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TBSHS A Level Music Technology Bridging Unit 2021

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the start of your journey in A Level Music. This Bridging Unit has been designed to help you

make a smooth crossing from GCSE over to A Level, providing you with the structure and direction

needed in order to hit the ground running in September. You have been provided with opportunities to

develop your skills and knowledge across the three main aspects of the course (Performance,

Composition, and Appraisal) along with a series of compulsory tasks. You will be expected to hand in all

work in September, and also to demonstrate what you have learned, through further initial assessments.

You should print this workbook off, but will also need it in electronic form in order to access the links.

OVERVIEW OF WORK

Skill Area Task When to complete

1. Listening o Suggested Listening

o Analysis of Exemplar Compositions

o Analysis of Exemplar Recordings

o June-Sept

o June-July

o June-July

2. Reading o Suggested Reading o June-Sept

3. Research o Classic Albums Research Project o Late August*

4. Practical o Instrumental/Vocal Practise

o Introduction to Synthesisers Course

o Samples composition project

o June-Sept

o June-July

o June-July

*Should be completed between results day and returning to school

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Skill Area 1 Listening

WHAT IS GOOD LISTENING?

To succeed at A Level Music Technology, you will need to become an expert listener. You may already

feel that you are a great listener, after all, you probably spend a significant amount of your time listening

to a range of different music. However, A Level Music Technology demands more than just passive, ‘sat

on the sofa with your feet up’ listening. You need to become a critical, analytical and curious listener,

who can dissect a piece of music with their ears, working out how sounds have been created and how

they have been processed. Curiosity is the beginning of becoming an expert in any field. High level Music

Technologists always ask themselves the following types of question:

How was that achieved?

How could it be improved?

What effect would it have if I changed this aspect?

Why does that work? Why does that not work?

Through critical questioning, you will develop high quality knowledge and understanding, moving you

ever closer to the levels of expertise needed at A Level.

TASK 1 – LISTENING; JUNE - SEPT

Throughout the summer, you should challenge yourself to listen to an ever increasing range and variety

of music. This means planning in time, finding good quality headphones/speakers and listening critically

to the music. You should also read around the music that you listen to; gaining an understanding of the

context of a piece and the technology that was utilised at the time can be vital in fully appreciating a

composers’ intentions, and the extent to which you think they succeeded. Use the following range of

resources as a starting point and get listening:

RECOMMENDED ALBUMS ON SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / DEEZER ETC…

Artist Album/s Information

Matthew Herbert Plat Du Jour Be prepared for something very different… An album created entirely of samples of elements of the food and drink industry that Herbert finds abhorrent. Read more about his intentions here, and find a full list of the samples used here.

Pierre Schaeffer Cinq Etudes De Bruits (1948)

Not an easy listen, but essential content for all music technologists. Schaeffer is the father of electronic composition and one of if not the first to make music with magnetic tape. This deserves your attention.

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Kraftwerk Trans Europe Express (1977)

Few bands have had as great an influence on electronic music in the popular sphere. Make time to sit and take in this epic on good quality speakers/headphones.

The Beatles Please Please Me (1963)

Not electronic music, but what better example of simple, 2-track, album-in-a-day, studio recording!

De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)

A fantastic example of how to create new and original music using samples from existing work. Watch this video after listening to the album to understand in more detail.

YOUTUBE

How Music Technology Can Change Lives – Inspiring TED Talk

How to Translate the Feeling Into Sound – Music Technology in Live Performance

PODCASTS

Song Exploder

Unstoppable Recording Machine

UBK Happy Funtime Hour

Noise Creators

The Home Recording Show

Pensado’s Place

TASK 2: ANALYSIS OF EXEMPLAR COMPOSITION WORK – JUNE/JULY

A Level composition and mixing differs from basic song writing or completely free, experimental

compositional styles. Although originality and creativity remain the thrust of this work at A Level, you

must also show that you are capable of working within established structures and traditions, ensuring

that you demonstrate enough skill to earn to achieve the very highest marks. It would be perfectly

possible to write a hugely interesting and enjoyable composition/mix yet only achieve half marks. You

need to learn how to direct your creativity around the fine details of the mark scheme so that your work

can be rewarded with the highest possible grade. You need to then learn to think like Music Technology

examiners. Below, you will find the following documents:

The Edexcel Music Technology Composition Mark Scheme

Composition 1

Logbook for Composition 1

Composition 2

Logbook for Composition 2

Examiner feedback on Composition 1

Examiner feedback on Composition 2

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You will need to do the following:

Listen to Composition 1 twice, following through the logbook as you do so.

Listen again whilst studying the mark scheme. Decide what you would award the

composition for each of the three main areas and complete the table below with your

marks.

On a different day, complete the same cycle of activities for Composition 2.

Finally, read through the examiner’s feedback in order to gain an understanding of what

the candidates did well/not so well.

