SOPM Seasons Summer 2021

SEASONS SUMMER 2021 | ISSUE 01

LEARN WITH US SOPM TUTORS GUIDE YOU THROUGH...

APOCALYPSE STUDIOS IN THE STUDIO WITH BLOOMFIELD PAGE 34

How to play funk on the drums Adding new life to guitar chords How to sing harmonies Writing your first song

EXCLUSIVE!

UNDER 18S BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2021

TUTOR INTERVIEW

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT FEAT. SOREN BRUN

SAVY SILVA

SUMMER | £FREE

WWW.SOPM.GG

MUSIC FOR EVERYONE

SOPM SEASONS

C NTENTS 14

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Soren Brun

TRIVIA TIME Test your music knowledge with our crossword based on the different parts of a guitar as well as a music related quiz

TUITION | EVENTS | NEWS | ENTERTAINMENT | GEAR

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WELCOME TO SOPM SEASONS

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CORPORATE BATTLE OF THE BANDS

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ISLAND MUSIC

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SOPM TOTS

A warm welcome to the School of Popular Music's new SOPM Seasons magazine from SOPM Director Tyler Edmonds.

A look back at the School of Popular Music's Corporate Battle of the Bands that was held in September 2020.

The School of Popular Music has partnered with Island Music in Jersey to offer sales of musical instruments and accessories. Learn more about this exciting partnership.

Something for the little ones. Colour in the musical instruments, have a go at the musical maths questions or draw us a picture to be in with the chance of winning a prize!

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SOPM TUTORS GUIDE YOU THROUGH...

How to play funk on the drums with drum tutor Andy Robinson

Bringing new life to chords

with guitar tutor Casey-Joe Rumens

How to sing harmonies with vocal tutor Lydia Pugh

Writing your first song

with multi-instrumentalist Peter Mitchell

TUTOR INTERVIEW SAVY SILVA

SOPM vocal tutor Savy Silva tells us who her singing heroes are and what life is like being a singing teacher at SOPM.

10 HUNTRESS AND THE RAVERS The story of Huntress and the Ravers. From Corporate Battle of the Bands to being booked for a Cobo Balcony Gig this summer.

...AND A WHOLE BUNCH MORE! SCHOOL OF POPULAR MUSIC, DELANCEY CAMPUS, ST SAMPSONS, GUERNSEY, GY2 4HS 01481 244883 HELLO@SOPM.GG WWW.SOPM.GG

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SOPM SEASONS

WELCOME Tyler Edmonds

Managing Director, School Of Popular Music

...Where do I start?

Welcome to our very first edition of the all new SOPM Seasons! This summer issue includes lots of exciting features, announcements, and you’ll hear from our tutors, students, Battle of the Bands contestants and loads more.

It’s been a tough year, following on from a… tough year... But there is certainly light at the end of the tunnel and it fills me with great pleasure knowing we are able to carry on expanding our offerings. Guernsey has always felt like a great place to be, and it certainly is now more than ever!

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"...build it and they will come"

The music scene is as vibrant as ever and the up and coming talent we have on our awesome island is astounding! We hope that we can highlight this within SOPM Seasons, and inspire even more of you to get into music.

The SOPM Studios renovation is now complete and we welcome you all. As they say… Build it and they will come!

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So please enjoy this first SOPM Seasons edition, in whatever form you're reading this in, be it digitally or in physical form, and look out for future issues dotted around the island. Whilst I am here I would like to thank our sponsors - Ravenscroft. You can check out more about their house band ‘Huntress and the Ravers’ later in this edition…

Best wishes

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SOPM SEASONS SOPM SEASONS

On Friday 4th September 2020, in a packed Beau Sejour theatre, the School of Popular Music hosted the first corporate Battle of the Bands. The aim of the event was to provide a platform for the many talented adult local musicians who struggle to find the motivation to pick up their respective instrument in the hustle and bustle of modern corporate life, and to give an opportunity to perform to those who do find the time but don't have a band or a live performance to look forward to.

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The 5 corporations competing were Butterfield, The Medical Specialist Group, Ravenscroft, Garenne Group and Carey Olsen. All were competing for a chance to win £1000 for their chosen charity, as well as the opportunity to get their hands on an epic Corporate Battle of the Bands fiery plectrum trophy. They weren't going to get their hands on anything though unless they could impress the 4 judges, made up of BBC Guernsey's Tom Girard, Guernsey music verteran Chris Dean, local theatre guru and radio breakfast show host Andrew Hislop, and Maisie Foote from the Bailiwick Express.

Opening the show was young band "High Voltage", made up of School of Popular Music students Elliott Hearne, Will Rouget, Ollie Thomas and Troy Vidamour. With an average age of just 16, these fellas showed everyone how good a band could sound in the Beau Sejour Theatre, and they left the excited audience wondering if they had already witnessed what would be the best performance of the night!

The first corporate band then took to the stage and it was Butterfield who set the standard.

SOPM SEASONS The Medical Specialist Group were next on stage and with a nine-piece band including a mini string section and 3 singers, as well as extra vocals from bassist Owen Cole, they worked their way through demanding songs such as ELO's "Mr Blue Sky". With hard hitting drummer Stuart Austin behind the kit, Medical Specialist Group packed a punch and showed a high level of musicianship.

