Genius Hour 2.8

Producing Music-Week 8

This is my attempted video for the final week.  In the video, I show examples of the chords I used to make my final song, but you will not here the audio for that in the video. The second clip is the song.  Enjoy!

Genius Hour 2.7

Producing Music-Week Seven

This week was a reasonably easy-going week with a minor heart attack in the process. This week I worked on editing and putting any final touches on the three songs I have created.  The problem I ran into was that when editing my newest song, there were some uncoordinated sounds.  Having finished that song in week 6, I was super confused about what had gone wrong.

After changing the quantization of some notes, I was able to fix the song and make it sound like it had the week before.  Other than that one mishappening, I was satisfied with the other two songs.  Here is the finished version of my second original song.

I am happy with this song, for it only being my second original song. I was so excited to be able to create a song that had a bass drop in it. As for my last and final week of this project, I will be creating another original song.  To get enough time to work on it, I may start on it over the break.  Keep on working, my dudes!

Genius Hour 2.6

Week Six-How to Use GarageBand Software to Produce Music

The first step to producing music with GarageBand is of course to download the app/software to your iPhone or iMac. I have had the opportunity to work with this software on both my phone and computer to get the full experience. To be completely honest, I prefer to work on the ios version, because it is much more mobile than the computer version. Another drawback to the Mac version is that a keyboard must be plugged into the computer in order to play notes, whereas you could just play the notes on a phone.

The second step to using GarageBand is to get familiar with the set up and tools.  This was the step that has taken me the longest during my time spent on this project, and even though I have been working for six weeks now I am still learning functionalities of the program.  During this step, it should be noted that the most important part is finding the sounds you need and being able to play them.

The third step to using GarageBand is to record the individual components of music. During this step you will determine what sounds to play together, as well as make them fit a specific speed/tempo.  So far I have made two original songs and both have them have been extremely challenging and time consuming to produce. I have also copied a tutorial of of YouTube to create a third song.

The fourth and final step is to cut the individual song components to create a song like feel, because not every song has the same beat and melody the entire time.  This has been one of the most difficult parts, because each part, when added, needs to sound like it fits there. It is much easier to make sounds fit together when they play at one time, but adding a sound to another that is already playing is much more difficult. After the song has been completed, there are multiple ways to share and export your songs to show off your creations.

These are the steps I have been following during this entire Genius Hour, in order to produce me own music, whether I was creating my own beat or using a tutorial. I would argue that I was still creating something because it is almost impossible to copy a song or sound 100% using this program, at least for a beginner.  For week six, I created my second original beat from scratch and I will post a picture of that here:

During this week I ran into a number of struggles, as it took me a bunch of time to complete steps 2 and 3.  I had difficulty finding sounds that fit well together, and had to spend the majority of time piecing the song together.  Overall, I am impressed with the outcome, and I am excited to share it with the class in the later part of this Genius Hour.  My plan for next week is to go through the three songs I have made, and edit them to perfection. If I have time, I will also start my final song, and it will be finished in the final week of this Genius Hour. *How-to post*

Genius Hour 2.5

Producing Music-Week 5

Week five was a slow week for my music producing project, as I had planned.  This week I had my first drill for National Guard in Helena.  I knew I was going to be gone the whole weekend and have little to no time to do homework.  I was able to compensate for this by changing my action plan so I would start a song this week and finish it next week.

Knowing I did not have to finish a song this week was a huge relief to both myself and your ears. I want my songs to sound the best that they can, and I know that I cannot make that happen if I push myself to the point where I cannot experiment and make my tracks sound good.

Since this is only my second original song, I am still getting a feel for producing music and making each of the pieces fit together.  As a result, I have been having complications while producing. I didn't let that stop me, and I know that I must adapt and continuously work until I can create a well-rounded piece.  Next week, I will be finishing up my song.  I may or may not post a recording to my song, but if I do it will appear next week.

This picture shows one of the melodies I created for the song, and there are quite a few notes that are not pictured.

Genius Hour 2.4

Producing Music-Week Four

Genius hour four was the biggest struggle yet.  My plans for this week were to finish my first project, as well as copy a song from YouTube to continue to get a feel for what I can create later on.  After being unable to complete what I needed to on Thursday, I was forced to do some work over that weekend.  On Saturday, things took a turn for the worst.  I went to finish up my first project when disaster struck.  I had lost all components except two from the project.  I got super frustrated when I struggled to recreate all my working pieces.  After a busy Saturday, I finally got my first project done!

