Combining Old with New

You may know that recently I've been more focused on Dei Gratia, the worship duo that I am involved with, and not only that but I've started college to study Music, Music Tech, Performing Arts and French which means that I seem to be permanently plugged into some classical, baroque or opera music and I actually just finished a three hour study session listening to Bizet's Carmen.

In case you haven't realized from that summary of my shenanigans, all of this means that for the next few years I have to focus more on my classical playing; violin and singing, as opposed to my jazz/acoustic/folk etc. It doesn't mean that I'll be stopping! It just means that I may be here and there for a while. Aiming for music college requires a lot of dedication and I have to really put that in now.

However, let's just say I have some surprises planned :P
Keep a look out for me here and there...

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Galtres Festival 2012

The other weekend I endured the joy of sleeping two people to a one man tent and wrecking my back purely because it was my favourite time of the family year. No, I don't mean my birthday - that was two weeks ago. I mean that it was time for the best family outing I get every year, to the Galtres festival. This particular festival seems to be the only one where I can find decent vegetarian take-out food, but the food isn't all, only just a bonus.

Galtres has so much going on for family; unusual things - unless jousting and falconry are something you see everyday, a jam packed programme of workshops and entertainment for both children and adults as well as fantastic bands playing, which often introduces me to those I didn't know of before. If it wasn't for Galtres, I may never have even discovered Blackbeard's Tea Party.

I have to say, I was sad to see the Angel Gardens not there this year since I had a bet on with 'the Poi lady' that this year we'd have a spin off but busking, bands and the 'gyspy' gypsy tent kept me well occupied and entertained.

As far as acts go, there were some fantastic ones. Feeds, Ellen and the Escapades, The Happy Endings, Victoria Hume and Bootscraper are definite recommendations, and also Sarah Horn & James Cudworth who were in The Undecided last year absolutely captivated everybody with their fabulous folk music. Unfortunately for them, the paragliding photographer was making a distraction of himself whilst they played, but what else do you expect from this festival really?

I did enjoy all of the headline acts, apart from Adam Ant who I listened to for five minutes before deciding that I'm probably not the right age and don't have the right tastes to even begin to quite understand the appeal. (Sorry to any fans reading this!)

The highlight of Galtres for me was undoubtedly Ellen and the Escapades. I've been following them on Twitter for a while, but hadn't realized they were playing so I was quite surprised when I did and went to see them. Four words: vocally and instrumentally flawless.

One thing I've learnt though is that I'm starting to turn into a music snob, tearing other people's vocal technique apart in my head when in reality I have no right because I make the same mistakes. This doesn't bode well. I must switch off the Maureen Hunter voice from my head.

Anyway, until next year Galtres!

Click here for information about the festival.

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Spring Cleaning My Whole Life

"Why on earth do I have so much stuff?" I asked myself only after I'd pulled out the entire contents of my wardrobe. I don't think I realized that my hoarding habit had got quite that ridiculous until then. I mean, it was so bad that I was shocked not to find mini lost Amazonian tribes in there in their own little mini world.

This week is my designated 'spring clean' because lo and behold, my 16th birthday arrives this Thursday and I want to clear out the shit of school and my past and have a new, fresh start. New college, new friends, being discharged from the CAHMS system, a fresher room and a new me is exactly what I need, and exactly what I'm making happen.

I'm going to explain some of my story today, which is a tender subject, but hopefully it'll help you to understand my music and my outlook more, and just how much it means to me that some people like my music.

Basically, I've always had troubles when it came to people and being accepted. In primary school I was always 'the fat one',  and in secondary school I was always too 'weird' to be seen with. I studied hard, I dressed flamboyantly, I loved all sorts of unusual things compared to other people, and I hated most things that were 'in'. And obviously because of the way people treated me, spoke about me, the physical trials they put me through and also other factors which made me wary of the opposite gender, I began to hate myself.
Understatement. I despised myself and I wanted to die so badly and there was nobody I could talk to. I'd pushed everybody who did care away and tried everything to cope with my feelings; various forms of self harm and trying to make myself perfect. But I don't want to dwell on the past now. I will blog about my eating disorder some other time in relation to the media and peer pressure, but not now. The point is, without having music and my online fandoms to help me, I probably wouldn't be here. Being in and out of counselling never really helped me, and school was shit at doing anything until the final year.