The Garenne Group hit the stage next and within their ranks were some seasoned musicians. Dean Winsall (Saxophone), Luis Morais (Guitar), Scott Michel (Bass/Vocals), Daz Carre (Drums) and John Waterman (guitar/vocals) all showed fantastic diversity and musicianship as they brought the house down with their brilliant rendition of Gerry Rafferty's 1978 hit "Baker Street", which allowed Dean to display his ability on the sax. This was followed by a cover of Gary Moore's "Still Got The Blues" and, to close, a slightly heavier version of George Michael's 1984 hit “Careless Whisper”, with Scott Michel taking the lead vocal. The Garenne Group were given a standing ovation and it was clear they had put themselves in contention.

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Vocalist Tracey Robilliard fought her way through the nerves to give a solid performance of crowd pleaser "What's Going On" by 4 Non Blondes, as well as smoothly executing their cover of Muse's cover of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good", from her 1965 album "I Put a Spell on You".

A tight rhythm section assisted in setting a high standard for the evening.

Ravenscroft kicked off the second half of the evening with huge encouragement from a large section of the crowd. They put their stamp several songs including Foo Fighters' "Everlong", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" in style of Tina Turner's great cover and Michael Jackson's "Beat It".

SOPM SEASONS The Garenne Group were always going to be difficult to follow but Carey Olsen stepped up and put their country stamp on the evening in style, making the audience feel like they'd just landed in Tennessee. With four vocalists including Dave Jones and Rebekah Johnston, and a guest appearance from the talented Nicole Wyatt, Carey Olsen certainly entertained and put a smile on everyones face.

It was then down to the judges to decide who would be crowned 2020 Corporate Battle of the Bands champion...

Garenne Group donated its £1000 prize money to the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation, and they also kindly matched it and donated a further £1000. The Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation is committed to supporting premature babies, children and their families by the provision of medical professionals, equipment, training and counselling, along with other facilities or activities as and when required.

...and the winner was...

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The Garenne Group, who wowed with their sax-based ear candy.

The Garenne Group then closed the show with another run through of Baker Street and the crowd showed their appreciation for the 2020 winners.

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HUNTRESS AND THE RAVERS written by Robin Newbould Guitar & vocals - Huntress and the Ravers “You’ve got absolutely no chance of getting that together, Rob" It’s Jon Ravenscroft on the phone - one of the few people who calls me Rob - has since I first met him - quite literally less than five seconds after I have sent an email to the whole of our Ravenscroft office in Guernsey, which reads:

Calling all our musicians ... can anyone that might fancy playing in a Ravenscroft band let me know by Monday lunchtime please?

We've been offered a place in the SOPM competition ... !

Have a great weekend, Robin

It’s July 2020, Guernsey is just really starting to enjoy the end of all “Lockdown One” restrictions and I’ve sent the email having recently spoken to SOPM’s Tyler and Casey about the SOPM Corporate Battle of the Bands.

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I promised them I would ask my colleagues if Ravenscroft would like to take part but honestly, like Jon, I wasn’t confident that a group could be formed from within our ranks and I absolutely knew that any such band would have nowhere near enough time to choose, rehearse and get ready to perform three or four songs to fill a 15-minute slot at the competition which was just a few weeks away.

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Please let me rewind a little.

My sons have enjoyed SOPM lessons, Saturday sessions, summer camps and Christmas showcases for years and years and years. I would go so far as to say that in the case of Casey and my guitar-playing elder son, that their relationship has had a profound influence on my boy’s life and not just his music. I have been having my own lessons for some time and owe some of what little sanity I possess to the joy of strumming (and singing, a first for me, encouraged by my SOPM tutor) on Fridays after a busy week at work.

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So, back to that email. First, Jon’s own daughterin-law, Raissa, contacted me to say that, whilst nervous, she would like to be considered to play keyboards and to sing. Next Dave McGall, to whom I think I can attribute a good deal of the blame for this whole life episode (having, at a small party at the Farmhouse on the day lockdown ended, stole the mic from a proper singer to drunkenly sing whilst I stole a guitar from a proper guitarist to drunkenly play) who said that he’d love to take part.

The lovely Sophie Gwynne contacted me: she would love to sing and immediately started running through songs she wanted to try and what key she wanted to try them in… a sign of things to come!! Next, I found out that one of Ravenscroft’s youngsters, the wonderful Tom Yarwood, played guitar but was too shy to say anything. So I volunteered him: to play bass!

SOPM SEASONS Then I found out that, completely unknown to me, compliance expert Sam McKerrell was also guitar genius Sam McKerrell. Finally, I was introduced to drummer Adam Hooper by his Ravenscroft significant other Shannon and loved everything about him from day one: talent, humility and enthusiasm in bucket loads. ...We confirmed that we would play the event...

What next? How do a group of (in some cases very rusty, I mean like “haven’t played for about 10 years” rusty) musicians aged from 19 to, ahem, 40-something, with, on the face of it, nothing other than an employer in common, agree a short set when there is all of music history to choose from? The question really sums up the madness of the Corporate Battle of The Bands: take a bunch of disparate talents, put them under time pressure, peer pressure (within a couple of weeks of hearing that we were involved, 80-odd Ravenscroft staff and partners confirmed they would be coming to watch) and then force a bit of compromise and commitment… and see what happens! What happened was great: new, deeper friendships interspersed with diva tantrums (how anyone plays in a band for a living is beyond me), hours of rehearsals and a final realisation that, on the day before we were due to play at Beau Sejour, we had done all we could. Our last rehearsal followed by dinner at Buho together was amazing: we were the Ravenscroft Band!

