What makes a successful ensemble?
An ensemble is a group of people who work and perform together and within bands usually they are a group of people who all have the same desires and aims to be the best they can be.
Being part of an ensemble requires you to have similar interests and goals, for example if you play an instrument at school or college and you find someone else who does its easy to form an ensemble. However that doesn't mean it will always be successful for example if you audition for a group you don't know if you are going to get along with the people in the group. That's why a lot of the time bands and ensembles are often formed through friends. Here are some more examples what makes a successful ensemble:
- Organization - In order to have a successful ensemble the group needs be organized with rehearsals and knowing when to learn certain pieces of music. Being friends with the people in the group already makes it easier to organize rehearsals because you're most likely to already be with them at weekends and during the week. Being organized and proffesional with venues can help a lot because it lets you build a strong reputation with the venue and means they will be more likely to recommend you to other venues.
- Cooperation and communication - Being able to communicate with your band members is vital because the better you can communicate the stronger your bond becomes with each other meaning your performances as a ensemble will be stronger
- Promotion - Promotion is also a key part of a successful ensemble because you need to able to promote yourself in the limelight to gain a larger following. A good way of doing this is through posters, clothing, accessories because it means that your fans can feel like they are part of you wearing a t shirt with your bands names on it.
- Rehearsals - Rehearsals are possibly the most key thing to a successful ensemble because without them you can't bond as a group and if you don't bond it can make your performances worse on stage and the audience can sense when a band doesn't work well together. Also if you don't rehearse consistently as a band it can mean that band members will lose interest and could result in them leaving the band also it could mean they forget songs an then on stage it means they will be more likely to make mistakes.
A good example of a successful ensemble is american band The Foo Fighters. The foo fighters formed in 1994.
The Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl
Grohl was born in Warren, Ohio, the son of Virginia Jean, a teacher, and James Harper Grohl, at the time a news writer. At the age of twelve, Grohl began learning to play guitar. He quickly grew tired of lessons and instead taught himself, and began playing in bands with friends.
in 1986 when he was 17 he joined a band called Scream. He had to lie about his to age to get in saying he was 20. In 1990 the band disbanded and Grohl contacted his friend Buzz Osbourne asking what he should do and Osbourne gave him the numbers of Kurt Cobain and Kris Novoselic who were in a band together called Nirvana. Grohl auditioned for their band and eventually joined them.
In 1994 Cobain died and the band split, Grohl decided to record a 15 track demo and it got interest from major record labels however Grohl didn't want to sign as a solo artist so he got touring nirvana guitarist Pat Smear to join him as well as two member from a disbanded band called William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel. Together they called themselves the Foo Fighters.
Taylor Hawkins
Hawkins was born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 17, 1972. His family moved to Laguna Beach, California in 1976. He attended Thurston Jr. High School and later went to Laguna Beach High School. After leaving the Orange County-based band Sylvia, he joined up as the drummer for Sass Jordan, which in turn he left to act as the drummer for Alanis Morissette.
In 1997 he auditioned for the foo fighters as their last drummer had left and ended up joining them just before their next albums release.
Nate Mendel
Nate Mendel was born on the 2nd December 1968, in Richland, a mid-sized city in southeast Washington. His first instrument was the violin. As at the age of 13, Mendel started to get interested in rock music and joining a band, a friend who played guitar suggested him to play bass guitar. Mendel stated that "as I picked up that bass guitar I went on a 20 year detour into punk", helped by his town usually having concerts of DIY punk bands such as Scream. This led to a "pretty limited musical education", as despite taking some lessons with a bassist from a local band, Mendel mostly taught himself to play, and "it was all hardcore punk rock, like Minor Threat, Black Flag and Bad Brains. Instead of studying the bass playing of someone like John Entwistle, which would have given me a foundation of how to play. I just wanted to play a lot of notes really fast."
After the band he was in called Sunny Day Real Estate disbanded in 1995, Mendel and Goldsmith were invited by Dave Grohl to join his band, the Foo Fighters in 1995. He has remained a band member ever since, being one of the only original members in the Foo Fighters current line-up along with Grohl and guitarist Pat Smear.
