Car firm Volkswagen recently teamed up with some designers to transform a set of steps at a subway in Stockholm into, well, a giant musical keyboard not too dissimilar from those played by Tom Hanks in flick Big.
The subway keys don’t appear to light-up, but each plays an individual note every time someone steps on them.
The most common question I am asked when talking about 4 Part Music as a recording company is “Where is your studio based?”.
The answer “We don’t have a studio” is usually met with some surprise as the expectation is that a recording company has a studio from which it records. This of course is often the case. Over the years we have often wondered about investing in a studio – perhaps partly to have an answer to this question!
But, in business it is important to be very clear about your aims and position in the market. 4 Part Music has been set up to work “on location”. The primary reason of course is that our target market is made up of choirs and organists and such musicians do not lend themselves to being recorded in a studio. For such recordings the Church, Cathedral or School Chapel becomes the studio. This means therefore that we carry around all the equipment you would normally house in a studio.
The most challenging part of the setup is the venue itself. As churches vary in shapes and sizes we have to adapt our setup accordingly. This is where a multi mic technique is crucial. We have to ensure we capture the choir, the organ and the acoustic – assuming there is one. Where this matters most is when we come to master the recording. Our aim is to always be in a position where we can rebalance the sound in accordance with the musical directors wishes. This could be a case of, more choir, less organ or taking out some of the acoustic. Obviously, unless we have recorded all these elements separately as well as together we would be unable to do this.
Even where we are recording an organ on it’s own we still follow a similar principle of recording the instrument as well as the acoustic. The biggest danger of any on location recording is that microphone placement has to be determined for each different location. Get it wrong and you can either end up with a recording which sounds like it was done in a cupboard or even worse sounding too distant as if the microphones were left outside in the car park.
It’s probably one of the most common phrases you hear. “Oh I can’t do that I will be at work” or “Sorry I’m late I had some work to get done”. The thing is though, no one ever seems to have any time nowadays and a lot of this is attributable to “work”. Speaking to those of an older generation than myself I’ve discovered that it didn’t always used to be this way.
Back in the mid 20th century, your average middle class blue collar worker would go to work at 9am and finish at 5pm having taken the 1 hour lunch break. No one was ever seemingly in much of a hurry and yet all the work got done. Coupled to this communication took longer. There were no computers, emails, internet, mobile phones twitter or any of the other “communication” means we take for granted today. Ok there was the telephone but other than that everything had to be typed and posted. Based on this, it could be assumed that everything will have taken longer. To send a purchase order, it would have to be typed, sealed in an envelope and sent by post to a supplier for example. Nowadays a quick email is usually all it takes.
So if we can do everything so much faster today, then how come we don’t all have buckets of time available to do things other than “work”? I often debate this when I reflect on the day and consider how much time I have given over to “working”. I suppose one obvious reason is because everything is faster then you can do more in a day. So where before you would send a letter and then have to wait a few days for a response, now you can send an email and even if that person is on holiday the chances are they will get it on their Blackberry or iPhone and then respond within a few minutes.
In my opinion it comes down to knowing when to stop. Going back 50 years, it was accepted that office hours were typically 9-5. I realise there are still some companies who adopt this policy but it is less widespread. Because there was no other means of communication then once you had left the office that was it. Which meant everyone could enjoy their leisure time.
The danger now is that even when you finish work at 5pm and leave the office you have so many opportunities to communicate. Get in the car to drive home and you find your hands free car phone available to you. Arrive home and there’s most likely a “web enabled” computer which will enable you to check emails. If you cant get to your home pc, then that’s ok because all your emails will be delivered to your phone. Therefore many people never stop “working”.
Obviously it would be easy for me to say, just turn your phone off when you get home and instead of switching your computer on go out into the garden or go for a walk. I’m sure many people do this, but the danger is what everyone else choose to be doing. What concerns me is that currently I believe we still have the choice to “switch off”, but I think in the not to distant future it will be normal practice for everyone to always be connected to everyone else. I personally think that would be a shame.
And on that note, at 10.32pm I am going to switch my computer off and go and do something which is not “work” related!