Anyway, the important thing now is to wake up every morning and thank God that he led me back to him after I lost all belief, hope, and general understanding of myself and be damn proud of myself for getting through it all. Even just 6 months ago, when I first attempted to become Astrid-Gwynedd I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel and now I'm here. Okay, I still have some quite horrendous days and I am still on medication, but that's to be expected. The difference though, is incredible. I've learnt that although I may not be the most talented, intelligent or beautiful girl, and I may have quite a few extra pounds around my waist from binge eating due to stress, but what does it matter? I finally accept that I have a right to be just as happy as the next person, and if I want to be then I shouldn't care about these things. My unusual tastes make me more cultured, my looks don't matter compared to my nature and as long as I enjoy my hobbies that's all that matters.

And you know the ironic thing? I have more friends at college than any of those people who gave me problems at school.

I'd like to finish off this post by making a plea to anybody out there who feels victimized, worthless and suicidal. Tell somebody. Tell somebody who can do something. It's so difficult, but if you can talk about the way you feel then you're on the first step to finding your light and coming out of the darkness. Even if you want somebody else to do it for you and 'notice' to prove they care, you have to be the one to do it. You're the one in control, and you really are in control. One day, it could be you having come out of it all, stronger and better than the people who dragged you down and you're not alone. You never will truly be alone. Just remember how incredibly brave and amazing you are.

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Things That Bemuse Me #5: The Hipster and The Pastel Hair Craze

Don't get me wrong, I love pastel hair, I really do. See my picture of my poor fading hair below. I dip dyed my hair pink because it was something that I've wanted to do from the age of 6.

However, what I can't understand is how now that I've left school and it's no longer against the rules, it's been gradually becoming the fashion for the last year. I'm no hipster, but I hate being 'mainstream' and the same as everybody else purely because I feel like I want to express who I am and if that becomes fashion then people will look at me as if I'm a mindless clone, or a sheep who just goes along with the herd. This is not true to my personality or intention. However, I do undeniably have pastel passion from my days of being lolita so anybody who has pastel coloured hair is +100 on my respect list. 

Anyway, my rant was not supposed to be about how people perceive me, it was supposed to be an online rambling about a quandry which has been perplexing me for quite some time now, and I would love for somebody to discuss and perhaps enlighten me to the answer.

In English, I mean 'who the heck started this?!'

My guess is that it stems from Tumblr girls, because let's face it, the famous ones are hipster. Here is a step by step guide to my current theory:

1. Hipsters on Tumblr.

2. Non-hipsters join Tumblr and follow hipsters.

3. They realize that hipsters look pretty darn cool and draw 'inspiration'
4. They end up looking exactly like a hipster.
5. Non Tumblr people see these Tumblr people who are half-hipster, see so many, copy, and it becomes in fashion.

I don't doubt that celebrities have done it also, it's just to me everybody nowadays looks hipster, just not all have the attitude. Honestly, if you're going to be hipster, why not just act it too?

Note: Yes, I do think most hipsters have an incredible dress sense and I would wear similar things if I wouldn't find it utter hypocrisy and  a walking oxymoron.

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Music, Antics and World Domination

I caught up with the incredible York based folk band - Blackbeard's Tea Party, and asked them a few questions regarding performing as a group, plans for world domination and tips for those who want to busk.

+ How did you get together and form Blackbeard’s Tea Party?
The six of us were just knocking about in York with not much to do, playing in different bands for fun and busking together to earn some pocket-money. When we realised the six of us had some chemistry and were creating a bit of a following, we decided we ought to take it seriously. So, we went to a pub together and agreed we wouldn’t leave until the band had a name. When we stumbled out several hours later, we were Blackbeard’s Tea Party.

+ Did you all always aspire to be musicians, or did you have other plans?
We have always aspired to take over the world. Music is just a front.

+ What would you say is the best thing about your style of music?
Our style of music is hard to pin down. It’s a bit crazy, with elements of folk, rock, pop, world, gypsy, punk etc etc. The six of us each have very different tastes. Throw that into a pot and you get a very distinct sound. I think what sets us apart the most though is our energy and stage antics.