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The night itself went in a blur. I wish there was a way of using our reaction to the backstage warning of ‘3 minutes to performance’ to define panic in the dictionary. Genuine fear (except for Sam, for whom the word does not seem to exist). I remember looking at the neck of my guitar, the frets and then my hands and wondering how it all went together. Raissa, Sophie and Dave overheard whispering to one another, “I’ve forgotten the words” and “How does this part go again?” … in hindsight, hilarious!

Whilst we were disappointed not to win, we were very proud of what we had achieved. We were showered with genuine praise by our colleagues, whom we’d like to thank again for the quite unbelievable support on the night.

Most importantly, perhaps, was the option of

a future: Jon asked if we would like to perform at the Ravenscroft Guernsey Christmas Party, “Just six songs, as we’ve got Last of The Light Brigade playing afterwards!”. We rehearsed more, learnt more and did play at The Farmhouse at Christmas and it felt like we had moved on to another level from Beau Sejour: less nervewracking, more relaxed, more accomplished.

By the time we had finished on the night, I think we had each decided whether this was a “double one off” or something we would pursue into the new year 2021… Within just a few short hours on the night of the party we were left with something to ponder: Dave Nussbaumer offered us a night in February at the Doghouse and the promise that, if we did a good enough job, he would consider us for one of the Cobo balcony gigs in the summer!!

Oh, and, of course, we would need to increase our set list from six songs to something more like twenty 20… Gulp!!

Lockdown Two meant that February came and went without our being able to play at the Doghouse (although we have put that right with a Friday night gig just a few weeks back supported by our loyal colleagues who have become invaluable groupies). In March, the Cobo Balcony Gigs’ line-ups were announced, and Huntress and The Ravers was named as due to play on 11 July, and we will be back where it all began at Battle of the Corporate Bands 2021 on 3rd September.

We can’t describe how excited we are.

Perhaps we could come back and tell you how it went in a future edition of SOPM Seasons?

Robin Newbould is Group Head of Execution, Advisory and Precious Metals at Ravenscroft. More importantly, he chooses songs and creates ridiculous mash-ups for Huntress and The Ravers whilst trying to figure what the band should be doing where and when!

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AGE: 9 INSTRUMENT: Guitar TUTOR: Megan Gale FAVOURITE GENRE: Rock FAVOURITE SONG(S): Pearl Jam - "Jeremy", Ricky Martin - "Livin' la Vida Loca" and Space Pirates of Rocquaine - "The Hunter, The Witch and the Duck" Soren has been learning guitar at the School of Popular Music on a Tuesday after school and is currently working towards his grade 2.

Soren has been under the guidance of guitar tutor Megan Gale since Easter. We caught up with both Soren and Megan to find out how his lessons are going.

Hi Soren. How's life?

"Yeeeaah I'm good, thank you."

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How are your lessons with Megan going?

"Good. Megan is very nice.

I love her Telecaster. I just love Telecasters. It's not as good as my Fender Sorencaster though!"

I've been told you're working on your grade 2?

"Yes, I'm doing Morning Glory by Oasis, Ex's & Oh's

by Elle King and Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie...

SOPM SEASONS

...My favourite is Morning Glory. I've got them all pretty much finished."

Tell us one thing you found difficult when learning those songs.

"In Ziggy Stardust I found the Csus2, G/B and Dsus4/A chords tricky because I've never played those chords before and you have to change to the chords quickly."

How much do you practice?

"For my grade 1, I had to learn a lot and I practiced lots. I don't play every day but I do practice my songs when I can."

Have you played any gigs recently?

"Erm, yes! I played gigs at the SOPM Summer School last year and I'm in it again this year. I love the bands. Last year I absolutely loved the gig at the Fermain Tavern and at the Mermaid.

Speaking of the Mermaid, last week I camped in Herm and I saw the Space Pirates of Rocquaine. I know all the members of the band.

They are brilliant. I would love to be in a band like that one day."

What is your long term goal when it comes to guitar?

"I want to do my grade 2 and move up to grade 3 and I just really want to be in a band one day."

TUTOR COMMENT "Soren is a pleasure to teach and I really enjoy our lessons. His passion and enthusiasm toward music has seen his guitar playing improve very fast for someone of his age.

Soren has told me he is already playing small gigs, and after seeing him on stage at last years summer school, I have no doubts he will be a key player in Guernsey's music scene in years to come."

Megan Gale SOPM Guitar Tutor

W W W . S O P M . G G / M E G A N

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Island Music PARTNERSHIP

The School of Popular Music is excited to announce a new partnership with Island Music, an independent music shop based in Jersey, Channel Islands.

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The partnership enables SOPM to offer its students the opportunity to purchase musical instruments through Island Music at a competitive rate with an after-sale service that cannot be found when purchasing online. All instruments purchased from Island Music are inspected and set up to play the best they can before they leave the shop, and if needed, SOPM's awardwinning tutors can further tailor the tuning, setup and/or assembly to each individual student.

SOPM will have a number of instrument accessories in stock in Guernsey for musicians to purchase.

This will include drum sticks, drum heads, guitar strings, capos, plectrums, microphones, mic stands, cables and more!

"The prospect of working together and building on a strong relationship is exciting to us" Jon Scriven, owner of Island Music

SOPM SEASONS

For purchase enquiries, email andy@sopm.gg

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SOPM SEASONS

GUITAR ACCESSORIES

Fender Champion 20w 1x8" Guitar Amp

Compact, easy to use and versatile enough for any style of guitar playing, the 20-watt Fender Champion is an ideal choice for your first practice amp.

