Functions of a Keyboard
Piano Pedals
The Sustain Pedal (the rightmost pedal)
When the sustain pedal is depressed it stops the damper bar from returning to the string resulting in the note continuing on without being pressed, Also other notes around the main note will also ring softly creating more harmonic sounds.
The Sostenuto Pedal (the middle pedal)
When the sostenuto pedal is depressed it stops the damper bar from returning to the string of that particular note and this will continue to sustain for as long as the pedal is depressed and any note played after that will not sustain so this helps players play bass notes whilst playing notes over that.
The Una Corda Pedal (The leftmost pedal)
When the Una Corda Pedal is depressed it moves the hammer to the right which makes it hit only 2 strings instead of 3, this softens the note and modifies the tone quality.
Difference between Grand Piano & Upright Piano
The main difference is the piano action, as the Upright Piano is sensitive and is not very good at capturing a true essence of a song, The Grand Piano is able to play notes in quick repetition as the the hammer hits the strings in a downwards motion whereas on a upright piano the hammer hits the strings from the side meaning that it is slower.
The price of a Grand Piano is much more than the price of Upright Piano.
The pedals on the the upright piano have a different effect on the piano as the hammer and strings are set up in a different way. E.g. The Una Corda pedal does not move the hammer sideways, it just moves it closer to the strings.
Midi Keyboards
The parameters you can control using a midi keyboard are; Velocity, Timing, Data in to software and Duration.
By pressing the keys hard you can make the data input to have a high velocity and by pressing them soft you can make the velocity lower. you choose when a note is played and the duration of it by pressing it when you want it played and by holding it down to increase the duration.
There is also a pitch bend on some midi controllers that can be used when a note is played to change the pitch.
Using a sustain pedal on a midi controller will make the software sustain that one note no matter what instrumental that it is, for as long as it is pressed down. But with a piano the note that is sustained will begin to lose velocity whereas using a sustain pedal on a midi controller the velocity will remain the same throughout.
Using a midi controller instead of recording straight from a piano has some advantages as well as some disadvantages. An advantage of using a midi controller is that you can edit data that is input into the software. For example you can shorten note lengths if played for too long, you can remove notes that are played by mistake. You can also change different things about the note like velocity, the way it is played e.g. if it slides or normal.
Disadvantages about using a midi controller are that it will not have the natural feel to it that a piano will have, also it takes away the natural ability to play a piano as it can be edited whereas using a piano it must be done in one take.
Tuesday 10 December 2013
Marketing Yourself
Marketing Yourself
The Website i created was created using weebly, i used the free domain for now but in the future i will upgrade it so that is more professional, I would also like to include a professional logo that will be placed in the top left corner of the screen.
Like how this one has 'GDMLDN' in the top left i would like a more professional logo to be placed there
Also as you can see the header contains a stock image. once i purchase the domain i would like that to be a picture of the members of GDMLDN.
I have created a soundcloud as a way of showcasing my music quickly and being able to embed it into websites, This way i can keep people in my website and them being able to see my work rather than having to leave the website and possibly lose interest.
Another good way of displaying music is creating a bandcamp as people can donate if they want to, this is a good way of releasing a mixtape as people can donate whatever they feel like also it doesn't restrict your audience as you are not forcing them to buy it like how you may if it were to be put on iTunes
If i were to go for a completely professional feel with a separate home page that then sends you to proper
website i would do something like this.
As you can see you can see the logo clearly as the colours contrast and the social icons are clear and its clear to see and is clean.
Website
I made my website the way it is because i feel that the way it is laid out is clean and easy to navigate through, I embedded my soundcloud files into the website because now my target audience will be able to listen to my music and stay on my website and not stray away from it and get distracted.
Using a brilliantly designed website as a template to build mine has really helped.
Seeing how it should all be laid out, but as i have not released anything as an artist i cant have a separate page for my two crafts as i have only release stuff as a producer.
In this picture you can see the website owner has two pages for their work aswell as having videos
Business Card Ideas
Having a business card is great for face to face situations, as you can just hand someone your card and look professional rather than having to hunt around for a pen and paper to write your contact details down.
On my business card i have included my email address, my YouTube account and the name i am known as whilst producing and rapping.
Handling Social Networking sites
Handling the sites should be easy as there are several sites that allow you to control all sites at on time.
A good example of a site like this is ifttt.com, it allows you to create triggers and actions E.g. if you upload a picture on instagram it will automatically be saved into your dropbox folder
The Website is easy to navigate through as the tabs and pages are labelled properly and is also accessible through search engines such as Google, Bing & more.
