, and the left hand has the same sort of thing going on. Bass note, chord, bass note, chord. At the start, you want to take this REALLY slowly so that your hands don't jump onto the wrong notes later on.
Separate hand practice is highly advised. Keep an eye out on phrasing and where the slurs are.
WOW! :O That's alot to absorb in hahah thank youu so much for the huge advice RuiAce! I must say that it was more useful than my teachers at school... they don't really pay any attention to us piano students :/
definitely would consider every point you have stated.
Post by: DalvinT on March 04, 2017, 09:29:31 pm
Is it a good piece ? Over played???
Post by: DalvinT on March 05, 2017, 01:58:39 am
Unfortunately I'm not advanced :(( I've only being playing since Year 8 lol (I did play piano for a year when I was 10 but I stopped cause my piano broke...)
I was working on Passacaille by Handel but my teacher said it was too easy and didn't really showcase my musicality and technicality - I guess I'm more into the period of romanticism.
My pieces so far are:
- Bethena - Scott Joplin (kinda of an unconventional Rag piece)
- Chopin - Valse Op. 69 No. 1
- Chopin - Nocturne Op. 20 (Risky! I know!! My friend is already doing it. But I just adore this piece! I literally pour my soul into every note. It's so sad )
- ???? Rach - Prelude C# Minor??????. (THE CHORDS ARE WOW! Just spent 2 hours practicing and damn.... Hahha. )
Post by: DalvinT on March 05, 2017, 11:10:06 am
No, definitely not an examiner haha (read my sig if you don't believe me! :P)
As for the program, if you're happy with them I wouldn't change it. But personally, I'd put in a Mozart and a Bach with the argument that they are both important keyboard composers with music that can show the examiner that you can play a range of different styles. With as much sincerity and best interest I can muster, I think your program is too narrow in scope - or too romantic-oriented: the pieces are too similar for an examined EOY performance that can really showcase your varied musicianship. It's great for playing at a performance venue and such, but there needs to be variety. That said, you seem quite content with them anyway. If you love them just keep at it and I'm sure you'll be fine! :) But just keep in mind with what I've said.
Definitely ! :) I may consider a baroque period piece... they aren't my favourite but I'll see what will suit me! Thanks for tips!!!
Post by: waterdancer on March 08, 2017, 02:11:46 pm
I've done a lot more work on the piano composition I shared a little while back. It's still not perfect, but wanted to get some more feedback to see if I'm on the right track. Hopefully I'm moving forward to creating a better composition, but I'll let you be the judge of that.
Added a few more sections to try and break it up, but the actual sections I've left quite similar, changed a few notes and rhythms, and endings of sections, also added some tempo changes, rits and accelerando and such. Will probably add more of this as I go on, still learning how to master Sibelius, but hopefully I can use it to its full potential before I have to submit the composition.
My intention is to add in a much calmer introduction section, since I've still got around 30 seconds to play with, but all of the ideas I've had so far have been discarded. Beginnings are the one thing I never seem to be able to do at all. But yes, just keeping in mind the start of this won't be the starting place of the final composition, so it's not going to be as abrupt and in your face.
Rui, I tried using the interrupted cadence for bars 32-33 but I still don't think it sounds as smooth as it could be. Would you have any suggestions as to how to fix this? I definitely don't want to finish on the C# Minor chord, since I begin the next section with that, but nothing I've tried so far is to my satisfaction.
Unity, I have tried to get more of by repeating a couple of sections, though as you suggested Rui, I've added a couple of changes so I am not simply repeating the exact same passage. But let me know what you think, I need all the feedback I can get my hands on.
Enjoy! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubXe0x5C9dM
Post by: RuiAce on March 09, 2017, 10:34:33 pm
Hello, it's me the crazy pianist again. ;DIt's still a bit over the place but there's significant improvement. The difference is that now, there's several characters present in the composition, which is fantastic. The problem lies in that sometimes, the new character (or change of tone or whatever) is introduced in a really 'strange' manner. Every now and then, this is actually good, because it produces a bit of tension. However too much of it is kinda unnecessary.
I've done a lot more work on the piano composition I shared a little while back. It's still not perfect, but wanted to get some more feedback to see if I'm on the right track. Hopefully I'm moving forward to creating a better composition, but I'll let you be the judge of that.
Added a few more sections to try and break it up, but the actual sections I've left quite similar, changed a few notes and rhythms, and endings of sections, also added some tempo changes, rits and accelerando and such. Will probably add more of this as I go on, still learning how to master Sibelius, but hopefully I can use it to its full potential before I have to submit the composition.
My intention is to add in a much calmer introduction section, since I've still got around 30 seconds to play with, but all of the ideas I've had so far have been discarded. Beginnings are the one thing I never seem to be able to do at all. But yes, just keeping in mind the start of this won't be the starting place of the final composition, so it's not going to be as abrupt and in your face.
Rui, I tried using the interrupted cadence for bars 32-33 but I still don't think it sounds as smooth as it could be. Would you have any suggestions as to how to fix this? I definitely don't want to finish on the C# Minor chord, since I begin the next section with that, but nothing I've tried so far is to my satisfaction.
Unity, I have tried to get more of by repeating a couple of sections, though as you suggested Rui, I've added a couple of changes so I am not simply repeating the exact same passage. But let me know what you think, I need all the feedback I can get my hands on.
Enjoy! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubXe0x5C9dM
E.g. Of course, the diminuendo contributes to bringing the melody back down, but bar 10 feels a bit too much. The chord sequence there feels a bit overdone and keep in mind that your upper note represents the melody, which you want to be a bit more 'fluent' if you're trying to bring in something calmer. Maybe even split it into two bars so that we have a slower change of pace and dynamics?
Not gonna point out too much of 'where where where' this time, and this is because the composition is actually coming together. Critiquing too much here would risk you damaging your composition to incorporate all the feedback. Play it again and just look out for when some things are a bit too much (e.g. I found bar 10 was too rapid at making it calmer)
One good thing that has come (which I'm not sure, if it was there previously) - The key change at bar 30 actually feels in place now; it feels very connected to the previous key.
Bit daring using two glissandos here.
Maybe start by delaying the resolve into bar 33. Your key changes, but you use the rit. in a way such that it seems to attempt to finish off that section asap. Also you didn't really use a cadence; it can't have been interrupted because it was i-v and not v-VI, but more importantly it doesn't follow cadence principles; it's just a chord progression. (Besides, the interrupted cadence is extremely hard to use; it's probably the least 'smooth' of the four principal cadences.)
For starters, I'd delay the resolve a tad more (definitely no more than 6 bars of delaying). Then, tweak the rit a bit. That ritardando was placed so that the notes that built up the scale pattern were played a bit too slowly. Finally, with the notes, two comments. First is a bit optional; consider if you want a scale pattern, or just an in-between note. E.g. in one of my pieces (obviously different key) the ending was more like G, then Eb (in the octave ABOVE), F# (back to original octave), G. That maybe worth mentioning. Second is in regards to the actual two chords. You can consider writing a chord in first inversion instead, by making the bass note the third rather than the root of the chord. You can also consider stepping it down. Could also take out some of the notes in the chord; you may be surprised, but a chord doesn't have to include ALL the notes in it, if you do it right
I'll be honest, it's smoother than what you think. I feel as though it's more the way that it gets built (the slowing down) that makes it feel weird.
Post by: waterdancer on March 12, 2017, 08:38:37 pm
It's still a bit over the place but there's significant improvement. The difference is that now, there's several characters present in the composition, which is fantastic. The problem lies in that sometimes, the new character (or change of tone or whatever) is introduced in a really 'strange' manner. Every now and then, this is actually good, because it produces a bit of tension. However too much of it is kinda unnecessary.
E.g. Of course, the diminuendo contributes to bringing the melody back down, but bar 10 feels a bit too much. The chord sequence there feels a bit overdone and keep in mind that your upper note represents the melody, which you want to be a bit more 'fluent' if you're trying to bring in something calmer. Maybe even split it into two bars so that we have a slower change of pace and dynamics?
Not gonna point out too much of 'where where where' this time, and this is because the composition is actually coming together. Critiquing too much here would risk you damaging your composition to incorporate all the feedback. Play it again and just look out for when some things are a bit too much (e.g. I found bar 10 was too rapid at making it calmer)
One good thing that has come (which I'm not sure, if it was there previously) - The key change at bar 30 actually feels in place now; it feels very connected to the previous key.
Bit daring using two glissandos here.
Maybe start by delaying the resolve into bar 33. Your key changes, but you use the rit. in a way such that it seems to attempt to finish off that section asap. Also you didn't really use a cadence; it can't have been interrupted because it was i-v and not v-VI, but more importantly it doesn't follow cadence principles; it's just a chord progression. (Besides, the interrupted cadence is extremely hard to use; it's probably the least 'smooth' of the four principal cadences.)
For starters, I'd delay the resolve a tad more (definitely no more than 6 bars of delaying). Then, tweak the rit a bit. That ritardando was placed so that the notes that built up the scale pattern were played a bit too slowly. Finally, with the notes, two comments. First is a bit optional; consider if you want a scale pattern, or just an in-between note. E.g. in one of my pieces (obviously different key) the ending was more like G, then Eb (in the octave ABOVE), F# (back to original octave), G. That maybe worth mentioning. Second is in regards to the actual two chords. You can consider writing a chord in first inversion instead, by making the bass note the third rather than the root of the chord. You can also consider stepping it down. Could also take out some of the notes in the chord; you may be surprised, but a chord doesn't have to include ALL the notes in it, if you do it right
I'll be honest, it's smoother than what you think. I feel as though it's more the way that it gets built (the slowing down) that makes it feel weird.
Alright, thanks so much Rui. I'll take all of this on board and keep playing around with it. It's a good thing I've still got 5 months until Major Works are due :D
I'll try not to pester you too much in the lead up until then, but I will probably post an update every now and again just to get your feedback again if that's fine by you. I'll change Bar 10 and get rid of the second glissando, perhaps do a descending triplet pattern instead... Also you mentioned the manner in which I introduce new characters is sometimes strange, was that just mainly Bar 10 (and obviously the Bar 33 change), or where there other parts that really stood at as being strange and needing to be fixed?
Cheers again, and I hope you don't mind if I include your feedback in my composition journal. You've been so helpful, thank you :)
Post by: DalvinT on April 05, 2017, 06:58:09 pm
Like I get we need to identify, describe and explain the effect...
But I think I'm struggling on how to approach it and really maximise my marks during those 6 playings...
I find that I don't know what to write and end up having little written on my page.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on April 05, 2017, 08:50:23 pm
Music Aural Exam is tomorrow... And I actually have no clue on how to answer an aural question!
Like I get we need to identify, describe and explain the effect...
But I think I'm struggling on how to approach it and really maximise my marks during those 6 playings...
I find that I don't know what to write and end up having little written on my page.
Check out these Aural Exam tips Dalvin!
Best of luck mate, just remember to write down what you are hearing in the music - At the core, that is what they are testing, how well you can identify and describe sounds ;D
Post by: selinayinz on April 27, 2017, 05:15:53 pm
As a music 2 student, would it be too risky to compose a singing piece for the core composition? I really like musical theatre style/ballad type music such as Les Mis 'On My Own' and Rent 'One Song Glory' types. I'd like to tell a story... do you think it would be able to get high marks? Has anyone attempted it?
Mod Edit: Post merge :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on April 27, 2017, 07:50:33 pm
Hi! I am currently studying music 2, and I am struggling with my core composition. Does anyone have any tips in beginning to form a piece?
As a music 2 student, would it be too risky to compose a singing piece for the core composition? I really like musical theatre style/ballad type music such as Les Mis 'On My Own' and Rent 'One Song Glory' types. I'd like to tell a story... do you think it would be able to get high marks? Has anyone attempted it?
Hey Selina! I didn't do Music 2, but I did two elective compositions for Music 1 that scored really highly, so hopefully I can assist ;D
I always found that the best way to start putting a piece together was to sit at the instrument of choice and just improvise. So, for my orchestral piece, I sat at my keyboard with Sibelius/Garageband open and just randomly played melodies and chord progressions on the strings and brass, trying to find something that sounded good! I'm not much of a piano player so it was very basic, but I ended up with a rhythmic idea that I had on the low strings, developed that into a harmony for woodwind. By then I had set the tone of the piece and worked from there.
For my guitar piece, again I just sat at my guitar and improvised. My teacher called me the strangest composer she'd ever seen, because I'd literally do most of the actual composing in a night or two, then I'd spend a month arranging the ideas into structures and the structures into a piece. Most people develop the ideas over a much longer timeframe :)
You could also listen to some pieces in the style you are composing for! I would listen to pieces from famous films (I did Music for Film as my elective) to see what worked, what composers did to create tension in certain scenes. Being able to listen to a successful composition can really inspire great ideas :)
The only risk I'd see for a vocal piece would be the lyrics. Not only do you need to write melodies, harmonies, rhythms, all the musical stuff - You need lyrics, and that's a tough thing for most people. Your lyrics will be marked just as harshly (I'd imagine), as the musical choices you make, so make sure you are up to putting in that slight bit of extra work! I think if you are keen you should do it though ;D
Post by: Snew on May 09, 2017, 05:14:20 pm
I got my notification for my core viva today. One of my ideas for my statement is "compare Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 and Classical Jazz Quartet's interpretation, and how this contributes to distinct tone colours."
Do you think this is too specific?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on May 09, 2017, 06:32:10 pm
Hello! :D
I got my notification for my core viva today. One of my ideas for my statement is "compare Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 and Classical Jazz Quartet's interpretation, and how this contributes to distinct tone colours."
Do you think this is too specific?
So this is comparing an original to a cover? I like it! A few challenges, I like to play devils advocate:
- How will you use your excerpts? Will you play the first one and discuss for 5 minutes, then discuss the other for 5 minutes? Or will you break it down and highlight differences on a section by section (or even just the way specific melodies are treated or something similar)?
- Can you feasibly discuss tone colour in a sophisticated way, for two pieces, all the way through the 10 minute Viva? Is there enough to discuss, or would bringing in the other concepts make it easier?
- Why are you comparing these two pieces? In terms of the topic you are covering with this Viva (EG - Music of the 21st century, Classical Music, etc), how does it relate and why choose these two? This is often the toughest part, a justification for why you are speaking in the first place, why it relates to the topic (and it can't be as simple as "It matches the style of the topic."
Post by: Snew on May 11, 2017, 04:51:43 pm
So this is comparing an original to a cover? I like it! A few challenges, I like to play devils advocate:Exactly why I came to you Jamon 8)
I'm not quite sure whether it would be better to spend 5 minutes discussing each one or dissecting smaller sections. In all honesty I hadn't even thought that far ;) I was thinking that I could bring in all the other concepts and talk about how they contributes to the overall distinct tone colours - jazzy and late romantic - if that makes sense? otherwise i'll probably just take that part out of the statement - or maybe something like "how are distinct tone colours created by the concepts."
I think my justification (apart from both being 20th century :P) is just I think its pretty awesome that someone could take a classical piece and transform it into something so distinctly different - that a new interpretation could create an entirely new sound!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on May 11, 2017, 08:05:23 pm
Exactly why I came to you Jamon 8)
I'm not quite sure whether it would be better to spend 5 minutes discussing each one or dissecting smaller sections. In all honesty I hadn't even thought that far ;)
I think smaller would be better - Perhaps like two rounds of a section each, so four excerpts total?
Quote
I was thinking that I could bring in all the other concepts and talk about how they contributes to the overall distinct tone colours - jazzy and late romantic - if that makes sense? otherwise i'll probably just take that part out of the statement - or maybe something like "how are distinct tone colours created by the concepts."
I think the word you want there is style instead of tone colour!
Quote
I think my justification (apart from both being 20th century :P) is just I think its pretty awesome that someone could take a classical piece and transform it into something so distinctly different - that a new interpretation could create an entirely new sound!
Your Viva Voce topic could be:
Exploring how the concepts of music are manipulated differently in the style of jazz as compared to the late romantic style of the early 19th century, through consideration of Classical Jazz Quartet's creative interpretation of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2
Jeez, it's a mouthful - You could probably do better if you spend some time, but what do you reckon? ;D
Post by: DalvinT on May 12, 2017, 09:38:38 am
SO one of my HSC pieces is Rachmanioff - Prelude in C# minor and for me, I feel so exhausted everytime I practice second and third section.
Like my arm and fingers gets so tired and my arm feels really warm? and tight? ahaha... I DON'T THINK THIS IS NORMAL.
Is there any tips or ways to correct my way of playing to reduce this?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on May 12, 2017, 09:47:15 am
but do you do warmups, exercises or anything of the sort before you play? I was the same for guitar, I used to cramp up if I jumped straight into a hard piece without at least a little bit of something simpler first 
Post by: RuiAce on May 12, 2017, 10:00:31 am
Hey! If there is any piano god there, I really need help on my piano technique lol.Can I have a look at the score? I get a better understanding of why this happens when I see the actual notes causing it
SO one of my HSC pieces is Rachmanioff - Prelude in C# minor and for me, I feel so exhausted everytime I practice second and third section.
