Homework #1
Answer the following questions about songwriting:
1. What are some ways songwriters get their inspiration?
2. What is the most popular kind of song throughout history?
3. Why are lyrics important in songwriting?
4.What is the standard format for blues lyrics?
Homework #2
Answer the following questions about the 10 Step Songwriting Process:
1. What is the first thing you must do in this process?
2. What kind of descriptions do you need to include?
3. What kind of words do you need to make the song interesting?
4. What kind of details do you need to toggle?
Homework #3
Answer the following questions about the Girl Group/Brill Building Era:
1. What was the Brill Building?
2. What were some factors that gave rise to the girl groups?
3. What was one thing that all the girl groups had in common?
4. When was the girl group era?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
10 Step Songwriting Process by Andrea Stolpe
This is a great article on a cool songwriting technique.
THE 10-STEP PROCESS TO SONGWRITING
FROM COMMERCIAL SONGWRITING TECHNIQUES
BY ANDREA STOLPE
Andrea Stolpe has collaborated with great artists such as Mike Reid, Don Schlitz, and Stephen Robson, and penned songs for pop and country artists including Faith Hill, Steve Azar, Josh Gracin, Shonagh Daly and Daniel Lee Martin.
THE 10-STEP PROCESS TO SONGWRITING
FROM COMMERCIAL SONGWRITING TECHNIQUES
BY ANDREA STOLPE
Andrea Stolpe has collaborated with great artists such as Mike Reid, Don Schlitz, and Stephen Robson, and penned songs for pop and country artists including Faith Hill, Steve Azar, Josh Gracin, Shonagh Daly and Daniel Lee Martin.
Effective songs paint rich images for the listener. Imagine that your songs are paintings. Are you the proud creator of stick figures scrawled across construction paper, or does your palette of texture, color, and light capture the desires and deepest wan- derings of those gazing upon it?
To ensure that the latter is the case, you can use a writing process called destination writing. In destination writing, we begin with one key word—a place—as the momentum for your song content. The key to destination writing is to use all of your senses—touch, taste, smell, sight, sound, and also movement—as springboards for creativity. When those senses are involved, the writing springs to life.
SIX KEYS OF CONNECTION:
1. touch
2. taste
3. sight
4. smell
5. sound
6. movement
The connection that your audience makes with your lyrics depends on the power of this one key word. But how do we build that connection with the audience? By illustrating our piece through specifics and actions. We immediately know the meanings of words like ‘walk’ and ‘say’. But these words are generic and will not engage any audience by themselves. But there are dynamic alternatives. Consider the sentence below.
1. touch
2. taste
3. sight
4. smell
5. sound
6. movement
The connection that your audience makes with your lyrics depends on the power of this one key word. But how do we build that connection with the audience? By illustrating our piece through specifics and actions. We immediately know the meanings of words like ‘walk’ and ‘say’. But these words are generic and will not engage any audience by themselves. But there are dynamic alternatives. Consider the sentence below.
And I was saying
We know what’s being said, but it doesn’t mean anything.
And I was stuttering And I was stammering And I was blurting out
All of these phrases swapped out the boring ‘say’ with verbs that are emotionally charged. Verbs and adjectives like these that will keep your audience’s attention.
Once you’ve got a handle on what words will draw your audience, it is time to craft a compelling narrative. Any destination writing will consist of two types of detail: external and internal. Assume that your song is centered on a primary character. The external details will be what happens around your character and the internal details will be their thoughts and feelings. Any good song will be a mix of both. Toggling, or the art of combining internal and external detail, is integral to providing balance in your lyrics. Too much internal detail and your song from will be weighed down by the thoughts of the characters. Too much external and the audience will have nothing personal to identify with.
So how are our words going to work with the music? How we expect the melody to move is going to influence how the lyrics move as well. Every new melodic idea presented in a song – a movement from the verse to the pre-chorus, for example – will go hand in hand with a new lyrical idea. I’m sure you’re familiar with “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Mary had a little lamb
Whose fleece was white as snow Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go
These fours lines contain two musical and two lyrical phrases (“Mary had... white as snow” and “Everywhere...lamb was sure to go.”). But this isn’t the only way to attack these four lines. We could have kept describing the various attributes of Mary’s little lamb over all four lines. In that case, we would continue the same melodic idea for the entire verse. We could also change ideas with each new line if we have a new melodic idea to accompany these ideas.
The melodic phrasing determines not only where the topics begin and end but also where a rhyme might occur. For ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,” the rhyme was occurring between the two large musical phrases.
Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow A
And Everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go A
If the four lines were all representing four smaller melodic phrases, the rhyme scheme might look more like this. Note that wherever the melodic phrase closes, rhyme occurs.
Mary had a little lamb A
and Mary had a pony too B
the sun was rising on the land A
and May was slipping into June B
Once you have your primary lyrical sections in place and developed, it is time to contrast. Imagine if every section of a song had the same number of lines, the same rhyme scheme, the same rhythm and the same toggling pattern. Sounds boring. By changing up the rhyme scheme, changing the rhythm, adding or subtracting lines, and altering the toggling pattern, a songwriter can keep things interesting over the course of their work.
Just from these short exercises, it’s clear to see that the process of commercial songwriting is based on a number of patterns. These patterns make up the content of hit songs and these are patterns that a songwriter can reproduce while still maintaining a unique voice. Knowing these patterns is critical to the success of both beginners and experienced writers. With this in mind, the best way I’ve found to approach commercial songwriting is through something I call “The 10-Step Process.”
THE 10-STEP PROCESS.
Step 1: Destination-write.
Step 2: Find rhyme pairs.
and Mary had a pony too B
the sun was rising on the land A
and May was slipping into June B
Once you have your primary lyrical sections in place and developed, it is time to contrast. Imagine if every section of a song had the same number of lines, the same rhyme scheme, the same rhythm and the same toggling pattern. Sounds boring. By changing up the rhyme scheme, changing the rhythm, adding or subtracting lines, and altering the toggling pattern, a songwriter can keep things interesting over the course of their work.
Just from these short exercises, it’s clear to see that the process of commercial songwriting is based on a number of patterns. These patterns make up the content of hit songs and these are patterns that a songwriter can reproduce while still maintaining a unique voice. Knowing these patterns is critical to the success of both beginners and experienced writers. With this in mind, the best way I’ve found to approach commercial songwriting is through something I call “The 10-Step Process.”
THE 10-STEP PROCESS.
Step 1: Destination-write.
Step 2: Find rhyme pairs.
Step 3: Choose a rhyme scheme and
toggling pattern.
Step 4: Add prepositions and conjunctions.
Step 5: Choose a plot progression.
Step 6: Destination-write again using thought/feeling language.
Step 7: Look for titles and write the chorus.
Step 8: Write a second verse and pre-chorus.
Step 9: Write the bridge.
Step 10: Assess verbs, tense, and point of view, and conversational quality.
By utilizing all of these steps, you’ll be able to craft commercially viable songs with ease. You’ll notice that I didn’t go over every step in the process. It wouldn’t make much sense, commercially speaking, for me to share everything I know here, would it?
Step 4: Add prepositions and conjunctions.
Step 5: Choose a plot progression.
Step 6: Destination-write again using thought/feeling language.
Step 7: Look for titles and write the chorus.
Step 8: Write a second verse and pre-chorus.
Step 9: Write the bridge.
Step 10: Assess verbs, tense, and point of view, and conversational quality.
By utilizing all of these steps, you’ll be able to craft commercially viable songs with ease. You’ll notice that I didn’t go over every step in the process. It wouldn’t make much sense, commercially speaking, for me to share everything I know here, would it?
Monday, November 3, 2014
Homework 2014-2015 C1 #19-21
Homework #19
Answer the following questions about the History of the Electric Guitar Lesson:
1. When did people start trying to amplify their guitars?
2. What were some problems with amplified acoustic guitars?
3. What was the first truly electric guitar called?
4. Who were the first two people to invent the solid body electric guitar?
Homework #20
Answer the following questions about playing the piano:
1. Why do your wrists and arms need to be straight?
2. What are the black notes called?
3. What are the numbers of the fingers?
4. What note is the dividing line between G and A?
Homework #21
Answer the following questions about the songs we played last week:
1. What two keys does the right hand part of I Got a Feeling start with?
2. What position does the left hand have in I Got a Feeling?
3. What key is "Heart and Soul" in?
4. Who wrote "Heart and Soul" and when was it first a hit?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the History of the Electric Guitar Lesson:
1. When did people start trying to amplify their guitars?
2. What were some problems with amplified acoustic guitars?
3. What was the first truly electric guitar called?
4. Who were the first two people to invent the solid body electric guitar?
Homework #20
Answer the following questions about playing the piano:
1. Why do your wrists and arms need to be straight?
2. What are the black notes called?
3. What are the numbers of the fingers?
4. What note is the dividing line between G and A?
Homework #21
Answer the following questions about the songs we played last week:
1. What two keys does the right hand part of I Got a Feeling start with?
2. What position does the left hand have in I Got a Feeling?
3. What key is "Heart and Soul" in?
4. Who wrote "Heart and Soul" and when was it first a hit?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Homework 2014-2015 C1 #16-18
Homework #16
Answer the following questions about the Country Blues Lesson:
1. Where did you start your road trip through the sharecropping south?
2. When did the great flood of 1927 start and how long did it last?
3. Why was the South so poor after the Civil War?
4. Why was Mississippi a good place for cotton?
Homework #17
Answer the following questions about drumming:
1. What kind of notes are counted 1and 2and 3and 4?
2. How do you count 16th notes?
3. What do you call a long series of patterns in drumming?
4.What is the symbol to repeat several bars?