Original Series 18.6ft Instrument Cable

Features spiral shielding and durable nickel-plated connectors

Professional Series 10ft Tweed Instrument Cable

£99

A highly reliable, quality connection that lasts years of rigorous playing. Pro series cables ensure accurate instrument tone thanks to quiet and resilient spiral shielding.

£10.99 £12.99

£27.83

Planet Waves Circuit Breaker 10ft Cable

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Available in both jack-to-jack and jack-to-right angle jack, the Planet Waves Circuit Breaker has a built-in mute switch to save your equipment from loud pops and squeals when you change guitars whilst using a live amp. When the button is held, the cable shorts while remaining plugged into your guitar, making on-stage guitar changes a snap. Once the cable is muted, remove the cable from the guitar being used and plug the cable into the next instrument. When the button is released the cable will be un-muted and you can go right back to playing.

£27.83

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£11.99

Elixir Nanoweb Electric Guitar Strings 09-42 | 10-46 A decent set of strings is vital to getting your guitar to sing the way it should.

Elixirs are the first major innovation in strings in over forty years, and they deliver what they promise: great tone and long life no matter what you put them on or how often you play. In addition to an ultra-thin grunge-resistant tubular coating on the wound strings, Nanowebs now have a revolutionary AntiRust plating on the plain strings to extend their life too. Most players report that Elixir Strings keep sounding great 3 to five times longer than ordinary strings.

£6.99

Ernie Ball Slinky Guitar Strings

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Ernie Ball nickel wound strings feature the best of both worlds; a steel core wound with nickel. This combination of steel and nickel creates a well-balanced sound. The Ernie Ball Super Slinky's are the worlds best selling guitar strings & are perfect for almost any style of electric guitar. The next best selling strings are the slightly heavier Ernie Ball Regular Slinky's - the heavier strings are slightly harder to bend, but do give slightly better tone & sustain.

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£35 G7th Performance 3 Capo

The Performance 3 is the culmination of years of designing, tweaking, and improving - but most importantly, listening to guitarists and their views on what a capo SHOULD do. Now, coupling their "Unique Tension Control" system with the groundbreaking ART® string pad mechanism, the Performance 3 gives a nearperfect capo experience.

Perfect for virtually all steel 6 string acoustic, electric or hybrid nylon string guitars.

£5.99 £15 Jim Dunlop Trigger Capo

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The Jim Dunlop Trigger acoustic capo provides positive, accurate clamping for curved fingerboards. Made to provide scratch-free performance for your guitar, the low-profile 83CB is designed to stay clear of your fingers. When you need quick key changes without re-tuning, a quality capo is a must, and Dunlop capos are made to do the job right. This unit is constructed of quality aircraft aluminium for reliability and light weight.

Jim Dunlop Jazz iii Nylon Picks (6 pack)

With a huge, almost cult-like following world-wide, the Jazz series of picks have become the favorite choice for guitar players to take their technical playing to the next level.

Guitar virtuosos such as Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, Alexi Laiho and Joe Bonamassa rely on the Jazz III because of its quick release molded edge and sharp tip.

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DRUM ACCESSORIES

Vic Firth American Classic (Wood) 7A | 5A The American Classic line combines tradition and Vic Firth style. With bold designs, the Classics are turned from select hickory - a dense wood with little flex for a more pronounced sound.

Hickory is also capable of withstanding a great deal of shock, making it highly durable. The tips are deeply back-cut for intensified cymbal response.

Vic Firth Nova (wood)

£5.24

7A | 5A Nova drumsticks are Vic Firth's budget line. Made of hickory, these are great value for beginner musicians on a budget.

£11.99

Evans 22" EMAD Bass Drum Head

£49

£51

Evans 22" EMAD Resonant Bass Drum Head

With an offset 4” microphone port in a single ply of 10mil film plus a foam dampening ring around its edge, the Evans EMAD Resonant series gives you greater control of your overtones, so you can enhance your pitch, focus, and attack.

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If it's a meaty, compressed, and powerful sound you're after, then Evans' EMAD Heavyweight bass drum head is for you. Featuring two 10mil plies, the EMAD Heavyweight drumhead gives you killer dynamics that reward you with extra punch the harder you hit it.

SOPM SEASONS

Evans UV2 Coated Rock (10, 12, 16)/Fusion Pack (10, 12, 14) Pack UV2 drumheads feature Evans’ patented UV-cured coating technology over two plies of reinforced 7mil film. Extensively tested with some of the heaviest of hitters, these heads set a new standard for durability in one of the most tried and true two ply forms. They make for a versatile snare head or a warm, focused tom head with lots of attack.

Evans EC2 Clear Fusion Pack

Evans EC2S Clear series contains two plies of 7mil film for optimized attack, tone, length of sustain, and ease of tuning for each size head. This drumhead features Sound Shaping Technology (SST) for a well-balanced sound, incorporated with Evans Level 360 Technology for ease of tuning, extended pitch range and optimum quality of sound.

£47

(10", 12", 16")

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£49

(10", 12", 14")

£50

(10", 12", 16")

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GUITAR PARTS CROSSWORD

Can you identify the different parts of a guitar from the clues below?

