Creativity - Composers Club

               Namin and I have decided to continue to play together. We joined ISK’s Composer’s Club some time ago as it originally started in September. This is going to be different from what we’ve done in the past because usually we cover songs rather than compose them. For the last few weeks, I’ve been busy at home composing a few things which I hope to bring forth so that we can put something together. We have done multiple jams in the past which are based solely on improvisation and we believe we can actually manage to compose something. There have been rumors that there is going to be a concert sometime in January, so we have a significant amount of time to compose maybe one or two things. Further progress will be posted in the near future.

Creativity - ISK Talent Show: Verdict

The talent show was this Friday and overall I feel like we were pretty successful. Ringo came late with the equipment which created some definite tension and prevented us from having a proper sound check. Furthermore, we had some minor technical difficulties and during our performance, I messed up multiple times and even dropped my guitar pick. But even though we may not have won the prize money, I still feel like we did the best we could. There were multiple great acts at the show and I feel like artsco did a swell job at organizing the event. The coming together of the band has left me and naming to contemplate about playing again after this. We shall see what we decide upon.

Creativity - ISK Talent Show: Week 5

We did not have school this week as it was October Break. This gave the band and I some additional time to play together as the talent show is next week Friday. We had two practices, one of which Cole couldn’t make. I am confident that we are now where we want to be for the talent show. I’ve been busy contacting the music department and talent show organizers about the necessary equipment. I feel like we need the amplifiers the talent show organizers are willing to offer as it will most likely boost our sound quality. Again, this week’s practices were dedicated to enhancing our sound. This proved to be a success as teachers around the music department gave us positive feedback, claiming that over the past few weeks we’ve managed to improve. I hope we’ll meet at least once more before the show this Friday.

Creativity - ISK Talent Show: Week 4

This Friday Namin and I were in a dispute. Mr. Ligon was kind enough to point out the fact that Namin may be playing a little too loud and as a result was stealing the singer’s limelight. This resulted in a conflict as Namin suggested that the amplifiers were not powerful enough. This to some extend may have been true but accessibility to other amplifiers is limited. This led to us realizing that Cole may be singing a little too soft as well. Whether this was connected to Namin’s ‘loudness’ is still up for debate. We resolved the conflict by all adjusting our volume to find a balance and minimizing the resulting fuzz. Next week is October Break meaning that we’ll have time for some more practices. The plan is to meet at least twice.

Creativity - ISK Talent Show: Week 3

This Friday’s practice was a success. I am very pleased as we have practically finished the entire song. Of course there is still a lot of perfecting we need to do. David has proven himself on the bass guitar as he had composed his entire part. I however did notify him that he should most likely get the legitimate version of his bass part to ensure that we are all on the same page of the song. Further perfecting also applies to the song’s intro which I play alone with Cole. I’ve had some difficulty grasping the part as my timing is a little off. This has to do with the fact that there is no drummer or bass which I usually rely on. Nevertheless, I’ve spent a large sum of my time practicing the part yesterday and I am confident that it’ll sound significantly better than on Friday.

Creativity - ISK Talent Show: Week 2

We have had a total of two practices now. Significant progress has definitely been made but it’s obvious that we still have a long way to go. David was absent at Fridays practice because he had to attend a football game. We realized that his participation in sports may prove to be a problem as he’s prone to absences in the near future. There are however some technical difficulties as my brother Ringo’s guitar amplifier doesn’t have the appropriate sound required for the song. We’ve talked to some of the ISK Music Department staff concerning what available equipment there is. Mr. Ligon has given us permission to use some of the ISK amps which I tested and approved as a suitable substitute for Ringo’s amp.