Homework #18
Answer the following questions about the drumming in the movie "Drumline":
1. What did the drummers have to stabilize the drums when they marched?
2. What is the usual formation of the drum corps?
3. What was the point of the new drummers playing in the rain in the beginning of the movie?
4. Name 3 tricky moves that the drummers did in the final drum-off?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the Country Blues Lesson:
1. Where did you start your road trip through the sharecropping south?
2. When did the great flood of 1927 start and how long did it last?
3. Why was the South so poor after the Civil War?
4. Why was Mississippi a good place for cotton?
Homework #17
Answer the following questions about drumming:
1. What kind of notes are counted 1and 2and 3and 4?
2. How do you count 16th notes?
3. What do you call a long series of patterns in drumming?
4.What is the symbol to repeat several bars?
Homework #18
Answer the following questions about the drumming in the movie "Drumline":
1. What did the drummers have to stabilize the drums when they marched?
2. What is the usual formation of the drum corps?
3. What was the point of the new drummers playing in the rain in the beginning of the movie?
4. Name 3 tricky moves that the drummers did in the final drum-off?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, October 20, 2014
Homework 2014-2015 C1 #13-15
Homework #13
Answer the following questions about drum rudiments:
1. Who invented drum rudiments?
2. What are the 5 kinds of rudiments?
3. How can you make them sound smooth?
4. How do you play a flam?
Homework #14
Answer the following about reading drum music:
1. What does the drum clef look like?
2. What do the two numbers of the time signature stand for?
3. What are the 3 visual components of an eighth note?
4. What is the purpose of rests?
Homework #15
Answer the following questions about the Country Blues lesson:
1. What does Amiri Baraka say in his quote?
2. What were some of the problems sharecroppers in the South have?
3. What did these problems have to do with the blues?
4. How do these songs relate to current day music?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about drum rudiments:
1. Who invented drum rudiments?
2. What are the 5 kinds of rudiments?
3. How can you make them sound smooth?
4. How do you play a flam?
Homework #14
Answer the following about reading drum music:
1. What does the drum clef look like?
2. What do the two numbers of the time signature stand for?
3. What are the 3 visual components of an eighth note?
4. What is the purpose of rests?
Homework #15
Answer the following questions about the Country Blues lesson:
1. What does Amiri Baraka say in his quote?
2. What were some of the problems sharecroppers in the South have?
3. What did these problems have to do with the blues?
4. How do these songs relate to current day music?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Homework 2014-2015 C1 #10-12
Homework #10
Answer the following questions about the guitar review:
1. What happens to all the other strings when you tune one string higher?
2. What do the guitar parts of I Got a Feeling and Use Somebody have in common?
3. Name 3 main differences between electric and acoustic guitars.
4. In TAB which guitar string does the bottom line represent?
Homework #11
Answer the following questions about the Drumline movie:
1. Do you think the movie was an accurate representation of college life?
2. Do you think the hazing of the freshmen was excessive?
3. What is unique about Devon's situation at the college?
4. How does the love interest play into the plot?
Homework #12
Answer the following questions about the history of rock:
1. Where did rock and roll come from?
2. What are Chuck Berry's contributions to the genre?
3. How old will Chuck Berry be on this October 18th?
4. What surprising thing did Chuck Berry do when he was 17?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the guitar review:
1. What happens to all the other strings when you tune one string higher?
2. What do the guitar parts of I Got a Feeling and Use Somebody have in common?
3. Name 3 main differences between electric and acoustic guitars.
4. In TAB which guitar string does the bottom line represent?
Homework #11
Answer the following questions about the Drumline movie:
1. Do you think the movie was an accurate representation of college life?
2. Do you think the hazing of the freshmen was excessive?
3. What is unique about Devon's situation at the college?
4. How does the love interest play into the plot?
Homework #12
Answer the following questions about the history of rock:
1. Where did rock and roll come from?
2. What are Chuck Berry's contributions to the genre?
3. How old will Chuck Berry be on this October 18th?
4. What surprising thing did Chuck Berry do when he was 17?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, October 6, 2014
Homework 2014-2015 C1 #7-9
Homework #7
Answer the following questions about the Thematic Lesson: Love Songs:
1. Why was the Flamingos lead singer crying?
2. What did the Flamingos song and Led Zeppelin song have in common?
3. How did Dion feel about singing love songs for his friends?
4. How did Leslie Gore switch up the love song?
Homework #8
Answer the following questions about the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling":
1. What kind of tuning does this song use?
2. What fret does the guitar part start on?
3. What happens after you play the part on the 8th fret?
4. What's the hardest thing about this guitar part?
Homework #9
Answer the following questions about the guitar parts to "Lose Yourself" and "All of Me"?
1. What kind of chord do you use for Lose Yourself?
2. What technique do you use to make the part sound full?
3. What do the guitar parts to both of these songs have in common?
4. What other skill did you learn in order to play All of Me?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the Thematic Lesson: Love Songs:
1. Why was the Flamingos lead singer crying?
2. What did the Flamingos song and Led Zeppelin song have in common?
3. How did Dion feel about singing love songs for his friends?
4. How did Leslie Gore switch up the love song?
Homework #8
Answer the following questions about the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling":
1. What kind of tuning does this song use?
2. What fret does the guitar part start on?
3. What happens after you play the part on the 8th fret?
4. What's the hardest thing about this guitar part?
Homework #9
Answer the following questions about the guitar parts to "Lose Yourself" and "All of Me"?
1. What kind of chord do you use for Lose Yourself?
2. What technique do you use to make the part sound full?
3. What do the guitar parts to both of these songs have in common?
4. What other skill did you learn in order to play All of Me?
email me: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, September 29, 2014
Homework 2014-2015 C1 #4-6
Homework #4
Answer the following questions about the movie Cadillac Records:
1. What was it about Beyonce's performance that upset the real Etta James?
2. What famous Chess Records star was left out of the movie?
3. Did most of the Chess artists stay on after it was sold?
4. What was Chuck Berry's biggest hit?
Homework #5
Answer the following questions about the guitar:
1. What are the 6 main parts of the guitar?
2. How do you tune a guitar?
3. What frets usually have markers?
4. What is the purpose of a capo?
Homework #6
Answer the following questions about the song "Bubbly":
1. What open key does Colbie Callet use for Bubbly?
2. What fret does she put the capo on?
3. What fingers does she us for the simple version?
4. What picking technique does she use for advanced version?
email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the movie Cadillac Records:
1. What was it about Beyonce's performance that upset the real Etta James?
2. What famous Chess Records star was left out of the movie?
3. Did most of the Chess artists stay on after it was sold?
4. What was Chuck Berry's biggest hit?
Homework #5
Answer the following questions about the guitar:
1. What are the 6 main parts of the guitar?
2. How do you tune a guitar?
3. What frets usually have markers?
4. What is the purpose of a capo?
Homework #6
Answer the following questions about the song "Bubbly":
1. What open key does Colbie Callet use for Bubbly?
2. What fret does she put the capo on?
3. What fingers does she us for the simple version?
4. What picking technique does she use for advanced version?
email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, September 15, 2014
Homework 2014-2015 C1 #1-3
Homework #1
Answer the following question about music:
1. Who was said to be responsible for the western musical scale as we know it?
2. How many notes are in this scale?
3. What is the most common mathematical ratio between the notes on this scale?
4. What are some of the other ratios in the scale?
Homework #2
Answer the following questions about the piano:
1. What are the alphabetical names of the white notes?
2. When you play them what do you call a series of chords?
3. What are the bass notes to "Heart and Soul"?
4. How do you know where you are on the piano?
Homework #3
Answer the following questions about "Johnny B Goode":
1. How does the song start?
2. What is the story line of the lyrics?
3. What set Chuck Berry apart from all the other early rock and roll singers?
4. What was happening in the USA around the time that the song was a hit?
Email homework to albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following question about music:
1. Who was said to be responsible for the western musical scale as we know it?
2. How many notes are in this scale?
3. What is the most common mathematical ratio between the notes on this scale?
4. What are some of the other ratios in the scale?
Homework #2
Answer the following questions about the piano:
1. What are the alphabetical names of the white notes?
2. When you play them what do you call a series of chords?
3. What are the bass notes to "Heart and Soul"?
4. How do you know where you are on the piano?
Homework #3
Answer the following questions about "Johnny B Goode":