Across

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2. Where the strings are anchored at the bottom end 3. A regular guitar has six of these 6. Solid on an electric guitar but hollow on an acoustic 7. The wood at the top end that holds the tuning pegs 8. Used to tune the guitar 10. An electronic component that senses the movement of a string

Down

1. The top part of the neck that holds the frets 4. Usually worn over one shoulder 5. Plastic or bone that has slots in it to hold each individual string 9. The long piece of wood that projects from the body

SOPM SEASONS

HOW GOOD IS YOUR MUSIC KNOWLEDGE?

QUIZ

Can you answer the following five music related questions? DON'T CHEAT!

Michael Jackson's sixth studio album "Thriller" sold over 66 million copies worldwide, but what year was it released?

"The City", "Girls" and "Robbers" are songs by which british pop/rock band formed in 2002?

With approximately 40 billion streams, who is the most streamed artist on Spotify?

A. Ed Sheeran B. Drake C. Eminem

Name the 1994 debut studio album by Oasis?

Which female artist released the single 'Rolling in the Deep'?

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ANSWERS - 1.1982

2.The 1975

3.Drake

4.Definitely Maybe

5.Adele

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Tots THURSDAYS (TERMTIME)

10:15 - 11:00 Ages 2-4

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C

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R U O L O

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ANSWERS - 8, 2, 15

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MUSIC

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Send us your

p ic t u r e s !

HOW TO ENTER:

Clearly fill out all the fields on the entry form below, then remove this page from your magazine. Secure in a stamped envelope and post to the School of Popular Music, Delancey Campus, St. Sampson, Guernsey, GY2 4HS, or if you're a School of Popular Music student, simply bring to your music lesson and hand it to your tutor. Please note by entering this competition, you give the School of Popular Music permission to use your name, age and photo (where applicable) in future issues (winner announcements) and all School of Popular Music social media platforms.

PARENT/GUARDIAN DETAILS I CONSENT TO MY CHILD ENTERING THIS COMPETITION.

NAME

WIN A PRIZE

SIGNATURE

ENTRANT'S DETAILS AGE 29

ADDRESS

EMAIL

TEL.

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NAME

SOPM SEASONS

LEARN WITH US How to play funk on the drums with drum tutor Andy Robinson

In my opinion, funk is one of the most rewarding genres to play on the drums. It can make you sound like you've got 6 limbs and funk grooves will almost always get people moving!... ...but what makes a groove funky?

A funky groove often features ghost notes and an element of displacement, or what musicians like to call "syncopation". Syncopation is a disruption of the regular and expected flow of a groove or rhythm. This is what makes musicians pull that face that makes it look like they're disgusted with you, when in fact they're loving it and it's a huge compliment!

Let's delve into the world of syncopation using a basic rock beat that most of us will have played before.

This groove has a quaver (8th note) hi-hat with a bass drum on beats 1 and 3 and a snare drum on beats 2 and 4. When you're comfortable playing that, let's add in our first bit of displacement by moving the snare drum from beat 4 onto the last quaver of the bar.

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To complete our funk groove, let's now add a couple more ghost notes to really give it some funky flavour. Place a ghost note on the first semiquaver after beat 1 and also the first semiquaver after beat 3.

Make sure your ghost notes are nice and quiet and the snare on beat 2 and the "+" of beat 4 (also known as the "back beat") are played at a consistent volume. Once you've learnt this groove, have a go at displacing the bass drum on beat 3 and adding in an open hi-hat. The groove below is a challenge for those of you who are a bit more advanced. Here I have moved the bass drum to the "+" of beat 3 and added an open hi-hat on the "+" of beat 1.

Now let's add in some semiquaver (16th note) ghost note snare drums. We'll start by playing a ghost note on the last semiquaver before beat 3 and the last semiquaver before beat 4.

To take this even further, try playing a more syncopated hi-hat pattern or add a couple of semiquaver hi-hats. Remember, there are no rules! Happy drumming.

SOPM SEASONS

Bored of the chord? with guitar tutor Casey-Joe Rumens

We all love a four chord tune every once in a while but, after years of using the same shapes, things can feel and sound a little uninspiring. Check out this crazy way I’ve come up with, to re-imagine a classic E minor chord progression. Once you’ve got your fingers around the odd shapes, focus on shifting smoothly between them whilst maintaining a steady musical pulse.

Now get out there and wow your musical friends with your new posh chords!

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Note how we have two different ways of playing Em7add9.

Although they have the same name and share the same notes, the chords have their own unique sound and function. The first one with the 7th at the top of the chord and the big interval between the low E and the chord cluster creates space in the opening chord. The last chord of the progression stacks the notes more closely, with the 9th at the top creating a reaching, unfinished sound.

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How to sing harmonies with vocal tutor Lydia Pugh The very idea of ‘singing in harmony’ is something that many singers find daunting and challenging. Unlike other instruments, we can’t see what our voice is doing, so picking out and holding a harmony comes with that extra challenge. Let’s have a look at some things that’ll help you out when experimenting with vocal harmony, or part singing in a vocal group...

VISUALISATION Because our voice is so perceptual to us, visualisation techniques can be really helpful when working with pitch in general. Spend some time with your own voice and focus on how each note in your range feels to you (not just sounds).

Can you feel where the note resonates in your body? Even the idea of that feeling/placement can really help you land notes in the right place, so can you create an imaginary place the notes are landing?