Edexcel A Level Music Technology

Synthesis (creating original sounds)

/8

Sampling (reusing existing sounds)

/8

Creative Effects (reverb, echo,

distortion etc…) /8

Total

/50

Composition 1

Composition 2

Composition 3

TASK 3: ANALYSIS OF EXEMPLAR RECORDING WORK – JUNE/JULY

On this course, you will learn how to record, mix and master a pop song in its entirety. This project is

hugely exciting if a little daunting. To help prepare you, here are some examples of successful projects

and the feedback from the examiner as to why they did well. I have not asked you to mark them as

interpreting the mark scheme at this point will be difficult, however, please do look at the mark scheme

and see how the examiner refers to it.

The Edexcel Music Technology Mixing Mark Scheme

Mix 1

Logbook for Mix 1

Mix 2

Logbook for Mix 2

Examiner feedback for Mix 1

Examiner feedback for Mix 2

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Skill Area 2 Reading

TASK 2 – SUGGESTED READING; JUNE-SEPT

Just as crucial in developing your ability as a technologist is extending your frames of reference through

extensive reading. There is no specific required reading for this course, however I have included some

highly recommended books below, which will certainly help to increase your knowledge base in advance

of the A Level course starting in September.

Music Technology from Scratch – Rhind-Tutt How Music Works – John Powell

Yeah Yeah Yeah – Bob Stanley Sound on Sound – Magazine

The Story of Electronic Music - Stubbs A Level Music Technology Study Guide – Hallas

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Skill Area 3 Research

TASK 1: CLASSIC ALBUMS RESEARCH PROJECT; JUNE-JULY

One of the joys of the Music Technology course is discovering a much deeper understanding of the

history of modern recorded music. In preparation for this, your next task is to complete a research

project based on a “classic album” from the past 60 years. Some suggestions have been given to you, and

although you may have your own ideas, I recommend choosing something that you are not so familiar

with yet.

Your project can be completed in any medium, but must be ready to present during the first week back

in September.

To be a success, your research project should, amongst other things, explore:

The band/artist that recorded it

The context of the album within their wider body of work

The instruments and technology used

Specific recording techniques

Who produced/engineered/mixed/mastered the record

The studio used for recording

How this album impacted the wider industry as a whole

Good examples of “classic albums”:

Artist Album Year

Paul Simon Graceland 1986

Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life 1976

Fleetwood Mac Rumours 1977

Bob Marley and the Wailers Catch a Fire 1973

Steely Dan Aja 1977

Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast 1982

Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 1973

Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon 1973

Nirvana Nevermind 1991

Queen A Night at the Opera 1975

Jay Z Reasonable Doubt 1996

The Beach Boys Pet Sounds 1966

Amy Winehouse Back to Black 2006

Phil Collins Face Value 1981

Elvis Presley Elvis Presley 1956

The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 1985

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Skill Area 4 Practical

TASK 1: INSTRUMENTAL / VOCAL PRACTISE – JUNE-SEPT

Even as a music technologist, you should still be aiming to maintain your instrumental/vocal skills as a

musician. This should mean that you are completing 30 minutes per day, 3-5 times per week. This is

further to getting warmed up properly for each practise session. It can be very easy to confuse

“completing a piece” with purposeful practise. There follows ‘Ten Top Tips’ to help ensure that your

practise is always purposeful, designed to ensure you make genuine musical progress rather than simply

learning more pieces.

1. Set goals for your practise time One of the least effective things you can do is go into your practise room and just sit down and start playing. In order to make the most of your time, you need to make a plan as to what it is that you need to and want to accomplish in that time. Do you want to memorise a piece? Do you need to figure out the fingerings of that melismatic passage? Do you need to work on the breath stamina of a particularly difficult phrase? If you go into the practise room with a goal in mind, you will be focused and motivated to attain that goal.

2. Keep a practise log Going along with the previous tip, when you set your goals, write them down and then when you are finished practising, write down whether you accomplished your goal or not. If you didn’t, reflect on why.

3. Break up your practise time into smaller increments Your teacher may say that you must practise three hours a day. But that doesn’t mean that you have to lock yourself in a practise room for three hours straight! Practicing effectively requires concentration and focus and that can be very fatiguing. If you break that three hours into three 1-hour sessions, you will be more focused in each session and use your time more effectively. This is also instrument specific because whereas a pianist might have the physical stamina to play for two hours straight, that is not recommended for a singer.

4. Remember that practicing is NOT just about playing through your music Yes, certainly there will be times when you are preparing for a performance and you need to play through your entire piece to check memorisation and gain stamina. But in the process of learning and perfecting a piece, playing through your piece from beginning to end can actually hinder your progress. If you still have technical difficulties, by playing through your pieces you are simply reinforcing those mistakes into

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your muscle memory. It will be twice as hard to get rid of those mistakes in the long run. Perfect small sections of your piece and then string a few small sections together to make a longer section.

5. Repetition is key In order to break a habit, you need to do something the correct way 100 times. Break large passages up into smaller passages and repeat them correctly until they become part of your muscle memory.

6. Make sure your practise room is set up for effective practicing You want your practise room to be free of distractions and set up with the tools you need to practise efficiently. Make sure it is quiet (without TV, computers, iPods) and at a comfortable temperature. Make sure the room has enough light. Turn off your phone so that you are not tempted to check your messages. Make sure you have a metronome, pencils, a tuner (if you need one), a mirror, your music and technique books, your practise log, some water and any instrument specific accessories.

