1. The Appraisal
TIPS…
Two to three sides of A4 using font 11 or 12 is sufficient.
There is no credit for statements about what you would have liked to have done in the composition.
Do not be repetitive (copy and paste).
Make references to your own composition using bar numbers or minutes.
Spelling and grammar must be perfect!

2. THEIR STRAND WAS WORLD NOT CLASSICAL SO YOU CAN’T COPY
Example material
Through-out this we’re going to look at two of last pupils work, both of whom received A* for this module.
SAM CLARKE – 38/40
CHARLIE POTTER – 37/40
THEIR STRAND WAS WORLD NOT CLASSICAL SO YOU CAN’T COPY

3. Question 1 EASY! – 10 mins CHARLIE POTTER Q1
1 - What Areas of Study did you choose and what is the focus of your composition within the given strand?
Say what areas of study you have chosen then say what particular focus you have concentrated on within the pop music strand (World Music).
EASY! – 10 mins
CHARLIE POTTER Q1
For my piece of music I chose to use areas of study 1 and 2, I decided on these two because I like using change of time signature. My piece has a change of 4/4 to 3/4 I think this gives the music an interesting effect because it alters the tempo of the melodies. I also like the use of syncopation because it sounds unique as it’s an offbeat rhythm. Then given strand is world music, I decided to use the Indian sound because I felt it was the most interesting. I incorporated a ‘Beatles style’ because they used Indian instruments alongside standard ‘rock’ instruments. This gives the music a 60’s ‘pop’ vibe. The second sitar is playing the melodies; this was also a 60’s influence when Indian instruments were breaking through into the British music scene.
WHAT AQA SAID ABOUT US
Question 1 requires a simple statement, listing the two (or more) chosen Areas of Study and identifying the link to the strand. Merely writing that the link was “World Music” – which was already printed on the Candidate Record Form – or naming one of the three regions was inadequate: it was necessary to refer to a characteristic of the music of the strand.

4. Question 2
2 - Why did you choose these Areas of Study and the particular focus within the given strand?
Give a little detail about what artist and what it is about their music that influenced your composition. Then go on to speak about the specific features / elements of the Areas of study you have chosen; If possible Include why you added each feature / element. Then do the same for the focus within the strand.
WHAT AQA SAID ABOUT US
Question 2 asks for the reasons behind these choices. In many cases, this was done really well, with candidates explaining at length why the Areas of Study played to their strengths or fitted in with the type of composition they intended. The best explanations of the choice of link identified pieces of music and the characteristics within them that were featured in the student’s own composition.

5. Question 2 - Example CHARLIE POTTER - Q2
2 - Why did you choose these Areas of Study and the particular focus within the given strand?
I decided to use the Indian sound because I felt it was the most interesting. I incorporated a ‘Beatles style’ because they used Indian instruments alongside standard ‘rock’ instruments .The tension follows a ‘System of a down’ influence. This gives the music a 60’s ‘pop’ vibe. The second sitar is playing the melodies; this was also a 60’s influence when Indian instruments were breaking through into the British music scene.
Brian Jones influenced my use of the sitar. I used the change of time signature because it affects the tempo of the piece; I think this alters the ‘mood’ and ‘affect’ of the piece to the listener. This can be heard from bar 47 where the piece changes to ¾ and back to 4/4 at bar 51, the whole section alters between 4/4 and ¾ as it makes the section unique and more interesting to the listener. I also used this idea with the change of tempo .This can be heard from bar 1 in the bass, at bar 9 the bass increases in tempo. I did this as it changes the feel of the music.
The mixture of durations is used because in Indian music, as well as most music you can hear a mixture of durations, this affects the length of a note, and this is most obviously heard at bar 62 where augmentation takes place. Triplets can be heard in the foot pedal, I did this because it gives the piece an allegro sound. I used syncopation because it gives the piece a more interesting sound because it isn’t on the beat; this gives the piece a ‘modern’ element. I used polyrhythms because it reflects both Indian and British music because sitar ensembles has two or more sitars, both playing different rhythms I incorporated this with a glockenspiel and some strings, the strings give a Beatles vibe, the glockenspiel gives a Rolling Stones style, this also widens the sound. I have used offbeat rhythms so it gives the piece a more interesting sound; this incorporates modern music styles because it’s mostly heard in modern music, this can be heard at bar 5 in the drums. I have used minor and diminished chords; this gives the music a slight but pleasant change, this again also represents the 60’s vibe as most music was aurally pleasing. I have also used a pedal and a drone as most Indian music includes them this is heard from bar 1 to bar 9. I have also included a variety of cadences because it keeps the listener interested in the piece; there is a perfect cadence at the end of the section that begins at bar 21. I have also used key changes to keep the listener interested in the piece; this prevents repetition in the same key this can be heard at bar 37. I have also used harmony for the same reason; it also adds more depth to the piece. At the end of the piece there is rubato this affects the piece because it affects the tempo. This also changes the ‘mood’ it gives it a sinister feel. At the end is a perfect cadence so the piece sounds finished.