+ When it comes to arranging folk tunes, do you often have very different views on how something should sound or are you all roughly on the same wavelength?

We’re usually on totally different wavelengths! We spend hours and hours arguing – urm, I mean, ‘discussing’ – the tiniest section of one person’s part in a tune or song. We call these discussions “unspecified faffing time”.

But that’s all just par for the course. When the six of us are coming from such varied musical backgrounds we can’t all expect to agree all of the time. We respect each other’s musicianship enough to know that arranging has to be a democratic process. And from that compromise comes our unique sound.

+ What do you think is the most important thing to remember when you are performing live?
Enjoy yourself and give it some beans! We see so many buskers – and even bands on stage – who just look like they’re not excited to be there, or aren’t involved in what they’re playing.

+ At what kind of venues do you prefer to perform?
We’ll play anywhere! In a massive festival tent or a shed in someone’s garden. Because we have such a heavy, electric sound we go down well in the kind of venue where a mosh pit might get going. But of course, we’ve got a great following on the folk circuit, so we’re well seasoned in playing for a more restrained crowd too.

+ Can you offer any tips for busking?
Each town has different rules, so make sure you check them out beforehand – you can sometimes find them on different council’s websites. You might need a license to busk, and there may be places where busking is restricted.

Stay friendly with other buskers. Agree to share spots if there is high demand, and see if they can share tips about the best places to busk.

Bounce around and don’t be afraid to make a spectacle of yourself!

+ Do shopkeepers generally react well to your music?
Some love it, but some hate it. From time to time shopkeepers ask us to move on. But usually we stay polite, smile and charm them into changing their minds.

+ I read briefly about your encounter back in September, how you all cornered down the thief in Marks and Spencer’s, can you explain about what happened, and how (if at all) has it affected your view to the people who pass by you?
It was a sweltering summer’s day. The sun was high in the sky. There we were, innocently selling our wares, when all of a sudden a young scamp rushed past, snatched a couple of notes from our pot, and dashed off into Marks and Spencer’s.

The boys heroically ran after him bellowing cries of ‘STOP THIEF!’ while Laura held our ground, boldly playing through the drama. The boys managed to corner the vagabond in the lingerie aisle and tackled him to the ground. We managed to restrain the thief until the police made it to the scene. Ever since, we’ve been busking by day, and fighting crime by night.

We don’t worry too much about it happening again. Dave’s pretty big and scary looking, so most people don’t mess.

+ Any up-and-coming events planned?
We’ve got a really busy summer ahead of us playing 12 folk festivals, including Shrewsbury, Sidmouth and Cambridge. We’ve also got a couple ore gigs coming up in York – a free gig in the Fulford Arms on 31st August, as well as a Halloween party on 31st October where we promise a few spooky suprises. Our website has details of all our upcoming gigs.

+ Where do you think you’ll be as a group in the future?
In the next five years, we expect to have:
1. An on-stage gospel choir.
2. A pyrotechnic budget.
3. Our own TV show.
4. A seat in parliament.

Thank you to Blackbeard's Tea Party for answering my questions. If you want to find out more about Blackbeard's, here are links to their Facebook, Twitter and website.

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I can't be bothered to practice! - 5 Useful Tips On Motivation

For some people instrument practice can be such a drag, especially for classically trained musicians. Scales, arpeggios, dominant and diminished sevenths, and if you're a lucky string player, octave scales and sixth scales etc. Practicing all of those theoretically vital gifts from the devil is generally enough to make you want to scream and definitely not pick up an instrument. Plus, even practicing pieces and tunes a musician of any level can go through a dry spell.

I've put some thought into my 10 years of musical experience and I've come up with a list of things that one can do to keep themselves motivated to play even dreary, boring things on an instrument.

1. Think about your goals on your instrument.
Not everybody wants to be a pro. In fact, many people take up an instrument purely for points to get into university. Evaluating what you actually want to get out of playing is a big help for time management. For example - is it vital that you practice scales for two hours every day, or can you give yourself a little bit of a breather? Some people say that you can never do too much practice, but I don't think that this is true. I have learnt from experience that over-practicing can lead to this dry spell and also to stress and anxiety relating to performance.

