Lead Guitar Practice Summary #8

Lead Guitar Practice Summary #8 video:

To continue my lead guitar practice this week, I learned different forms of pentatonic scales. For each major or minor key there are many different shapes of the pentatonic scale, starting at different areas on the fret board. It is useful to know these different shapes because, when in a soloing position, you may want to have the ability to solo on different parts of the guitar, having variation in the pitches of the notes you play.

In the above video, I am shown practicing three different major pentatonic scales in 4 different shapes each. To further my practice in this area, I could work on minor pentatonic scales, I could increase the tempo I am playing at, and I could increase the number of octaves of my scales.

Reference:

November 18, 2018 0

Learning GarageBand Part #8

Since I completed my recording of “I’m Yours” last week, I learned about exporting a song from GarageBand and the differences between different exported file types this week. In the version of GarageBand that I have, there are three possible file types that I can create when exporting a song: MP3, AAC, or AIFF. If you are like me, these terms are confusing at first and more information is needed.

Here is a quick summary of these three file types. MP3 stands for MPEG-2 Audio Layer-3. Songs in MP3 format take up less space than other file formats. This is due to the fact that data in the song is compressed to make the file. In other words, some parts of the song are removed that do not affect the listening experience (e.g. very high and low frequencies essentially undetectable by the human ear). MP3 files are compatible with all iOS devices and are thus widely used. AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding. AAC files are higher quality than MP3 files but essentially do the exact same thing: they compress certain frequencies and take up less space than other files (and even less space than MP3 files). They are also compatible with all iOS devices. AIFF stands for Audio Interchange File Format, and AIFF files are uncompressed files, thus taking up a lot more space than MP3 or AAC files. They use about 10MB of storage per minute of music. Because they are uncompressed, they are technically of higher quality than compressed files, but that comes with the cost of storage space. AIFF files were created by Apple and are only compatible with Apple devices.

Because AAC presented itself as a relatively high quality compressed file compatible with all iOS devices, I chose to export my cover song under this file type.

Reference used:

How MP3 and AAC Are Different

November 17, 2018 0

Virtual Reality

In class today, we had the opportunity to check out a virtual reality lab and it was fascinating. I have never experienced virtual reality and I got to make art with virtual objects and brushes, as well as view artifacts in a 3D space in my time in the lab.

There are a few health concerns with virtual reality. First of all, it can affect the growth of the eye, leading to the potential development of myopia or nearsightedness. Secondly, there is a danger of getting hurt by obstacles in the real world that are not visible in the virtual reality world (for this reason, it is always recommended that someone is watching over a person using virtual reality). Finally, motion sickness is very common within virtual reality, as the movements within the 3D space can be abrupt and/or large, throwing off a person’s balance. For these reasons, children below the age of 12 should not use it, and people above the age of 13 should be conscious of their time spent on it.

I can see many benefits of adding virtual reality into an educational setting. As two main examples based on my experience, I can see the benefits of virtual reality being implemented into art and history classes. In the virtual reality space, a person can create art in three dimensions, using objects, lines, a 360 degree space, colours, and more. Additionally, in this space, a person can view artifacts up close, far away, from above, from below, etc. This could be a really cool addition to history classes in which students are studying archaeology and artifacts are not obtainable in the real world.

Reference:

The very real health dangers of virtual reality

November 16, 2018 0

Visual Journal Entry 4

In class, we participated in an assignment called “Human Library.” For this project, each student brought in a particular knowledge/skill that was unique to them, and that could be used in some sort of way in a high school classroom, tying in that skill to the BC curriculum.

Attached to this post is an image of one student’s Human Library project, which consisted of representing the lengths of the digestive organs in the form of crotchet.

The knowledge/skill that I brought to the table was the relation between music and math. In particular, I offered information on how note lengths in music are related to fractions in music. So, for example, just how the number 1 can be divided into two halves, a note in music can be (and is often) divided into halves, or thirds, quarters, sixths, eights, etc. Fractions appear in all musical pieces. This relation between fractions and music can 1) help students in a Grade 6-9 math class understand the incorporation of fractions into everyday life, and 2) help students in a Grade 6-12 music class tie in mathematics to their current musical knowledge.