6. Question 2 - Example SAM CLARKE- Q2
2. Why did you choose these Areas of Study and the particular focus within the given strand? Influences for my music composition have not necessarily come from artists (e.g. bands or singer/songwriters) but have derived from TV music, for example An Idiot Abroad, the background music from where Karl went to India and Africa, the inspiration has come from there and also bands/groups like Kasabian, The Specials, The Jam and Madness. TV music aside, bands like these used a wide variety of techniques on all instruments. For example the Madness song Night Boat to Cairo there is a use of samples and tempo change, improvisation and a polyrhythm. This influenced me and additionally gave me some ideas of how to compose certain strands/elements of AOS and where to place them in my music piece. However, the chosen Areas’ of Study of Rhythm and Meter and Harmony and tonality were chosen for the use of advantages and experience. AOS 1 demanded a change of tempo and a change of time signature. I found this to be a suitable choice of an AOS because as I had worked with these two elements before in Cubase, and It was easy for me to set up into a musical composition. In addition I used AOS 1 to my advantage as I had used most of these elements before. The usage of Polyrhythms I had come across in previous compositions and not only that, but, the strand of world music is also a part of AOS 1 and this was the main focus on what I had to do, place a musical culture in my composition. I had also worked with the use of mixture of durations before. AOS number 2 I hadn’t come across before, my musical influences had used many of these techniques, the modulation (changing key) has been used in many Kasabian and Madness songs and this was used to change the mood of the song and the way people/listeners view the piece of music made. Nevertheless the notion of a pedal and drone being used indicated to me that it would be a useful AOS to attempt to complete because these two elements of musical composition are commonly found in Indian music. In addition a variety of cadences are used in every piece of music, from perfect to imperfect and my musical influences provide these techniques. By researching the notions of cadences it had given me an idea of how to end a song and make the listener want to hear more of my music, I could do this by using an imperfect cadence. The usage of the cadences can be found at the end of each coloured section in Cubase.

7. Question 3
3 - How did you go about composing your music and how was the final recording achieved?
Answer this in two parts…
3a – How you went about composing your music.
Talk about how the piece evolved rather than an annotation of the finished piece. Avoid writing in generalities, for example “I came up with some chords” and “I thought of a tune”.
You will gain more marks if you talk about how you came up with / approached matters such as…
Chord progressions
Extending a melody
Deciding on accompaniment styles / patterns
Ensuring there was contrast where this was required
Steps taken to ensure the whole piece sounded ‘finished’
Thought given to instrumental techniques, and so on.
3b – How the piece was recorded.
Live recordings - need to talk about microphone placement, rehearsals and balance.
Cubase recordings - Do not just say “was done on Computer”. You need to talk about…
Playing the notes in (real time)
Using Quantize
Punching notes in – Draw editor (step time)
Drawing in the panning and dynamics
Other musicians
Also – Mention any problems and difficulties and how you solved the problems.
Finally - Any weakness in the composition has been identified.
WHAT AQA SAID ABOUT US
A sequence of statements such as “Then I wrote the melody”, “Then I added a bass”, “Then I added a rhythm” does not give the necessary musical detail.
The examiner is looking for the candidate to show an understanding of the process of composition, explaining, for example, why a particular chord sequence was settled upon rather than others; why a specific key was chosen (perhaps it suited the voice better than a higher or lower one, perhaps it was easier for the instrumentalists who would be involved in performing the piece); why a particular time signature was used; reasons for any modulations and for the choice of new keys.