Like my arm and fingers gets so tired and my arm feels really warm? and tight? ahaha... I DON'T THINK THIS IS NORMAL.
Is there any tips or ways to correct my way of playing to reduce this?
(I will be busy for a majority of the day so I might not get a proper reply in ASAP. I have to think more when it comes to music instead of HSC maths.)
Post by: DalvinT on May 13, 2017, 10:51:44 am
Rui will help as our resident piano man
Haha yeah I do :) always lol
Post by: DalvinT on May 13, 2017, 10:52:05 am
Can I have a look at the score? I get a better understanding of why this happens when I see the actual notes causing it
(I will be busy for a majority of the day so I might not get a proper reply in ASAP. I have to think more when it comes to music instead of HSC maths.)
Hey Rui,
Here you go:
http://www.mutopiaproject.org/ftp/RachmaninoffS/O3/rach-prelude-op3-no2/rach-prelude-op3-no2-a4.pdf
Post by: RuiAce on May 14, 2017, 06:18:19 pm
Hey Rui,Sorry, better address this before I forget about it yet again.
Here you go:
http://www.mutopiaproject.org/ftp/RachmaninoffS/O3/rach-prelude-op3-no2/rach-prelude-op3-no2-a4.pdf
So I considered the sheet music and a video of the piece being performed. The dynamics and the tempo may be the two simple reasons behind your struggle.
Section 2 is obviously faster than section 1 (I mean come on, section 1 was in Lento). Instead of hitting multiple chords, you're now playing through melody and accompaniment. You're basically from hitting a ton of notes at once to working through a whole series of them.
Your exam is in September, so you still have plenty of time. Practicing slow is still very much important at this point even though it sucks. Instead of focusing on how accurately you can hit every note at a solid speed if not performance speed, take it easy and ensure you have all the details brushed up. Then, don't be in a rush to accelerate to performance speed either; build up.
Section 3 is more like section 1, but there's two noteworthy differences. It's a lot louder, and whilst it's slow it's become jumpy. Your arms are definitely going to sweat a bit because you're going from one end of the piano to the other continuously, and when performing this you really need to produce the fff and sffff somehow. Being blunt, this is something I would say cannot be helped. I had it a bit more bizarre; last year my back ached when I was practicing a jumpy section or used pedals. Sometimes I just had to lie down after playing it once because I couldn't help it. But after a while it stopped because I got used to it, so adaptation does happen.
Personally, when I play piano, I also usually just wear a T-shirt and shorts. I sweat quite easily when I'm on the piano so I compensate for it somehow. Not saying do that in your exam, I just mean for practice.
If you really want to minimise the annoyance on your body, try cutting back on tempo and dynamics instead of aim for the performance-level playing. Remember, there's still 3 more months to go. You definitely want to start aiming to reach the full performance level, but it's still not time to make sure you're always playing at that level either.
Post by: DalvinT on May 14, 2017, 10:17:42 pm
Sorry, better address this before I forget about it yet again.
So I considered the sheet music and a video of the piece being performed. The dynamics and the tempo may be the two simple reasons behind your struggle.
Section 2 is obviously faster than section 1 (I mean come on, section 1 was in Lento). Instead of hitting multiple chords, you're now playing through melody and accompaniment. You're basically from hitting a ton of notes at once to working through a whole series of them.
Your exam is in September, so you still have plenty of time. Practicing slow is still very much important at this point even though it sucks. Instead of focusing on how accurately you can hit every note at a solid speed if not performance speed, take it easy and ensure you have all the details brushed up. Then, don't be in a rush to accelerate to performance speed either; build up.
Section 3 is more like section 1, but there's two noteworthy differences. It's a lot louder, and whilst it's slow it's become jumpy. Your arms are definitely going to sweat a bit because you're going from one end of the piano to the other continuously, and when performing this you really need to produce the fff and sffff somehow. Being blunt, this is something I would say cannot be helped. I had it a bit more bizarre; last year my back ached when I was practicing a jumpy section or used pedals. Sometimes I just had to lie down after playing it once because I couldn't help it. But after a while it stopped because I got used to it, so adaptation does happen.
Personally, when I play piano, I also usually just wear a T-shirt and shorts. I sweat quite easily when I'm on the piano so I compensate for it somehow. Not saying do that in your exam, I just mean for practice.
If you really want to minimise the annoyance on your body, try cutting back on tempo and dynamics instead of aim for the performance-level playing. Remember, there's still 3 more months to go. You definitely want to start aiming to reach the full performance level, but it's still not time to make sure you're always playing at that level either.
I see, I see! thank you so much RuiAce!! I really appreciate your major helpful advice and tips!! :) Will definitely consider everything you have mentioned!! :)
Just a one more question, how can I fix the tension around my wrist when playing the louder sections especially in section B and A2? I'm sure it's not simply just resting your wrist, right?
Post by: RuiAce on May 15, 2017, 06:17:30 pm
I see, I see! thank you so much RuiAce!! I really appreciate your major helpful advice and tips!! :) Will definitely consider everything you have mentioned!! :)When I play something loud I find a balance between pushing my wrist down, and pushing my fingers down. If you're leaning towards an uncomfortable wrist try focusing more of it into your fingers; lift them a bit higher where possible or press down on the keys more quickly.
Just a one more question, how can I fix the tension around my wrist when playing the louder sections especially in section B and A2? I'm sure it's not simply just resting your wrist, right?
If you move your wrist too much to create that loud sound then (except when absolutely necessary) you're probably putting too much effort into it.
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on June 20, 2017, 09:26:43 pm
How many Music 2 students have we got on this forum? Would anyone be willing to share notes on their pieces for the extended response if there are any overlaps? Most of my notes are on paper but would definitely look to typing them up and sharing if there was enough interest :D
I really think this would be a great place to share our ideas because personally, Music 2 isn't often taught in the best way so why not help each other out? :)
Post by: katie,rinos on July 05, 2017, 08:15:05 pm
I'm doing Music 1 and i'm playing 4 pieces for my HSC on the clarinet.
1. How should I pick which order I would like my pieces to be in?
2. Because i'm playing 4 pieces, i'm going to be playing for around 20 minutes, with hardly any breaks. I'm a bit worried that by the last piece all my breathing and timing and stuff will be off. Do you have any tips for being able to play for a long period of time?
3. Sometimes, when I get nervous/anxious around performances I rush and forget some of the things that I have practised heaps. Do you have any tips for this?
Thanks heaps :)
Post by: Opengangs on July 05, 2017, 08:27:52 pm
Hey,Take my advice with a grain of salt; I dropped Music 1 in Year 11 last year.
I'm doing Music 1 and i'm playing 4 pieces for my HSC on the clarinet.
1. How should I pick which order I would like my pieces to be in?
2. Because i'm playing 4 pieces, i'm going to be playing for around 20 minutes, with hardly any breaks. I'm a bit worried that by the last piece all my breathing and timing and stuff will be off. Do you have any tips for being able to play for a long period of time?
3. Sometimes, when I get nervous/anxious around performances I rush and forget some of the things that I have practised heaps. Do you have any tips for this?
Thanks heaps :)
When I was doing the preliminary course and I had to perform my four piano pieces, I tended to start with my most comfortable pieces.
That way, I can get a feel for the aura of the room and this gradually dissipated the anxiety and stress I had before I started.
That being said, I think just work around with whatever you feel works for you. What works for me doesn't necessarily work for other people, so find what order works for you.
As for you second question, after the end of each piece, I recommend taking a couple seconds to recollect yourself. The marker understands the pain, so I definitely recommend utilising the short breaks in between each piece to calm yourself before playing. Once you feel comfortable with the piece, then you should start playing. It may take longer, but it's a lot more effective than stopping because you weren't ready.
I think, in the end, you should be able to develop your sight reading skills by practising reading ahead of what you play. Practice the segments that you're the weakest at, and gradually, move to your complete piece. Once you've mastered your piece, record yourself and play it back. Listening and playing involve two different senses. Keep at it, and keep practising the technicalities. You'll only get better from there.
Post by: katie,rinos on July 05, 2017, 08:46:25 pm
Take my advice with a grain of salt; I dropped Music 1 in Year 11 last year.Thanks heaps! This should be really helpful :). I've been practising my pieces heaps but still need to practise more (one is almost half memorised-Iv'e played it that much!). I never had to do 4 pieces at school last year-only one, so the trials are the first time I have to play this many.
When I was doing the preliminary course and I had to perform my four piano pieces, I tended to start with my most comfortable pieces.
That way, I can get a feel for the aura of the room and this gradually dissipated the anxiety and stress I had before I started.
That being said, I think just work around with whatever you feel works for you. What works for me doesn't necessarily work for other people, so find what order works for you.
As for you second question, after the end of each piece, I recommend taking a couple seconds to recollect yourself. The marker understands the pain, so I definitely recommend utilising the short breaks in between each piece to calm yourself before playing. Once you feel comfortable with the piece, then you should start playing. It may take longer, but it's a lot more effective than stopping because you weren't ready.
I think, in the end, you should be able to develop your sight reading skills by practising reading ahead of what you play. Practice the segments that you're the weakest at, and gradually, move to your complete piece. Once you've mastered your piece, record yourself and play it back. Listening and playing involve two different senses. Keep at it, and keep practising the technicalities. You'll only get better from there.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 05, 2017, 08:54:27 pm
Post by: Opengangs on July 05, 2017, 09:00:09 pm
Thanks heaps! This should be really helpful :). I've been practising my pieces heaps but still need to practise more (one is almost half memorised-Iv'e played it that much!). I never had to do 4 pieces at school last year-only one, so the trials are the first time I have to play this many.No problem -- happy these tips are of use to you!
Something to note, though. I'm not really for 'remembering' the pieces. The pieces you play should reflect your skills and interpretation of the piece, as well. While it's a standardised concept to play exactly to the sheet, don't be afraid to add in accidentals or embellish segments that you know sound dull. I tend to play accidentals wherever it felt was necessary, and even if it was preliminary, I was never marked down for not playing /to/ the music sheet.
Heck, I don't even read the music sheet when learning songs; I just hate the loss of creativity that music sheet deliver. But if the trials ask you to play to the music sheet, don't risk it -- trials are a big component.
Something to kinda consider, you don't have to take this advice if you don't feel comfortable improvising a little bit on the day.
Post by: katie,rinos on July 05, 2017, 09:14:31 pm
I'll just add to the above that the markers will definitely give you time between performances while they finish taking notes and such. I did one performance and one Viva, they took a solid couple of minutes to be ready for the Viva after the performance! Take a long time getting your sheet music swapped over too, if you need toThanks Jamon! :D :D I was stressing that they would almost have to be one after the other.
Post by: DalvinT on July 05, 2017, 10:35:42 pm
DEFINITELY, TAKE YOUURURRRRR TIME! I literally took a whole minute for my half-yearlies on my last piece to prep myself, since it was a huge song. During that time, I would stare at the black reflection of the grand piano and imagine myself falling into a dark void (just like the music. weird ik lol), deeply breathe in and out, close my eyes and sing the piece in your head. Maybe even incorporate where to breathe for the first few phrases in your head as well, as a clarinetist. This ensures that you have started with a good tempo and well-controlled breathing throughout. A STRONG START GIVES YOU A STRONG PERFORMANCE!!
Post by: RuiAce on July 05, 2017, 10:39:27 pm
Hey! Adding to all the great advice written above, I'm a piano player and 3 performances.Say, how have you been coping with it all? Are things progressively starting to come together?
(Pardon the randomness, just the first thing that came to mind whilst I was at gym)
Post by: DalvinT on July 05, 2017, 10:44:40 pm
Say, how have you been coping with it all? Are things progressively starting to come together?
(Pardon the randomness, just the first thing that came to mind whilst I was at gym)
Hey Rui ! hahah, gym....
But yeah, they are which I'm happy about... But I still need more practice on those leaps in Rachmaninoff :/ And just a bit more practice with my Viva! :)
Post by: RuiAce on July 05, 2017, 10:47:18 pm
Hey Rui ! hahah, gym....It's okay, you're doing the HSC. Think about that stuff after HSC like I did.
But yeah, they are which I'm happy about... But I still need more practice on those leaps in Rachmaninoff :/ And just a bit more practice with my Viva! :)
Jumpy things are hard af. Always start slow. (I gotta do consecutive jumps with each strike at 132 BPM (performance speed 160 BPM) and I hate it
So easy to hit the wrong notes
Post by: DalvinT on July 05, 2017, 11:08:28 pm
It's okay, you're doing the HSC. Think about that stuff after HSC like I did.
Jumpy things are hard af. Always start slow. (I gotta do consecutive jumps with each strike at 132 BPM (performance speed 160 BPM) and I hate it
TRU :P
OMGGG SO ADVANCED :OOOO and yeah it is :((( My teacher told me that it's caused I keep doubting myself lol... I kinda practice weirdly, I usually point my wrist and elbow to the direction I need to go to then suddenly place my fingers where they need be. And faster practice, I would my wrist and elbow lead the way and my fingers would be situated where they need to be. IF I GET THEM WRONG, I scream. And also, see if I went to back or too foward and keep practicing the leap until they are perfect!!!!
PLEASE GIVE ME INSIGHT ON HOW YOU DO IT RUIACE, GOD of the PIANO. :O
Post by: RuiAce on July 05, 2017, 11:39:30 pm
TRU :PI'm no god
OMGGG SO ADVANCED :OOOO and yeah it is :((( My teacher told me that it's caused I keep doubting myself lol... I kinda practice weirdly, I usually point my wrist and elbow to the direction I need to go to then suddenly place my fingers where they need be. And faster practice, I would my wrist and elbow lead the way and my fingers would be situated where they need to be. IF I GET THEM WRONG, I scream. And also, see if I went to back or too foward and keep practicing the leap until they are perfect!!!!
PLEASE GIVE ME INSIGHT ON HOW YOU DO IT RUIACE, GOD of the PIANO. :O
I'm only on Grade 8 I actually sort of work the other way around. In the long run, I do hope that my fingers will find themselves to the correct position by themselves (and they do). But in the short run I spend more time focusing on getting the notes right to begin with.
Because jumpy sections are so annoying in that the elbow must move with the wrist more drastically, in the long run that's going to be something you need to be do at performance speed. That being said, elbow problems only occur once you speed up. Fingering problems can occur when you're playing fast or slow, and they need to be attended to first.
Of course, if you've already ensured that your fingers land on the right keys at a moderate speed (not necessarily the performance speed), then you might want to employ the strategy of focusing on sections. Believe me when I say this; I hate this strategy because it's so repetitive, but it works. Slowly speed up by focusing on that one section only, and build your way up to the performance speed.
Also, I find that when I can focus on the piano I play better. Piano isn't just about your hands and any potential muscle memory; you do have to think. When you put the time into thinking about what your hands are doing you'll just naturally feel improvement.
Post by: DalvinT on July 06, 2017, 12:09:59 pm
I'm no god
I actually sort of work the other way around. In the long run, I do hope that my fingers will find themselves to the correct position by themselves (and they do). But in the short run I spend more time focusing on getting the notes right to begin with.
Because jumpy sections are so annoying in that the elbow must move with the wrist more drastically, in the long run that's going to be something you need to be do at performance speed. That being said, elbow problems only occur once you speed up. Fingering problems can occur when you're playing fast or slow, and they need to be attended to first.
Of course, if you've already ensured that your fingers land on the right keys at a moderate speed (not necessarily the performance speed), then you might want to employ the strategy of focusing on sections. Believe me when I say this; I hate this strategy because it's so repetitive, but it works. Slowly speed up by focusing on that one section only, and build your way up to the performance speed.
Also, I find that when I can focus on the piano I play better. Piano isn't just about your hands and any potential muscle memory; you do have to think. When you put the time into thinking about what your hands are doing you'll just naturally feel improvement.
OMG WOW :O Thanks for your input RuiAce!!
Post by: isaacdelatorre on July 07, 2017, 12:03:20 am
Hey there!
How many Music 2 students have we got on this forum? Would anyone be willing to share notes on their pieces for the extended response if there are any overlaps? Most of my notes are on paper but would definitely look to typing them up and sharing if there was enough interest :D
I really think this would be a great place to share our ideas because personally, Music 2 isn't often taught in the best way so why not help each other out? :)
Hey there,
Sorry for this late reply!! I did Music 2 and Music Extention up until trials so I have notes and responses to different questions if you want to have a look or need to bounce around a few ideas :)
I found it extremely difficult, I felt my teacher wasn't the greatest and I wasn't totally gelling with him which is why I decided to drop it after sitting the trial exam.
What electives are you doing? I did all performance and did performance for extension - was a LOT of work though.
Let me know how you are going with it!!
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on July 07, 2017, 10:58:09 am
Hey there,
Sorry for this late reply!! I did Music 2 and Music Extention up until trials so I have notes and responses to different questions if you want to have a look or need to bounce around a few ideas :)
I found it extremely difficult, I felt my teacher wasn't the greatest and I wasn't totally gelling with him which is why I decided to drop it after sitting the trial exam.
What electives are you doing? I did all performance and did performance for extension - was a LOT of work though.