LISTEN TO THE STYLE OF THE HARMONY This might sound pretty obvious, but there’s more to listening than just, well, listening! There are many different types of harmony singing, each with their own rewards and challenges. You could be trying for an ‘Expanded Lead Vocal’ Harmony, which means you are singing a vocal line that sits above or below the lead vocal, and matches it rhythmically. You could be singing ‘Backing Vocals’, which are their own separate part to the lead vocals, adding their own texture to the song. A variation on that is the The ‘Pre-emptive Melody Backing Vocal’, made very famous by The Beatles: the backing vocalists actually sing the lyrics (but with a different melody, or a harmony) before the lead vocalist (the song ‘Help’ is a great example of this). Or you might be doing the most challenging of them all, ‘Choral’ Harmony; most typically associated with choirs. You will still find this is commercial music, especially with the likes of vocal A Cappella group The Pentatonix.

LISTEN AND LOCK-IN Most singers I work with who say they ‘can’t sing harmonies’ get frustrated because they can do the harmony line fine on their own, but get thrown off as soon as there is another vocalist.

You’ve got to change your mindset here, and think of your harmony line as your own lead vocal line. It’s not a harmony, it’s YOUR melody. I always say, harmony singing is the art of simultaneously listening to, and ignoring the other singer!

BE LOUD AND WRONG (aka; confident!)

Our voice is hugely influenced by our emotions and mindset. If you go at a vocal line convinced you’re going to get it wrong, then guess what, you will! Similarly if you sing it correctly, but quietly and unconvincingly, your voice will still get the message that you don’t really know what you are doing, which makes the margin for error much, much bigger. Especially when first learning or experimenting with harmonies, sing boldly and confidently. If it does go wrong, at least you’ll know about it, and can work on correcting it.

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PRACTISE MAKES PROGRESS As with anything, if you want to improve, you’ve got to put the time in. There are many ways you can practice harmonies - you could practice with your teacher; pick a duet or a song with harmony lines and try singing the part that’s not the lead whilst your teacher sings the lead vocal. Similarly, you could do this practice with your favourite singers; stick on your favourite songs, and see if you can pick out a harmony line to sing over the top instead of singing the lead. Or if you’re working on a particular song, record yourself, and then sing along with yourself experimenting with harmonies.

At the end of the day, singing in harmony should be fun and exciting, not a chore. Have fun in whatever way you decide to explore harmony singing, and allow yourself to experiment and make mistakes along the way, it’s all part of the process.

SOPM SEASONS

Writing your first song with multi-instrumentalist Peter Mitchell Not knowing where to start when writing your own songs can be frustrating.

The one thing to remember is that there are virtually no rules. A lot of famous artists would not have made it to where they are without coming up with their own unique style and way of writing songs, and many stick with the same format and structure throughout their whole career! So, finding a process that suits you as a musician is a good place to start.

...so where DO you start?...

It might sound obvious but like most things, start with what you know. Here are some tips to help you utilise your respective instrument when writing your first song.

GUITARISTS - Begin with a few chords that you can play confidently. You can always alter and add to chords afterwards - Use scales you have learned to create a melody that sounds great to you when it's played over your chords.

- If you like rock music, try playing the chords as power chords - If you have any guitar pedals, try creating an interesting guitar tone or add an effect on to your sound to make it unique DRUMMERS - Start with a beat that you understand and can play well. You can always add to or change it later.

- Change the tempo of your beat to see whether you prefer the song played slower or faster.

- Try to incorporate rudiments into your beats and fills, for example flams, paradiddles or rolls.

- Think about dynamics. Maybe your chorus would benefit from your verse being quieter.

BASSISTS - Take a few notes that work well together and play them in a simple sequence - Now, within the correct scale, add passing notes to make the transitions between each important note more interesting - Change the rhythms to see if you can make it groove even better - Experiment with different octaves, some notes might sound better higher or lower in certain parts of your song PIANISTS - Use a key that you find easy to play in. You can always learn how to play your song in a different key afterwards.

- Find 4 chords that work well together and try inverting them to make them playable with the left hand only - Using scales, arpeggios and broken chords, try to come up with a lead melody that your right hand can play - Experiment with playing in different octaves. If your song has a quiet section, try playing an octave higher

I believe that having a strong understanding of music theory can dramatically speed up the songwriting process.

Everyone thinks differently but the best music in my opinion has light and shade. Experiment with highs and lows, loud and soft, simple and compicated, and my top tip... pure silence in a song can have the biggest impact of all.

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SINGERS - If you're writing lyrics, start with a topic you are passionate about and write down words related to that topic - Highlight words that rhyme or sound the same and use shorter words to fill out your lyrics when needed - Make sure the key of the song suits your range and you can hit the highest and lowest notes in the song confidently - Try singing different parts of the song in both your chest and head voice to see what is most comfortable for you

SOPM SEASONS

Apocalypse Studios, based in Guernsey, is the Channel Island’s number one recording studio. Run by industry professionals Mikey Ferbrache, Peter Mitchell and Tyler Edmonds, the studio brings together all aspects of audio work, offering various services from radio adverts, to album recordings to instructional voiceovers, and much more. Apocalypse studios is based within the School of Popular Music, at Delancey Park. It has two main rooms; a large live room capable of fitting choirs and big bands, and a large control room next door for monitoring and mixing. The studio owns industry standard recording equipment; Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, high quality microphones, preamps, monitors & headphones etc. so whatever it is you’re needing to record, Apocalypse Studios is suitably equipped to handle it.

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The guys that run the studio are experienced musicians both locally and across the UK, being active in all areas of music, whether it be gigging, writing, recording or producing. These boys have got a wealth of knowledge and ideas to bring musical and commercial projects to life.