1. How does the song start?
2. What is the story line of the lyrics?
3. What set Chuck Berry apart from all the other early rock and roll singers?
4. What was happening in the USA around the time that the song was a hit?
Email homework to albertwestside@gmail.com
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C3 #19-21
Homework #19
Answer the following questions about "I Can" by Nas:
1. What famous classical song is used as the melody?
2. What is different about this version from the classical piece?
3. How are the chords different from the original?
4. What drum beat does it copy from?
Homework #20
Answer the following questions about "All of Me" by John Legend:
1. What does this song have in common with "Ordinary People"?
2. What is one thing that gives the opening chords their power?
3. What are the two notes that the opening chord consists of?
4. What are the only white notes used in this song?
Homework #21
Answer the following questions about the songs we played last week:
1. How was the "Spanish" version of "All of Me" different?
2. What were the 2 chord shapes that we used in the "Spanish" version of "All of Me"?
3. What was the name of the special technique that the drum part used?
4. How was that drum sound achieved?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about "I Can" by Nas:
1. What famous classical song is used as the melody?
2. What is different about this version from the classical piece?
3. How are the chords different from the original?
4. What drum beat does it copy from?
Homework #20
Answer the following questions about "All of Me" by John Legend:
1. What does this song have in common with "Ordinary People"?
2. What is one thing that gives the opening chords their power?
3. What are the two notes that the opening chord consists of?
4. What are the only white notes used in this song?
Homework #21
Answer the following questions about the songs we played last week:
1. How was the "Spanish" version of "All of Me" different?
2. What were the 2 chord shapes that we used in the "Spanish" version of "All of Me"?
3. What was the name of the special technique that the drum part used?
4. How was that drum sound achieved?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, May 19, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C3 HW#16-18
Homework #16
Answer the following questions about drum history:
1. Who invented the drum rudiments?
2. What was their purpose?
3. Why are the two hands different in traditional grip?
4. Who invented the bass drum pedal?
Homework #17
Answer the following questions about drum rudiments:
1. How many rudiments were there originally?
2. What is a flam?
3. What is a drag?
4. What is the sticking for a paradiddle?
Homework #18
Answer the following questions about the drum set:
1. What does the dominant hand do in a basic rock beat?
2. What do they call a beat with a swing to it?
3. What beats does the snare drum usually play on?
4. What beat does the bass drum usually play?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about drum history:
1. Who invented the drum rudiments?
2. What was their purpose?
3. Why are the two hands different in traditional grip?
4. Who invented the bass drum pedal?
Homework #17
Answer the following questions about drum rudiments:
1. How many rudiments were there originally?
2. What is a flam?
3. What is a drag?
4. What is the sticking for a paradiddle?
Homework #18
Answer the following questions about the drum set:
1. What does the dominant hand do in a basic rock beat?
2. What do they call a beat with a swing to it?
3. What beats does the snare drum usually play on?
4. What beat does the bass drum usually play?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, May 12, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C3 HW#13-15
Homework #13
Answer the following questions about the guitar:
1. What are some things to make it easier to fret the guitar?
2. What are downstrokes?
3. What is double picking?
4. What do an A minor chord and an E major chord have in common?
Homework #14
Answer the following questions about power chords:
1. What well known rap song uses power chords?
2. What is the shape of a power chord?
3. Why do they call it a power chord?
4. What is palm muting?
Homework #15
Answer the following questions about TAB notation:
1. How many lines are used for TAB?
2. How do you know what notes the strings are tuned to?
3. Which string is which in TAB?
4. What is one thing not noted in TAB?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the guitar:
1. What are some things to make it easier to fret the guitar?
2. What are downstrokes?
3. What is double picking?
4. What do an A minor chord and an E major chord have in common?
Homework #14
Answer the following questions about power chords:
1. What well known rap song uses power chords?
2. What is the shape of a power chord?
3. Why do they call it a power chord?
4. What is palm muting?
Homework #15
Answer the following questions about TAB notation:
1. How many lines are used for TAB?
2. How do you know what notes the strings are tuned to?
3. Which string is which in TAB?
4. What is one thing not noted in TAB?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, May 5, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C3 HW# 10-12
Homework #10
Answer the following questions about the guitar:
1. What are the names of the two things that attach the strings to the guitar?
2. What are the metal things on the fingerboard?
3. What are their purpose?
4. What are the numbers of the strings?
Homework #11
Answer the following questions about guitar tuning?
