Google Day Presentations (12/15/11) and Reflection

Today we presented our Google Projects in band.  My presentation was fine, aside from the fact that it was slightly too long.  Many of the other projects were fun and enjoyable to watch.

Overall, I'm glad that we did the Google Project in band, and I think my product, if not the most musical, is still pretty interesting.  These projects allowed us to optimize our creativity and demonstrate what we can do if left without instruction (a skill that is quite useful in the real world).  If the option arises to do them during second semester, I would probably opt to do so.  

The one complaint/problem with the Google projects is the time commitment.  Class workdays weren't all that productive for me because I needed a piano, and I spend much more than 20% of my practice time working on the project. It seems as if other people also spend a lot more time than they predicted on their projects.  However, I still think the projects were a worthwhile experience overall.

Google Day Five (Update 12/7/11)

Today was our last Google day.  Since my project is already done, I practiced other music in a practice room.  We all signed up for presentation days, which will be next week.  I can't say I'm looking forward to presentations, but I am not too embarrassed by my final product. 

Video of Final Product

Here is the final video of my project.  It is about 8:00 long, so when I present I can just show the first five minutes or so.

(I apologize for the poor quality, but I had to compress it so it would be small enough to upload).

Project Update 12/4/11

I spent today (Sunday) putting all of the video clips I recorded together in a continuous song.  The camera angle stays the same except for the end, but all you really need is the audio anyway.  Although the audio is slightly tinny due to the quality of the camera(s) used.

Regardless, I have pretty much finished the video, and I hope to put up this week.  It is an 8:00 minute video, including a title at the beginning.  I cut between all the clips, and I also cut out 5-6 obvious errors that I re-recorded (however, it is still not perfect).  I am generally pleased with the final product.

Project Update 11/27/11

This is pretty much a wrap-up of everything I did over the five day weekend.  On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, I practiced the whole piece twice each day.  (Yes, I took Thanksgiving off).  So, on Saturday, I recorded the music. 

I recorded it using a small video camera on a tripod looking at the 'profile' of the piano, so you can see half of my face, the side view of the trumpet, and all of the keys (I angled the camera a little).  It took 4-6 takes, as each take was about three pages (don't know how many minutes) of music; I stopped in between each take to empty my spit, turn pages, etc.  For one of the takes, I also took a different angle with my digital camera, so you can see the piano keys better.  

Now all I need to do is upload it to the computer and edit it into one continuous string.  I am also going to edit out two mistakes that I immediately 're-performed' in the video (but it still won't be perfect). The only thing I'm not sure about is the sound quality-I did not use professional equipment, the trumpet already sounded bad because I was playing directly into the piano, and the piano/trumpet have different volumes that might not have blended well.  

I'll get the video up as soon as I have time to upload and edit it (I have to buy an adapter to get the video from the camera to the computer). 

Google Day Five (Update 11/14/11)

This fifth Google day was definitely my most productive Google day yet.  I managed to get the piano in the auditorium, and I had it pretty much the whole time. I was able to play through my piece 3 times today.  There are certainly stronger parts than others, but I am ready to start videotaping it.

I plan to tape it at home, and, like I've said before, I will probably have a number of cuts in between so that I can turn pages (the music is 11 pages), empty my spit valve, etc.  I don't think my little finger is as much of a problem (when it comes to resting the weight of the trumpet on it) anymore, as it's resistance has been built up. See, there's something good already: my smallest finger has gotten stronger. That's the sign of any good project (this is sarcasm, for those who can't tell).  But, nonetheless, I am actually pretty excited to see how my final project will turn out.

Project Update 11/7/11

At this point, I am pretty much ready to record my project.  I think I will record it in groups of three pages and edit it so it flows smoothly.  I've got it to an acceptable tempo (for the one really fast 32-note+ part I decided to to 'falls' from the first note - where I hit the note and then chromatic down quickly w/a decrescendo). 

The biggest problem I am having is fingering, now that I've got it up to tempo.  I can finger the slow parts fine on the trumpet, but since I am holding it with one hand and pushing the valves down with the middle part of my fingers, fast parts sound a bit sloppy.  I'm working on those as best I can, although they may just be more staccato as my tongue will cover up my finger movement. 

Finally, I'm not sure of the best way to record it. I could just do it from one angle, but I think that I am going to move the camera around when I turn pages to make it a little more interesting.  It'll also be good to re-familiarize myself with iMovie '11. 

Google Day Four (Update 10/31/11)

Today was our fourth Google day.  It was definitely more productive for me than the last one, because I managed to get some time on the piano in the auditorium.  I played it through once there, and then someone else needed the piano, so I played the trumpet part again once without the piano (which was great-the auditorium sounds awesome in terms of acoustics and echo if you can hear yourself play). 