2. Stop practicing in big chunks!
Anything that you learn from practice needs to be retained in your long term memory. The chances are, if you are practicing solely for hours on end, you are not going to remember much from the beginning of your practice, you are going to get stressed and most likely agitated when things don't go your way. It works for some people, but not all. My teacher has always told me that short practices multiple times a day are the best, and I can honestly say that I believe this to be true. Half an hour here and there can soon add up to hours of practice without making you feel tired of playing.

3. Make a rough timetable.
Planning when you will practice what is a great idea to keep you on track. For example; certain scales and on certain days, or certain studies and techniques. For me, I like to practice all my scales and arpeggios earlier in the morning, my studies mid morning, my ukulele and vocals in the afternoon (both classically and jazz), and and other pieces for exams etc. in the evening.

4. Watch an inspirational video of a pro.
Needless to say, this is a very good way of motivating yourself if you wish to be just as good as them. Better, even. Always tell yourself that if you keep practicing you could become the best player in the world, and somebody that your muse looks up to, even. For me, I always find Mayuko Kamio's competition video from Tchaikovsky International makes me want to pick up my violin.

5. Give yourself a break.
If you've been working hard and find it impossible to motivate yourself, maybe you just need a break. Taking a day or two away from practice not only gives you space to breathe, relax and do what you want, but also can highlight the things that you are weaker on when you come back to practice, showing you what to work harder on. However, make sure to keep listening to music, as it might just motivate you to want to play.

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Things That Bemuse Me #4: Contests, concerts, technology. No instruments?

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My showcase weekend is over, my college trial is finished, Music For Youth is done, only the tour to Berlin and Galtres festival left before September now. I'm planning on getting some charity work done at some point though, and maybe losing 20lbs, but other than that, I actually have free time now.

As you'd probably guess by the title, my showcase went well and I won three medals. Two bronze for dance, and my gold for singing. But, it was a shame really when I came to play because I was the only competitor who was playing an instrument, everybody else was using a backing track. Now, I think this gave me a bigger chance in the contest as I was different which *cough* of course isn't a bad thing, but it made me think about musicianship today and that kind of put a downer on my mood.

Something I'm aware of is that many people nowadays are lazy. They do whatever they can get out of doing a lot of things which might cause them to have to think or work. When I asked the other competitors if they played an instrument, only three out of the twelve said yes. When I asked those who had said no why, they replied 'I don't have the patience', and 'I did for a bit but then I gave up because I couldn't do it'. Those are things I just don't understand. I could understand if they had said it was because they would rather have done something else, but to say 'can't' and 'don't have the patience' is just the equivalent of 'I can't be bothered'.

Then I wonder, are they just drawing inspiration from shows like X Factor, where they prefer contestants to not play their instruments? When I asked the girls who did play instruments why they didn't play them to perform, they just said that it was easier to use a backing track. Does this show influence, laziness, or lack of confidence? Maybe it shows all three, but I personally feel that it's very much along the lines of 'oh we'll get rich and famous by chance and it'll be easy', which is what people often seem to think. The idea of having to work for that seems alien because of Youtube Stars and Televised Talent Contests. 

It's ironic really that I should be blogging about this subject, as since college I have decided upon taking Music Technology too, and had three trial lessons. Something I remember distinctly was my teacher telling us a story about the times before technology when Bach walked 250 miles to hear a recital by Buxtehude in Lubeck. That showed either that he was a super intelligent madman, or dedicated to his art. Let's go with the latter. The questions that I am mulling over here are these: Is technology used in performance making people lazy, and are live instrument-playing artists going to fade away in mainstream culture?

Note: I do not disagree with the use of technology. Wouldn't is be hypocritical of me to have a blog and disapprove of using a computer? 

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Long Time No See

Apologies for my lack of posting recently. I will get back into regular habit. My life has been super hectic what with Year 11 GCSE exams, but I'll soon be finished. Just one more left to go!

This weekend is going to be packed with my Dance School showcase too, with me doing a ballet performance on Saturday and selling tickets on the door to help get people in afterwards. Sunday, I'll be doing a Mime piece and also a Hip-Hop piece before I perform Paloma Faith's Upside Down acoustic. If you fancy a laugh it's on at The Hive, Manor High School in York. We're having just a general showcase of our classwork and a bit more, set out like a competition. It should be... interesting, for sure.