8. Question 3 - Example CHARLIE POTTER
Firstly i began with three chords, where at the end it resolves back up to G. These are just standard chords, so I decided that the bass could be a little different. I began with the bass playing the root note, and ending the part with fills when the sitar returns to the G. Then at bar 5 the bass changes and begins playing the root note as well as an octave, this gives the piece a depth that it didn’t have before, this builds up the sound. At bar 9 the bass is playing the same thing but increases in tempo, this again builds up the sound and the speed of the piece. The ‘lead’ sitar is just playing the ‘octave’ notes of the chord. At bar 9 the glockenspiel then begins to play a melody in the key of G. This begins on the root note, and just plays simple notes that are in the scale. At bar nine the strings mimic the melody. Also at the same bar the drums come in ‘properly’ playing an on beat rhythm. At bar 17 there is a four chord sequence still in the key of G. the ‘lead’ sitar begins playing a new melody based around the scale of G, this features pedal notes. The bass continues to play octaves and then descends to the root note of G. The glockenspiel plays the ’root’ and ‘octave’ notes of the original chords; this is in the key of G. The drums then introduce a syncopated rhythm, and the foot pedal increases its tempo. The strings mimic the bass, but in a simpler form. Bar 25 sees the introduction of a new chord sequence in the key of E. the glockenspiel introduces a new melody which is mimicked by a sitar, both playing in the scale of E. The other sitar is playing another melody, this introduces polyrhythm, and again this is in the key of E. There is a key change at bar 37, the new key is A, I feel this gives an interesting sound because of this change. The drums are playing in swing time; they also build up with snare hits as this section continues. The synth strings are mimicking the bass just playing chords. The drums drop out at bar 41 so you can hear the different melodies and chords together and a bit more clearly, the bass slightly changes to round out the sound. At bar 45 there is a perfect cadence, before a new section begins. There is a new chord sequence and is played with arpeggio, this adds a more relaxed feel to the piece of music. The drums are replaced with bongos and congas this incorporates more world music, but gives the piece a more traditional feel. I created these again with the drum map; I have used them in a rhythmic way because I feel it alters the music and creates a change from the previous bars. The bass and strings are introduced an octave lower this gives the piece and ‘uncomfortable’ feel to the piece, they are in the same key as the rest of the instrument. This adds a heavier feel to the piece. The strings then build up, as they begin to play chords. There is then an augmented section, which is playing the original melodies and chords of the section. The melodies and bass lines were created due to the original set of chords, they are using notes of that scale this means that they will sound correct when played, depending on instrument they have been altered, for example the bass has been dropped an octave to add depth to the music, whereas the strings are usually higher to the bass which is creating a harmony. At bar 70 the section revives original chord and note duration, more modern ‘rock drums’; are introduced these were made by using the drum map tool, I wanted to incorporate a modern style so it’s sounds more refined and includes my influences. This continues to the end of the piece, there is a solo over the top of the last section, which is played on an electric guitar; this incorporates a modern feel to the piece, it also adds more layers of sound to the piece and adds depth. Again, adding in more of my influences. I made this solo by using the correct scale; I then began playing simple improvised pentatonic licks in the correct scale of E. This means that it will sound correct no matter what notes of the scale you play. The solo ends at bar 102 to allow the rubato to be heard; I used this because it affects the tempo of the piece. At the end I decided all of the instruments should drop out at this point, but become re-introduced at the end for a dramatic effect, again incorporating my influences. I used Cubase Elements 6; I used multiple tracks to get the sound I wanted. I used the draw editor to put my chords in; I thought this was to my advantage because everything would be in time. I also used the voice tool on the keyboards to change the sounds of my instruments, so for example I can change parts to sound like a sitar or a glockenspiel. I also used the tempo track tool, this means I can change the time signature of the piece, I felt this was practical and simple to use because you can simply change the time signature of the piece. I also felt Cubase had its advantages because when you put a melody over a chord sequence, you can simply change notes until it sounds right, and still maintain perfect time. The electric guitar was recorded in the studio, with the microphone placed in front of the amplifier, different improvised sections were mixed together using the ‘cut’ tool to make it ‘flow’ and to make sure it sounded correct and in time. The volume for the solo has been increased using the volume tool so it stands out over the rest of the instruments which are Cubase multi tracks. The volume for these had been brought down a little to compliment the guitar solo. At the end of the solo it fades out, this was done again by using the volume tool, gradually decreasing the volume until it was completely silent.