Visit www.apocalypsestudios.co.uk for more info or contact info@apocalypsestudios.co.uk to book a session!

SOPM SEASONS

Talented teenage band Bloomfield recently recorded their debut EP at Apocalypse Studios. We caught up with 17 year olds Toby Beasley (drums), Toby Carre (rhythm guitar), Jamie Kerrigan (lead guitar), 18 year old Charlie Spicer (bass) and 16 year old lead singer and frontman Francesco Cerciello Rega to see how it went... ..."Recording was sick", was the resounding response.

CHARLIE "The experience as a whole was a lot more relaxing than what we expected. We thought it would be more intense and difficult. We were laughing and joking a lot and still managed to get the whole EP recorded in two and half days" FRANCESCO "whilst living on meal deals, pork pies and energy drinks!"

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SOPM SEASONS

CHARLIE "I played what I needed to play. I played in time and I played the right notes [pause], oh, actually, one song, apparently I've been playing it wrong all this time!"

JAMIE "For guitars we brought in our heads and tracked everything on day two" FRANCESCO "On the last day, which was the Sunday, we finished all the lead vocals and then recorded all the harmonies. We tracked quite a few. We had 8 harmonies stacked and lots of ooo’s and arrr’s everywhere. We also recorded gang vocals in a track called "md-36"

Did you figure out your own harmonies?

Tell us about the EP itself, how many songs will it feature?

FRANCESCO "The EP is called 'A Long Wait For Nothing'. It has 6 songs and it came out on 13th June. We released two singles, 'Clay' on 16th May and 'Eulogy' on 31st May. The EP is available on all streaming platforms and we hope to have physical copies for sale, as well as some merchandise soon".

TOBY B "We're really happy with how it sounds"

So what about the creative side of the EP, did everything go to plan in the studio?

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TOBY B "Yeah, we started with the drums and I got through it quicker than I thought I would. We managed to record the drums in one night and they're sounding dope"

FRANCESCO "We had a few harmonies in mind before going into the studio but we bounced ideas of each other and Mikey from Apocalypse helped us out as well"

SOPM SEASONS

TOBY B "and Charlie did a 'blegh'…"

...a what?

CHARLIE "A 'blegh', a very aggressive and angry 'blegh'. It’s in the first track md-36, the heaviest song on the EP"

Do any of you sing backing vocals live?

CHARLIE "Me and Toby sing backing live but most of the backing on the record is him [pointing at Francesco]"

Do you have any plans to promote the EP? TOBY B "We've started already with the release of the two singles, building hype on Instagram and social media and telling our friends about it [pause] well, Fran telling his friends about it. Fran has lots of friends.

FRANCESCO "We plan to have an album release party" CHARLIE "it's proving difficult though because we'd like it to be an all ages gig

So when's your next gig?

TOBY B "Our next gig is supporting Coastal Fire Department at The Vault on the 10th July. We also have a gig on the 7th August headlining Guernsey Mind at The Field @ Rocquaine and then Vale Earth Fair on the 29th August"

To keep up to date with everything Bloomfield - head over to www.facebook.com/bl8mfield or follow them on Instagram @bloomfield.uk, and be sure to listen to "a long wait for nothing" recorded at Apocalypse Studios and available on all streaming platforms.

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SOPM SEASONS whilst at uni. I use a Blue Yeti mic and go from there. Most of the time I get sent the basics of a song and I need to write lyrics, find a vocal melody and then work out harmonies as well. I recently featured on a drum and bass song called "Focused On You" by Krypta Featuring Savy Silva and that has done really well. I'm hoping to do loads more soon.

...and how's teaching going?

I love love love it! My students are wonderful. It's so nice to be able to share my knowledge with others and for them to be just as excited about learning to sing as I am. To be honest, it doesn't really feel like work most of the time. I feel very lucky to be in the job that I'm in.

Tell us about your singing heroes...

I have many singing heroes, I can't actually pick just one. I'd say in regards to songwriting, I really admire Lennon Stella. She's a 21 year old Canadian singer who started out on YouTube and was then cast in the series "Nashville". I love her music style and I could listen to her voice all day! I think my singing heroes change depending on genre, really. Charlotte Haining is another singer/songwriter who Vocal Tutor has inspired me a lot when it comes to drum & bass. I can always relate to anything she writes, she's so easy to listen to and her tone is so beautiful.

Savy has been working at the School of Popular

Tutor Interview Savy Silva

Music full time since January 2021 and with both live and studio experience as a vocalist, she is valued highly by both her fellow SOPM tutors and students alike. We caught up with Savy to see what has been keeping her busy...

Savy, how's life?

Life is really good, thanks. I am very busy, dividing my time between teaching, recording and studying...

...What are you studying?

I'm currently studying for a teaching diploma which focuses on contemporary music. I'm learning about the voice-body connection, so what parts of the body are used when singing specific exercises. It's super interesting and goes very in-depth. I have to know every muscle to target in order to get a better sound!

...You mentioned recording?

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Yeah, I'm recording all sorts at the moment from drum and bass vocals to cinematic vocals. Coming up with a vocal melody and lyrics to different instruments is super fun and exciting. I never know what I'm going to be sent, so I can come with 101 ideas and I know at least one of those will fit in somewhere.

How do you record your vocals?

I have a little setup at home so I usually record at home. I have previously recorded in other peoples home studios and professional studios

So what does Summer 2021 have in store for Savy Silva?

