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Lullaby of Birdland.movMelody Challenge: Lullaby of Birdland
Melody Challenge: Lullaby of Birdland
As my melody challenge (submitted in June 2020) I selected the song “Lullaby of Birdland” of the genre swing. My interpretation of the piece is a mixture of the Ella Fitzgerald and Diane Reeves versions, with a soli composed by Michaela Lombardi. What I considered to be the main melodic challenge with this song was the soli section, due to its many blue notes and sudden jumps between notes with big intervals, but these elements are not exclusive to the soli section. Additionally, I encountered some difficulties in the way in which I would interpret the second theme in an authentic way through melodic changes. I managed to overcome these challenges by practicing each section step by step and focusing on them individually with the help of my singing teacher and by “revising” at home. The piano accompaniment is not part of the melodic challenge, but it also offered a challenge due to the more complex chords and chord progression, as well as the swing rhythm. Swing, and Jazz in general, is a new field of practice for me, which I had to get used to, both melodically and rhythmically, however the challenge it offers is what enjoy most about it, because it gives me the opportunity to broaden and develop my skills as a singer and musician.
Ground Bass Composition: Eternity
Ground Bass Composition: Eternity
When we were assigned to do the Ground Bass composition task (submitted in May 2020) I knew that I wanted to do something that was close to an A Capella song, but with the piano, and that is what I did. The composition has one recurring arpeggiated chord progression as its bass or foundation, on which everything else builds up and eventually "builds down". It is actually perfectly symmetric and looks almost like a pyramid in the scores and as a track on GarageBand. Composing this piece was both fun and challenging, because I had many ideas, but the process of notating them was very long and frustrating. I decided to name my composition "Eternity", because it sounds like it continues eternally due to its foundation, despite having many changes throughout the whole piece in its dynamics, intensity and "tension". It almost mirrors the way in which life sometimes feels like an eternity, because things might be changing all the time, but life itself remains the same in its essence. The sudden ending is something that was intended, as a way to take the listener by surprise, but also to end it exactly like it began, in order to maintain the symmetry. Personally, I am very happy with the way it turned out, but I know that the audio recording has some issues with the synchronicity of some notes and the sound of the loop. This is something I want to improve as much as possible in the future when I will re-record it.
Myrto Tripkou - Eternity .m4aMyrto Tripkou - Eternity.pdfNotes on Howard Goodall's History of Music "The Age of Tragedy"
Notes on Howard Goodall's History of Music "The Age of Tragedy"
October 2019
Composition Task: Footprints, Tango
Composition Task: Footprints, Tango
For this assignment, that was handed in in March 2019, we had to compose a piece in the key of C, which would accompany the lyrics of the poem "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Out of instinct and interest, I chose to compose my piece as a nostalgic, but hopeful Tango, with music of old Greek cinema as my source of inspiration. Before this task I was not very proud of my compositions and I was always reluctant to show them to my friends, which eventually made me scared of composing. However, through this task I managed to overcome that feeling of mine, because I saw what I am capable of, even if it is something simple. I recognised that I should not shy away from composing, especially since it gives me a sense of peace.
2Myrto Tripkou - Tango.m4aMyrto Tripkou - Tango.pdfA Capella Cover of "idontwannabeyouanymore" by Billie Eilish
A Capella Cover of "idontwannabeyouanymore" by Billie Eilish
This is a task that we had to do submit in January 2019. The requirements for it were that it would be an A Capella of a song of our choice and I selected the song "idontwannabeyouanymore" by Billie Eilish, because I heard many potential harmonies that I could make when listening to it. This assignment allowed me to explore GarageBand for the first time and it made me realise that I really enjoy making music digitally, even though I used to think that is is not something I was capable of. Overall, I am content with my result and I am planning to make more A Capella covers or originals in my free time.
Myrto Tripkou– idontwannabeyouanymore .m4aGoogle Sites
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