9. Question 3 - Example SAM CLARKE
Going about my composition was a very difficult task. My piece is in the key of G major. As I had chosen Areas of Studies 1 & 2, choosing my chords (major, minor, 7th and diminished) was an easy task, I had an idea of the key to choose, from my own research and musical influences. My dynamic crescendo at the beginning is an increase of volume on/over the section of the drone. This is a build up to the rest of my musical composition. The chords progress through the composition. We can identify this because the last section has modulated down to an E major key and also the musical composition uses diminished chords and minor chords in the form of a bass line. I have extended my melody by using repetition towards the end of the middle green section, bar 47 (47.5), and also using my repetition parts at different pitches/keys. There was contrast where it was needed, for example my non cultured polyrhythms in the form of piano and strings commencing on bar 5 and my sitar playing on top of this, these two musical sections are contrasting because they both have different characteristics and are set in a different key and octave. At 1:11/1:12 of my piece, I used a consonant harmony, it is also a polyrhythm played by two different instruments. To ensure my composition sounded finished I set myself a time target of 2:30. I ensured that the strands on my tick sheet were complete, that needed to be complete, for example AOS 1 & 2, and especially in AOS 2, where the change of tonality was a certain aspect and difficulty that I focused on. Furthermore the Indian music strands of a pedal and drone. I ensured my composition contained these as it was vitally important to contribute to the notion of world music. This is also a customary tradition in Indian music and can be commonly found. I also found that trial and improvement worked very well to ensure my piece was complete. This meant experimenting with a technique and if I didn’t like it I’d improve it by moving the notes around. For example, my bass line was just three notes, I found this to be plain and unworthy of listening, I improved it by getting the bass line to follow some of the rhythm and in addition modulate along with the music. This, in turn gave my music variety and it was thus worthy, in my opinion, of listening to. No live recordings were made throughout. My musical composition was helped by using quantize. I used the quantize panel, used grid 1/8 and put the swing percentage up to 100%. This brought together my musical composition. My final recording was achieved by using Cubase as an advantage overall. The dynamic crescendo at the very start (bar 1 to 5) was edited on Cubase by the volume editor and gradually increasing it until the crash cymbals introduce the next section after the introduction. Punching the notes in was simple, and having experience in Cubase before I knew what to do, setting the Yamaha keyboard up, pressing the function button on the keyboard, hitting the down button on the function setting until the blue keyboard screen had shown ‘PC Mode’ and scrolling to ‘PC Mode 2’, this enabled me to transfer whatever I had composed on the keyboard to transfer straight to Cubase and it would be there for me to edit. This was a regular occurrence as many things were recorded and then changed after consideration. My key of G major was composed on the keyboard and also the initial drone, found in the ‘strings’ section of my piece was made on Cubase by clicking the draw editor box and using my key of G. Bars 5 through 9 is used in the key of G. I used copy and paste for this section, (Ctrl +C); it has been copied and pasted in bars 13 to 17 and 21 to 25. This is a form of repetition. In between these piano sections I have used the same thing but have moved the E major down an octave. However on bars 17 to 21, the closing notes of D major, G major and B major have been separated into four short, sharp sections, therefore I have used staccato. This is to use variety in my music. Bar and are just shortened versions of the previous sections only showing the first one to two chords. The modulation was achieved by moving it down to the bass section, it was originally in the piano and string section but it sounded too crowded and the fact that there was too much going on with that particular instrument, which is why it has been moved down to signal a perfect cadence at the ending part of the song. Another advantage overall with my piece was that the notations that I played in real time, if not up to the standard I wanted them to be, they could then be moved to where suitable, for example the F#dim chord in the piano was originally just F major, this wasn’t a suitable choice as I wanted it to fit in with my G major scale. The final recording was achieved by re-arrangement and mixture of chords, notes and elements of the Area of Studies. If I didn’t like a certain chord or notation that I put in a specific place for a purpose then depending on what instrumentation section I had used it in, say for example I had a dissonant section in the piano instrumentation section and it was the right notes, I would have to move notes and chords to make my melody in my song sound consonant. I wanted my musical composition to sound consonant because, as shown in from my musical influences, most of their songs flow from one section to another and do not at any point in 90% of their songs clash or sound irregular. Overall the final recording was accomplished on Cubase. No live recordings or samples were needed because I had many ideas in mind of how I wanted the music to be. The final two things that I made sure of before the whole recording was complete was that the notes were the right length. For example on bar 21 thorugh to 25 I found notes overlapping and secondly I had to make sure the two Sitars linked in with the rhythm of my music and that I had used a polyrhythm.