Let me know how you are going with it!!
Hey no worries, thanks for getting back to me :) :)
Yeah, music is a bit of a struggle if i'm being honest because I haven't been taught a proper approach to the questions and so it really just ends up being a lot of guess work. I struggle with melodic dictations heaps but am sort of practicing with a music program to help me - have you got any general strategies for getting at least something down?
I'm doing a performance elective from 1945 - last 25 years (1992) and it hasn't been too bad. But I agree it's such a massive workload. The piece's we're studying are listed below, if you have ANY notes or advice I would really love to hear from you. Trials are just around the corner so hearing from you could literally save me for the exam.
Mandatory topic:
Nigel Westlake - Penguin Ballet
Paul Stanhope - Morning Star III
Brett Dean - Twelve Angry Men
Graham Koehne - High Art
Sarah Hopkins - Reclaiming the Spirit
Additional Topic: 1945 - 1992
John Adams - Short ride in a fast machine
Arnold Schoenberg - A survivor from Warsaw
Thanks again, hoping to hear back soon :D
Post by: stripeyducks101 on July 12, 2017, 11:35:57 pm
So with the majority of subjects you can look at the directive term and see what you need to write down to get each mark, but music has always puzzled me. How can I analyse the question to find what I need to include to maximise marks??
Thank you
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 12, 2017, 11:45:18 pm
Hi, my trial aural exam is coming up soon, and I'm kind of confused about how I would approach a question to tick all the boxes and get the marks.
So with the majority of subjects you can look at the directive term and see what you need to write down to get each mark, but music has always puzzled me. How can I analyse the question to find what I need to include to maximise marks??
Thank you
Hey, welcome to the forums! ;D
Tough question there - I wrote this guide on Music 1 Aural Exams you can read if it helps! Essentially all questions come back to the concepts of music - Know them like gospel. Beyond important.
Music is very different to the other subjects because it is basically "What do you hear?" for every single question. This means, basically, knowing what to include means knowing your concepts well enough that you can draw on the correct things to listen to. For Pitch, for example, you'd be listening for melodies and harmonies, caring less about the rhythm or the use of dynamics. If you know what you are listening for, that's 90% of the work - The other 10% is just getting it all down ;D
Post by: isaacdelatorre on July 14, 2017, 12:14:32 am
Hey no worries, thanks for getting back to me :) :)
Yeah, music is a bit of a struggle if i'm being honest because I haven't been taught a proper approach to the questions and so it really just ends up being a lot of guess work. I struggle with melodic dictations heaps but am sort of practicing with a music program to help me - have you got any general strategies for getting at least something down?
I'm doing a performance elective from 1945 - last 25 years (1992) and it hasn't been too bad. But I agree it's such a massive workload. The piece's we're studying are listed below, if you have ANY notes or advice I would really love to hear from you. Trials are just around the corner so hearing from you could literally save me for the exam.
Mandatory topic:
Nigel Westlake - Penguin Ballet
Paul Stanhope - Morning Star III
Brett Dean - Twelve Angry Men
Graham Koehne - High Art
Sarah Hopkins - Reclaiming the Spirit
Additional Topic: 1945 - 1992
John Adams - Short ride in a fast machine
Arnold Schoenberg - A survivor from Warsaw
Thanks again, hoping to hear back soon :D
Hey man,
Sorry for the super late replies - definitely trying to be a bit more active on the forums, feel free to send me a PM any time!!
In terms of performance, there's not much advice I can give you without seeing you perform it live, literally all I can say is just the generic things of practice, make sure you time it properly so that your repertoire fits within the time but mostly make sure your pieces show off enough technique and diversity of style to all of the marking criteria.
In terms of the Aural exam, this was incredibly challenging - I too felt the pain of melodic dictation; was always the hardest section of the whole paper and we all secretly hated that one kid who had perfect pitch and breezed through these 6 marks. For this part, the best way I found was to firstly notate the rhythm using the first playing and get a sense of the melody then use each subsequent playing to do each new bar. I just focused on it bar by bar, then slowly i could do 2 bars at a time. Realistically the bar gets lost in the whole piece so I would remember two bars and hum that continuously until the excerpt was over then notate it - easier said than done. This required great knowledge of intervals, throughout year 9 and 10 we did interval training a LOT, we had to recognise most of the intervals. If you've never done this, you use songs you know to find the interval, so the start of twinkle twinkle little star is a perfect 5th etc. then when you get more familiar with them you can start to be able to recognise them faster.
Other tips for melodic dictation - look at the excerpt as a whole, cos quite often they repeat sections - if you hear a section repeated then you dont have to waste time figuring out the intervals.
In terms of the other parts of the Aural exam, let me know if you struggle with other bits - the essay was always a killer!! But I can definitely mark any answers you have and answer any questions :)
B sharp mate!! (lamest pun to end on but was the best I could think of)
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on July 14, 2017, 11:26:35 pm
Hey man,
Sorry for the super late replies - definitely trying to be a bit more active on the forums, feel free to send me a PM any time!!
In terms of performance, there's not much advice I can give you without seeing you perform it live, literally all I can say is just the generic things of practice, make sure you time it properly so that your repertoire fits within the time but mostly make sure your pieces show off enough technique and diversity of style to all of the marking criteria.
In terms of the Aural exam, this was incredibly challenging - I too felt the pain of melodic dictation; was always the hardest section of the whole paper and we all secretly hated that one kid who had perfect pitch and breezed through these 6 marks. For this part, the best way I found was to firstly notate the rhythm using the first playing and get a sense of the melody then use each subsequent playing to do each new bar. I just focused on it bar by bar, then slowly i could do 2 bars at a time. Realistically the bar gets lost in the whole piece so I would remember two bars and hum that continuously until the excerpt was over then notate it - easier said than done. This required great knowledge of intervals, throughout year 9 and 10 we did interval training a LOT, we had to recognise most of the intervals. If you've never done this, you use songs you know to find the interval, so the start of twinkle twinkle little star is a perfect 5th etc. then when you get more familiar with them you can start to be able to recognise them faster.
Other tips for melodic dictation - look at the excerpt as a whole, cos quite often they repeat sections - if you hear a section repeated then you dont have to waste time figuring out the intervals.
In terms of the other parts of the Aural exam, let me know if you struggle with other bits - the essay was always a killer!! But I can definitely mark any answers you have and answer any questions :)
B sharp mate!! (lamest pun to end on but was the best I could think of)
You're such a legend! Thank you so much - pun and advice is very appreciated :D
I might send you some practice responses (I take it that none of our pieces overlap :( ) since my trial is next Wednesday so I may memorise a few responses. We haven't been taught to write the essay (like at all) so it may take a few shoddy attempts before I start to get the hang of it - would you prefer I PM them to you?
Thanks again!!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 14, 2017, 11:54:34 pm
*** (Or is this an Extension thing? Pfft, don't even know) ;)
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on July 15, 2017, 09:40:23 am
Didn't do Music 2 so don't know 100%, but I reckon a little feedback thread for Music 2*** responses would be good to setup? What do we think guys? No post requirement or anything, just a place to collaborate ;D
*** (Or is this an Extension thing? Pfft, don't even know) ;)
Hey it's definitely for Music 2 - I don't think it would be a terrible idea, just think I would be the only one active in it! Haha :D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 15, 2017, 01:29:36 pm
Hey it's definitely for Music 2 - I don't think it would be a terrible idea, just think I would be the only one active in it! Haha :D
Hey, I was the first properly active poster on ATAR Notes in NSW full stop! It is cool being a trendsetter ;)
Post by: Snew on July 20, 2017, 05:55:41 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 20, 2017, 10:46:34 pm
Hello! Just curious as to how people structure their responses for aural questions on all the concepts - did you use a table and divide them up, like pitch/duration etc?
Hey! That's usually how I did it, alternatively I would set up headings for each section of the excerpt (verse/chorus) and just make my points under those headings! Then I'd make sure I had a bracketed term at the end telling the marker which concept(s) that related to (Pitch, Tone Colour) <---- Like that ;D
Post by: georgiia on July 21, 2017, 03:02:28 pm
Ive been marked on it twice before with my school teacher but Now I will obviously have a different marker so I was wondering what a different perspective would think?
Thank you!!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 21, 2017, 05:58:31 pm
Hi, I have my Viva in my trials on tuesday and was wondering if someone would quickly look at my summary sheet and let me know anything you think or anything to be careful of? Which questions first pop into mind so that I know what they may ask?
Ive been marked on it twice before with my school teacher but Now I will obviously have a different marker so I was wondering what a different perspective would think?
Thank you!!
Hey! I've had a look, a few comments:
First, I'd ditch the conclusion at the end. Remember this sheet is to guide your markers, not as a way for you to remember parts of your Viva. They'll know to ask you to conclude or to lead you to finish things up, you don't need to indicate that to them or to tell them your conclusion in the summary.
I'd give a little less detail on the concepts within the sheet. Again, this is to guide your markers, you aren't giving them absolutely everything on the sheet! Your sheet sort of says exactly what you would say to the marker. Instead, give less detail! Instead of listing everything you want to discuss about unity, just write unity. This will guide your markers to ask, "Well how would you say a sense of unity is achieved in this piece then?" Or similar, and they then actually listen to your answer rather than reading it on the sheet :)
When will you be playing excerpts? At the start of each concept? Just at the beginning? If it is more than just at the beginning perhaps indicate that more clearly, so they know to be ready for that.
I'd make the layout a tad more simple, less colour, things written a little more simply just down in a single column - Make it easy on them to reference down to!! Less detail might achieve this on its own :)
---
In terms of questions they could ask, be ready for anything. They might ask you to define the terms you've used, give other examples, perhaps even analyse the piece in terms of other concepts you haven't covered. Know your piece really well so you can answer any question they throw at you :)
Post by: georgiia on July 21, 2017, 08:16:48 pm
Hey! I've had a look, a few comments:
First, I'd ditch the conclusion at the end. Remember this sheet is to guide your markers, not as a way for you to remember parts of your Viva. They'll know to ask you to conclude or to lead you to finish things up, you don't need to indicate that to them or to tell them your conclusion in the summary.
I'd give a little less detail on the concepts within the sheet. Again, this is to guide your markers, you aren't giving them absolutely everything on the sheet! Your sheet sort of says exactly what you would say to the marker. Instead, give less detail! Instead of listing everything you want to discuss about unity, just write unity. This will guide your markers to ask, "Well how would you say a sense of unity is achieved in this piece then?" Or similar, and they then actually listen to your answer rather than reading it on the sheet :)
When will you be playing excerpts? At the start of each concept? Just at the beginning? If it is more than just at the beginning perhaps indicate that more clearly, so they know to be ready for that.
I'd make the layout a tad more simple, less colour, things written a little more simply just down in a single column - Make it easy on them to reference down to!! Less detail might achieve this on its own :)
---
In terms of questions they could ask, be ready for anything. They might ask you to define the terms you've used, give other examples, perhaps even analyse the piece in terms of other concepts you haven't covered. Know your piece really well so you can answer any question they throw at you :)
Thank you!!
Ill apply your comments. I thought I was giving less detail because in comparison to how it was for internals I really was ahahah. Ive attached my old summary sheet where I had indicated the times and bars of my examples so can you please let me know if that sort of thing is what I need to do? Im not sure what you mean about letting them know about my excerpts on the sheet. Thank You!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 21, 2017, 10:56:08 pm
Thank you!!
Ill apply your comments. I thought I was giving less detail because in comparison to how it was for internals I really was ahahah. Ive attached my old summary sheet where I had indicated the times and bars of my examples so can you please let me know if that sort of thing is what I need to do? Im not sure what you mean about letting them know about my excerpts on the sheet. Thank You!
The one I looked at above is definitely a move in the right direction from this - I wouldn't need to ask you questions if I was your marker! I read the sheet and have the whole Viva presented in front of me - It takes all the work away from you as a student, which restricts how much you are able to convince the marker that you can respond to questions and lead them through things yourself. Does that make sense? :)
When I say specify excerpts, I mean to specify when/if you need to play a recording of your chosen song. In my Viva, I had three excerpts from three different songs. I made it very clear what I wanted to talk about for each excerpt, so when it was done, my markers knew to say, "Okay, anything else before we move on to the next excerpt?", or failing that, won't be surprised when you ask to move on yourself (it is your discussion after all) ;D
Post by: georgiia on July 21, 2017, 11:03:14 pm
The one I looked at above is definitely a move in the right direction from this - I wouldn't need to ask you questions if I was your marker! I read the sheet and have the whole Viva presented in front of me - It takes all the work away from you as a student, which restricts how much you are able to convince the marker that you can respond to questions and lead them through things yourself. Does that make sense? :)
When I say specify excerpts, I mean to specify when/if you need to play a recording of your chosen song. In my Viva, I had three excerpts from three different songs. I made it very clear what I wanted to talk about for each excerpt, so when it was done, my markers knew to say, "Okay, anything else before we move on to the next excerpt?", or failing that, won't be surprised when you ask to move on yourself (it is your discussion after all) ;D
Thank you, yes that makes a lot of sense. Basically for every point I make I am aiming to either play them the excerpt show them on the score or perform it. I just dint know how to indicate that on the sheet because as you saw in the older document I have a tonne of examples.
Thanks!! :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 21, 2017, 11:24:27 pm
Thank you, yes that makes a lot of sense. Basically for every point I make I am aiming to either play them the excerpt show them on the score or perform it. I just dint know how to indicate that on the sheet because as you saw in the older document I have a tonne of examples.
Thanks!! :)
Ahhh I am with you!! Okay cool - Perhaps even just indicate in brackets when the excerpts will be used (excerpt)? Using the score is quick, a performed example is quick - An excerpt can take a bit to prime. Indicating that to them can be helpful. This said, I'm going off my experience, if what I'm saying sounds incompatible with your Viva, no stress - DO what seems right to you ;D
Post by: waterdancer on July 23, 2017, 02:42:58 pm
Just a quick question about my Core Performance. I'm doing a piano solo adaptation of Pirates of the Caribbean. There is just one section of my piece that I'm having a lot of trouble with, and was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to approach it. I've attached the score, the section is from bars 521-527, in particular bars 523 and 525 are killing me with the changes between septuplets and pentuplets and aaargh!
I don't have a formal piano teacher, the rest of the piece has been fine teaching myself, but I just can never get this timing right. Any suggestions?
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on July 23, 2017, 02:51:04 pm
Hello,
Just a quick question about my Core Performance. I'm doing a piano solo adaptation of Pirates of the Caribbean. There is just one section of my piece that I'm having a lot of trouble with, and was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to approach it. I've attached the score, the section is from bars 521-527, in particular bars 523 and 525 are killing me with the changes between septuplets and pentuplets and aaargh!
I don't have a formal piano teacher, the rest of the piece has been fine teaching myself, but I just can never get this timing right. Any suggestions?
hi! i don't do music, but i do play the piano. as for timing issues, i usually get out a metronome and play it against that, or if there's a formal recording of the piece listen to it as much as possible until you get it. you can try to count aloud while you're playing as well. also, don't try and force yourself to get it right - it will happen in due time. give it a break, do other stuff (such as pieces you're not playing for the hsc) then come back to it.
hope this helps :)
Post by: waterdancer on July 23, 2017, 03:00:43 pm
hi! i don't do music, but i do play the piano. as for timing issues, i usually get out a metronome and play it against that, or if there's a formal recording of the piece listen to it as much as possible until you get it. you can try to count aloud while you're playing as well. also, don't try and force yourself to get it right - it will happen in due time. give it a break, do other stuff (such as pieces you're not playing for the hsc) then come back to it.
hope this helps :)
Thank you for that. Don't have a proper metronome at home unfortunately but I'll look for some online ones to use maybe. The only recording I have of the piece is insanely fast, and his fingers are just a blur on the screen making it impossible to distinguish between the start of each tuplet, but I'll keep listening :)
I know it's still a while until performing it for HSC, but my music teacher wants to hear the entire performance in 2 weeks, a little stressed I won't get it in time, but what can you do haha
Post by: RuiAce on July 23, 2017, 03:07:24 pm
Hello,So the pattern involves triples and 5,7-tuples. And the bass line involves crotchets or quavers.
Just a quick question about my Core Performance. I'm doing a piano solo adaptation of Pirates of the Caribbean. There is just one section of my piece that I'm having a lot of trouble with, and was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to approach it. I've attached the score, the section is from bars 521-527, in particular bars 523 and 525 are killing me with the changes between septuplets and pentuplets and aaargh!
I don't have a formal piano teacher, the rest of the piece has been fine teaching myself, but I just can never get this timing right. Any suggestions?
Here's the thing. That should be played as precisely as possible, but that should not be stressed - when you have over 5 in a beat you're allowed to be ever so slightly off with it; what matters the most in piano performance in a situation like this is getting the notes correct.
Being able to play it accurately is the best course of action. To do this, as suggested you will need a metronome. You should certainly engage in slow practice if you want to perfect it - that simply cannot be done fast. I personally hate slow practice, but believe me when I say it works miracles.