After the band he was in called Sunny Day Real Estate disbanded in 1995, Mendel and Goldsmith were invited by Dave Grohl to join his band, the Foo Fighters in 1995. He has remained a band member ever since, being one of the only original members in the Foo Fighters current line-up along with Grohl and guitarist Pat Smear.
Pat Smear
Georg Ruthenberg was born and raised in West Los Angeles, to a mother of African-American and Native American descent, and a German immigrant father. His parents forced him to take piano lessons at a young age, and a few years later, he began teaching himself to play guitar. He lists his influences as Joan Jett, Brian James, Brian May, and Steve Jones.Following Kurt Cobain's death, Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl formed a band to support his self-titled album, the first effort from the band which would become known as Foo Fighters. Smear joined the group from its inception, but because the band's first album was a collection of demos recorded solely by Grohl, Smear did not appear on a Foo Fighters album until 1997's The Color and the Shape.
Shiflett was born in Santa Barbara, California. When Shiflett was 11, he started learning how to play the guitar. He joined his first band by the time he reached the age of 14. Shiflett's first concert he attended was a performance by Dio during the tour for their album Holy Diver.
Shiflett was the resident lead guitarist for the San Francisco Bay Area punk rock band No Use for a Name, when a friend announced that Guns N' Roses was auditioning for a guitarist. Shiflett asked his friend to instead get him an audition for the Foo Fighters, that after recording There Is Nothing Left to Lose as a trio held open auditions to hire another guitarist. Dave Grohl said part of his motivation to hire Shiflett was that he had a history in the underground punk scene, including opening for Grohl's former band Scream as bassist of the group Rat Pack.
What makes The Foo Fighters a successful ensemble?
- The fact that Dave Grohl already had commercial success with Nirvana mean't that when he formed his own band The Foo Fighters, he didn't have as much of a problem trying to gets gigs or getting a record deal from labels. Also because he already a fan base he had the support from his fans to purchase his new music.
- The fact that Dave Grohl already knew Pat Smear because of Nirvana meant that when he asked him to form The foo Fighters he said yes because they were friends. This is a sign of a good ensemble because it shows they support each other.
- Hawkins struggled with addiction throughout the mid- to late 1990s, culminating with an overdose on painkillers in 2001 while on tour with Foo Fighters in London. Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl sat beside Hawkins' hospital bed until he woke up. This shows how close Grohl and Hawkins were. This can show that
- Even now they rehearse before shows, for example in a video it shows Hawkins drumming on a chair and the rest of the band pretending to play making sure they're getting their cues right.
- When it was just Dave Grohl the death of Kurt Cobain inspired him to form a new band and gather people he already knew to join the band. This was very helpful because Grohl was friends with them he could trust them that they would help him out in forming the new band.
Foo fighters rehearsing:
Above is a video showing the foo fighters during one of their rehearsals and as you can see they are still very professional with their approach because even though they are now a massive band they still realize the importance of rehearsing their songs and set list.
Dave Grohl interview:
Dave Grohl interview:
In the video above at about 00:35 Dave says he felt it was the first time him, Taylor and Nate bonded over writing a song. Even though you know the people you're playing writing songs can play a big part in getting closer with your band members which is key to making a successful ensemble.
Coming up with songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oojzmjJ3ugE
Above is a video on Dave half heartdly talking about writing 'hits' and from the video you can see that because Dave Grohl has been writing songs all his life that when he talks about writing songs now with some of them he likes to have fun with them and write them for people who want to dance This is a sign of being of a group you're comfortable with because you have the freedom to write any material you want to.
Early interviews of the band:
Above is a video on Dave half heartdly talking about writing 'hits' and from the video you can see that because Dave Grohl has been writing songs all his life that when he talks about writing songs now with some of them he likes to have fun with them and write them for people who want to dance This is a sign of being of a group you're comfortable with because you have the freedom to write any material you want to.
Early interviews of the band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VxmnYCCbCg
In the video above it shows the band at a very early stage in their formation and as you can see they seem a lot more laid back and you can tell they're a lot younger because they are a laughing a lot at what the interviewer is saying. You can tell at this point after Grohl had formed the new band that they were excited to start creating new music and working together because of giggly and happy they are. Also you can tell that all of them aren't used to the fame however they are all going through it together which makes them a lot closer because they have to adapt together.