10. Question 4
4 - What difficulties did you encounter during the task and how did you overcome them?
Mention any problems and difficulties and how you solved the problems.
Musical and compositional difficulties only!!! (Aim for 6 issues and explain what you did to solve each musical problem). You may comment on the crap equipment we use but that won’t get you a mark unless you explain how you got around the issue. The same when explaining compositional difficulties, for example composing a bass line that was different to the guitar part or adding triplets over a straight crotchet rhythm. Maybe you will comment on writing a vocal part as vocal melodies aren’t your forte and therefore you had to use a scale composed on piano. Maybe your vocals were so far out of tune that auto-tune was the only solution. Maybe vocals aren’t your forte so you put a different approach on them all together?
WHAT AQA SAID ABOUT US
Question 4 invites candidates to give details of any difficulties they encountered and to explain how (or the extent to which) these were overcome. In many cases, only the first part of this task was done. Statements such as “I persevered and eventually solved this problem” or, increasingly, “I went on the internet and found the answer” did not explain what the solution was. If the teacher or another student provided the solution, their input into the submitted composition must be acknowledged. Technical problems such as computer malfunctions, or an initial inability to think of ideas for the composition, were not really relevant.

11. Question 4 - Example CHARLIE POTTER Q4
The first problem I encountered was repetition; I found this to be an issue because I found it difficult to make the song flow into each section. I overcame this by using key changes so although the same part is played it has a different sound. I also used different durations of notes so it had an effect on the tempo. I also built up the sound with the addition of more instruments as the sections continued. I then found the solo to be a slight issue, I couldn’t really make is sound ‘right’ using the keyboard, I thought that it would be more beneficial to play the guitar parts myself, I also found it difficult to make the solo flow into each section, so to overcome this, I played small licks that lasted a bar, I did this each time and used the cut and volume tool to make it flow. I also found making polyrhythms hard, I found it difficult because it’s distracting when two rhythms are playing at the same time. To overcome this I just made two separate rhythms that went separately over the piece and put them together. I just used notes in the correct scale to do so. This worked because they were both in the same scale and therefor sound good together, this also adds to the building up of sound. I also found it a challenge to make the drums sound interesting and unique. So what I did using the drum map tool is make a simple drum beat, I then added more foot pedal and extra snare hits, I then added fills at the end of every bar in the first section, and every other bar in the rest of the piece. I also added swing time, which completely changed the feel of the piece. I also found ‘building’ up the sound quite difficult; I didn’t know how to increase the effect of the sound effectively. So to overcome this issue I just added more instruments playing similar things but with a slight alteration, this gives a subtle change at first but these changes then add up to a full sound that contains a lot of depth. I also increased the volume, or decreased the volume where necessary to compliment the rest of the piece. I found syncopation to be an issue, but to overcome this, I simply moved the on beat snare hit and moved it of the beat to create syncopation. I also found it difficult to end my piece, so I decided that all the instruments should drop out and leave the sitar playing the arpeggio section by itself, but playing with the rubato technique, this gives an effect on the tempo, and then on the last chord all the instruments play, this gives the piece a dramatic effect, and makes it sound finished, to do this I used a perfect cadence.