I think that this would be a very interesting project to incorporate into schools. It can be multimodal; for example, in my project, I incorporated a hands-on drumming activity, a visual and auditory video of myself drumming, and verbal delivery of information. In addition, it incorporates some elements of multiliteracy, such as experiencing the new and applying creatively. Students in a math class who have not compared fractions to the division of time in music are experiencing new concepts, new frameworks of thinking, and new meanings in mathematics. For students in a music class learning about the existence of fractions in their playing, there is opportunity to apply what they have learned and creatively develop new musical ideas and abilities. In my observations and my own experiences of high school math classrooms, there is little to no relation of math to the real world. Therefore, this strategy of relating math to music (or vice versa) can impact students’ interest on the topic at hand.

If high school students were assigned a Human Library project similar to this one, it could be beneficial in multiple ways, such as introducing them to multimodal and multiliterate approaches to learning, and encouraging them to share their knowledge and skills with classmates. I hope to use this cross-curricular, multimodal, and multiliterate approach to learning in my future classrooms.

November 13, 2018 0

Lead Guitar Practice Summary #7

Lead Guitar Practice Summary #7 video (Part 1):

https://youtu.be/_2Jkq2Yh7wY

Lead Guitar Practice Summary #7 video (Part 2):

https://youtu.be/BtzSIRXmZd0

In my lead guitar practice this week, I focused on learning two different lines from songs; this helped me to incorporate some of the things I have learned into real-life playing situations.

First of all, I learned the lead guitar tab to “Attention” by Charlie Puth. This helped me to practice up-and-down picking, specific note selection, and a new technique called muting. Because the note lengths for this guitar part are very short, I had to pluck the string and then quickly mute it before hitting the next note. To apply this muting technique after playing a note, I would take a free finger and place it lightly on the string above the played note.

My second task this week was to add a lead guitar line to a cover I am recording of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. In this task, I was able to practice note selection, hammer-ons, and a new technique called sliding. Sliding consists of playing one note on the guitar, and quickly sliding your finger from that note to a new desired note without plucking the string again.

Above are two videos showing my progress on these two different tasks.

A resource I used this week was:

Attention Intro Tab

November 12, 2018 0

Learning GarageBand Part #7

This week, I added a lead guitar part to my GarageBand recording. This was an interesting activity because I am learning lead guitar as my passion project this semester; it was a fun way to tie both of my projects together, as well as incorporate my lead guitar practice into a real-life playing situation.

As I was editing the track, I noticed that in GarageBand there are preset effects for lead guitar that, with one click of a button, can add many effects at once. I browsed through these preset effects and found one that worked nicely with the song called “Clean Echoes.” Within “Clean Echoes,” there are level controls for gain, tone, distortion, compression, echo, and reverb. I experimented with changing these controls and found a nice combination of levels to fit the tone of the guitar with the song. The top image above shows the levels that I selected.

In addition, I adjusted the EQ levels of the track, noticing that taking out some of the high frequencies and raising some of the mid frequencies gave the guitar a nice sound. These adjustments are shown in the bottom image above.

It was neat to notice the preset effects that exist in GarageBand. There are certain presets that suit different kinds of music, such as hard rock, jazz, country, etc. They exist as well for voice, acoustic guitar, and bass tracks. These could come in handy in future recordings.

November 11, 2018 0

Multimedia Learning Theory, Augmented Reality, & QR Codes

The multimedia learning theory (or dual coding theory) focuses on the power of the combination of verbal and visual media to help process information and transfer that information more easily into long-term memory. It has been seen in studies and observations that people remember information better if they receive both visual and verbal information than if they receive only one or the other form. This is thought to be due to the fact that there are two key separate channels for processing information: an auditory channel and a visual channel. Activating both of these channels at once and integrating the information received by both channels helps to solidify information in the moment, and remember this information more accurately in the future. In addition, if people are presented with material that can relate to information that they already know, it is easier for them to get that information into their long-term memory. If you can relate information to what students already know, it will be easier for students to get that information into their long-term memory.

