Chapter 3: Practice
performing pre-written songs
The video to the right highlights the embodiment of music when performing music I have already written. this is an insight on how each paradigm affects my ability to feel immersed in the song or what artists call the zone.
Amps in the Room
You can see at the start of the video the instances where having the room activated by the amplifiers has informed how I react. I can do this because this is a performance of a song we have previously written, meaning it has structure, and we can rely on it rather than cues from each other to move the performance along. Playing Using this setup is the status quo for me, so there were no issues navigating sounds whilst performing
Modellers
When moving over to modellers, it is clear that the intensity has dropped. This wasn't because I had an issue with my guitar only going to my ears; it was because of the physical constraints of using the silent stage method. The cable from the headphones wasn't long enough, and when moving around while standing, there was interference and signal noise, and sometimes the audio would even cut out altogether. This isn't a reflection on how the process affected me, although it was greatly overlooked as a requirement of this method that an additional cable would be required for an in-ear pack. Playing I found using the floor modeller very intuitive; it was like a pedal board, and having set up presets beforehand made switching between them easy. I did notice an audible glitch when switching between presets, and the foot pedal was set up as a volume pedal. This worked against me as sometimes my foot taps the pedal without me realising. As for the glitch sounds, I'm sure there is a way to mitigate them.
Creating a new piece
The video to the left shows how these 2 paradigms affect the creative process when collaborating as part of the ensemble.
Amps in the Room
Using the amplifiers in the room made communicating ideas easy, as the sense of direction helped discern who was playing what part. A lot of my collaborative writing process relies on speech, so being able to speak is paramount when communicating ideas. This naturally poses a challenge when playing over loud sound sources, and not all members have a microphone they can use.
Modellers
In the second half of the video, you see how we have approached the same song, but again, simulating a silent stage. This is where I realised it had become a hindrance and was not aiding us when we were trying to stay creative. What was also working against me was the adverse effect of what is redeeming about using the amplifiers in the room, the vocal communication. Having headphones on while trying to talk out an idea greatly affects how much you can get across.
Full Clips of Process
Below are the full clips used.