12. Question 5
5 - What makes your composition successful in relation to the Areas of Study and the focus chosen within the given strand?
List the main features and elements of your chosen areas of study and go into to detail about what they do that puts them into that specific area of study. Then do the same for the link to the strand.
“I think my composition is successful in relation to my chosen Areas of study. Timbre and dynamics both featured highly in my piece through my use of instrumentation variety and extreme dynamics ranging from pianississimo to fortississimo” – Good fact with small examples. We will also submit your AoS justification.
WHAT AQA SAID ABOUT US
Question 5 looked for an assessment of the finished composition in terms of the chosen Areas of Study and the link to the strand. Here candidates should refer to specific parts of the composition to highlight use of the Areas of Study and the characteristics which provided the link. They might refer to pieces studied, that were perhaps also mentioned in response to Question 2 and that have characteristics found in their own composition.

13. Question 5 - Example CHARLIE POTTER
I feel my piece is fairly successful in the areas of study that I have chosen. Because I feel I have key features of each in my piece. For rhythm and metre I have included a change in time signature, from 4/4 to ¾, this features at bar 47 where the piece is in 4/4 and changes to ¾ at bar 51. There are tempo changes at bar 1 to nine and at 62 to bar 70 this is also a change of duration at this particular point as the note4 is augmented. I have also used syncopation, this can be heard at bar this was in the drums. This syncopation starts at bar 17 continues to bar 25. I have also used polyrhythms; this is heard at bar 29 to bar 47. The glockenspiel and sitar play the same thing, when a second sitar is playing a new melody over the top. Dotted rhythms and triplets can be heard at bar 29 to bar 47. Offbeat can be heard in the drums at several points, particularly when the drums are first introduced at bar 5, they continue to bar 9. In connection to harmony and tonality, I have used different chords; my piece features minor and diminished chords. A change from minor to diminished can be heard in the section beginning at bar 17 which continues to bar 25. There is also a change of tonality to affect the ‘mood’ of the piece; this can be heard at the section which starts at bar 29 and the change into the section at bar 47. It also features a drone, which can be heard from bar 1 this continues to bar 9. Different cadences can be heard throughout the different sections but most noticeably at the end, there is a perfect cadence. A key is heard at bar 37 from E to A. Harmonies can be heard at bar 70, this adds depth to the sound. Even though it wasn’t in my chosen areas of study, I incorporated improvisation with the guitar solo, and the effect of slight distortion to give a crunchy 60’s/70’s tone, this widens the sound as it mixes different styles into the piece. This can be heard in the last section, which begins at bar 70. The solo ends at bar 102, the piece ends at bar 111.

14. Question 6
6 - What is the relationship of your composition to its context?
The final question refers to ‘Context’. In choosing two (or more) Areas of study and a focus within the strand, the candidate has to effectively establish the context of their composition. The context is unique to each pupil but is also defined by a recognisable style or genre of music which has influenced you.
Essentially the question is about the extent to which the composition reflects the characteristics of these influences. For example; a pupil who choses AoS1 (Rhythm & Metre) and AoS2 (Harmony & Tonality) with a link to timbre in the World strand (used a sitar) would talk about how traditional Indian Music was reflected in their own piece.
This one is hard…
Who inspired your piece? This question is all about style, what styles have you used then say what musical techniques, sounds, features or elements have you used in your composition that are typical / always heard in your chosen style, genre or artists music.
WHAT AQA SAID ABOUT US
Question 6: relating the composition to its context is a challenge for many candidates. Effectively, in choosing the Areas of Study and the link to the strand, each candidate will have established a context for the composition. Identifying pieces and using characteristics of them as the basis of their links should help candidates to an understanding of the context. Judicious choices of Areas of Study and links should enable candidates to work to their strengths and within a context they already understand.