So yes, I've practically left school now and I have a tonne of new material to get recorded. Stay tuned for that!

On another side, I've had some more good news. I no longer need to visit my doctor and be weighed every two weeks. For those of you who don't know, I struggled with anorexia and then what was labeled binge eating disorder, and now I've put all my weight back on, but I'm much healthier. Still involved with CAMHS, but one step at a time. I've realized how much happier I've become and I just want to stay this way, enjoying my life, making music, and loving God.

Thanks for reading this long, rambling, useless post.
God bless!

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Artist Profile: Yucca Rose

Name: Yucca Rose
Country: Indonesia
Instrument: Vocals
Genre: Jazz
Facebook | Twitter | Reverbnation
Previously singing with Major Seventh, this exquisite artist and vocalist from Jakarta, Indonesia cannot help but capture your heart. Her voice is beautifully smooth and peaceful, yet raw and full of emotion. On her Reverbnation you will find many examples of her singing also in English.

Not only is Yucca one of the truly most talented people I know online, she is also one of the loveliest. She has her own label, and she was the first fan I had on my Reverbnation. I highly recommend listening to her if you enjoy smooth jazz.

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Music Is My Relief

If I tell you I have a difficult week this week, I really mean it. I'm 15 so GCSE's are hitting me hard right now. I'm struggling to find the time to do anything. At least I know that I'll be out of school completely in four weeks, never ever to return.

The thing is, I'm bad at studying like many teenagers. I find it so difficult to get my head around the idea of sitting for long periods of time to learn. My mind races and I lose track too quickly. I swear that right now my life consists of studying, prayer and music. There's a lot of pressure on me to get my grades, since I want to obviously go to college and then study music at a conservatoire. I have a 'conditional' place at a college for next year, to study Performing Arts, Music and French, but I need the grades.

Perhaps this is just useless rambling, I just felt the need to vent somewhere and as today is my personal update day, I figured that I would do it here, in the hopes that if people think of me there might be a chance of me at least passing my subjects. For this random post, I do apologize.

To let you know what is up-and-coming:
-My choir tour to Venice!
-PledgeMusic campaign
-New covers (I'm taking requests if you have any)
-Interview with Blackbeard's Tea Party, right here.

Until next week's ramble, I assure you that this blog will be free from my venting, or personal life.
Adieu!

Things That Bemuse Me #3: The Messy Bird's Nest Bun

Every day when I'm going to school, this girl walks past. She's a Year 8 and she's pretty. Yet, I can't help myself from laughing whenever I see her. The thing is, she's followed fashion. She's jumped on the bandwagon, along with many other girls, and decided to wear her hair up in a giant messy bun.

The above image demonstrates a more classy version of what this girl I see looks like.

I can understand the image, as it is couture fashion which has it's place. What I can't understand are the girls who think it looks good to put their hair right up on the top of their head and sleep with it like that for a month. Isn't that just gross? So, aside from looking like 18th Century French prostitutes, they look like tramps. How exactly is that supposed to be hot?

Not going to lie, the messy bun can be a very classy thing when done nicely. But I just can't understand why girls want to pile it up on top of their heads and back-comb it until it is three quarters of the size of their torso. It just doesn't make sense and it's not attractive. 

I can't say that I'm a Selena Gomez fan, but her hair is honestly so much better than this trampy, disgusting look that people are wearing right now. If more people tried to look more presentable, clean, educated and refined, as opposed to women who try to make themselves look like the picture below, then modern day life would be so much more innocent and possibly so much happier too.

Katie Price : The role model of too many young girls.

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Blog Timetable #1

In order for this whole blogging thing to work, I have decided to create a schedule. Fair enough, isn't it?

Monday: Astrid-Gwynedd Updates/Personal Musical Rambling
Tuesday: Artist Profile
Thursday: Things That Bemuse Me (series)
Friday: Highlight of the Week

Also, I'm hoping that I may perhaps score a few interviews with bands/artists so stay tuned.