That being said, do consider it's worth. This skill does take time to master. Consider ever so subtly fudging your way out of it if it becomes too much of a hassle. When I say fudge, what I mean is try to keep 7 in a beat, but really just put a bit of emphasis on the main beat(s) and relax it a bit with the rest.
Post by: waterdancer on July 23, 2017, 03:22:20 pm
So the pattern involves triples and 5,7-tuples. And the bass line involves crotchets or quavers.
Here's the thing. That should be played as precisely as possible, but that should not be stressed - when you have over 5 in a beat you're allowed to be ever so slightly off with it; what matters the most in piano performance in a situation like this is getting the notes correct.
Being able to play it accurately is the best course of action. To do this, as suggested you will need a metronome. You should certainly engage in slow practice if you want to perfect it - that simply cannot be done fast. I personally hate slow practice, but believe me when I say it works miracles.
That being said, do consider it's worth. This skill does take time to master. Consider ever so subtly fudging your way out of it if it becomes too much of a hassle. When I say fudge, what I mean is try to keep 7 in a beat, but really just put a bit of emphasis on the main beat(s) and relax it a bit with the rest.
Alright, thanks Rui. Never been too keen on fudging it, but will probably have to end up resorting to that. Would you suggest really focussing on just learning the note patterns of the right hand and working on getting that timing as good as I can make it, and then adding in the left hand later, or would it be beneficial to have the left there from the beginning as a way to really make sure I'm in time?
Post by: RuiAce on July 23, 2017, 03:58:39 pm
Alright, thanks Rui. Never been too keen on fudging it, but will probably have to end up resorting to that. Would you suggest really focussing on just learning the note patterns of the right hand and working on getting that timing as good as I can make it, and then adding in the left hand later, or would it be beneficial to have the left there from the beginning as a way to really make sure I'm in time?Separate hand practice before hands together is always good. Add the left hand later preferably.
I also hate fudging. Do consider the value of it carefully.
Post by: georgiia on July 23, 2017, 05:24:12 pm
I can't find a blank electronic viva summary sheet??????
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 24, 2017, 02:02:35 am
!!!!!!!SUPER URGENT!!!!!!!
I can't find a blank electronic viva summary sheet??????
Your teacher should be able to supply? I printed mine at home (just the stuff itself) and cut/pasted my printed sheet onto the blank one given to me by the teacher, so no stress! :)
Post by: georgiia on July 24, 2017, 11:06:32 am
Your teacher should be able to supply? I printed mine at home (just the stuff itself) and cut/pasted my printed sheet onto the blank one given to me by the teacher, so no stress! :)
She's given me a hardcopy and I was wondering if there was an electronic so that I could c&p my summary onto that but it's all g, I got hold of one
Post by: Charles G on July 31, 2017, 11:23:41 am
Thanks.
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 31, 2017, 02:29:48 pm
Hey guys, how much analysis is need to be able to access the top marks for Music 1 Aural. Also what are some common things to look for that get you easy marks.
Thanks.
Hey Charles! Welcome to the forums! ;D hopefully I am not too late with this advice, but either way, this guide might be worth a read! Accessing top marks is about providing a significant level of detail in answering the question in front of you. Easy marks depends a little bit on that question too! Think things like "which instrument is playing the melody" for Pitch, or "what instruments are there" for Texture. You should try and develop a "plan" for each concept to know the easy things you can get out of the way quickly! :)
Post by: nattynatman on August 06, 2017, 10:28:51 pm
Thanks!!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 06, 2017, 11:00:04 pm
Hi, for the elective topic 'An Instrument and its Repertoire' i'll be doing a comparison of harpsichord and pianoforte through Jazz interpretation of Baroque. Do you think that means I should focus more on the limitations of the harpsichord/the scope of the different instrument that alters the musical concepts?
Thanks!!
Hey! I think both of those sound like a logical thing to discuss! Really, comparison is a broad term, you can approach that comparison in any way you choose - It is your Viva after all! Do what seems most appropriate to you ;D
Post by: katie,rinos on August 23, 2017, 07:55:30 pm
I got my feedback from trials and realised that two of my pieces are around 6 minutes long. I've heard conflicting things on if a piece can go over 5 minutes: my clarinet teacher has said that he thinks that once it goes over 5 minutes they stop marking but don't deduct marks. However, I have also been told that you will lose marks if it goes over 5 minutes.
Will probably try to cut my pieces further (have already cut them), but do you guys know what happens?
Thanks heaps :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 23, 2017, 08:09:51 pm
Hey guys,
I got my feedback from trials and realised that two of my pieces are around 6 minutes long. I've heard conflicting things on if a piece can go over 5 minutes: my clarinet teacher has said that he thinks that once it goes over 5 minutes they stop marking but don't deduct marks. However, I have also been told that you will lose marks if it goes over 5 minutes.
Will probably try to cut my pieces further (have already cut them), but do you guys know what happens?
Thanks heaps :)
Hey! There is definitely a hard limit of 5 minutes on performances, don't go over. I'm pretty sure you'll either be penalised or asked to stop your performance - They'll be nice, like, they aren't going to cut 5 marks for a 5:03 performance. But 6 minutes is overkill, try as hard you can to get down to 5 minutes (I ended up cutting a 12 minute piece down to 5 minutes because of this, I feel your pain :()
Post by: nattynatman on August 24, 2017, 10:25:49 pm
a question on music performance;
I'm doing whiplash (by Hank Levy) on drums and it's only 1 minute 50 seconds long. Do you have any suggestions or know any ways I can possibly extend this? (e.g would mixing/repeating some parts be acceptable) or is a 2min piece capable to achieve band 6? (i got 16/20 for trials, and I can still refine it)
Thanks :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 24, 2017, 11:05:59 pm
Hey Jamon,
a question on music performance;
I'm doing whiplash (by Hank Levy) on drums and it's only 1 minute 50 seconds long. Do you have any suggestions or know any ways I can possibly extend this? (e.g would mixing/repeating some parts be acceptable) or is a 2min piece capable to achieve band 6? (i got 16/20 for trials, and I can still refine it)
Thanks :)
Hey! I see no reason why a 2 minute performance couldn't be worthy of a Band 6 mark, you just aren't using as much time as you have to show them what you can do! Showing off a bit more would definitely be good - Could you extend any solo sections with some improvisation, perhaps? Add a copy of a section but played with different expressive techniques/dynamics? :)
Post by: raeannechamii on September 06, 2017, 03:20:55 pm
Thankyou!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 06, 2017, 03:34:19 pm
Hi, I just finished my Music 1 HSC and had to start two of my pieces again because I was so nervous, (one 30 seconds in and the other 1 minute in) and was just wondering if it would affect my marks in anyway?
Thankyou!
Hey hey, welcome to the forums!! ;D
Starting again is an interesting one - The sooner you do it the better I feel. 30 seconds and 1 minute in are likely to be past the point of, "Oh, that performance hadn't started so penalty." Like, say you'd struck two notes then dropped your instrument - That wouldn't be likely to affect things because the performance wasn't 'underway,' so to speak. At least that's how I feel.
In any event, 30 seconds and 1 minute are definitely, "We are performing." So it will probably affect your mark a little. Don't worry though! Lots of people are nervous, lots of people need to restart, so it won't be anything awful. It might detract slightly from your mark for technical fluency ;D
Congrats on finishing your performances!! I hope you are, besides the shaky starts, happy with how you went ;D
Post by: RuiAce on September 06, 2017, 03:45:52 pm
Hey hey, welcome to the forums!! ;DWoah. Would be nice if AMEB would do something like this. That is so generous
Starting again is an interesting one - The sooner you do it the better I feel. 30 seconds and 1 minute in are likely to be past the point of, "Oh, that performance hadn't started so penalty." Like, say you'd struck two notes then dropped your instrument - That wouldn't be likely to affect things because the performance wasn't 'underway,' so to speak. At least that's how I feel.
In any event, 30 seconds and 1 minute are definitely, "We are performing." So it will probably affect your mark a little. Don't worry though! Lots of people are nervous, lots of people need to restart, so it won't be anything awful. It might detract slightly from your mark for technical fluency ;D
Congrats on finishing your performances!! I hope you are, besides the shaky starts, happy with how you went ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 06, 2017, 04:00:44 pm
Woah. Would be nice if AMEB would do something like this. That is so generous
I've never found anything that confirms it, and there might still be some penalty, but stopping a performance after 30 seconds will unfortunately have a bigger impact than stopping almost immediately!
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on September 21, 2017, 07:24:14 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 21, 2017, 07:31:35 pm
Hey i was wondering how many people get selected for Encore & what the criteria was? Thanks!
Hey! You can check out the 2016 program to get a feel for how many people get chosen, but I don't think it is static. Also keep in mind that more people than this get nominated, but NESA then selects students so as to get a mix of school types, repertoire, styles (etc). They don't want 20 boys from private schools in Sydney playing violin, for example - They want variety! :)
Criteria is basically smashing your performance/composition/viva voce. Like, surely must be 20/20, and for something like performance which everyone does, you'd need to stand out even beyond that. I've never seen an actual selection process/criteria - I'd be interested in seeing it if anyone has! ;D
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on September 21, 2017, 07:44:14 pm
Hey! You can check out the 2016 program to get a feel for how many people get chosen, but I don't think it is static. Also keep in mind that more people than this get nominated, but NESA then selects students so as to get a mix of school types, repertoire, styles (etc). They don't want 20 boys from private schools in Sydney playing violin, for example - They want variety! :)
Criteria is basically smashing your performance/composition/viva voce. Like, surely must be 20/20, and for something like performance which everyone does, you'd need to stand out even beyond that. I've never seen an actual selection process/criteria - I'd be interested in seeing it if anyone has! ;D
I'm interested by this too! If you get nominated for performance, does it mean that your whole program got full marks? NESA doesn't disclose any selection criteria and my teachers don't really know...
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on September 21, 2017, 07:49:13 pm
Hey! You can check out the 2016 program to get a feel for how many people get chosen, but I don't think it is static. Also keep in mind that more people than this get nominated, but NESA then selects students so as to get a mix of school types, repertoire, styles (etc). They don't want 20 boys from private schools in Sydney playing violin, for example - They want variety! :)thanks for that i received a nomination for performance today !
Criteria is basically smashing your performance/composition/viva voce. Like, surely must be 20/20, and for something like performance which everyone does, you'd need to stand out even beyond that. I've never seen an actual selection process/criteria - I'd be interested in seeing it if anyone has! ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 21, 2017, 08:04:06 pm
thanks for that i received a nomination for performance today !
Wowww!! Unbelievable, well done!! Fingers crossed you get to actually perform at the Opera House!
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on September 21, 2017, 08:14:57 pm
Wowww!! Unbelievable, well done!! Fingers crossed you get to actually perform at the Opera House!Thanks!! am so stoked about it
Post by: georgiia on September 23, 2017, 04:36:58 pm
Thanks!! am so stoked about itCONGRADULATIONS!!
I saw your post and went to check my emails and saw that i had been nominated for both music and hoc dance!!! I was just wondering though, did they specify which piece/elective you were nominated for because for dance they specified it was my major but for music theres no indication of which piece. Good luck!
Post by: DalvinT on September 23, 2017, 11:06:06 pm
Hey! You can check out the 2016 program to get a feel for how many people get chosen, but I don't think it is static. Also keep in mind that more people than this get nominated, but NESA then selects students so as to get a mix of school types, repertoire, styles (etc). They don't want 20 boys from private schools in Sydney playing violin, for example - They want variety! :)
Criteria is basically smashing your performance/composition/viva voce. Like, surely must be 20/20, and for something like performance which everyone does, you'd need to stand out even beyond that. I've never seen an actual selection process/criteria - I'd be interested in seeing it if anyone has! ;D
Haha yeah! My teacher who is also a Senior HSC marker, said they are usually the ones that are like 25/20!!!! :O
I know a few who got nominated for DANCE AND MUSIC! SO HAPPYYYY for them !!
Post by: selinayinz on September 24, 2017, 08:34:43 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 24, 2017, 08:50:45 pm
I was wondering, how many students are nominated for Encore usually? And also what is the process for nomination i.e. do the examiners submit a special form or..?
Read through the last few messages! I'm honestly not sure and it looks like a mystery, ahaha! Did you get a nomination or? ;D
Post by: selinayinz on September 26, 2017, 10:54:37 am
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 26, 2017, 01:14:44 pm
Not yet... I haven't received a letter yet. But fingers crossed! When do they issue the letters?
It looks like a few people have been receiving them quite recently so fingers crossed you will receive one soon! ;D
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on September 27, 2017, 04:55:46 pm
Not that I was expecting to receive one, but I was wondering if anyone's heard news about NESA sending out encore nominations for composition? I know the performance ones are out, but haven't heard of anyone getting nominated for comp yet...
Let me know if you've heard anything
Thanks :)
Post by: georgiia on September 27, 2017, 05:17:14 pm
Hey guys!
Not that I was expecting to receive one, but I was wondering if anyone's heard news about NESA sending out encore nominations for composition? I know the performance ones are out, but haven't heard of anyone getting nominated for comp yet...
Let me know if you've heard anything
Thanks :)
Because you don't have to film yours playing again and they have the compositions on file, they release that info when they say who got accepted for performance. Same goes for viva's I think.
Good luck! :)
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on September 29, 2017, 07:24:07 pm
CONGRADULATIONS!!hey! thanks for that, they didn't specify anything, they just said i'd been nominated!
I saw your post and went to check my emails and saw that i had been nominated for both music and hoc dance!!! I was just wondering though, did they specify which piece/elective you were nominated for because for dance they specified it was my major but for music theres no indication of which piece. Good luck!
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on September 30, 2017, 12:32:38 pm
Because you don't have to film yours playing again and they have the compositions on file, they release that info when they say who got accepted for performance. Same goes for viva's I think.
Good luck! :)
Thanks you too :D
I wonder how many performance nominations they release.... because it really makes a difference if it's 100 from music 1/2/ext each or just like 100 in total (which I doubt, since that's not very many when you think about it...) hmm this is really interesting me. I don't know what the chances of getting into the actual concert are.
Post by: georgiia on September 30, 2017, 12:49:20 pm
Thanks you too :D
I don't thing they have a set number, they decide on the spot who gets a nomination and NESA set a cut-off before marking all the schools begins, but apparently it varies slightly and isn't necessarily full marks.
I wonder how many performance nominations they release.... because it really makes a difference if it's 100 from music 1/2/ext each or just like 100 in total (which I doubt, since that's not very many when you think about it...) hmm this is really interesting me. I don't know what the chances of getting into the actual concert are.
Well they have strict quotas so that they're not getting 15 performers from the Conservatorium or other performing arts schools. They need a balance between public, private, selective, catholic, urban, rural male and female schools. They also need diversity in the genre of the performance and in the instrument. So it isn't entirely a matter of skill but mostly relies on having a diverse programme.
Good luck though!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 01, 2017, 11:21:10 am
Well they have strict quotas so that they're not getting 15 performers from the Conservatorium or other performing arts schools. They need a balance between public, private, selective, catholic, urban, rural male and female schools. They also need diversity in the genre of the performance and in the instrument. So it isn't entirely a matter of skill but mostly relies on having a diverse programme.
Good luck though!
Yeah exactly - The nomination itself is equally prestigious whether you actually get to perform or not, because from here it's just a little bit of luck! ;D
Post by: bsdfjnlkasn on October 04, 2017, 10:17:22 pm
Does ANYONE know where I can find the recordings to the past Music 2 papers? I can't find them anywhere online and I really need them for the past papers!
Any advice would be seriously appreciated :) :) :)
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on October 08, 2017, 07:00:23 am
Post by: RuiAce on October 08, 2017, 08:11:19 am
Hey i was wondering if someone could explain the difference between counterpoint and polyphony? I always get mixed up by them! Thanks:)From what I remember, quite loosely speaking polyphony just involves the presence of multiple voices in your piece. Counterpoint is a subclass of this, because it focuses on the interactions of the voices relative to each other.
A piece can involve polyphony, but not necessarily be contrapuntal.
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on October 10, 2017, 02:26:21 pm
http://www.musicconcepts.com.au/scaffold/201202.html
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 10, 2017, 02:39:41 pm
hey another question related to texture- I was wondering what the texture was in this piece? They different layers seem to be vying for attention (except the bottom repeated one) yet it seems like there is a dominant melody? Could I say it was homophonic with contrapuntal aspects? Thanks!!
http://www.musicconcepts.com.au/scaffold/201202.html
I'd say those ideas are all complex enough to warrant call it a polyphonic texture :)
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on October 11, 2017, 03:06:16 pm
I'd say those ideas are all complex enough to warrant call it a polyphonic texture :)Thanks!
Post by: caitlinlddouglas on October 12, 2017, 07:11:11 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 12, 2017, 07:25:16 pm
hey i was wondering how I would go about answering a question that asks 'comment on the roles of the sound sources.' Is that an all concepts question? Thanks :)
Yep, a little bit! With a focus, of course, on texture (the sound sources and the roles they fill is definitely a texture thing), but other concepts are likely to blend in ;D
Post by: mercurry on October 12, 2017, 08:41:20 pm
I'm kinda sad I didn't get a nomination, but I fumbled during the difficult parts and started too early because I didn't realise the examiners were supposed to say "play when ready" HAHA... I guess playing a Steinway piano will always be a dream :'( Maybe one day!