Then I came back the band room, as the choir needed the auditorium.  I played the whole piece again with the keyboard in the corner practice room.  This time, I just adjusted to the shorter range by only playing the top note of some of the lower octaves.  When I finished that, I realized I had pulled my back because I had been holding my trumpet with one hand, hunched over the keyboard, so long.  

I have definitely made progress, and I plan to start recording the video presentation this month.  I'm going to capitalize on those extra weekend days, because it's no-school November.

In unrelated news to Google Day four, I figured that I would upload a snipped of what the music I am playing off of looks like.  The pencil is my transposition of the left-hand piano part (transposed down a step).

Google Day Three (Update 10/19/11)

In case you didn't read the title: today was our third Google day.  At this point, I think the Google day's aren't as helpful for me as they are for other people, because I am used to the piano I have at home (so an electric keyboard that is missing an octave takes some adjustment).  

However, I still managed to get some good work done-I've pretty much got the whole trumpet part of the song performance-ready, save two really speed and note intense parts I'm not sure if I will include or not.  The hardest part is definitely putting that together with the piano and making it sound good (although the pedal that sustains the notes is certainly a big help).

Project Update 10/16/11

It's been a little while, so I figured I'd better update this blog. 

Since Google Day Two I have had my music transposed, and since then I have managed to find time to practice the song once for 7 days (last fri-sun, this thur-sun).  It takes me about 20 minutes to go through the song at my current tempo and ability, with no repeats, which I'm sure will improve (or at least hope will improve-the actual song, with repeats, is around 8 minutes).

The parts I have managed to bring up to speed sound pretty good.  As for some of the instrumental parts, I took them down an octave (from the second G above the staff to the first), but I may end up just skipping that section.  Otherwise, I'll need to spend hours practicing those twenty-five note riffs.  

My right hand is getting more used to playing the trumpet alone, but I'm not sure if that is good or bad.  Also, I noticed if you have your foot on the sustaining pedal of a piano, don't play any notes, and then play a note on the trumpet, the corresponding string vibrates softly. 

Google Day Two (Update 10/5/11)

Today was our second Google day in band. I spent the time in one of the practice rooms, where it was quiet (save one violin), and I finished transposing my music.  For that last four pages, I saved a lot of time by just writing one note over the measure, because the whole part was a bunch of high-low octave sixteenth notes. 

I also played through the song once on trumpet.  The hardest parts are going to be the piano riffs that are written with sixteenth, thirty-second, and sixty-fourth notes.  I may have to slow those down slightly, because I'm not sure if it is physically possible for me to finger that fast holding the trumpet with only one hand.  I tried playing with a recording of the song as well, but I stopped because I realized that I had transposed my piece down a key, so it was one key off and thus sounded bad with the recording.

Project Update 10/1/11

I've been pretty busy these past few weeks, but I've managed to transpose about 6 pages of the left-hand piano part (the song is 11 pages). For the first four/five, I re-wrote the part on paper with musical staffs and then cut that up and taped it over where the notes were originally.

However, since the part of the song I am working on now has a bunch of eighth note alternating octave notes (high f low f high f low f etc.) I'm just writing the new note (f's become e flats) at the beginning of the measure, which saves a lot of time.

As far as the Trumpet part goes, there is really not much that needs to be done.  The majority of the notes are between low #F and high B.  However, this was one section that transcended three octaves (not a part that was sung, but during an instrumental break), so I took it down an octave (of course, because it started on the 2nd G above the staff) and am fooling around with making it sound about the same.  

Also, I am changing up a few chords/riffs from the original music, because when the left hand plays one thing, the right (piano) part has a second part, and a third part is sung (I'm playing the sung part on trumpet), I have to drop a part.  I am experimenting to see what sounds the best.

Day One (Update 9/19/11)

I started my Google Band Project today.  So far, I have transposed about two pages of the piano left-hand part of "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant."  I also started this blog and explained the project.

Project Overview

For my Google Project in Band, I will be attempting to play both the piano and trumpet at the same time.

I am currently (although it may change) choosing to use the song "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel because of its melody line (the part I'll play on trumpet) doesn't have many chords and the song has many different sections that give a range of tempos.  

To accomplish this 'duet', I am taking the left-hand piano part of the song and transposing it down a whole step, which allows me to play the published melody line on trumpet and be in the same key.  Thus, I will be playing trumpet with my right hand and piano with my left.

Currently, for my final performance, I am planning on videotaping this feat and posting it to the blog.  I would rather videotape it than perform it live as after a few minutes it becomes difficult to hold the trumpet on only my right hand while playing piano and using the valves.  With a video, I can edit the piece so it is one continuous song.