WEEK 4 - Recording

This week I got a group of my musically talented friends to get together, so I could begin recording and experimenting with different sounds that I felt were appropriate for my piece. I chose piano to play the key melody, as I can play well it myself so it would have been the easiest option to go with. However in the end I got my friend / great musician Seb to be the pianist for my piece, as it took some pressure and stress off me, so I could focus on the project overall. Because I know him well, it was really easy to direct him, and for him to interpret my intentions. Additionally, he has had some experience in producing - so ultimately we had the perfect communication over everything. 
We sat down together and wrote down some words that we aimed the piece to sound (such as 'ethereal - i've grown quite fond of that word as you can probably tell by now), and I stuck this in front of him as he played as a visual reminder.

After trialling different styles and ways of playing the melody, we came to a conclusion that the piece sounded best to be played in the key signature of F# (sharp) major, rather than the limited use of only pentatonic black keys. By playing in F#, it emphasised the pentatonic sound as it allowed it to become more harmonious, if not more balanced as it was no longer sounded blatantly oriental. 
I recorded a few takes of Seb playing the piece in an improvised manner, so it sounded slightly different each time. I did this so I could mix them together in post production to create the ultimate tune that I felt satisfied with. 

I also got my friend Guy, who is yet another brilliant musician, to come over and play notes from the F# major scale, so I can individually piece them together alongside piano part in post production. At first I recorded one take of him playing the entire scale, but after playing it back, we decided it would be better to record each note one by one, so it was easier for me to work with later on, and also so clear, lengthy notes could be produced. I also recorded him plucking the strings, as they could come in use. 

I then went on to record some atmospheric sounds. For once I was excited that the weather was bad, as I got the chance to record rainfall. I recorded the rain several times in different locations. Some up on the roof, to create a tinny sound, some in the car as it was more muffled, etc. 
Following this, I went on to record more sounds, in order to meet the criteria of using 3 different areas of sound recordings. I got a bit confused with the difference between the term sound effect and foley, as they almost cross over. I googled the terms, and came to the conclusion that foley involves physical human interaction with objects in order to produce the sound. So I guess my final chosen area is foley, as I recorded sounds that were made from water being stirred around in a plastic cup with a wooden spoon, as well as popping noises made from my lips being puckered together.  

Now that I have recorded all my sounds, I am in the beginning process of producing my piece together in post production in Pro Tools.