7. Warm up mindfully Make sure that you always start your practise with warmups. But don’t just run through your exercises for the prerequisite amount of time while thinking about what you are going to have for dinner that day. The purpose of warming up is not simply to get your muscles moving. It is in the warm up that you are solidifying your technique. You are preparing your body and your mind for the work and you must be “present”. Before you start an exercise remind yourself of why you are doing that particular exercise. As you go through the exercise, be aware of how you are feeling, how you are breathing, if your body is alerting you to tension, etc. Keep your mind in the game at all times – even through the tedious stuff.

8. Record yourself By recording your practise sessions – audio and/or video – you can listen back and catch some things you may miss in the moment. Listening to yourself can help you find tone issues; watching yourself can alert you to tension issues that you didn’t know you had and much more.

9. Remember that practising isn’t just about playing your instrument You need to practise your instrument but you must also practise your artistry and you must engage your intellect. That means that practise also involves listening to great artists perform your repertoire and analysing what makes them so great. Practise involves studying the history and performance practise of a particular piece. Practise involves translating the text of a song and speaking that text with meaning in its original language. Being a musician is about much more than just learning how to play the notes. You need to add time every day on top of the time in the practise room to expand your knowledge of your music, your instrument and your artistry.

10. Practise something EVERY DAY It is better to practise 30 minutes every day that 2 hours on only one day of the week. If you can’t put in three hours every day, that is fine. But commit to working on your instrument, even if one day you only warmup and don’t touch your repertoire. Every single day. That consistency will pay off!

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TASK 2: INTRODUCTION TO SYNTHESISERS COURSE; JUNE-JULY

The synthesiser is the single most important piece of technology for you to learn about on the Musical

Technology course. A thorough understanding of its development and various uses within the history of

popular music is vital. For some of you, your knowledge of a synthesiser may not currently extend much

beyond a keyboard that can play different sounds. This course will certainly change all of that!

In preparation for September, please follow this link https://learningsynths.ableton.com/en/get-

started/get-started-making-sounds and explore the course in detail. It does start with the absolute basics

but quickly becomes more complex. There is no need to do it all in one go; move through carefully and

take notes on the below table as you come across new terminology.

When you have completed the course and taken detailed notes, put into practise what you have learned

by exploring the synth playground: https://learningsynths.ableton.com/en/playground. Try to emulate

some of the sounds that were mentioned in the course: sirens; drums; strings; bass etc…

Vocabulary Notes

Synthesiser

Amplitude

Pitch

Theremin

Envelope

Modulation

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ADSR

Oscillator

LFO

Frequency

Hertz

Waveform

Pulse width

Low Pass Filter

Cutoff Frequency

Filter Resonance

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TASK 3: COMPOSITION TASK; June-July

Digital Audio Workstations – or DAWs – have been transformative in terms of the way recording studios

operate. These incredibly complex pieces of software, essentially take all of the hardware that would be

found taking up physical space in a studio, and reduce it all down onto a single computer monitor. There

is a vast range of DAWs on the market, all with particular strengths, but all essentially performing the

same main functions: Recording; mixing; synthesising; sampling; editing; looping etc…

Unfortunately, they tend to be fairly expensive, although the benefits of having access to a quality DAW

at home will be immeasurable when studying A Level Music Technology. At TBSHS we use a combination

of Reason 9, and Cubase. Although having the same software at home has its benefits, if you have a Mac

at home I would particularly recommend Logic X. This highly intuitive software will help you quickly get

to work, and the skills that you learn will transfer directly to all other DAWs.

If buying your own software is not presently an option, there are a range of free alternatives for you to

look into. All come with their own limitations as you would expect, but you can certainly learn a lot from

exploring them. Examples include:

Software Info

Garageband Compact version of Logic, available on all macs and iOS platforms.

Audacity Free open source programme for all operating systems. A great place to start.

Pro Tools First Compact version of Pro Tools.

Cubase LE Compact version of Cubase. Cakewalk by BandLab The most powerful free DAW you will find, although it is Windows only.

Ableton Live 9 Lite Compact version of Ableton.

Once you have access to a DAW at home, you should explore how to do the following tasks. There are

many YouTube tutorials available if you are unsure:

Recording in live audio

Loading in previously recording samples

Creating a loop from a piece of audio

Adding creative effects to audio (reverb, echo, compression etc…)

Layering sounds to create musical textures

Triggering pre-recorded sounds via a MIDI controller or computer keyboard

The final part of the task is to create a 90-second original composition entitled “Summer of Sun”. This

should contain various sound samples that represent the types of activities you may have been able to

enjoy this summer. Use your phone to record original samples and combine these with electronic and/or

acoustic instruments to create your piece.

Your composition should demonstrate an understanding of musical structure and you should utilise the

skills listed above. Please bring your finished composition with you when starting back in September.

Refer back to the composition mark scheme if you require further guidance.