In the video above it shows the band at a very early stage in their formation and as you can see they seem a lot more laid back and you can tell they're a lot younger because they are a laughing a lot at what the interviewer is saying. You can tell at this point after Grohl had formed the new band that they were excited to start creating new music and working together because of giggly and happy they are. Also you can tell that all of them aren't used to the fame however they are all going through it together which makes them a lot closer because they have to adapt together.
Below is another video of them being interviewed when they were a lot younger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIyL4I_8lqk
In the video above it shows Dave talking and with the other band members and like the other video above they're still not taking it very seriously and laughing which is sign of them enjoying themselves and adapting to fame together.
In the video above it shows Dave talking and with the other band members and like the other video above they're still not taking it very seriously and laughing which is sign of them enjoying themselves and adapting to fame together.
Recent interviews of the band:
In the video above its an interview with them in the present day and as you can see they still have that playful side to them with Dave joking around at the beginning but for the rest of the interview you can see now how they have changed from young guys into mature men with kids and from the way they act you can tell they are experienced and are very confident with their abilities and they know what works and what doesn't which over time is key to making a successful ensemble because they know each others abilities very well.
The band performing live early on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwkOosaCkk4
In the video above it shows the band playing live int heir early days. As you can see when onstage they knew what they had to do but they clearly didn't plan certain things like them jumping around and moving around the stage a lot this is because they were getting accustomed to performing live in front of large audiences and just did whatever they felt like doing.
In the video above it shows the band playing live int heir early days. As you can see when onstage they knew what they had to do but they clearly didn't plan certain things like them jumping around and moving around the stage a lot this is because they were getting accustomed to performing live in front of large audiences and just did whatever they felt like doing.
The band performing live now:
Above is a video showing them performing live as you can see now they know exactly what songs they have to perform and when and they have a much stronger stage presence because they all stand in their posistions but still give a lively performance. This is due to them working on how they want to come across on stage together which is a clear example of them discussing and make band choices together and being a successful musical ensemble.
For this project we have to plan, rehearse, develop and perform a song of our choice in groups at a gig which is a fundraising gig called oxjam. There can be a minimum of two of us in a group or the maximum could be the whole class. Throughout the process we have to keep a diary of us planning and practicing a song of our choice and then finally performing it at the gig evaluating our performances.
Session 1
In today's session I said to Louie I would go with him to perform the Michael Buble song "Haven't met you yet" as part of our ensemble. The song was Louie's choice which I was happy to perform. For the song Louie will be playing piano whilst I accompany him on the guitar. When i got home that night i went on online to fine a tab for a guitar version of 'haven't met you yet.' I found this link on ultimate guitar:
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/m/michael_buble/havent_met_you_yet_crd.htm
Session 2
In today's session me and Louie went off and rehearsed separately to work on and perfect our individual parts. Once we feel we know it well we will come back together and continue rehearsing the song as an ensemble together. We wanted to do this because I currently hadn't learnt all of my part and we couldn't continue rehearsing until i knew it confidently. When performing as a musical ensemble its important that as members of the group you learn your individual parts so that when you all come together you are prepared and can go straight into rehearsing.
Session 4
In this session me and Louis worked on our ensemble piece and here is the evidence below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkcuHBK6GN0
I feel this session went well, i now feel the piece is coming along however, i still need to learn the rest of the song so i will practice until i know it because as you can see from the video i was using the computer and had the chords up on the screen. Once i have learnt the chords it will mean that me and Louis can focus on our stage presence because a big part about being a successful ensemble is having a good stage presence which can only be done once your are completely confident with the material you are performing. Also once I have learnt the second bit we need to think about the ending because at the moment our beginning is a bit sloppy because we both don't start at the same time to correct this we could give each other a nod so we both know when to start. For the next session i will go away and learn the second bit of the song and also rehearse the first bit to make it sound more clean.