That aside, I usually get 1-2 marks deducted per question on the Aural paper. Is there a surefire way to boost that up? (eg. just expanding heaps on each point)
Also, when referring to the concepts, is it okay to use Italian terms and not explain them, or would it be better to use it and define said word in brackets? (eg. blah blah forte (loud) blah blah) <- I feel like there's no need for that, but with other terms perhaps? Or just stick with English?
Post by: georgiia on October 12, 2017, 09:34:27 pm
Grats to those who got nominated for Encore!! Proud of you guys :D
I'm kinda sad I didn't get a nomination, but I fumbled during the difficult parts and started too early because I didn't realise the examiners were supposed to say "play when ready" HAHA... I guess playing a Steinway piano will always be a dream :'( Maybe one day!
That aside, I usually get 1-2 marks deducted per question on the Aural paper. Is there a surefire way to boost that up? (eg. just expanding heaps on each point)
Also, when referring to the concepts, is it okay to use Italian terms and not explain them, or would it be better to use it and define said word in brackets? (eg. blah blah forte (loud) blah blah) <- I feel like there's no need for that, but with other terms perhaps? Or just stick with English?
I personally din't put the explanation unless its referring to something other than a dynamic/tempo marking. Like if they all played in unison i wouldn't write 'tutti' i'd just go 'layers of sound/performing media play in harmonic/rhythmic unison' but for tempo I'd go 'tempo is allegro' not 'tempo is fast.
Hope this helps :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 12, 2017, 09:51:36 pm
That aside, I usually get 1-2 marks deducted per question on the Aural paper. Is there a surefire way to boost that up? (eg. just expanding heaps on each point)
Also, when referring to the concepts, is it okay to use Italian terms and not explain them, or would it be better to use it and define said word in brackets? (eg. blah blah forte (loud) blah blah) <- I feel like there's no need for that, but with other terms perhaps? Or just stick with English?
Definitely agree with above - The Italian terminology is fine and definitely looks better than the English counterparts, shows you know the lingo ;)
Here are a few tips to help you squeeze those extra few marks out of aural exams! :)
Post by: pbcampion on October 31, 2017, 10:33:00 pm
I am a passionate music student who approaching my first assessment, a Viva Voce, for year 12. Amongst the few of us, I am an enthused drummer and intend on doing my Viva on drums as my principal instrument. The task requires us to give a Viva centered on our principal instrument and its associated techniques. We must explain the musical function of the instruments and link it to the concepts. I am asking any other drummers, or even musicians that have experience with Vivas, on some tips on the best way to approach this?
In what areas could i speak about more, due to a lack of definite pitch in my instrument?
Thankyou!
Regards,
Peter
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 31, 2017, 10:39:10 pm
Hi Everyone!
I am a passionate music student who approaching my first assessment, a Viva Voce, for year 12. Amongst the few of us, I am an enthused drummer and intend on doing my Viva on drums as my principal instrument. The task requires us to give a Viva centered on our principal instrument and its associated techniques. We must explain the musical function of the instruments and link it to the concepts. I am asking any other drummers, or even musicians that have experience with Vivas, on some tips on the best way to approach this?
In what areas could i speak about more, due to a lack of definite pitch in my instrument?
Thankyou!
Regards,
Peter
Hey Peter! Welcome to the forums! ;D
I wrote a guide on Music 1 Viva Voce, you can read it here! You'll want to focus heavily on dynamics, expressive techniques and tone colour in terms of conceptual discussion, explain how different ways of playing the instrument can alter the concepts and create musical interest. As a drummer, duration will probably also get a mention ;)
Would be happy to help you out more if you need it, just let us know! Good luck with your first assessment ;D
Post by: xxmomochanxx on February 09, 2018, 12:11:22 pm
This year I'm doing 3 vivas for my electives
So far I've chosen Music for multimedia
I'm stuck between Music of a culture, theatre, and 21st century
I have no specialised knowledge in any of these areas, and I don't know how to narrow down topics (like so far for theatre I just have "Wicked" as my topic)
Any advice?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 09, 2018, 11:23:59 pm
Hi!
This year I'm doing 3 vivas for my electives
So far I've chosen Music for multimedia
I'm stuck between Music of a culture, theatre, and 21st century
I have no specialised knowledge in any of these areas, and I don't know how to narrow down topics (like so far for theatre I just have "Wicked" as my topic)
Any advice?
Hey! I think my best advice would be, which of those three 'genres' or styles do you personally listen to more? Personal interest and background knowledge is the best place to start :)
Post by: angewina_naguen on March 23, 2018, 10:07:36 am
Concerned Music 2 student here. I was looking at some timetables from past year and the aural/musicology exam for both Music subjects seem to fall on the same day as the English papers :'( Although we don't definitively know until the 2nd of May, if a clash like this occurs, any tips for how to manage both?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on March 23, 2018, 08:51:51 pm
Hey, everyone!
Concerned Music 2 student here. I was looking at some timetables from past year and the aural/musicology exam for both Music subjects seem to fall on the same day as the English papers :'( Although we don't definitively know until the 2nd of May, if a clash like this occurs, any tips for how to manage both?
Hey! Unfortunately, this wasn't a one off, they have done this every year for a loooong time. So it's pretty likely.
We wrote this guide during the exams, it might be helpful! But you shouldn't worry about this yet, way too far away!! ;D
Post by: angewina_naguen on March 24, 2018, 09:59:59 am
Hey! Unfortunately, this wasn't a one off, they have done this every year for a loooong time. So it's pretty likely.
We wrote this guide during the exams, it might be helpful! But you shouldn't worry about this yet, way too far away!! ;D
Hey, Jamon!
Had a read and it's fantastic :) Lessened my unexpected stress moment ;D I really hope that they don't do this to us this year because I really am not up for another exam straight after English :( :( Thank you anyway!
Angelina
Post by: Damo13323 on July 19, 2018, 01:58:43 pm
I'm doing two vivas for music 1, and already sorted my first topic (The themes of Love, Gravity and time in the Interstellar soundtrack), but for my second topic, I'm not sure what I should do, I was thinking on "How the Evelyn sisters's album: Evelyn, Evelyn uses vastly different / contrasting musical genres to tell a story" or something along those lines, but i'm not sure as to if it's too broad (basically the whole album is a story about two conjoined twins and the tragic events that happen in their life... its a bit weird but good). Just wondering what your opinion on this would be?
Thanks!
Post by: Penelope on July 19, 2018, 02:58:14 pm
I'm doing two Vivas and two performances. For one of the vivas I am exploring the use of unconventional instruments and sound samples in two songs by Roger Waters, Perfect Sense part 1 and 2. Could you give me some advise on how to frame the topic, for example what should my main idea be? I had thought along the lines of 'How the use of unconventional instruments creates interest', but some further ideas would be appreciated as I am not sure if interest is really what it creates.
Thanks!
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 19, 2018, 11:20:33 pm
Hey!
I'm doing two vivas for music 1, and already sorted my first topic (The themes of Love, Gravity and time in the Interstellar soundtrack), but for my second topic, I'm not sure what I should do, I was thinking on "How the Evelyn sisters's album: Evelyn, Evelyn uses vastly different / contrasting musical genres to tell a story" or something along those lines, but i'm not sure as to if it's too broad (basically the whole album is a story about two conjoined twins and the tragic events that happen in their life... its a bit weird but good). Just wondering what your opinion on this would be?
Thanks!
Welcome to the forums Damo! ;D
I really like your idea actually!! The idea of contrasting musical genres is similar to my Viva, which was on polystylism in progressive rock music ;D
What I would suggest though is that the "tell a story" bit might be a bit hard to frame and encapsulate in a way that is easy for the examiner to follow. You could replace it with:
- Create musical interest
- Create suspense
- Generate contrast (which would require ditching the word 'contrast' in the first bit of the Thesis)
Essentially, change it so something more tried and true in terms of the effects music can have as defined in the course. The subject and essence though, I really like - Great work ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 19, 2018, 11:26:43 pm
Hi,
I'm doing two Vivas and two performances. For one of the vivas I am exploring the use of unconventional instruments and sound samples in two songs by Roger Waters, Perfect Sense part 1 and 2. Could you give me some advise on how to frame the topic, for example what should my main idea be? I had thought along the lines of 'How the use of unconventional instruments creates interest', but some further ideas would be appreciated as I am not sure if interest is really what it creates.
Thanks!
Hi Penelope!! Welcome to the forums ;D
Love the idea you are developing here! Musical interest is a definitely a valid and correct option here. You could also explore how it creates contrast with other compositions of the same genre, perhaps? You could also hit one of the emotive response that we tend to see sometimes in Music 1 (EG - suspense) if It fits! :)
For what it is worth, musical interest was what I went with in my Viva and it framed the Viva together nicely ;D
Post by: Hannahco on July 24, 2018, 07:28:52 pm
I was wondering what you did to study / prepare for the Musicology exams. In class we never do any practice tests or anything like that so I don't really know how to prepare for it!
Thanks:)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 24, 2018, 08:07:04 pm
Hey Jamon,
I was wondering what you did to study / prepare for the Musicology exams. In class we never do any practice tests or anything like that so I don't really know how to prepare for it!
Thanks:)
Hey! Do you mean the aural exam, like, with excerpts?
If so, it's a bummer you don't do any practice in class! My teacher was great and had us do it weekly. I would recommend making your own practice sessions out of your favourite songs - Pick a song and analyse its use of tempo, for example. You might not be able to mark it against anything but it will give you practice recalling the conceptual ideas you need :)
Katie and I are working on a way for you to practice your aural exams - Stay tuned ;D
Post by: Masta Rice on July 26, 2018, 10:50:17 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on July 26, 2018, 10:51:10 pm
Would anyone be willing to go over my viva and critique?
We'd love to! Give us a bit of a rundown of it ;D
Post by: pbcampion on August 05, 2018, 02:24:10 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 05, 2018, 02:47:36 pm
I would love to see more resources for music 1 students on Exam tips and strategies for the HSC. I know that a lot of people do it, and the Aural tests can be a bit awkward to study for. I am managing quite well, but I think students would find it particularly useful to compare their responses to sample responses from the HSC, and general tips for performance and practice schedules.
Couldn't agree more!! On the Aural stuff, particularly - Katie and I working on something cool for the lead up to the HSC, stay tuned ;D
Post by: angewina_naguen on August 05, 2018, 03:01:49 pm
I would love to see more resources for music 1 students on Exam tips and strategies for the HSC. I know that a lot of people do it, and the Aural tests can be a bit awkward to study for. I am managing quite well, but I think students would find it particularly useful to compare their responses to sample responses from the HSC, and general tips for performance and practice schedules.
Hey, pbchampion!
I totally agree :'( Sad Music 2 student here desperately trying to find past papers that are not copyrighted to study for trials. I made some notes in Year 11 which might be useful for Music 1 that I have attached here if you would like to use them :) The document just has a bunch of prompting questions I wrote for myself for the concepts of music to remember in the aural section. Hope this helps! I'd also love to see more music resources pop up on ATARNOTES :)
Angelina
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 05, 2018, 03:03:09 pm
Hey, pbchampion!
I totally agree :'( Sad Music 2 student here desperately trying to find past papers that are not copyrighted to study for trials. I made some notes in Year 11 which might be useful for Music 1 that I have attached here if you would like to use them :) The document just has a bunch of prompting questions I wrote for myself for the concepts of music to remember in the aural section. Hope this helps! I'd also love to see more music resources pop up on ATARNOTES :)
Angelina
Nevermind, just saw your signature, amazing stuff!!!
Post by: pbcampion on August 05, 2018, 03:34:27 pm
I noticed in one of your posts a while back you suggested using different listens (1, 2, 3 e.g) of a music aural exam to notate different things or concepts of music. If I used this method, for example, 1st listen Duration, 2nd Listen Pitch, how would I still keep my response in chronological order? ie. I wouldn't want to wait to the 5th listen to talk about about the tone colour in the intro.
Thanks for the reply
Peter :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 05, 2018, 09:20:58 pm
Hey Jamon!
I noticed in one of your posts a while back you suggested using different listens (1, 2, 3 e.g) of a music aural exam to notate different things or concepts of music. If I used this method, for example, 1st listen Duration, 2nd Listen Pitch, how would I still keep my response in chronological order? ie. I wouldn't want to wait to the 5th listen to talk about about the tone colour in the intro.
Thanks for the reply
Peter :)
Hey! So I would leave gaps! A gap for everything about the intro, a gap for everything about the verse, etc etc. I made sure to ask for extra paper at the start in case I needed it, so I could be liberal with spacing - Maintain that Music 1 is the roughest exam on your hand, gotta keep writing the whole time!
Post by: pbcampion on August 07, 2018, 07:32:13 am
Hey! So I would leave gaps! A gap for everything about the intro, a gap for everything about the verse, etc etc. I made sure to ask for extra paper at the start in case I needed it, so I could be liberal with spacing - Maintain that Music 1 is the roughest exam on your hand, gotta keep writing the whole time!
Awesome, thanks Jamon.
I'll give that a try and see how I like it!
Post by: sara.gondo on August 10, 2018, 07:23:09 pm
Post by: jamonwindeyer on August 11, 2018, 02:16:27 pm
Hi there! For my year 11 music task, I have to come up with a viva voce question on a particular musical. We have to base it around the concepts of music (pitch, duration, tone, colour, texture, structure, dynamics and expressive techniques. I am currently thinking of doing "hairspray" and doing a comparative analysis of 2 songs in the musical; my focus question being something along the lines of "How are the concepts of music used to create excitement and tension throughout the musical Hairspray in the songs “run and tell that” and “you can’t stop the beat". However I am not sure if this is a good musical to analyse so I am very open to any other musicals that you think would be better to analyse and also looking for ways on how I can improve on my focus question.
Welcome to the forums Sara! I love your focus question, a few pointers:
- I don't think you need the song names in there, so feel free to drop the last phrase
- Make it clearer that you'll be exploring how the differences in the concepts of music create different emotions throughout the musical. Make it more obvious you will be doing comparison ;D
As for the choice of musical, I think pretty much anything works as long as you enjoy it enough to analyse it! Another one I know that does cool things with the music is Wicked, but I don't know the genre a tonne - If anyone else has any suggestions give a shout! :)
Post by: angewina_naguen on August 12, 2018, 10:49:23 am
As for the choice of musical, I think pretty much anything works as long as you enjoy it enough to analyse it! Another one I know that does cool things with the music is Wicked, but I don't know the genre a tonne - If anyone else has any suggestions give a shout! :)
Ask and you shall receive, Jamon ;D
Hi there! For my year 11 music task, I have to come up with a viva voce question on a particular musical. We have to base it around the concepts of music (pitch, duration, tone, colour, texture, structure, dynamics and expressive techniques. I am currently thinking of doing "hairspray" and doing a comparative analysis of 2 songs in the musical; my focus question being something along the lines of "How are the concepts of music used to create excitement and tension throughout the musical Hairspray in the songs “run and tell that” and “you can’t stop the beat". However I am not sure if this is a good musical to analyse so I am very open to any other musicals that you think would be better to analyse and also looking for ways on how I can improve on my focus question.
Hey, Sara! :D
I am a huge musical theatre nerd and would be so excited to do a task like what you have. I think your focus question is solid and really reflects the songs you have chosen really well. As long as you maintain your discussion on the concepts of music, you’ll deliver a sophisticated analysis regardless of what musical you end up deciding to do.
As for some suggestions for musicals that have really strong musical ideas, I can think of heaps off the top of my head but I’ll narrow it down to a few that I think stand out and some songs that would suit your discussion focus.
Hamilton- I could go on for days about how much I love ‘Hamilton.’ Lin Manuel Miranda is a musical master in developing his material. You could look at the domestic and public interplay within the musical with ‘Take a Break’ and ‘My Shot’ respectively whereby excitement and tension are both present.
Heathers- Not the most kid-friendly musical but definitely a great one if you want to focus solely on tension. ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Meant to be Yours’ have brilliant constructions that you can investigate into.
As suggested by Jamon, Wicked- I’ve performed so many ‘Wicked’ songs that I think my school must be sick of the musical by now. Excitement and tension flows in ‘What is this feeling?’, ‘No Good Deed’ and ‘Defying Gravity.’ They’re all driving songs in the musical and are situated in major plot moments. That’s a key reason why they have excitement and tension in them.
Les Miserables- By far, my favourite musical of all time! Who doesn’t love seeing young boys die in a failed French Revolution? ::) I think this is a very good option if you want to make your analysis strong because it is such an admired musical by the theatre community. ‘One Day More’ and ‘Red and Black’ are fantastic ensemble numbers which give me shivers all the time.
I hope this helps! It certainly gave me so much joy writing this all out because I love love love musical theatre ;D ;D Even if you don’t end up choosing any of these, do give these songs a listen so you can expand your knowledge or use them as practice for aural listenings. Musical theatre is very fun to analyse because there’s crazy stuff happening everywhere. Good luck with your task and let us know how it goes or if you need any help!