1. What are the notes in open D tuning?
2. What are the notes in standard tuning?
3. What does a capo do?
4. What key is the guitar in if it is open D and the capo is on the 7th fret?
Homework #12
Answer the following questions about the songs we played last week:
1. What key is "Bubbly" in?
2. What was the main difference between the simple version and the advanced?
3. What key is "I Got A Feeling" in?
4. What 2 frets is the entire guitar part played on?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the guitar:
1. What are the names of the two things that attach the strings to the guitar?
2. What are the metal things on the fingerboard?
3. What are their purpose?
4. What are the numbers of the strings?
Homework #11
Answer the following questions about guitar tuning?
1. What are the notes in open D tuning?
2. What are the notes in standard tuning?
3. What does a capo do?
4. What key is the guitar in if it is open D and the capo is on the 7th fret?
Homework #12
Answer the following questions about the songs we played last week:
1. What key is "Bubbly" in?
2. What was the main difference between the simple version and the advanced?
3. What key is "I Got A Feeling" in?
4. What 2 frets is the entire guitar part played on?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, April 28, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C3 HW #7-9
Last week we reviewed all the piano lessons we have had so far this cycle. Here are some questions about that review.
Homework #7
Answer the following questions about piano exercises:
1. What is the Hanon?
2. What is the purpose of the Hanon?
3. What black key do you use for the scale in the key of G?
4. What finger on the right hand do you use to play it?
Homework #8
Answer the following questions about the piano keyboard:
1. Why are the black keys sometimes sharp and sometimes flat?
2. When you look at music, how do you know what key a song is in?
3. What fingering do you use for a root position chord?
4. What fingering would you use for a root position 7th chord?
Homework #9
Answer the following questions about John Legend's "Ordinary People":
1. What key is Ordinary People in for the Garageband lesson?
2. How is it different from the "Get Lifted" version?
3. What kind of 7th chord does he use?
4. What does this song have in common with Für Elise?
Homework email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Homework #7
Answer the following questions about piano exercises:
1. What is the Hanon?
2. What is the purpose of the Hanon?
3. What black key do you use for the scale in the key of G?
4. What finger on the right hand do you use to play it?
Homework #8
Answer the following questions about the piano keyboard:
1. Why are the black keys sometimes sharp and sometimes flat?
2. When you look at music, how do you know what key a song is in?
3. What fingering do you use for a root position chord?
4. What fingering would you use for a root position 7th chord?
Homework #9
Answer the following questions about John Legend's "Ordinary People":
1. What key is Ordinary People in for the Garageband lesson?
2. How is it different from the "Get Lifted" version?
3. What kind of 7th chord does he use?
4. What does this song have in common with Für Elise?
Homework email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, April 7, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C3 HW #4-6
Homework #4
Answer the following questions about the piano:
1. When do you have to use finger crossing in the C major scale?
2. Why is this fingering useful?
3. What is a 7th chord?
4. How may different kinds of 7th chords are there?
Homework #5
Answer the following questions about Heart and Soul:
1. Who wrote Heart and Soul?
2. What year was it first a hit?
3. What was happening in America at the time?
4. What key is Heart and Soul in?
Homework #6
Answer the following questions about Für Elise:
1. What was the original title of Für Elise?
2. Who was the Elise?
3. What are the two chords the A section based around?
4. What note does the song start on?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about the piano:
1. When do you have to use finger crossing in the C major scale?
2. Why is this fingering useful?
3. What is a 7th chord?
4. How may different kinds of 7th chords are there?
Homework #5
Answer the following questions about Heart and Soul:
1. Who wrote Heart and Soul?
2. What year was it first a hit?
3. What was happening in America at the time?
4. What key is Heart and Soul in?
Homework #6
Answer the following questions about Für Elise:
1. What was the original title of Für Elise?
2. Who was the Elise?
3. What are the two chords the A section based around?
4. What note does the song start on?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, March 31, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C3 HW #1-3
Homework #1
Answer the following questions:
1. What are some things you need to be able to do to read music?
2. What direction do you read music from?
3. What does it mean when there is a treble clef on the staff in traditional notation?
4. What does the foot pedal do on the piano?
Homework #2
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the middle point between the G and A keys on the piano?