Things that Bemuse Me #2: The Busker and his Stingy Audience

Busking is something that most musicians do at some point - be it for experience, pleasure, or the money. Personally, I think that walking through streets in iconic towns and cities such as York or Beverley without being surrounded by music would be the end of the world.

 

© chrisjohnbeckett at Flickr

Sadly, in many places, especially Hull, people don't stop to reward the musicians, but instead just walk straight by. We've really got to the world where many people are too busy to even stop for even one moment to listen properly and admire good musicianship. Would it kill people to just throw in 50p, or even less if they don't have that much on them? Even person walking by gave the musician busking even 10p it would at least be something.

For me, I almost always give any busker I see some money, and usually at least £1. Quite often, if they're selling CD's I buy those too, just to show support for local artists. It shocks me to see how many people don't.

The other day I was out with a friend, and after walking past a hipster playing the guitar he turned to me and said, 'I didn't personally give him money because his strum pattern is rubbish'. Despite the fact that this friend of mine is a guitarist, I couldn't help but feel saddened by the fact that it has come down to such a trivial matter. As we walked down that street, at least 40 others passed the boy, and not a single person stopped to listen.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who do give money. It's just personally I feel that especially where I live, buskers are frowned upon.

Why do people behave like this towards street musicians?

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Things that Bemuse Me #1: The oxymoron that is... The Hipster

Everywhere I go I see wannabe hipsters, and it annoys the hell out of me. Not going to lie, I love how they dress, but what annoys me is that they look practically identical.

©Neil.sadler Flickr
If I am not mistaken, the whole point of being 'hipster' is to be different to everybody else - not 'mainstream'. In a way, I agree. I mean ew, who would want to be a mainstream skin-ginger-slag? The problem is though, they try to look different by looking the same. Baggy trousers, smart shoes, flattering tops shaped loosely, statement jewellery, 'unusual' died hair, piercings, hats, big glasses etc. This is not being 'different'. Not if every hipster looks like this.

Another thing that the stereotypical hipster does is look for music and hobbies that aren't 'mainstream'. For example bringing back the awesomeness that is reading, and searching out indie bands that 'nobody' knows. The problem being that all most of the hipsters listen to these bands, and therefore they cannot say that nobody knows them.

To clear one thing, I have no issue with hipsters. If you want to dress/act like that, what business is it of mine? Hell, pastel hair and piercings unf. I just feel like people take themselves far too seriously, and for what reason? Life is fun, enjoy living like an oxymoron, just understand that you are, indeed, making things mainstream.

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Artist Profile: Thisbe Vos

I sincerely apologise for the delay, things have been more than a little hectic, but I shall be coming up with a structured posting schedule soon.

Name: Thisbe Vos
Country: USA
Instrument: Vocals
Genre: Jazz
Facebook | Twitter | Website


The soothing vocals of Thisbe Vos leave you captivated and needing to hear more. Her voice is graceful yet raw and flawless, with a gorgeous tone to her voice that is similarly found in the jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald. This is hardly surprizing, as it is stated on her website that she draws her inspiration from her.

I can honestly say that she is one of the most incredible jazz singers in the modern times, most definitely in my favourites. Her voice is full of emotion and she showcases the songs perfectly. I have even dropped a tear or two listening to her, and that means something. If you love trad jazz, you should most definitely check her out. In fact, scrap that. Even if you don't like jazz, her performances will surely make you a fan. You're a fool if you don't go and listen.

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'Wipe the mark of madness from my face~'

Tomorrow I will have a lovely artist profile on Thisbe Vos for you, but for now all I shall do is ramble slightly. Like I said, this blog documents my musical journey, so therefore I'm allowed to ramble.

Well, I think one could safely say that yesterday was the best day of my life, despite the fact that I actually 'forgot' to sleep the night before. I say 'forgot' but really it was just my insomnia, and in fact I spent the whole night on twitter which is never healthy. But anyway, I was happy because I got mention from the Filipina singer Sitti who is like an idol to me. Everybody has an artist or maybe even more who they aspire to be like because it's part of your musical persona, how you learn your tastes and styles, and for me that is her.

The second fabulous part was that I became number 1 locally in the jazz charts, with my song 'Your Only One'. Obviously, this is a big achievement considering who I am and what I've been through.