Session 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cul3n35x-xo
In this weeks session the aim was to go through the song and work on any small technical things that could make the performance sound overall better. For a start we have worked on the beginning we have done this by nodding at each other to let the other one of us know when to begin the song. Secondly I had the idea of trying to have a pause after the second verse into the chorus because its a dynamic quality and it changes up the song so we tried with the pause and the without it and we decided to just carry on playing through because we both felt it affected to momentum of the song. For next week i will have learnt the second part of the song because i have realized that during the bridge of the song i can play the same chords in the verse also this is good because of time constraint because i wont be able to learn the bridge in time. Also this is a good sign of a successful ensemble because when under time constraint bands need to think on their feet and have last minute changes if the want the song to be successful.
Session 6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MAaUkMuQzI
In this session we are discussing how we changed the key of the song from C major to Db the reason for this was because it suited Louis's vocal range because of this i have added a capo to fret 1 of my guitar to match the key Louis is playing in. Once we had sorted this out we went off and practiced our individual bits so that we could perfect it in time for the performance. For the next session i need to practice the chords because sometimes i still fluff them up in order to do this im going to do a chord exercise at home where i swap from one chord to next over and over again until i feel like adding in the next chord this way i will get it into my muscle memory what chord comes after the next one.
Session 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWjl8JK-K3Y
This was our last session before the oxjam gig and we clarified what we had been talking about last session to do with the key and then went of and practiced the song separately before coming back together one final time to perform it. We have integrated all of our improvements including the nod to let us know when to come in, Me playing the same chords in the bridge as the verse and also continuing the play through the verse into the chorus.
Oxjam performance
Below is the video of me and Louie performing 'Haven't met you yet' at the oxjam gig:
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/1722634
Evaluation of performance
Good points
The performance went very smoothly and there were no mistakes. I feel like both me and Louis performed confidently. One of the best things about our performance was our timing with each other. For example we both came in on the versus's at the same time meaning there were no pauses or going out of time with one another. Another good thing i feel was the volume at which we played, there wasn't a moment where Louis's piano playing drowned out my guitar therefore the sound was balanced. At the start of the performance and also at a mid point in the song we looked at each other and gave each other a nod letting us know when we had to come in on some cues. I feel this was a good sign of our friendship and also shows that you can have a better flowing performance if you trust and are friendly with the people you are playing with.
Things we could have improved
There are things i would have changed if we did the performance the thing i would have changed would be my playing. As of time constraint it meant that i couldn't learn any technical versions of the song however i could have added in dynamic quality's that would have made my playing sounded less dull. For example we could have put in the pause we decided to take out because it would have broke up the song and allowed the audience to clearly identify the different sections of the song, Another thing i would have changed is the way i played, instead of simply strumming i should have have added muting whilst i strummed for example in the verses i could have added muting whilst strumming and then when i got to the chorus i would have strummed normally. By doing this it would have made my playing more interesting to watch.
Another thing i would have done differently is me singing backing vocals. By doing this we could have added harmonies and i feel it would have made the piece more interesting because you would have the contrast of Louis and his piano and me and my guitar. The reason why i didn't sing backing vocals was because of time constraint and i already had to learn the entire song from scratch. Also singing backing vocals is great with in ensemble piece because its a great way to bond with your band members and can make for a stronger performance. Another thing i would have improved was our stage presence because both of us were sat down and it didn't look very eye catching. To change this i should have stood up and Louis should have been facing the front because i know he couldn't have stood up but it would have been better if the audience could see his face when singing. By me standing up it meant i could have got into playing the song more because when you're sat down there are limitations as to what you can do.
Overall though i feel our piece was a good example of a successful ensemble because we incorporated themes of good rehearsals and good communication and cooperation.
Kenton
In this unit we have to get into ensemble groups and pick a song of our choice which we then perform at the Kenton gig which is being held at the Kenton theater in Henley. Me, Cris and Natalie decided to be in a group and perform the song 'Hotel California' by the Eagles.
First Kenton rehearsal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk_uwXrA8t4#t=105
In the first session me i had already learnt the chords at home so when me and Natalie came together she didn't really know the lyrics just yet which was fine because it was our first session together. Also we hadn't come up with the intro for the song so we needed to figure out a way to do this. So we just went straight in with the chords and her singing. For the next session we need to find a way to perform the intro, Natalie needs to learn the lyrics so she's more confident when singing and i also need to practice the chords so that i make less mistakes.