When a person or business creates an artistic work such as a piece of music, video, dance routine, or any other type of expression where music is used as an integrated part of that production, royalties must legally be paid to the person that owns the copyright to the music that was used. Royalty free music is different in that in most cases a person can use the royalty free music in a production without paying royalty fees to the copyright holder. There are dozens of royalty free music web sites on the Internet, and all provide access to high quality, downloadable audio files, but royalty free does not necessarily mean free of all costs.
Royalty free music enables you to use the music, usually within a set of pre defined terms but it does mean that music will have a cost associated with it to purchase initially. As a composer myself, writing a lot of music for business use, for example on podcasts and training courses, the question about royalties is often raised. Generally to keep administration simple a lot of music written for a business will be provided royalty free.
There are generally two types of royalty free music. A “bespoke” composition will be supplied to a customer with an exclusive license. Whilst “royalty free” and often subject to additional terms this music can often be quite expensive as a one off cost but does mean the customer has something unique for their own use. The other type of royalty free music fairly widely available is downloadable clips which attract a much lower price tag up front but are often available to an unlimited number of clients.
As to which option is best will depend on the customers requirements. The advantage of either type of royalty free music is that the customer has the freedom to use the music without worrying about any ongoing costs (providing there are no terms suggesting otherwise) and the composer or writer will have been paid for their efforts at the point of sale.
Most schools will put on a production or evening performance at least once a term and this will usually involve a school choir. Whilst a lot of school choirs are very good, here are a few tips for the best ways you can turn a group of individual singers into a collective choir. The children might even learn a few life lessons too!
Spending a few minutes on breathing techniques at the beginning of each choir rehearsal will not only help get the very best sound quality from the choir but are especially good with children and young adults as it will help them stay calm and focus on their objectives. Making sure they have plenty to drink as this will also encourage a better sound, so providing water will ensure their vocals are well hydrated and breathing properly.
All male or all female choirs can also be formed and there is now a wide range of music available for these ensembles.
A lot of people want to learn how to play the piano but struggle to get things off the ground. The piano is an incredible instrument; there’s little else that can quite convey the range of emotions that can be expressed through the gentle caress of its keys.
If you yourself struggle when it comes to learning how to play the piano never fear. Keep reading to learn some top tips that are sure to have you playing beautiful melodies before you know it.
The very first thing that you must do to start on this learning curve is to be sure that you have regular access to a piano or a synthesizer. Staring blankly at sheet music or reading a book on how to play will not be enough. The piano is a difficult instrument to master and without that access to the instrument you will find yourself hitting a brick wall. If you can afford to buy a piano do so, otherwise see if there’s anyone you could borrow one from while you learn.
Piano lessons for beginners are available in numerous different forms and will put you on the right path to mastering this instrument. One to one lessons seem to have lost their popularity in recent years but you’re sure to be able to find someone to instruct you locally. Alternatively you might like to consider using books of piano lessons or CD / DVD combinations. The presence of the internet is not to be ignored either with many lessons available on the World Wide Web, and piano lesson software is available for download. Don’t feel restricted to one type of lesson, combining different methods will help you to learn quickly but be sure to schedule your time effectively to be sure you don’t get lessons confused.
Frequent practice is an essential part of learning to play any musical instrument and the piano is no exception. If you can’t prioritize your piano lessons in your day you will find it incredibly difficult to master. No one is saying that you must practice all day, every day but be sure to set aside at least ten to fifteen minutes each and every day to work on your music. Remember to include warm ups within your practice sessions.
One of the best ways to discourage yourself is to attempt to play pieces of music that are far beyond your ability. Start with simple lessons and work your way up to the advanced pieces; don’t jump straight in at the deep end. Make sure you finish the lesson that you’re currently on before beginning the next, even if it takes you a long time to master. Patience is a virtue and without it you will struggle to learn anything at all.
When you’ve taken control of one piece of music you’ll be ready to move onto the next one. But make sure that every now and then you return to some of your older pieces so that they don’t slip out of your memory.
Learning to play the piano doesn’t need to be difficult. Start to work some of the above tips into your piano practice routine and in no time you’ll be playing your very favorite pieces of music. Stop listening to sources that offer you tips that don’t work; just try the above and you will be amazed how quickly you can learn to play piano.