Also the way i have laid out the website it is able to be viewed on mobile phones, tablets etc. with ease as it does not have any flash on it so it will load quick.
The Website i created was created using weebly, i used the free domain for now but in the future i will upgrade it so that is more professional, I would also like to include a professional logo that will be placed in the top left corner of the screen.
Like how this one has 'GDMLDN' in the top left i would like a more professional logo to be placed there
Also as you can see the header contains a stock image. once i purchase the domain i would like that to be a picture of the members of GDMLDN.
I have created a soundcloud as a way of showcasing my music quickly and being able to embed it into websites, This way i can keep people in my website and them being able to see my work rather than having to leave the website and possibly lose interest.
Another good way of displaying music is creating a bandcamp as people can donate if they want to, this is a good way of releasing a mixtape as people can donate whatever they feel like also it doesn't restrict your audience as you are not forcing them to buy it like how you may if it were to be put on iTunes
If i were to go for a completely professional feel with a separate home page that then sends you to proper website i would do something like this.
As you can see you can see the logo clearly as the colours contrast and the social icons are clear and its clear to see and is clean.
Website
I made my website the way it is because i feel that the way it is laid out is clean and easy to navigate through, I embedded my soundcloud files into the website because now my target audience will be able to listen to my music and stay on my website and not stray away from it and get distracted.
 |
| An amazing example of a professional website |
Seeing how it should all be laid out, but as i have not released anything as an artist i cant have a separate page for my two crafts as i have only release stuff as a producer.
In this picture you can see the website owner has two pages for their work aswell as having videos
Business Card Ideas
 |
| My Business card design |
On my business card i have included my email address, my YouTube account and the name i am known as whilst producing and rapping.
Handling Social Networking sites
Handling the sites should be easy as there are several sites that allow you to control all sites at on time.
A good example of a site like this is ifttt.com, it allows you to create triggers and actions E.g. if you upload a picture on instagram it will automatically be saved into your dropbox folder
The Website is easy to navigate through as the tabs and pages are labelled properly and is also accessible through search engines such as Google, Bing & more.
Also the way i have laid out the website it is able to be viewed on mobile phones, tablets etc. with ease as it does not have any flash on it so it will load quick.
Tuesday 3 December 2013
Areas of the Music Industry
Areas of the Music Industry
In the music industry there are 4 main areas, Those areas are;
- Record Company
- Artist Management
- Music Publishing
- Live Performance
Record Companies
Record Company - A company that makes and sells
musical recordings
Definition from (http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=record%20company)
Record Companies sell
records. These could be CD’s, Vinyl’s and recently Digital. Often, a record
label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks; coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos; conducts talent
scouting and development of new artists and maintains contracts with recording artists and their managers.
Within
a record company there are many deals that they can offer to an artist those are;
- 360 deal
- Major label deal
- Production deal
- Distribution deal
360 deal:
The 360 deal, With this deal, the label gives the artists a advance and takes a certain percentage of everything so that they can make their money back and profit.
As CD sales are going down and labels will never make their advance back they have created these deals in which they can create a partnership with the artist meaning that they share profits when it comes to touring, merchandising meaning that the label invests in the artist as a brand and tries to sell the product rather than focusing on the sales of physical CD's. There is no percentage of pay as this deal hasn't been around for a long time.
This deal is okay for an artist as they get the big advance and they are bound to make the advance back with the label sharing profits from every sector meaning that the artist makes alot of money as well as the label but this type of deal is still behind the distribution deal
Major Label Deal:
This is the most common deal as the record label will make the most money and at the end of the day that's what they want to do. This is probably the worst deal as they have complete control of what you release and how you do it.
Production Deal:
A famous example of a Production
deal El-P & Killer Mike -
Run The Jewels
Distribution
Deals:
The distributing label almost never pays an advance and takes 20% of the profit made from record sales
This deal is the best deal for an artist with a big following as they can get most of the profit and can in return make better music as they have more money rather than being in debt.
Overall the record company is not vital to releasing a album it is just like a thing that is there to platform you into the public eye. A deal can help the artist get the attention that is needed to make them successful, but they can get into the public eye without a deal like so many artists are doing now. They are staying indie and making major money without having to give some to labels and in return make better music
Artist management
The artist manager gets 20% of what the artist gets so this is why a manager of small artists would have many so that they can live of a comfortable wage.
The artist manager is needed as it makes the artist more professional and then the artist will be taken seriously for interviews, giving demos out and bookings for shows etc. If you have a good artist manager then you will be able to market yourself in a way that will make you successful so i would have to say that having a artist manager is more important than having a record deal.