Angelina ;D
Post by: angewina_naguen on October 08, 2018, 11:56:01 am
For Music 2, are we able to write our responses with dot points? My distance ed teacher never got back to me on this question and he won’t be available to contact for a while :o I’ve been writing full sentence responses and leaving dot points at the end if I run out of time. Is there a suggested approach from anyone on how to structure responses in the exam?
Post by: pbcampion on October 09, 2018, 01:21:37 pm
Hey, everyone ;D
For Music 2, are we able to write our responses with dot points? My distance ed teacher never got back to me on this question and he won’t be available to contact for a while :o I’ve been writing full sentence responses and leaving dot points at the end if I run out of time. Is there a suggested approach from anyone on how to structure responses in the exam?
Well I'm only doing Music 1, but I understand that we are both still required to analyse a piece of music based on one of the musical concepts during the exam. I would highly recommend using dot-points. What the markers are looking for is key segments of information, eg. the instrument, what it is doing, and how it effects the music. Using sentences can waste alot of time using words that don't gain marks, especially when you have to get your ideas down fast. I would recommend practicing responses and having discernment when you need a full sentence or when you would just use dot points.
I usually use a combination of both.
An example of using dot-pointed type answer against a full sentence might be:
Drums then enter in the rhythmic role, providing a straight Hi-hat pattern that reinforces rhythmic unison in the piece.
- Drums in rhythmic role:
> straight Hi hat pattern > reinforces rhythmic unison
Of course there are many ways to answer the questions, but that would be my approach.
Post by: angewina_naguen on October 09, 2018, 05:00:14 pm
Well I'm only doing Music 1, but I understand that we are both still required to analyse a piece of music based on one of the musical concepts during the exam. I would highly recommend using dot-points. What the markers are looking for is key segments of information, eg. the instrument, what it is doing, and how it effects the music. Using sentences can waste alot of time using words that don't gain marks, especially when you have to get your ideas down fast. I would recommend practicing responses and having discernment when you need a full sentence or when you would just use dot points.
I usually use a combination of both.
An example of using dot-pointed type answer against a full sentence might be:
Drums then enter in the rhythmic role, providing a straight Hi-hat pattern that reinforces rhythmic unison in the piece.
- Drums in rhythmic role:
> straight Hi hat pattern > reinforces rhythmic unison
Of course there are many ways to answer the questions, but that would be my approach.
Awesome! Thank you for responding! ;D I think I will go with that for my responses then. All the best with your exams :D
Angelina ;D
Post by: holky on October 16, 2018, 08:24:15 pm
What's the difference between poly rhythm and cross rhythm?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 16, 2018, 09:03:24 pm
Hey,
What's the difference between poly rhythm and cross rhythm?
Hey! Polyrhythm is any use of more than one rhythm (that are actually aurally distinct, they don't just build on one another). When the use of polyrhythm is sustained and used as a motif in the piece, we call it cross rhythm. Really though, the terms are pretty much interchangeable ;D
Post by: pbcampion on October 16, 2018, 09:13:51 pm
Hey,
What's the difference between poly rhythm and cross rhythm?
Hello! So Polyrhythms simply refer to when 2 or more rhythms are being played simultaneously, usually combining to sound complicated. However, it is important to know that polyrhythms are completely TIMBRE dependent. In that I mean, if you combined all of the rhythms so they were played by the one instrument, it wouldn't be a polyrhythm at all, just a complicated, or syncopated rhythm. So this means, if there is a woodblock playing on every beat, and then a syncopated egg shaker in the background as well, you would consider this as polyrhythmic. This also means that even a drummer playing a standard rock beat is technically polyrhythmic.
Cross rhythms are similar, in that you have 2 or more rhythms played at the same time, but these are often in contrasting METRES. A common example of this would be a 4:3 cross-rhythm, which is 4 beats to every 3 beats in a bar. It is even quite often used in pop music. Being relatively common, it is a great idea to get used to these so that you can easily identify them in an exam scenario. Adam Neely does a great job of explaining this in his video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZ74JdxCt0
Usually these terms are interchangeable, but in exam scenario, it's good to stick to their definitions.
Let's go smash these exams!
Post by: holky on October 16, 2018, 09:16:23 pm
Hey! Polyrhythm is any use of more than one rhythm (that are actually aurally distinct, they don't just build on one another). When the use of polyrhythm is sustained and used as a motif in the piece, we call it cross rhythm. Really though, the terms are pretty much interchangeable ;D
Hello! So Polyrhythms simply refer to when 2 or more rhythms are being played simultaneously, usually combining to sound complicated. However, it is important to know that polyrhythms are completely TIMBRE dependent. In that I mean, if you combined all of the rhythms so they were played by the one instrument, it wouldn't be a polyrhythm at all, just a complicated, or syncopated rhythm. So this means, if there is a woodblock playing on every beat, and then a syncopated egg shaker in the background as well, you would consider this as polyrhythmic. This also means that even a drummer playing a standard rock beat is technically polyrhythmic.
Cross rhythms are similar, in that you have 2 or more rhythms played at the same time, but these are often in contrasting METRES. A common example of this would be a 4:3 cross-rhythm, which is 4 beats to every 3 beats in a bar. It is even quite often used in pop music. Being relatively common, it is a great idea to get used to these so that you can easily identify them in an exam scenario. Adam Neely does a great job of explaining this in his video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZ74JdxCt0
Usually these terms are interchangeable, but in exam scenario, it's good to stick to their definitions.
Let's go smash these exams!
Sweet, thank you so much, both of you!
Another question,
Any suggestions on structuring responses?
If I structure, I still use the structure my year 9 music teacher told me (and she also told me I didn't need to use italian words and could still get a band six without them so I don't really trust her lmao)
Otherwise I just write whatever I hear whenever I hear it, and I think I waste a bit of time writing out "in section 1" "in the chorus" over and over
Post by: pbcampion on October 16, 2018, 10:02:40 pm
Sweet, thank you so much, both of you!
Another question,
Any suggestions on structuring responses?
If I structure, I still use the structure my year 9 music teacher told me (and she also told me I didn't need to use italian words and could still get a band six without them so I don't really trust her lmao)
Otherwise I just write whatever I hear whenever I hear it, and I think I waste a bit of time writing out "in section 1" "in the chorus" over and over
Hey! :)
I guess just make sure that you write everything in chronological order. In that way, I'd only write "Chorus:" at the beginning of a line, then Dot-Point/Sentence the rest for that section. You can always use gaps as-well, so that incase you hear something later that you hadn't written earlier, you can just add another line. My teacher always advises us to write down ANYTHING that you hear/can identify, especially when you are stuck. The examiners can only mark what you write down, so even if you are stuck and you think what you are hearing is wrong, just be broad and write it down.
This is my approach at least, for the Music 1 exam.
That being said, I should probably get back to study! haha
Post by: jamonwindeyer on October 16, 2018, 10:15:20 pm
Post by: angewina_naguen on October 18, 2018, 06:29:23 pm
Post by: holky on October 18, 2018, 08:02:41 pm
Hey! :)
I guess just make sure that you write everything in chronological order. In that way, I'd only write "Chorus:" at the beginning of a line, then Dot-Point/Sentence the rest for that section. You can always use gaps as-well, so that incase you hear something later that you hadn't written earlier, you can just add another line. My teacher always advises us to write down ANYTHING that you hear/can identify, especially when you are stuck. The examiners can only mark what you write down, so even if you are stuck and you think what you are hearing is wrong, just be broad and write it down.
This is my approach at least, for the Music 1 exam.
That being said, I should probably get back to study! haha
Here is a guide to complement the awesome answer from pbcampion! ;D
Thanks guys! This is v helpful
Post by: Yoanarizkalla on February 06, 2019, 09:03:06 pm
Well I just started year 12 and I've been struggling with the whole analysing a song part of music, and honestly I am so worried as to how to do well in it, because I really do love music, and I am good in the performance aspect, but I just can't with aural. Could you please give me some advice on how to improve in aural
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 06, 2019, 10:02:49 pm
Hiii
Well I just started year 12 and I've been struggling with the whole analysing a song part of music, and honestly I am so worried as to how to do well in it, because I really do love music, and I am good in the performance aspect, but I just can't with aural. Could you please give me some advice on how to improve in aural
Hey there! Aural analysis is definitely super challenging, that's why I wrote this guide on improving in that area of Music 1! It really does come down to a strong theoretical base though - How is your musical theory (concepts of music) knowledge? :)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on March 24, 2019, 03:12:53 pm
Hello,
I have 2 music performances on Wednesday and I'm really nervous about it. My teachers tell me to perform in front of people as much as possible to help conquer my nerves but I get really panicky and stuff up the whole piece. I'm really scared because I would have to play 6 pieces in my HSC and if I stuff up in the first piece then I would not have the heart to play the other pieces well. Performing in front of people is one of my biggest fears but I need to get over it before trials and HSC to do well. Any tips or information in conquering nerves other than performing more? :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Hey! Katie wrote this guide you might find really handy! She speaks a bit about the ordering of pieces just as you were thinking about, so it would be a good read ;D it is about performing more, but also about working with your nerves. For me, for example, sitting still and just breathing slowly did nothing. When I get nerves, I have boundless energy, so instead I start pacing and moving around lots before performances to try and leak the energy away - Everyone will be just that little bit different :)
Post by: katie,rinos on March 24, 2019, 06:16:57 pm
Hello,Hey,
I have 2 music performances on Wednesday and I'm really nervous about it. My teachers tell me to perform in front of people as much as possible to help conquer my nerves but I get really panicky and stuff up the whole piece. I'm really scared because I would have to play 6 pieces in my HSC and if I stuff up in the first piece then I would not have the heart to play the other pieces well. Performing in front of people is one of my biggest fears but I need to get over it before trials and HSC to do well. Any tips or information in conquering nerves other than performing more? :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
I wrote this earlier but then I had to go out so I’ll just add this onto Jamon’s answer :).
We’ve been going through music performance anxiety in class recently. These are some of the strategies that we were talking about or I have used:
- - Just before you first play focus on the first couple of bars and how they sound (e.g sing them in your head). You could also concentrate on one aspect of your performance (such as your sound/rhythm/posture).
- - Breathing exercises: We’ve been going through a few different breathing exercises before you perform: One that we did was that we: Breathed in through your nose for 7 counts, out through your mouth for 7 counts, for 7 minutes. (I got distracted halfway through so you could make it shorter). We also looked at square breathing: breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, breathe out for 4 counts and then hold for 4. Then we did that for 2 minutes. I preferred this one to the other one.
- - Try not to analyse your performance as it’s happening. When your practising at home, you can stop and start if you’re not happy but when your performing try to focus more on what is happening next in the piece.
- - If you need to take some time in between pieces. You can always drink some water, or take some time to swap over your music.
- - Some people in my class try to distract themselves before performance: by listening to music (definitely not the piece you will be playing), or doing some warmups beforehand.
- - Be aware of what happens when you get really anxious. I used to go really fast and rush through my pieces so when I was performing so now I try to focus a bit more on my tempo.
- - Be over prepared-know your pieces well, get to the place of the exam early, etc.
- - For HSC, you can choose the order of your pieces so I choose the ones that I was most comfortable/confident with first. So when I got to my last piece (which was my least confident) I was more comfortable performing in the room, with the examiners than at the start of the exam.
- - Practise performing, but start small. You could start by videoing yourself, and listening to that back because it’s kinda a half-way step to performing in front of people. Then try to perform to people you are really close to (such as friends/family).
- - Practise and perform in the place that you are doing your exams so you can get used to it. I did my HSC exam in my school hall, so we did our half-yearly, trials, sound checks and HSC in the same space.
Post by: Jefferson on March 30, 2019, 10:10:12 pm
In texture, is a single melody sung by a vocal along with drums providing rhythmic accompaniment still considered monophonic, since the drums does not provide chordal/harmonic accompaniment?
Thank you!
Post by: angewina_naguen on March 30, 2019, 11:41:45 pm
Hi all,
In texture, is a single melody sung by a vocal along with drums providing rhythmic accompaniment still considered monophonic, since the drums does not provide chordal/harmonic accompaniment?
Thank you!
Hey, Jefferson!
That's a really interesting question :o We could spark some debate about this. I would perhaps still consider it homophonic because monophony refers to a single, melodic part without accompaniment. There are, in this instance, two layers so it ticks more of the criteria for homophony than monophony :)
Analysing texture does not always have to be with a single term like "monophony" or "homophony" though; you could describe how those parts interact and how the layers are constructed in relation to one another. Diagrams are really helpful in conveying these ideas too and helping your marker visualise what you have observed. If anything, I think this is more effective in explaining how texture operates in the piece than using one word or another :D
Angelina ;D
Post by: Jefferson on April 03, 2019, 09:26:49 pm
Hey, Jefferson!
That's a really interesting question :o We could spark some debate about this. I would perhaps still consider it homophonic because monophony refers to a single, melodic part without accompaniment. There are, in this instance, two layers so it ticks more of the criteria for homophony and monophony :)
Analysing texture does not always have to be with a single term like "monophony" or "homophony" though; you could describe how those parts interact and how the layers are constructed in relation to one another. Diagrams are really helpful in conveying these ideas too and helping your marker visualise what you have observed. If anything, I think this is more effective in explaining how texture operates in the piece than using one word or another :D
Angelina ;D
Hi Angelina,
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! That makes a lot of sense.
Jefferson :).
Post by: Kombmail on July 12, 2019, 05:21:48 pm
Post by: Kombmail on August 27, 2019, 08:45:16 pm
Post by: katie,rinos on August 27, 2019, 10:03:25 pm
guys in the first one minute of moonlight sonata, would you say there is a binary form of a a' and b? or a throughout?I think I'd call it binary- a,b.
Hope this helps! :)
Post by: Kombmail on August 29, 2019, 11:10:28 am
I think I'd call it binary- a,b.
Hope this helps! :)
Thanks!
P.s any tips on revising art music on the HSC?
Post by: angewina_naguen on August 29, 2019, 11:50:16 am
Thanks!
P.s any tips on revising art music on the HSC?
Hey, Kombmail!
Try and construct a timeline with the periods in bold and then outline the key characteristics of music from that period underneath. This way, you can easily identify the concepts under exam conditions. I've got an example below :)
Spoiler
Baroque Period (1600-1750)
Texture
- Counterpoint and polyphony common.
Dynamic and Expressive Techniques
- Terraced dynamics
- Ornamentation to decorate and elaborate melodies
Texture
- Counterpoint and polyphony common.
Dynamic and Expressive Techniques
- Terraced dynamics
- Ornamentation to decorate and elaborate melodies
I highly doubt they will ask about Western art music in the exam based on the patterns for previous years but great to see that you're looking at expanding your aural repertoire for study :) Good luck!
Angelina ;D
Post by: Kombmail on September 04, 2019, 07:35:11 am
Hey, Kombmail!
Try and construct a timeline with the periods in bold and then outline the key characteristics of music from that period underneath. This way, you can easily identify the concepts under exam conditions. I've got an example below :)SpoilerBaroque Period (1600-1750)
Texture
- Counterpoint and polyphony common.
Dynamic and Expressive Techniques
- Terraced dynamics
- Ornamentation to decorate and elaborate melodies
I highly doubt they will ask about Western art music in the exam based on the patterns for previous years but great to see that you're looking at expanding your aural repertoire for study :) Good luck!
Angelina ;D
Thanks! Ps my paper is a catholic one..
Post by: Kombmail on September 15, 2019, 05:19:22 pm
I really need help with music theory in terms of identifying certain sections and instruments and textural relationships but I really don't have a support network from any teachers for help tbh.
Is there any way I could get questions marked on here?
thanks,
Kombmail.
Post by: katie,rinos on September 15, 2019, 06:29:28 pm
Can someone please help me with music theory:)Yeah, definitely post them here, (or in another thread) and I can try to get some feedback to you. :)
I really need help with music theory in terms of identifying certain sections and instruments and textural relationships but I really don't have a support network from any teachers for help tbh.
Is there any way I could get questions marked on here?
thanks,
Kombmail.
Post by: Kombmail on September 15, 2019, 07:55:12 pm
Yeah, definitely post them here, (or in another thread) and I can try to get some feedback to you. :)
Thanks:)
You've really helped me a lot with music:)
So this is the question: does this piece use Themes and Variations? https://youtu.be/qYEooPeyz5M
Post by: Kombmail on September 22, 2019, 06:16:17 pm
How are dynamics and expressive techniques explored in this excerpt?
Jazz - you are my sunshine http://www.musicconcepts.com.au/scaffold/200604.html
Post by: sunflowah on November 09, 2019, 03:31:20 pm
I often struggle to identify the structure of a piece/song from a given score attachment. Any tips on how I can breakdown the structure of a piece?
Post by: Kombmail on November 09, 2019, 09:41:00 pm
:) Hello,
I often struggle to identify the structure of a piece/song from a given score attachment. Any tips on how I can breakdown the structure of a piece?