Anyway, I'm currently working on some more songs which I'll upload very soon, and I have some small gigs locally so things are great in that department.

If you'd like me to review your music or and do an artist profile of you please feel free to comment.

As a final note, I'm working on getting my Facebook profile smartened and more full of content, feel free to take a look: http://facebook.com/AstridGwynedd

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Sick Days

As you possibly know, I've been out of action with the flu and a nasty throat infection for the last two weeks, (hence my frequent blogging). Now, obviously this has been a downer on my music-making abilities, and I've been falling behind with my request list of covers. However, I've found that it has almost also been quite useful.

Instead of just lazing around for the full two weeks, I put my time to use and I listened to some of my roughs, my covers, and of course Your Only One. Not to say that I didn't laze around, I did *cough* watch all of season 6 and 7 of NCIS, but I listened back on these old things and I wrote feedback on each one. First, I wrote things that I liked about my songs, as my violin teacher always taught me to look first at the positive things because every performance, even if sung by somebody who has the voice of a strangled cat, has to have one positive thing about it. Then, I wrote everything I didn't like about it and everything I want to work on for live performances and recordings. For example, I hate my pronunciation of the word 'my'.

It may seem stupid, but little things like that often get forgotten and can make all the difference. I've realized that there is a lot I want to work on both vocally and instrumentally, and I know that if I focus on those specific areas, my recording and performance will become much better.

After I'd finished my self evaluation, which I kid you not, took me HOURS, I asked my brother to do an evaluation. Now, obviously I wasn't going to ask him to do it in the same depth, but I just asked him to pick out one thing that he liked and one thing that he didn't about each song, to see if we had chosen the same areas or if he spotted something entirely different. Of course, people have different musical tastes and biases and levels of training - I mean, my brother is classically trained like myself but loves electronic game music. This will only broaden your understanding of how people interpret you as an artist though, and while you might not necessarily agree with what they say, it won't harm you to know. I highly recommend doing this as it can certainly produced a much more polished, professional sound.

As a bonus, I'll tell you since I got my voice back, I did record this. You can hear an example of my strange 'my'.

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Artist Profile: Ayesha Pike

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Name: Ayesha Pike

Country: England

Instrument: Vocals

Genres: Jazz, Soul

Reverbnation

With effortlessly smooth vocals, this London-born vocalist has to have one of the most beautiful recording voices that I've ever heard. Superbly developed and flawless, her voice captivates and soothes you. 

She went to the BRIT school, known for training talents such as Amy Whinehouse, Adele, Jessie J. and Imogen Heap. She has a music degree, and is currently studying for a Masters in Jazz Performance. This girl is pure talent, and when I came across her Reverbnation profile, I was blown away. I could not believe that she had so few song plays, and so few fans. Hence, I had to do a profile for her. If you do one thing to day, make it be to listen to her fabulous music.

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Songwriting: Which approach to take?

People often ask me how I write songs and if I can teach them how to write their own. The simple answer is no, I can't. Songwriting is unique to each individual person. There will be many books and articles out there on how to write the 'perfect' song, but honestly? It's mostly complete rubbish. There is no single way to write a song every time. 

There are methods out there that say you should take a theme and write as many words as you can think of about this theme on a piece of paper before beginning. Some people do find it easier to do this, and then begin to figure their song out from there, but it is not always necessary.

One method can be to choose the title first. But then, you have to be sure that it is a title that means something to you. Writing songs for songwriting's sake is never going to make a good song. Good songs should touch people, and mean something to yourself so that you enjoy performing them. My song Your Only One was written in this way. I was sitting there, feeling sorry for myself and wishing I meant everything to somebody, when suddenly I thought 'screw this, I don't need anybody, I need music!'. So, I took out the ol' uke and sat down. I messed around singing and trying to find a chord progression that fitted with the tune and suddenly a song was born. 

In general, this is my preferred way of songwriting despite the fact that it has no structure. However, I have also used other methods, such as creating the instrumental part totally before the lyrics. This works because you can create a perfectly theoretically structured piece of music to mold your lyrics around. Helpful, because the music can serve as a huge source of inspiration as to the mood and theme of the words you choose.