Music Publishing
A music publisher is in charge of royalties for an artist and makes sure that when music is played commercially that the artist receives funds for it. A Music publisher also makes sure that the artist gets air time and is played as much as possible. This way the market for the artist can expand and therefore the record label will get more money as they will have appealed to more people by expanding their target audience. The money is normally split 70/30 with 30% going to the publisher.
Having a music publisher is vital if you want to make money of songs that are being played on the radio otherwise its just like a free promotion. Having a music publisher can help maintain a healthy wage if you are getting enough air time also if your music is copyrighted to a publishing company someone may stumble along it and use it for a big production and then you'll make more money
Live Performance
Live performances are what make an artist and help gain exposure and without this its hard to sell any records i think this is the most important aspect of the music industry as long with of course the main production of a CD. A Live performance can help give an artist the attention they need to sell their merchandise if you perform live and it is successful chances are you will sell alot more product because of that one gig. Live performances like festivals are also a good way of gaining new following as new people will be exposed to your music.
Touring is a way for artists to either gain exposure or to perform several songs from a recent project e.g. Album, mixtape. You'd only tour if you had the material avaliable and were able to perform songs.
Doing Live Performances are what make an artists gain exposure as people will spread. If you have a good live performance you can gain fans and at the same time get money for the show to invest in new projects, Also having a good live performance is vital to having a successful career as this is why most artists make their money along with merchandise.
Bibliography
http://www.indiehiphop.net/4-types-of-record-deals/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_publisher_(popular_music)#The_music_publisher.27s_role
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talent_manager
- 360 deal
- Major label deal
- Production deal
- Distribution deal
The 360 deal, With this deal, the label gives the artists a advance and takes a certain percentage of everything so that they can make their money back and profit.
As CD sales are going down and labels will never make their advance back they have created these deals in which they can create a partnership with the artist meaning that they share profits when it comes to touring, merchandising meaning that the label invests in the artist as a brand and tries to sell the product rather than focusing on the sales of physical CD's. There is no percentage of pay as this deal hasn't been around for a long time.
This deal is okay for an artist as they get the big advance and they are bound to make the advance back with the label sharing profits from every sector meaning that the artist makes alot of money as well as the label but this type of deal is still behind the distribution deal
This is the most common deal as the record label will make the most money and at the end of the day that's what they want to do. This is probably the worst deal as they have complete control of what you release and how you do it.
A famous example of a Production deal El-P & Killer Mike - Run The Jewels
The distributing label almost never pays an advance and takes 20% of the profit made from record sales
This deal is the best deal for an artist with a big following as they can get most of the profit and can in return make better music as they have more money rather than being in debt.
Overall the record company is not vital to releasing a album it is just like a thing that is there to platform you into the public eye. A deal can help the artist get the attention that is needed to make them successful, but they can get into the public eye without a deal like so many artists are doing now. They are staying indie and making major money without having to give some to labels and in return make better music
The artist manager gets 20% of what the artist gets so this is why a manager of small artists would have many so that they can live of a comfortable wage.
A music publisher is in charge of royalties for an artist and makes sure that when music is played commercially that the artist receives funds for it. A Music publisher also makes sure that the artist gets air time and is played as much as possible. This way the market for the artist can expand and therefore the record label will get more money as they will have appealed to more people by expanding their target audience. The money is normally split 70/30 with 30% going to the publisher.
Having a music publisher is vital if you want to make money of songs that are being played on the radio otherwise its just like a free promotion. Having a music publisher can help maintain a healthy wage if you are getting enough air time also if your music is copyrighted to a publishing company someone may stumble along it and use it for a big production and then you'll make more money
Live performances are what make an artist and help gain exposure and without this its hard to sell any records i think this is the most important aspect of the music industry as long with of course the main production of a CD. A Live performance can help give an artist the attention they need to sell their merchandise if you perform live and it is successful chances are you will sell alot more product because of that one gig. Live performances like festivals are also a good way of gaining new following as new people will be exposed to your music.
Touring is a way for artists to either gain exposure or to perform several songs from a recent project e.g. Album, mixtape. You'd only tour if you had the material avaliable and were able to perform songs.
Doing Live Performances are what make an artists gain exposure as people will spread. If you have a good live performance you can gain fans and at the same time get money for the show to invest in new projects, Also having a good live performance is vital to having a successful career as this is why most artists make their money along with merchandise.
Bibliography
http://www.indiehiphop.net/4-types-of-record-deals/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_publisher_(popular_music)#The_music_publisher.27s_role
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talent_manager
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)