Look for repeating bars/ melodic contours- that should give an indication of a chorus
If it’s rondo binary or ternary form it may seem obvious when playing the pieces? With binary it’s usually when a new Melody has begun or the key has changed, tempo- look for markings for tempo on the score, could also be a change in dynamics that leads to a new section
Post by: slothologist on November 11, 2019, 07:05:16 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/bq1jAAr.png)
Hey there my fellow musicians!
I am one of the members of the ATAR Notes Team. I wrote the Physics notes for the recent lecture series, and I work with Jake and Elyse to answer your questions and create new stuff that will help you guys succeed in the HSC!
The one subject I can have to myself is Music 1 ;)
Music is an awesome subject because it is so different to the others. It offers a chance for creativity, for creation, and for pursuing a hobby. For marks. Score! However, don't be fooled. Music is difficult, it demands a lot from its students.
This is why I started this thread, for you guys to ask me absolutely anything you want to know about success in Music. I scored 95, and was included in Encore 2015 for musicology , so I'm definitely qualified to give you guys a hand. Plus, I was assessed on all three major areas: Performance, Musicology, and Composition, so whatever you are up to, I can help! I definitely can't play every instrument, but that is why these threads are awesome! Post a Trumpet-related question, and a Trumpet player will hopefully see it and lend a hand. ;)
So, ask me anything! No question is too far out or too obvious, I'm happy to lend any help that I can. Music is an awesome subject, I hope this Q+A thread makes it even more awesome for you. Let's help each other do the best we can do! ;D
for music extension, i was wondering if you knew how many people need to be the ensemble for performance. right now its just me and a guitar. Would you call that an ensemble?
Post by: Thankunext on November 12, 2019, 07:47:37 pm
for music extension, i was wondering if you knew how many people need to be the ensemble for performance. right now its just me and a guitar. Would you call that an ensemble?Hey there!
An ensemble involves 2 or more people so you and a guitar would unfortunately not be considered an ensemble. However, if it was you playing the guitar and for example, a vocalist, then yes, that would be an ensemble. So essentially, there has to be you and at least one other person accompanying you (e.g. vocalist, piano, French horn, etc.) in order for it to be considered an ensemble.
Hope this helps! ;D
Post by: Kombmail on November 19, 2019, 12:45:31 pm
Post by: katie,rinos on November 19, 2019, 01:49:24 pm
Has anyone done the 500 word essay for a bMUs at UNSW? Any tips in writing it?I did my essay on my involvement and leadership in Girls Brigade. You can write about anything that's not related to music. I wouldn't stress too much about the essay-it's just mainly to see how you write.
Hope this helps!! :)
Post by: Kombmail on November 20, 2019, 02:15:39 pm
I did my essay on my involvement and leadership in Girls Brigade. You can write about anything that's not related to music. I wouldn't stress too much about the essay-it's just mainly to see how you write.
Hope this helps!! :)
I know this might sound annoying but do you have any sentence starter suggestions?
Post by: katie,rinos on November 20, 2019, 05:02:36 pm
I know this might sound annoying but do you have any sentence starter suggestions?
I don’t think there is a perfect way to write the mini essay. As long as you’re writing about something you’re passionate about (that you have enjoyed doing, studying or learning about aside from music) it should be good. They just want to know how you express yourself.
For reference this was mine (just taken out a bit of the personal stuff/where I live):
Spoiler
I have been involved in the Christian organisation Girls Brigade at the Church since 2012. My group (the pioneers: year 8-12) has formed some close friendships with both our leaders and the girls of the company. We have had many enjoyable times including camps, church parades, presentation nights, when we organised a leader’s engagement party and our cooking nights during the year. Part of our group went to the Christian youth convention KYCK during the Easter school holidays and were able to listen to bible talks and worship with 3000 other Christian teenagers and their leaders which was an amazing experience.
Through Girl’s Brigade, I am currently working towards becoming a young leader and my Queens Award. The Queens Award is the highest international award that can be undertaken during Girl’s Brigade and includes a personal appreciation project (I did music), Girls Brigade/church/community service, two initiative tasks and a speech. I wrote a yearly practise journal to reflect on my clarinet practise, attended two concerts and gave critical reviews and wrote a report on a composer for my music appreciation project. In March this year, I ran games and helped with craft at the Ingleburn Alive fair for one of my initiative tasks. I am looking forward to doing community service and a speech early next year.
I have also participated in leadership training camps between many different companies at the Brigade House. I was involved in the preliminary, spiritual, recreational and Girls Brigade training camps that have been run to further our knowledge and skills while making many different friends. Through these camps, I have learnt many different skills in leadership such as how to lead games, devotions and lesson plan for a term. After these camps I came back to the company and helped run games, craft, and bible studies for the younger girls. I have also helped to run company camps and end of term nights (such as a Disney disco, movie nights and detective themed camp).
I enjoy being able to spend time with the girls in my group and the younger girls of the company. Next year I am looking forward to becoming a leader of a small group of younger girls in year three, with three of my friends. I love being able to plan and run games, crafts, cooking and bible studies with the girls that are engaging and they have fun doing.
Through Girl’s Brigade, I am currently working towards becoming a young leader and my Queens Award. The Queens Award is the highest international award that can be undertaken during Girl’s Brigade and includes a personal appreciation project (I did music), Girls Brigade/church/community service, two initiative tasks and a speech. I wrote a yearly practise journal to reflect on my clarinet practise, attended two concerts and gave critical reviews and wrote a report on a composer for my music appreciation project. In March this year, I ran games and helped with craft at the Ingleburn Alive fair for one of my initiative tasks. I am looking forward to doing community service and a speech early next year.
I have also participated in leadership training camps between many different companies at the Brigade House. I was involved in the preliminary, spiritual, recreational and Girls Brigade training camps that have been run to further our knowledge and skills while making many different friends. Through these camps, I have learnt many different skills in leadership such as how to lead games, devotions and lesson plan for a term. After these camps I came back to the company and helped run games, craft, and bible studies for the younger girls. I have also helped to run company camps and end of term nights (such as a Disney disco, movie nights and detective themed camp).
I enjoy being able to spend time with the girls in my group and the younger girls of the company. Next year I am looking forward to becoming a leader of a small group of younger girls in year three, with three of my friends. I love being able to plan and run games, crafts, cooking and bible studies with the girls that are engaging and they have fun doing.
Hope this helps!! :)
Post by: sunflowah on January 16, 2020, 03:27:35 pm
How can changing time signatures be used effectively in a composition? Are there any time signatures that work well together? Are there any guidelines or 'rules' with changing time signatures?
Would appreciate any tips, it's my first time trying this technique out, thankyou :) :)
Post by: angewina_naguen on January 16, 2020, 05:17:50 pm
Hello all,
How can changing time signatures be used effectively in a composition? Are there any time signatures that work well together? Are there any guidelines or 'rules' with changing time signatures?
Would appreciate any tips, it's my first time trying this technique out, thankyou :) :)
Hey, sunflowah!
Fantastic question :) Experimenting with time signatures is a great way to bring control and sophistication into your composition. It really depends on your own compositional ideas but I would think carefully about where I decide to change between time signatures and how this is supported with other things like dynamics, expressive techniques, registers etc. so that it's both noticeable but also subtle and nuanced. It might also be effective to have contrast (going from duple to triple time, or from simple to compound). Beyond that, any time signatures could work together well and there aren't really any rules you have to follow (other than to make sure that if you're having 4/4, for example, you definitely have four beats per bar and haven't accidentally missed one).
If you haven't before, listen to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring; he does a pretty amazing job at playing around with irregular rhythms and changing time signatures and might inspire something! Let me know if that helps and have fun composing!
Angelina ;D
Post by: sunflowah on January 17, 2020, 05:13:15 pm
Post by: sunflowah on January 17, 2020, 05:55:41 pm
How can I use a modal scale successfully in a composition?
Also, how can I 'not-so-awkwardly' modulate from a major/minor scale to a mode or vice versa?
Thanks in advance :)
Post by: (PhysChemMath)^iπ on January 20, 2020, 01:21:12 pm
In A Thousand Years by Christina Perri (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOTyX00), in the intro, there is a soft high-pitched sound, that is held throughout most of the intro. It seems to be either high register violin or organ.
If you can't hear it I know it is a Bb so you might be able to play that note on an instrument and try to listen out for it (maybe Bb5 or 6)
I was wondering if that could also be a drone, but in my research I found that drone is a low-pitched sustained note so I was unsure is a high-pitched sustained note is also a drone
This is for a music assessment where I need to analyse 4 songs with my instrument for Instrument and its repertoire
Thank you in advance for any help
Post by: angewina_naguen on January 21, 2020, 04:26:27 pm
Another question along similar lines ~
How can I use a modal scale successfully in a composition?
Also, how can I 'not-so-awkwardly' modulate from a major/minor scale to a mode or vice versa?
Thanks in advance :)
Hey, sunflowah!
This is also another matter of experimentation but it'd be good to clarify one thing first!
So a scale is a collection of pitches arranged to have a certain melodic character. For example, a scale built from C includes the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, B. A mode is created when you take any of those pitches and start the scale from there. That scale already in the example is C Ionian mode or more commonly known as C major. However, if I started on say D using those exact same pitches, I don't get D major (because D major has an F#); instead, I get D Dorian mode. Modes as a concept honestly still confuses the heckles out of me even as a university student taking music theory but in short, your major and minor scales are also modes (Ionian and Aeolian respectively).
If you wanted to integrate modes in your composition, you could disrupt the expected intervals and borrow from other modes instead. If we keep using C as the example, you could go from C Ionian/major to C Phrygian by using the flattened notes in the mode. This can create some interesting colours and pitch relations in your composition. Beyond that, it really just depends on how you want to play things out! Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly are fantastic composers to look at if you want to see great modal music in action. I'd highly recommend Kodaly's String Quartet No.2 Op.10 :) Hope this helps!
Post by: angewina_naguen on January 21, 2020, 04:34:53 pm
Hello Everyone,
In A Thousand Years by Christina Perri (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOTyX00), in the intro, there is a soft high-pitched sound, that is held throughout most of the intro. It seems to be either high register violin or organ.
If you can't hear it I know it is a Bb so you might be able to play that note on an instrument and try to listen out for it (maybe Bb5 or 6)
I was wondering if that could also be a drone, but in my research I found that drone is a low-pitched sustained note so I was unsure is a high-pitched sustained note is also a drone
This is for a music assessment where I need to analyse 4 songs with my instrument for Instrument and its repertoire
Thank you in advance for any help
Hey, (PhysChemMath)^iπ!
I can only just hear it but I can't seem to pinpoint what instrument it could be. That being said, a drone is usually a sustained note that provides what Britannica has defined as "a sonorous foundation" for the melodic material to unfold. If we are working with this definition, the sound could be considered a high-pitched drone (since it also establishes the tonic Bb) to an extent but it seems to soar above the melody, not necessarily supporting it or building a platform for it to develop. Based on this, I'd advise you to just call it a sustained note and discuss how it's played in an extreme upper register to further affirm the tonality of the song.
As a general tip too for musicology, it's okay to not be entirely specific with the sounds you are hearing :) If you know what it's called, then use the terminology. Otherwise, use the concepts of the music and general terms like sustained note to help you frame and describe the sounds you're hearing as I've done above. Hope that helps and good luck for the assessment!
Angelina ;D
Post by: sunflowah on February 13, 2020, 09:25:59 pm
What would be considered primary and secondary sources? Would interviews and quotes from the internet or own score annotations count as primary sources?
Post by: angewina_naguen on February 13, 2020, 09:41:33 pm
Hello!
What would be considered primary and secondary sources? Would interviews and quotes from the internet or own score annotations count as primary sources?
Hey, sunflowah!
Great question! When I was trying to differentiate between primary and secondary sources, I found that this website was really helpful! Your own score annotations, listening logs and annotations of the works you're analysing are your best primary sources. I'd definitely recommend listening to your works at different stages in the year and completing separate annotations for them because you'll always hear something new each time! You can look at the logs I did for my Music 2 essay at the end in the appendix if you want a good reference on how to potentially structure yours.
You could also potentially interview a scholar who might know a bit about your composer. I can't think of anyone at the top of my head but perhaps Rachel Campbell from the Con might be worth emailing? She runs Music in Modern Times at my uni and she's very interesting :D Otherwise, it's totally cool if your primary sources are mainly annotations and independent analysis so long as you've got plenty there and they're backed with secondary sources. Hope that helps!
Angelina ;D
Post by: sunflowah on February 15, 2020, 08:16:19 pm
I'm having trouble with answering this question: 'How has the 6 concepts of music been used together to create an effective musical outcome'? (p.s. not exactly certain on what 'effective musical outcome' means)
Post by: jamonwindeyer on February 16, 2020, 08:49:21 pm
Hi all!
I'm having trouble with answering this question: 'How has the 6 concepts of music been used together to create an effective musical outcome'? (p.s. not exactly certain on what 'effective musical outcome' means)
Hey!
I'm going to assume this is a Music 1 musicology listening question. So you've nailed the important bit of this question - What the hell is an 'effective musical outcome'? Best bit is you define this yourself - Is it musical interest? Is it creation of tension? It may depend on the context of the piece, but you can effectively define what the effective outcome is and run with that ;D then you just provide your evidence, using the concepts of music, as you normally would choose to do for a listening question ;D
Post by: sunflowah on February 29, 2020, 10:08:29 pm
Post by: sunflowah on March 07, 2020, 08:45:59 am
Which music software is best for notating music?
Post by: angewina_naguen on March 07, 2020, 11:26:07 am
Hello all,
Which music software is best for notating music?
Hey, sunflowah!
I could go on for hours about which software you should/should not use. Personally, I prefer using Sibelius since it has an amazing playback (the oboes actually sound like oboes) and it's quite easy to navigate once you're used to it but it is ridiculously expensive for students. In my HSC, I used NoteFlight which was free and super easy to use and got by with it for my composition. It has a terrible playback though so if you're using the notation software for composition, I'd recommend finding people to record a live of it instead of using their audio file. A few people I know also really recommend MuseScore but I'm not a huge fan since it's not as comprehensive as Sibelius and NoteFlight, and I have heard decent things about Finale despite never using it. Try them all out and see what works best for you! It really is all a trial and error process :)
Angelina ;D
Post by: sunflowah on March 11, 2020, 07:49:06 pm
If I were to record my composition live, where/how could I find people to play my composition?
Post by: angewina_naguen on March 11, 2020, 08:04:03 pm
Thanks Angelina! :)
If I were to record my composition live, where/how could I find people to play my composition?
Hey, sunflowah!
You could ask your teachers for any recommendations or any of your classmates if they can play the parts you have (if you've got a violist in your class, use them)! You can also post to different Facebook pages and ask if anyone would be interested in recording your composition. Usually people will expect a monetary compensation so just source from people around you first before you reach out to others! Good luck with finding people :)
Angelina ;D
Post by: svnflower on May 22, 2020, 05:37:04 pm
How do we plan out & structure a Q4 in the Music 2 paper?
Is it like an English essay where we need a brief introduction (thesis statement, introduce the piece/s to be discussed, composition date of pieces, etc.) and how many score references are recommended?
:) Thanks in advance
Post by: angewina_naguen on May 23, 2020, 11:51:19 pm
Hello,
How do we plan out & structure a Q4 in the Music 2 paper?
Is it like an English essay where we need a brief introduction (thesis statement, introduce the piece/s to be discussed, composition date of pieces, etc.) and how many score references are recommended?
:) Thanks in advance
Hey, svnflower!
Great question! I would structure the essay question similar to a mini-essay (introduction, number of bodies dependent on how many works you are required to discuss, conclusion). Your introduction needs to really answer the question because Music 2 is notorious for never having predictable ones. The key words and concepts mentioned in the question should be integrated throughout the response for you to write an effective response :)
It's also really important you can recall enough examples to satisfy your arguments. When making your notes, aim to have three score references per concept for the work (so you should have in total around 18 excerpts). If you can find score references that overlap across concepts, that can also save you from having to memorise an excessive amount; for example, I used the same three bars for both pitch and tone colour for one of my set works. In the actual essay, each body should have three score references but do ask your teachers what they think would be sufficient (mine said three but I know a few of my friends at the Con had less/more per body so it's more about quality and relevance to the concept in discussion, rather than quantity). Hope that helps!
Angelina ;D
Post by: CallumPike16 on May 27, 2020, 09:22:21 am
Currently doing Music 1. I chose 3 Viva Voce for my electives alongside my core performance. I was just wondering what kinds of topics I could do? Or is it different for every school/year?
Additionally, does anyone have any tips for a viva voce?
Thanks all!
Post by: CallumPike16 on May 27, 2020, 09:23:41 am
Currently doing Music 1. I chose 3 Viva Voce for my electives alongside my core performance. I was just wondering what kinds of topics I could do? Or is it different for every school/year?
Additionally, does anyone have any tips for a viva voce?
Thanks all!
Post by: angewina_naguen on May 27, 2020, 04:43:55 pm
Hey everyone!
Currently doing Music 1. I chose 3 Viva Voce for my electives alongside my core performance. I was just wondering what kinds of topics I could do? Or is it different for every school/year?
