Project Details
To create a basic outline, I have approximately ten weeks (until the 23rd of May 2025) to complete my own individual project.
Potential pathways include self-producing and writing my own EP/album, working collaboratively with other musicians to schedule live performances, or directing a music video for an original song.
The EP Route
An Extended Play, abbreviated as EP, is essentially a group of four or more original songs (sometimes arranged in a particular order). These songs will need to be self-written and self-produced, involving much research into topics like songwriting, producing, musical stylings from relevant musicians and relevant genres; and how to release and commercially market music to a wider audience.
It should come as no surprise to the tutors that the EP route is preferable to me, since it involves minimal reliance on others. While this eliminates the possibility of being affected by another's lack of attendance, dedication or drastically different musical preferences, it also increases the workload that will weigh on me as a single person.
I am still considering working with someone else to create this EP, however, I am satisfied with the 'solo' passage.
First things first, I must decide on a genre for my EP. I am interested in combining elements from varying genres, such as funk, rock, blues, electronic, shoegaze, rap, jazz and pop to create a few simple (yet engaging) songs. Some of my major influences are acoustic-styled yet blues-influenced artist John Mayer; funky electronic pop-themed Great Good Fine Ok; 90's jazz hip-hop artist A Tribe Called Quest; and Eric Johnson, who, despite being well known solely for Cliffs of Dover, has an incredible album by the name of 'Venus Isle' which blends Eastern oriental sounds with traditional Western stylings.
My current aim for this project is to produce four songs, of which the recording should all be completed at maximum one weeks from each other. These songs will contain sensitive and relatable lyrics, along with memorable rhythms and melodies. They will also be based around a core instrument - likely the drums, but possibly the piano, guitar or bass.
I will also be tasked with creating cover art for the project; a task I will carry out when I feel I understand the message or vibe my EP is attempting to convey. My initial idea for the cover art is something minimalistic - perhaps a picture of the night sky with white text in the corner.
To create this art, I will likely use Adobe Illustrator as I have some experience with graphic design on the platform, though I will still need to research the creation of EP/album art and the factors that make it unique.
The challenging part will be the photography since it is an aspect in which I am not experienced.
Throughout all this, I will need to manage my time effectively as I am concurrently studying for my exams. However, if available, I will gladly assist others in their projects as I would expect them to assist me all the same.
This Week (03/03/2025)
For the first week, I am going to dedicate the majority of my time to planning and research. I will mainly research songwriting processes as songwriting is the most integral part of my project, and I will plan out the chords and lyrics for at least two songs.
Planning Schedule
I have created a planning schedule using the resources available on Teams. You can find it in the form of the following image:
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