Second Kenton rehearsal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxqQpCAxD4U#t=146
In this session Cris had decided to come on board and be part of our ensemble piece. This was a good thing because she already knew the intro to the song which then solved the problem of the intro but also because it was so early on it didn't affect our routine and it also added a new sound to our piece. As you can hear we decided that im going to put a capo on the second fret of my guitar the reason for this as because it suited Natalie's voice better and also it was in the same key Cris was playing. By putting the capo on fret 2 it put the guitar in the key of B. In the rehearsal we ran through the whole song however there were a couple of errors firstly Natalie wasn't confident with the lyrics thus she didn't know when to come in sometimes also made a few errors when singing. Me and Cris hadn't properly performed it together so a lot of the time we weren't in time with one another which also wouldn't have helped Natalie in knowing when to come in. For next time me and Cris need to run through it together and also we need to work on the ending because we improvised it and it didn't sound clean. For next time i'm going to think about working on the technique in which i play for example playing quieter near the beginning so that as it gets towards the song of the song i can play louder and build tension for the ending of the song. Also i apologize for me saying at the end of the video.
Third Kenton rehearsal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrzVTRmmPuo#t=61
In the next session we ran through it again. In the run Natalie still doesn't know the lyrics so for her that's what she needs to do because at the moment shes not looking at the camera and also she is still messing up some of the words. Also i feel like i have started to think about playing quieter for example after the chorus and into the new verse i play it quieter to add movement to the song.
Fourth Kenton Rehearsal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNaULt6lBX4#t=45
In this rehearsal we once again ran through however it wasn't very smooth this was due to the fact we were tired and weren't very prepared for rehearsal. To correct this for next time we need to do the rehearsal at a more appropriate time when we are not all tired. This relates to being a successful ensemble because when deciding a rehearsal schedule it has to suit everyone's otherwise it can cause problems. Also during this run a couple of times me and Cris went out of sync to each to each other so next time we are going to have a warm up practice so that we have it in our minds when we need to come in.
Fifth Kenton rehearsal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1e39_EEFNM#t=15
The next rehearsal i feel went very well and i feel like its starting to turn into a professional looking and sounding performance. As Natalie has learnt the lyrics now it helps because she can focus on her singing and she ties mine and Cris's playing together. Before this session me and Cris had worked on our cues so we made less mistakes throughout the performance. Something i have vastly improved upon is my playing technically and after chorus's going into the new verse i play it quietly to add movement and gradually i play louder as it gets to the finale chorus. Something else we have worked on is the ending as now its not improvised however we did mess it up in this rehearsal and for next time i think me and Cris need to give each other a nod so that we know when to end it. This is also a good sign of a successful ensemble because it shows that we trust each other when performing which is key if you want your group to sound polished and professional on stage.
Sixth Kenton rehearsal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZVQP7mZO4A
This is our last session before the actual performance at the Kenton. I feel like our song has come along way and there have been vast improvements. Something that we have added is the use of a microphone for Natalie, we chose for her to have one not because she cant sing loud enough but because sometimes her voice was drowned out by Cris's piano and there's only so quiet Cris can play before it affects the intensity of the song.
Final Kenton performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qtg0E9immU
A couple of days before the gig Natalie was ill so we couldn't perform however we recorded this video above before she was ill and we classed it as our final performance. Like the last session this performance was very good if not are best and i'm very proud of it. We utilized all of our improvements, for example my technical playing, the use of a microphone and also the cues for me and Cris. We utilized nodding so it helped us know when to come in and thus the cues were very professional and it sounded great.
However there were some things we could have improved upon one of the big things for me would have been if i played something more technical on the guitar rather than just playing the chords. One of the ways i could have done this would have been by hammering on notes for example when playing the A minor chord i could have hammered on the B string. This would have added a dynamic quality to my playing. Another thing was the ending, even though we gave it each other a nod to know when to end i still finished to early compared to Cris and had to improvise playing the A minor chord at the end. This is a good sign of a successful musical ensemble however because when performing on stage in your group and something goes wrong you have to be prepared to keep going or in my case improvise until you're back on course. Although i do put the ending down to nerves because we had rehearsed this many time before in previous sessions where we got it right.
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