Additionally, does anyone have any tips for a viva voce?
Thanks all!
Hey, CallumPike16!
Welcome to the forums! It makes me so happy to hear you're interested in doing vivas for all your electives ;D The great thing about musicology is that you can pretty much discuss anything and everything, so long as you do two things. Firstly, you'll need to make sure the topic fits under one of the NESA prescribed topics available for study. You can find that in the downloadable syllabus here. It would be ideal to have three contrasting topics to broaden your engagement in musicology and for the markers see you demonstrate an eagerness to appreciate a variety of musical genres and subjects.
You also need to make sure you discuss the topic with the six concepts of music in mind. These concepts are the basis of Music 1 and musicology in the course so it's really important that your vivas emerge from them (or at least use them for analysis and discussion). If you were to choose, for example, music of a culture, a topic you could look at is how sound and silence are key stylistic considerations in the performance of Japanese shakuhachi music. In this hypothetical topic, I have picked a music of a culture and chosen to explore it through the concepts of timbre and duration. To get inspired, listen to the music you enjoy and see what interpretations or ideas you can bring to the table and formulate topics around. It all starts with a brainstorm!
I would also recommend reading this article which has tips for the Viva Voce from someone who was selected for Encore :D Hope this helps and looking forward to hearing what you decide to pursue!
Angelina ;D
Post by: svnflower on June 26, 2020, 05:52:09 pm
How do I distinguish between a theme and a motif?
Also, what do I look out for when the question asks for "treatment of thematic material"?
Thanks in advance!
Post by: angewina_naguen on June 26, 2020, 11:06:34 pm
:) Hello,
How do I distinguish between a theme and a motif?
Also, what do I look out for when the question asks for "treatment of thematic material"?
Thanks in advance!
Hey, svnflower!
Good question :D A motif is a musical phrase that recurs throughout a piece of music. A theme is also a type of motif but it is usually longer in length (not a hard rule but it's usually a clear phrase) and serves a key role in the music (usually developed, repeated, transformed etc.). If you have a listen to the second movement of Haydn's Symphony No.94, it has a themes and variations form. You have the theme first played through and then different versions of it (off the top of my head, there's a minor version, one with a counter melody in the violins and a semiquaver variation in no particular order).
Whenever you have a question on the "treatment of thematic material", you should firstly identify what the theme or themes of the work are. Your next aim is to trace it in the structure of the music and how it appears each time. Ask yourself whether it is a direct repetition or if it has been transformed or developed in some way. Some examples include having it played on a different instrument, having a slower tempo, being varied with staccato and so forth. Your final point in the response should be on how the treatment of the thematic material creates unity, contrast, variety and/or interest in the work (depending on the question you get) for the listener. Hope that helps! :)
Angelina ;D
Post by: svnflower on August 01, 2020, 01:05:38 pm
I often look out for accidentals but still have trouble identifying the tonality and modulations that occur in a piece. Are there any tips and tricks to identifying the key?
Post by: angewina_naguen on August 01, 2020, 02:02:10 pm
Hi!!
I often look out for accidentals but still have trouble identifying the tonality and modulations that occur in a piece. Are there any tips and tricks to identifying the key?
Hey, svnflower!
Knowing your key signatures (and whether it changes at any point in the music) is really crucial in figuring out what the key is. If you can identify what the two possible keys are, you can narrow it down and figure out which one it is based on the aural excerpt you have been provided (does it sound "happy or sad"?) OR to look at the starting or ending note (musical works typically start or end with the tonic so if you see a key signature with 4 sharps and C# minor is the beginning, ending or feels like the "home" note, it's more than likely in C# minor). This diagram that I found in Britannica can help you memorise the different key signatures! You can practise this by sight-reading scores and trying to identify what key it is in. You can also tell when there's been a modulation if the score itself has marked that there is a new key signature or if there have been consistent accidentals that suggest a different key. For example, you might be in F major but you start to see E flats being used and more leading note-tonic action so perhaps your new key area might be B flat major instead :)
There are also always exceptions. The composer might try to destabilise any sense of tonality and go from atonality instead. In this situation, you would need to mention in your response that although there is a certain key signature provided, the use of other accidentals that are used in the music might be there to play around with the perception of a clear tonality. If none of this makes sense, feel free to ask follow up questions because it's all super complex but hopefully that helps in some way!
Angelina ;D
Post by: svnflower on August 01, 2020, 04:51:58 pm
I've got a few more questions--
With a question like "How have the concepts of music been manipulated", is this simply asking for a discussion and analysis of the music concepts in our chosen piece?
Also, what do the plus signs, circles above the notes and the i's and j's below the notes indicate? (in the attachment)
Post by: angewina_naguen on August 01, 2020, 08:52:16 pm
110% makes sense, I'll examine more scores using your advicee. Thankyou so much!!
I've got a few more questions--
With a question like "How have the concepts of music been manipulated", is this simply asking for a discussion and analysis of the music concepts in our chosen piece?
Also, what do the plus signs, circles above the notes and the i's and j's below the notes indicate? (in the attachment)
Hey again!
That's exactly what you need to do for a question asking more generally about the concepts of music. To structure your response, you might want to look at two concepts per body paragraph and how they work together in the piece. For example, you might pair up texture with pitch since you can talk about the layers of music and how range/register shapes the motion of parts involved in it. As another example, you could combine dynamic and expressive techniques with tone colour in a discussion since they usually affect one another. This can help you have some more structure and integrate the concepts, rather than just listing how each concept operates in the piece in a long list of a response.
As for those symbols, I believe the plus signs and circles are marked for when horned instruments use the plunger. The plus signs are for when the player presses the plunger and circles indicate for the player to lift it. Any symbols like these mean different things depending on the instrument and when the composition was made. For example, the circle sign usually means in contemporary music for strings to play natural harmonics and in Baroque music, the plus sign often suggests a trill. If you are ever unsure, you can refer to them in your responses as "extended techniques" and/or describe the sound quality to the best of your ability :) Hope that helps!
Angelina ;D
Post by: svnflower on August 05, 2020, 08:16:14 pm
Post by: Fluffysama_ on August 08, 2020, 08:15:51 pm
https://arc.nesa.nsw.edu.au/standards-packs/SP01_15290/
this site which has sample answers for past papers and only the 2001-2002 ones but they have like 3 example responses for each question which is quite good, has anyone found more sample answers somewhere else? Also, been reading the marking notes from nesa for aural here
https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/3a8e6873-10b1-45d3-b97a-74d72a7c784e/music-1-hsc-notes-2002.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-3a8e6873-10b1-45d3-b97a-74d72a7c784e-nbDp1l7
it gives a brief breakdown on what the key points of the exerpt is which is still very good :)
Also, I'm not sure how to approach questions about structure, like laying out the exerpt's structure and then I label it and also state what I think it is in, binary etc and then I sort of just compare and contrast like section A with B whats different and similar ? not sure if this is the way to hit the mark ?
a question i did was "describe the structure of the excerpt ahahha
thanks!
ps: would appreciate any tips! I've read Jamon's article was really spicyyy n very helpful :)
Post by: Fluffysama_ on August 08, 2020, 08:19:56 pm
hello! I have an aural exam coming up and have been finding sample answers to be pretty insightful, however I can only find
https://arc.nesa.nsw.edu.au/standards-packs/SP01_15290/
this site which has sample answers for past papers and only the 2001-2002 ones but they have like 3 example responses for each question which is quite good, has anyone found more sample answers somewhere else? Also, been reading the marking notes from nesa for aural here
https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/3a8e6873-10b1-45d3-b97a-74d72a7c784e/music-1-hsc-notes-2002.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-3a8e6873-10b1-45d3-b97a-74d72a7c784e-nbDp1l7
it gives a brief breakdown on what the key points of the exerpt is which is still very good :)
Also, I'm not sure how to approach questions about structure, like laying out the exerpt's structure and then I label it and also state what I think it is in, binary etc and then I sort of just compare and contrast like section A with B whats different and similar ? not sure if this is the way to hit the mark ?
a question i did was "describe the structure of the excerpt ahahha
thanks!
ps: would appreciate any tips! I've read Jamon's article was really spicyyy n very helpful :)
oh and just say katie's vid excited to watch, oop
Post by: Fluffysama_ on August 08, 2020, 10:16:52 pm
Hi!!
I often look out for accidentals but still have trouble identifying the tonality and modulations that occur in a piece. Are there any tips and tricks to identifying the key?
Hey! I have the same problem and was hoping someone could also pls kindly help, for aurals not for score analysis though :)
I've hit a hurdle with modulation?? and like modes in general, everyone in class started discussing dorian, frugian/ phrydian ?? modes etc in class before and I fully could not understand a thing, most of them have done music since year 7 and I literally don't know whats going on, I feel like I don't have to know this to do well but like the more you know the better I guess, from what I got, they are just scales with different properties and like they all start on different notes? please lmk if you can help with this :)
For key changes I can only hear key changes when they are super drastic like from major to minor etc (oft it do be spicy with cadences hashdha) but like not so much when they are in the middle of the piece, is practice the way to go and just more practice will help me distinguish between key changes? I don't tend to pick it up :(
thankyou!
Post by: angewina_naguen on August 09, 2020, 08:54:32 pm
Hey! I have the same problem and was hoping someone could also pls kindly help, for aurals not for score analysis though :)
I've hit a hurdle with modulation?? and like modes in general, everyone in class started discussing dorian, frugian/ phrydian ?? modes etc in class before and I fully could not understand a thing, most of them have done music since year 7 and I literally don't know whats going on, I feel like I don't have to know this to do well but like the more you know the better I guess, from what I got, they are just scales with different properties and like they all start on different notes? please lmk if you can help with this :)
For key changes I can only hear key changes when they are super drastic like from major to minor etc (oft it do be spicy with cadences hashdha) but like not so much when they are in the middle of the piece, is practice the way to go and just more practice will help me distinguish between key changes? I don't tend to pick it up :(
thankyou!
Hey, Fluffysama_!
Great questions :D Firstly with modes, I personally don't think they're that important for Music 1. You might discuss modes in relation to pitch as a concept if you were comfortable with it and able to identify it aurally but NESA wouldn't ask a specific question on modes in the HSC. If you wanted to learn about this, this video I've embedded below is a great way of conceptualising the modes and illustrating how they operate using repertoire examples ;D
As for key changes, I really struggle with this myself when it comes to music that does a fairly good job at disguising it. Many classical symphonies modulate from the tonic to the dominant as a typical pattern of tonal movement but I can't tell unless I have a score with me because aurally, I have problems with hearing it. Usually, the key changes that can be picked up most easily are those that move up chromatically and that's signalled with the feeling of the song "lifting." A really good example is Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror because it does this at the end of one of the choruses on the word "change" which is quite clever. Otherwise, it's a matter of listening to different songs and asking yourself whether you can sense a shift in tonality. The more practice, the better you get at it! Sorry I couldn't explain it better but here are some awesome videos that might also help! Let me know if you have any follow up questions though and I'll try my best make it clearer!
Angelina ;D
Post by: katie,rinos on August 09, 2020, 10:48:11 pm
Hey! I have the same problem and was hoping someone could also pls kindly help, for aurals not for score analysis though :)Hey,
I've hit a hurdle with modulation?? and like modes in general, everyone in class started discussing dorian, frugian/ phrydian ?? modes etc in class before and I fully could not understand a thing, most of them have done music since year 7 and I literally don't know whats going on, I feel like I don't have to know this to do well but like the more you know the better I guess, from what I got, they are just scales with different properties and like they all start on different notes? please lmk if you can help with this :)
For key changes I can only hear key changes when they are super drastic like from major to minor etc (oft it do be spicy with cadences hashdha) but like not so much when they are in the middle of the piece, is practice the way to go and just more practice will help me distinguish between key changes? I don't tend to pick it up :(
thankyou!
I also definitely agree you don't need to know modes for Music 1. I didn't know them in year 12 and only really learnt them in 2nd year uni (still wouldn't be able to tell you any details off the top of my head). It's amazing if you can identify a piece is modal but it won't be required at all!! I find modulations and key changes really difficult as well!
If you want to know a little bit more about how to identify modal scales this is a diagram we made in one of my uni theory course (but keep in mind you don't need to memorise or know this at all!):
Identifying modes diagram
(https://i.imgur.com/YsFjS3G.png)
Hope this helps! :D
Post by: svnflower on September 01, 2020, 09:12:10 pm
For music compositions, is it necessary to have program notes? If so, what things do we need to include? e.g. do we need to state the length of our composition and do we need to include a short summary/story/influences of our composition?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 05, 2020, 06:50:31 pm
Hello :)
For music compositions, is it necessary to have program notes? If so, what things do we need to include? e.g. do we need to state the length of our composition and do we need to include a short summary/story/influences of our composition?
Hey! To my understanding only the composition and associated scores/notations are actually marked, but you still need accompanying program notes/progress journal as proof the composition is yours (NESA can request to see these if needed). It's also just good practice in composition (even if it is a bit of a pain...).
^ That's my understanding, if anyone reads this and thinks I'm wrong do correct me! :)
Post by: svnflower on October 10, 2020, 11:38:30 am
Post by: svnflower on October 10, 2020, 04:03:48 pm
Can a recurring single note throughout a piece be considered a motif? Also can contemporary expressive techniques that are repeatedly used throughout a piece be a motif?
If there is a lack of motifs in a piece, how can we justify this in our response if the question is in relation to "motivic development"?
Post by: angewina_naguen on October 10, 2020, 09:37:59 pm
Hello,
Can a recurring single note throughout a piece be considered a motif? Also can contemporary expressive techniques that are repeatedly used throughout a piece be a motif?
If there is a lack of motifs in a piece, how can we justify this in our response if the question is in relation to "motivic development"?
Hey, svnflower!
A good place to start would be to look at definitions for what a motif is. Wikipedia, though definitely not the most reliable source in the world, does provide some pretty solid descriptions in its definition; "a short musical phrase, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition." I would basically say that a motif is any collection of notes that reappear multiple times in a piece of music and has a significant melodic, harmonic and/or rhythmic role. This definition is still flawed and over-simplified though because I think it really depends on how the musical ideas behave whether they can be labelled a motif or not. If that single note is recurring throughout the piece to function within the character and story of the music, I would consider it a motif. However, if its repetition is more sporadic and seems more to be of a coincidence, rather than an intentional development of itself and previous iterations, I would probably not consider it one. I think it really depends on the context so if you have a piece or song which demonstrates this, perhaps I can provide a clearer answer :) I also don't think that using expressive techniques, contemporary or not, repeatedly is really a motif. You could just argue that the repeated use of those techniques is a prevalent/salient feature that gives the music its character (through creating tension, unity etc.).
Overall, a question in the HSC exam wouldn't ask you to justify you to discuss motivic development if there wasn't a somewhat obvious motif. If you struggle to locate them, I have found that quickly scanning and looking for similar melodic contours and motions across all the parts in the music is the best way to identify them visually on a score or to listen out for any repeated passages/phrases/cells when dealing with a purely aural excerpt. You would then try to discuss how that motif has been re-contextualised in some way and transformed at a different point in the music (has it become louder, made more rapid from diminution, been moved in register to a lower instrument etc.) to justify that it has been developed for compositional and/or aesthetic purposes. Hope that helps but do let me know if you have any further questions!
Angelina ;D
Post by: svnflower on October 16, 2020, 10:50:11 am
I also wanted to ask what free-form lament structure is? (Wikipedia says it is a "short, free musical form appearing in the Baroque and then again in the Romantic periods...typically a set of harmonic variations in homophonic texture, wherein the bass descends through a tetrachord, usually one suggesting a minor mode." but I still don't quite understand?) Is it similar to through-composed form?
Post by: angewina_naguen on October 16, 2020, 01:00:27 pm
Thanks a lot Angelina, I have a clearer understanding now :) :)
I also wanted to ask what free-form lament structure is? (Wikipedia says it is a "short, free musical form appearing in the Baroque and then again in the Romantic periods...typically a set of harmonic variations in homophonic texture, wherein the bass descends through a tetrachord, usually one suggesting a minor mode." but I still don't quite understand?) Is it similar to through-composed form?
Hey again!
I'm not too sure what the free form part is but a lament is basically a musical form exploring the subject of death :D I think that the Wikipedia definition is overcomplicating it a little. Perhaps an example could better illustrate what the nature and characteristics of a lament are! A really famous lament that I actually studied quite recently in uni is When I am Laid in Earth (Dido's Lament) from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. This aria is homophonic (melody sung by the mezzo-soprano and chordal accompaniment in the orchestra) and has a descending bass line which is built from a tetrachord. It also explores, in the subject matter of the lyrics, the character's desire to be remembered after her death. It's not exactly through-composed since there are repetitions in the musical material but other laments can be. If you're worried about them testing this in the HSC, I highly doubt that you will need to know it so it's okay if you don't grasp it completely but if it's for one of your set works, I'd be happy to explain further if you need clarification :D Hope that helps!
Angelina ;D
Post by: svnflower on October 18, 2020, 10:29:12 pm
p.s. the aria gives me chills :'( that song's been on repeat today!