There are many other ways that people use too. Sometimes the inspiration just hits you, and you can just write it straight out. Some songs totally write themselves. They key is, not to necessarily take a scientific approach to it. If you do that, your music will most likely be boring. Experiment, let the music flow through you. Often, I pick up my instrument and record me just randomly jamming and singing any lines that come into my head. Of course, this leaves me with recordings of nonsense, but they are like little pots of gold. Each of them has some line in that I can use somewhere, and often more than one. Just experiment, and see what you come up with. 

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Band Profile: Blackbeard's Tea Party

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Members: Dave Boston, Laura Barber, Martin Coumbe, Stuart Giddens, Tim Yates & Yom Hardy
Country: England
Hometown: York
Genres: Folk Rock /Folk/ Ceilidh
Facebook | Twitter | Myspace | Website | Soundcloud

Naturally I'm fond of this band because they're based in Yorkshire, but they happen to be fantastic too. I own both of their albums, have seen them live, and have a T-shirt. Yes I'm really that much of a fan. Anyway, I saw their performance at the Galtres Festival 2011 and I basically fell in love. As a violinist, Laura's performance inspired me completely. Even to non-players, jumping up and down whilst singing and playing long strings of never-ending quavers is certainly something interesting to watch. The interpretations of the traditional tunes are perfect, and fused with a bit of rock is certainly enough to make anybody want to dance. Out of all the bands that played at Galtres, I believed them to be the best. Their stage presence was electrifying.

They are available for events and of course, ceilidhs, and can form a smaller unit if necessary to accommodate whichever event or gig they are playing. Altogether they are a flexible group, and full of energy and life. Perfect listening for those who enjoy a bit of folk music. I highly recommend their new album, Tomorrow We'll Be Sober, which is available on Itunes.

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Artist Profile: Paloma Faith

Note: I do not own this photograph. Copyright infringement not intended; to be used for the sole purpose of education

Name: Paloma Faith Blomfield
Country: England
Birthday: 21/7/1985
Instrument: Vocals
Genres: Jazz, Pop, Soul
Labels: Epic Records
Website | Twitter

A fabulous part Spanish/English singer bred in the south of England, Paloma did a BA in contemporary dance and an MA in theatre direction. She has had many jobs - an actress, magicians assistant, performer in burlesque shows and of course as a musician. Her vocals are passionate and strong, drawing inspiration from blues, soul and jazz singers, but with a distinctive Paloma touch.

She is undoubtedly an inspiration to me. The way that she combines different genres into something unique is simply breathtaking, as is her dress sense. She oozes glamour and sophistication, but yet has a touch of the Lady Gaga about her. Eccentric, definitely. All in all, she is a very talented and unique musician.

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FFS, not ANOTHER blog.

Yes, cyber space is swimming with these things. Places where random idiots can tell you about their miserable existance, or pathetic losers can try to 'instruct you' on how to make your life better. Well that's not what this is. This is my rambling space, yes, but it's not going to be patronizing or 'instructional'. I mean, flipping heck, there's nothing I could really instruct in if I tried. How to dress weirdly, maybe? How to be a sarcastic, opinionated person who thinks hipsters should be shot? No. There are many other people who do that better than me. However, I do need a place to vent at the ridiculous things in this world, so, here. I plan to document my *cough* rise to fame *cough* life journey and musical experience right here.

Maybe I should tell you a bit about myself? Hm, yeah. But then me, ew. Ew, me. Who would want to know me? Ew.

I'm known as Astrid-Gwynedd, a Jazz singer topping the Reverbnation charts in Hull, UK. Yes, I'm British and I Northern England FTW.  I'm Catholic and I believe that everybody in the world deserves to be treated equally regardless of skin colour, hair colour, religion or background - excluding ginger people and southerners :P

I like Classical music, Jpop, Jrock, a little Kpop, Jazz, Bossa Nova, Ska and Swing. I don't like Anime much, but I love Jdramas. Fashion wise, I like anything bright and unusual, japanese street fashions, goth fashion, basically anything that stands out a little.

So that's all you need to know about me. If you like me, read on. If you don't, please get the hell out of my web space.

*Please note, any hate I show against southerners is just a friendly joke. Currently, I am dating a half asian southerner, so obviously I am not a racist towards southerners.

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