I'm hoping summer 2021 has a lot in store for me! I'm hoping to record some more music and do some more live gigs as I haven't had chance to do much of that yet... and obviously the School of Popular Music has its Summer School in July and I'm sure that will be an absolute BLAST! I can't wait.

SOPM SEASONS

CHALK BOARD If you would like to respond to any of the following advertisements, please contact andy@sopm.gg

Young D'n'B producer looking for singer for collaborations. Must write lyrics and have an awesome voice!

12 year old singer looking for musicians of a similar age to learn songs and rehearse

Guitarist/singer looking for band (drums, bass and lead guitarist). Original songs already written and ready to record.

Looking for musicians? Place a free message on our chalkboard!

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Drummer looking for band. Preferably rock, in the style of Breaking Benjamin, Alter Bridge, Lower Than Atlantis.

SOPM SEASONS

MUSIC INDUSTRY

BULLETIN

Songtradr acquires music technology firm Tunefind

Songtradr has acquired music technology and data company Tunefind. Tunefind is a comprehensive database and online source of information for music in television, film and video games.

Intimate fan experiences offered by Lewis Capaldi via NFT collectables

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At 6pm on Friday 30th April, Lewis Capaldi launched his "Fat Sexy Collectible Card Experience" NFT (non-fungible token) on his website capaldi.digital.

There were five digital card tiers available, all extremely limited and increasing in rarity as the tiers progress - Bronze, Silver, Gold, Obsidian and Red. Prices ranged from £30 for the Bronze Collection to a whopping £3450 for the Obsidian Collection.

Lewis Capaldi captured six personas that he'd taken the form of during his career and created holographic collectible characters from them: Lewis Calamari, Sky Leopard, Queen Capaldi, Lewis Cashpaldi, America's Sweetheart, Loois Capaldi and Sketch-A-Lewis.

Each character is accompanied by audio narration from Capaldi.

Capaldi has curated a range of perks available to each card owner including ticket giveaways, physical holographic cards and a chance to be the first person to join him in the studio while he writes a song for his forthcoming album.

Another card owner will be the first in the world to hear his highly-anticipated second album when it’s complete. Capaldi and Bondly (a digital marketplace) recently announced that the cards would allow access to an NFT ticketed event, which is now confirmed to be taking place early next year at a UK location where Capaldi will be previewing ‘work in progress’ new material in an intimate location to less than 250 attendees. Bondly offers a turnkey solution including NFT strategy, gamification,

art and design, and a complete tech stack including NFT minting, branded storefronts and a marketplace.

Lewis Capaldi is one of many artists exploring the commercial possibilities of NFTs for music. He has also joined forces once again with long term charity partner Nordoff Robbins, with a percentage of the proceeds of the Collectible Card Experience going towards supporting the charity’s music therapy initiatives.

So what is a NonFungible Token?

An NFT is a digital asset that represents real-world objects like art, music, in-game items and videos.

They are bought and sold online, frequently with cryptocurrency, and they are generally encoded with the same underlying software as many cryptos.

SOPM SEASONS

Brit Awards 2021 BEST BRITISH GROUP

Little Mix BEST BRITISH SINGLE

Harry Styles - Watermelon Sugar BEST BRITISH ALBUM

Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia

BEST BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

Dua Lipa BEST BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST

J Hus INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

Billie Eilish INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST

The Weeknd GLOBAL ICON

Taylor Swift

Global Awards 2021

BEST FEMALE

Dua Lipa BEST MALE

Harry Styles BEST GROUP

Little Mix BEST BRITISH ACT

Dua Lipa BEST CLASSICAL ARTIST

The Kanneh-Masons BEST HIP HOP OR R&B

Cardi B BEST INDIE ACT

Nothing But Thieves

BEST BRITISH ACT

RISING STAR

Dua Lipa

Joel Corry

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

Arlo Parks RISING STAR

Griff

BEST PODCAST

Hunting Ghislaine MOST PLAYED SONG

Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now

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Although they’ve been around since 2014, NFTs are gaining notoriety now because they are becoming an increasingly popular way to buy and sell digital artwork. A staggering $174 million has been spent on NFTs since November 2017. NFTs are also generally one of a kind, or at least one of a very limited run, and have unique identifying codes. “Essentially, NFTs create digital scarcity,” says Arry Yu, chair of the Washington Technology Industry Association Cascadia Blockchain Council and managing director of Yellow Umbrella Ventures.

This stands in stark contrast to most digital creations, which are almost always infinite in supply.

Hypothetically, cutting off the supply should raise the value of a given asset, assuming it’s in demand. Many NFTs, at least in these early days, have been digital creations that already exist in some form elsewhere, like iconic video clips from NBA games or securitized versions of digital art that’s already floating around on Instagram.

For instance, famous digital artist Mike Winklemann, better known as “Beeple” crafted a composite of 5,000 daily drawings to create perhaps the most famous NFT of the moment, “EVERYDAYS: The First 5000 Days,” which sold at Christie’s for a record-breaking $69.3 million.

Anyone can view the individual images—or even the entire collage of images online for free. So why are people willing to spend millions on something they could easily screenshot or download?

Because an NFT allows the buyer to own the original item. Not only that, it contains built-in authentication, which serves as proof of ownership. Collectors value those “digital bragging rights” almost more than the item itself.

SOPM SEASONS

WWW.GUERNSEYTICKETS.GG

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