I am choosing to not release my final product until the end of this genius hour, so I have more to show when presenting.

This picture shows me putting the finishing touches on my first project.

This picture showcases most of the components.

When Sunday came I knew it was going to be tough for me to work on my second project, especially with it being Super Bowl Sunday.  I decided the only way I would finish my second project would be to work on it in chunks of time leading up to the Super Bowl because I really did not want to do homework.  I finished my piece about 45 minutes before the game started, so it was perfect timing.  This is what I was able to come up with:

The song I chose to recreate was "Noticed" by Lil Mosey.  I chose this song because it has a very good melody and it was fun to play.  I am having to change my plans for next week because I have a National Guard drill in Helena, so I won't have a ton of time to work on homework.  That being said, my plans for next week are to start my next song from scratch, and the following week I should be able to finish the project.  Although this week was a tough one, I was able to work through it and get everything done!

Genius hour 2.3

Producing Music-Week Three

Week three of producing my own music was the best one so far.  My action plan for this week was to learn how the individual components of music work, that way I had a better understanding of which components best fit a particular type of music.  The components I researched were bass, tempo, hi-hats, bells, and mallets, and leads.  

Last week, I made a goal for my third genius hour. It was to not only learn more about the components of music but also add to my current song.  I am proud to say that I was able to add on both a bell pad tone and hi-hats to my song.  This is what I have created so far:

Next week, my plan is to finish my current project and copy a YouTube video for a song that I listen to.  I want to do this to not only so I have multiple projects to show, but I will have more experience navigating and using new components and sounds.  Tune in next week to hear my recreation of a hit song.

Genius Hour 2.2

Producing Music-Week Two

For week two of my music production, I put myself in a tough position.  My plan for this week was to learn about the individual components of music that I'd be using to make music, such as bass, tempo, rhythm, hi-hats, and cords.  I came to the conclusion that I could no longer continue with my first project until I developed a sense of music theory.  A theory that not only sets standards for how music functions, but creates a sense of communication in which all people can relate to.  

I took the time to sit down this Genius Hour to learn about how music functions. I also learned more about the piano, as just about all instruments on Garageband can be played through the form of a piano.  To educate myself on this process, I watched a couple of YouTube videos to explain the components of the piano.  I also did some more research to find out that Garageband also has piano lessons on the program as well.  My new plan is to complete one of two tutorials a week to further my knowledge.  In addition, I will continue to work on my first project in the next few weeks until I feel it is complete. 

Now, I don't necessarily need all the skills I will be learning, but they may help me if I decide to do something creative down the line.  Thus far, in my first song, I have created a few piano chords, as well as adding in some additional pads for effect.  My plans for next week are to learn more about the components I talked about early, and how they function.  I would also like to add another element to my song.     

Genius Hour 2.1

Producing Music-Week One

For my second Genius Hour, I wanted to create my own music.  Music is a topic that I am very passionate about, which made creating my own music an obvious choice for my project.  Over Christmas break, I decided to get started on my Genius Hour, I did this by choosing the program I would use.  Because I do not have any music producing of my own such as keyboards, controllers, or microphones, I knew I would have to find a good DAW to use.  DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation.

Just like the majority of readily-available goods on this planet, there are hundreds of DAWs out there.    I spent some time researching the different types and was reasonably impressed with the results I found.  Some programs can do things to your music that I have never even heard of.  Some of the DAWs I research also got a little pricey in the hundred dollar ranges.  After thinking over break, I decided the best route to take would be to find a free program that is easily accessible and has an easy interface any beginner could use.

After all the research I did, I ended up choosing Garageband created by Apple.  Garageband seemed to fit all three of those necessities for me, but there were a few reasons I chose it over other like programs.  The number one reason I chose Garageband was how available it is for me.  The program appears on both my phone and computer, making it easy to work on the go, at school, and at home.  For the first week, my plan was to get a feel for the program and where to find tools.  I felt so comfortable I started to create my first melody.  Next week, I will learn more about the individual components of music and continue on my first project.