2. What is it called when notes are written down?
3. What are the numbers of each finger in piano music?
4. How many lines does the staff have in traditional notation?
Homework #3
Answer the following questions:
1. What are some things you need to be able to do to read music?
2. What direction do you read music from?
3. What does it mean when there is a treble clef on the staff in traditional notation?
4. What does the foot pedal do on the piano?
Homework #2
Answer the following questions:
1. What is the middle point between the G and A keys on the piano?
2. What is it called when notes are written down?
3. What are the numbers of each finger in piano music?
4. How many lines does the staff have in traditional notation?
Homework #3
Answer the following questions:
1. What does it mean when there are two staffs connected together?
2. What is the nemonic to help you remember the spaces in the treble clef?
3. What is the nemonic to help you remember the lines in the treble clef?
4. What is the name of the music that we learned in Garageband Piano lesson #2?
2. What is the nemonic to help you remember the spaces in the treble clef?
3. What is the nemonic to help you remember the lines in the treble clef?
4. What is the name of the music that we learned in Garageband Piano lesson #2?
Email: albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, March 10, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C2 #19-21
Homework #19
Answer the following questions about Garageband:
1. How can you record using the keyboard shortcut?
2. When you punch in on a track how can you hear a bit of it before you start recording?
3. When you start recording how do you know where you are recording?
4. What is the only time that the recording shortcut doesn't work?
Homework #20
Answer the following questions about songwriting:
1. What is an advantage to putting your lyrics into regular stanzas?
2. If a lyric doesn't rhyme, what options do you have?
3. If a lyric doesn't fit into the pattern you've set up, what can you do?
4. How long are most pop songs?
Homework #21
Answer the following questions about your final project:
1. How did your idea of what you were going to write and what you actually wrote change over the course of the cycle?
2. How satisfied are you with your final result?
3. If you had to write another song, what would you write about?
4. What other types of writing could you use destination writing for?
Email albertwestside@gmail.com
Answer the following questions about Garageband:
1. How can you record using the keyboard shortcut?
2. When you punch in on a track how can you hear a bit of it before you start recording?
3. When you start recording how do you know where you are recording?
4. What is the only time that the recording shortcut doesn't work?
Homework #20
Answer the following questions about songwriting:
1. What is an advantage to putting your lyrics into regular stanzas?
2. If a lyric doesn't rhyme, what options do you have?
3. If a lyric doesn't fit into the pattern you've set up, what can you do?
4. How long are most pop songs?
Homework #21
Answer the following questions about your final project:
1. How did your idea of what you were going to write and what you actually wrote change over the course of the cycle?
2. How satisfied are you with your final result?
3. If you had to write another song, what would you write about?
4. What other types of writing could you use destination writing for?
Email albertwestside@gmail.com
Monday, March 3, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C2 #16-18
Homework #16
Answer the following questions about putting your words to music:
1. What is the first thing you need to figure out when putting music to words?
2. How can you keep your focus when working on the music for the words?
3. What garageband tool will help you develop a section?
4. How can you give your song a consistent feeling throughout?
Homework #17
Answer the following questions about arranging your song:
1. What are some strategies for introductions?
2. What are some factors that will help you decide if you need a middle 8?
3. What are some things to make your chorus stand out?
4. What are some strategies for endings?
Homework #18
Answer the following questions about problems playing a part:
1. If a song is too fast what are some things you can do to make it easier?
2. If a song is too high what are some things you can do to make it easier?
3. How can you make a dull vocal sound better?
4. If your voice sounds like a cat in heat what can you do?
Email to albertwestside@gmail.com
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C2 #10-12
Homework #10
Answer the following questions about destination writing:
1. What is the purpose of destination writing?
2. How do you begin destination writing?
3. What do you use as springboards for creativity?
4. How do you build a connection to your audience?
Homework #11
Answer the following questions about destination writing:
1. What are the two types of detail you need to include?
2. How do you maintain a balance between them?
3. How are the words going to work with the music?
4. What kind of lyric would go with a melody that doesn't change?
Homework #12
Answer the following questions about the 10-step writing process:
1. How do you keep your song from being boring?
2. How can you keep an unique voice while repeating your patterns?
3. At what point in the 10-step writing process do you figure out the plot?
4. How soon should you figure your rhyme scheme?
Due Friday Feb 7 or Friday Feb14 if by email (albertwestside@gmail.com)
Answer the following questions about destination writing:
1. What is the purpose of destination writing?
2. How do you begin destination writing?
3. What do you use as springboards for creativity?
4. How do you build a connection to your audience?
Homework #11
Answer the following questions about destination writing:
1. What are the two types of detail you need to include?
2. How do you maintain a balance between them?
3. How are the words going to work with the music?
4. What kind of lyric would go with a melody that doesn't change?
Homework #12
Answer the following questions about the 10-step writing process:
1. How do you keep your song from being boring?
2. How can you keep an unique voice while repeating your patterns?
3. At what point in the 10-step writing process do you figure out the plot?
4. How soon should you figure your rhyme scheme?
Due Friday Feb 7 or Friday Feb14 if by email (albertwestside@gmail.com)
Homework 2013-2014 C2 #13-15
Homework #13
Answer the following questions about song forms:
1. What is the Strophic form?
2. What are some other common song structures?
3. Why is the introduction to a song not considered essential?
4. What is the song structure called if it has no repeating sections?
Homework #14
Answer the following questions about the 12 bar blues:
1. What is number of bars for each chord in the 12 bar blues?
2. How many half steps are there between the 1 chord and the 4 chord?
3. Why is the five chord 7 half steps up but only 5 half steps down?
4. What is the most common lyric pattern for the 12 bar blues?
Homework #15
Answer the following questions about song forms:
1. What are the differences in the two definitions of the song element "bridge"?
2. What is the "middle eight"?
3. What is a "collision" as a song structural element?
4. What is a "coda"?
Due Friday Feb 28 (albertwestside@gmail.com)
Answer the following questions about song forms:
1. What is the Strophic form?
2. What are some other common song structures?
3. Why is the introduction to a song not considered essential?
4. What is the song structure called if it has no repeating sections?
Homework #14
Answer the following questions about the 12 bar blues:
1. What is number of bars for each chord in the 12 bar blues?
2. How many half steps are there between the 1 chord and the 4 chord?
3. Why is the five chord 7 half steps up but only 5 half steps down?
4. What is the most common lyric pattern for the 12 bar blues?
Homework #15
Answer the following questions about song forms:
1. What are the differences in the two definitions of the song element "bridge"?
2. What is the "middle eight"?
3. What is a "collision" as a song structural element?
4. What is a "coda"?
Due Friday Feb 28 (albertwestside@gmail.com)
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C2 #7-9
Homework #7
Answer the following questions about Apple's Garageband:
1. How do you put loops into your favorites folder?
2. Why can't you drag a blue loop into a green track?
3. How do you erase something in Garageband?
4. How can you erase an entire track in Garageband?
Homework #8
Answer the following questions about Apple's Garageband:
1. How can you fix the timing in your track?
2. How can you hear yourself if you're recording a vocal?
3. How do you get the t-pain effect on your vocal?
4. Why is the key of your track important?
Homework #9
Answer the following questions about Apple's Garageband:
1. How can you play and rewind your track in Garageband without using the transport controls?
2. What does the cycle button look like?
3. What can you do with the Master Track?
4. What is the Arrangement Track for?
Due Friday Jan 24 or Friday Feb 7 if by email (albertwestside@gmail.com)
Answer the following questions about Apple's Garageband:
1. How do you put loops into your favorites folder?
2. Why can't you drag a blue loop into a green track?
3. How do you erase something in Garageband?
4. How can you erase an entire track in Garageband?
Homework #8
Answer the following questions about Apple's Garageband:
1. How can you fix the timing in your track?
2. How can you hear yourself if you're recording a vocal?
3. How do you get the t-pain effect on your vocal?
4. Why is the key of your track important?
Homework #9
Answer the following questions about Apple's Garageband:
1. How can you play and rewind your track in Garageband without using the transport controls?
2. What does the cycle button look like?
3. What can you do with the Master Track?
4. What is the Arrangement Track for?
Due Friday Jan 24 or Friday Feb 7 if by email (albertwestside@gmail.com)
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Homework 2013-2014 C2 #4-6
Homework #4
Answer the following questions:
1. When you create a new track in Garageband what is the first thing you must do?
2. In Garageband where are the transport controls located?
3. What's that clicking sound I hear when I'm trying to record?
4. After you've created a track how can you change the tempo?
Homework #5
Answer the following questions:
1. How do you get the loop cursor for a single track?
2. What does the solo icon look like?
3. What do you have to do to play the keyboard with your computer keys?
4. How do you save your track in iTunes?
Homework #6
Answer the following questions:
1. How can you put loops in your favorites folder?
2. Where is the zoom control located?
3. How can you add a vocal track in Garageband?
4. What is feedback in Garageband?
Due Friday Dec 17 or Friday January 24, 2014 if by email (albertwestside@gmail.com)
Answer the following questions:
1. When you create a new track in Garageband what is the first thing you must do?
2. In Garageband where are the transport controls located?
3. What's that clicking sound I hear when I'm trying to record?
4. After you've created a track how can you change the tempo?
Homework #5
Answer the following questions:
1. How do you get the loop cursor for a single track?
2. What does the solo icon look like?
3. What do you have to do to play the keyboard with your computer keys?
4. How do you save your track in iTunes?
Homework #6
Answer the following questions:
1. How can you put loops in your favorites folder?
2. Where is the zoom control located?
3. How can you add a vocal track in Garageband?
4. What is feedback in Garageband?
Due Friday Dec 17 or Friday January 24, 2014 if by email (albertwestside@gmail.com)
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