QR codes, or “quick response” codes, are arrays of black and white squares that can link to a URL or other information through the camera of a smartphone. These can be very useful for business cards, printed advertisements, flyers, posters, or other forms of advertisement. QR codes can store much more data than barcodes, and thus serve as a useful tool for storing videos, text, images, URL links, or geo coordinates to name a few. I think it would be useful for me if I made a professional business card for teaching, and linked a QR code to my blog or an introductory video about myself.

Augmented reality is the superimposition of a virtual image on top of a real world image. It is a way in which people can interact with a hypothetical world that does not exist, a world that existed in the past, or a potential future for the world in years from now. It seems to be that it could be added into certain educational settings. One that stands out in particular is history class. As a class activity at Kitsilano High School, students looked at real-life events that occurred in the past to put themselves in the shoes of 1944 graduating students who had to make a decision on whether or not to join the Canadian Forces. They used the app ARIS and the “Dilemma 1944” section within the app. They were then guided to different locations by ARIS, and guided to watch videos, look at period photographs, and more from the American Dilemma period. Below is a video summarizing this experience. This could serve as a neat interactive hands-on learning approach in high school social studies or history classes.

References:

Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

What is a QR Code and Why do you Need One?

November 9, 2018 0

Collaboration & Leadership

Over the course of the semester, I have had many opportunities to collaborate with my colleagues as well as witness collaboration between high school students during school observations. I have typically avoided collaborations in my school experiences whenever possible, as I have found them to be difficult to coordinate and schedule with my busy life. However, I can see that there are many positive aspects to collaboration, as well as useful skills that can be learned that apply to real life settings. For one, collaboration can lead to more diverse and creative approaches to a project; having multiple minds working together, ideas can be increasingly interesting and complex. In addition, collaboration can allow for shortened time lengths spent on projects. Finally, collaboration has been known to increase morale, develop bonds between group members, and improve teamwork skills.

However, there are a few setbacks to collaboration that I can remark on as well. For example, it is important to assign leadership and roles to members of a collaborative group. Without these things, there can be a lack of anyone taking charge of a project, or too many people taking charge. In addition, there can be conflicts in working styles, personalities, or free time. These are issues that are important to work through and discuss within a collaborative group in order to succeed.

Leadership is a crucial part of collaborations. In my opinion through observations at Vic High school on Wednesdays, there tends to be students who enjoy taking on a leadership role and students who enjoy taking a backseat. As a future educator, I think it is really important to encourage trying varying levels of leadership roles within collaborative groups; this style mirrors real-life settings more accurately. So, for example, if students have 3 big projects in a year and 3 people per group, have them rotate through 1) project manager and editor, 2) presentation coordinator, and 3) written-up summary coordinator, for example. Allow students the time and opportunities to work through the challenges of collaborations and learn how to succeed in a highly collaborative environment in the real world.

A reference I used for this blog post is:

Advantages & Disadvantages of Collaboration in the Workplace

November 9, 2018 0

Lead Guitar Practice Summary #6

Lead Guitar Practice Summary #6 video:

https://youtu.be/Rk9Y_8BtbFM

In this week’s lead guitar practice, I focused on learning a technique called legato. In music, legato is a playing form defined by its smooth, continuous flow, without breaks between notes. On the lead guitar, there are two types of legato: hammer-ons and pull-offs. A hammer-on is the action of placing a finger on a higher fret of the guitar after a note on that string is picked – without picking the second note, the note will still ring out. A pull-off is taking a finger off of the string after it is picked, and pulling the string simultaneously so as to let the note below it ring out. Hammer-ons and pull-offs are both techniques that allow the right picking hand to do less work while playing more notes with the left hand.

I found hammer-ons to be a bit easier to learn than pull-offs, although I could still improve on both techniques. Pull-offs are challenging because a finger on the left-hand has to actually pull the string for it to ring out, which is quite hard to do. To practice these two techniques further, I could continue doing exercises while increasing the tempo, or I could incorporate them into song tabs or longer exercises.

Two references that I used in my practice this week were:

Legato – Wikipedia