15. Question 6 - Example CHARLIE POTTER Q6
My piece was inspired by three bands, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and System of a down. They all had their own individual influence. The Beatles influenced my use of rhythmic sitar; this incorporates when they were trying to bring the sitar into 60’s pop. So the ‘rhythm’ sitar was influenced by them because of their use of melody. The Rolling Stones were my biggest influence, particularly that of Brian Jones as he was a multi-instrumentalist. He inspired the use of the ‘lead ‘sitar, you can hear similar to the style in the chorus to ‘Paint it black’ where he is playing small phrases. This can be heard in the first sections of my piece. Again Brian Jones influenced me with his use of glockenspiel in the song ‘Under my thumb’ where he is playing a melody which is slightly quieter than the rest of the song. I used a glockenspiel in my piece because of its melodic potential; it also widens the sound of the piece. I also used it as an instrument to create a polyrhythm with because it mixes well with the Indian sound. It has made western music combine with traditional Indian music. System of a down were my final influence because I like the way they build up their music and the way it sounds dramatic. I used this influence in the final sections of my piece to create a dramatic final section, the bass is also extremely low as System of a down often use drop tunings. I feel this adds more depth to the piece because different instruments are playing on different octaves; this again mixes western music with the traditional sounds of the east. These were my influences for my piece, mainly 60’s inspired pop when bands were mixing their music with the traditional instruments of Asian countries, with a dramatic modern style which incorporates modern and older western music as well as linking in the world strand.

16. Question 6 - Example David Hegarty Q6
My composition is primarily inspired by Blink 182, but also takes various features from other bands such as Green Day and The Offspring, all well known within the pop/punk rock genre. The intro specifically was inspired by Blink 182’s cover of The Only One’s song ‘Another Girl Another Planet’ - like my piece, it uses a palm-muted riff in the introduction alongside a percussive drum line and introduces an octave power chord track later in the intro creating a crescendo effect which is perfect for a build up into the next section. As was mentioned, one of the problems I encountered was creating the drum line. To solve this, I drew inspiration from Travis Barker, drummer of Blink 182’s, style of play. His use of a bass and snare drum line infused with a more intricate percussive line over the top can be heard as a clear influence in my composition. The contrasting tonality to the rest of the song is also a key element within the pop/punk rock genre, and more specifically inspired by Blink 182’s style. Their song’s bridges more often than not contrast the verses and choruses of their song; if the chorus/verse is major, for example, then the bridge will typically shift to minor. This technique can be clearly heard in their song ‘Stay Together for the Kids’, in which the song is predominantly using a minor tonality, but then changes to a major one in the bridge, giving it a happier sound. Typical musical techniques employed in this genre include power chords, octave chords, palm muting, strumming, distortion, arpeggios, harmonics, drum fills and crash cymbals, all of which are present within my piece. To make my piece better and more fitting with my chosen style I would have liked a Tom Delong sounding vocalist to have sung over the top.

17. Question 6 - Example Perry Parker Q6
This question is all about who inspired my piece and what styles I have generated from the given strand to portray in my composition, I thought of many influences of my own, but only a small few worked within my composition many of my influences come from the music genre known as blues, which has a lot of emotion and texture within the piece of music, which Is what I tried to generate in my piece, My first Influence was jimi Hendrix. Jimi Hendrix was well known for his different tones and textures in his music, he used FX such as a wah pedal or known as a cry baby, The FX helped him get a different vibe to his music, and filled his riffs with distortion, which is what I tried to do in my composition. My second influence was John Mayer. John mayer is known for his beautiful guitar riffs and licks, and gives more emotion to his music than anyone in the 20th and the 21st century. He uses a lot of reverb, distortion and Plays with his fingers, giving a softer and warmer tone to the guitar, which is what I tried to do within my piece. My last influence is a famous composer going by the name of Carter Burwell, who composed the whole score for the film “The Twilight” Which is where I got my influence for my piano piece. His song Bella’s lullaby, was beautiful and the piano notes where sharp and quick but also very emotional and slow paced, very hard to pull off, there wasn’t much heavy handedness, Within the song, which made the song even more emotional, asif if it was hot to touch. Which is exactly what I tried to do with my piece of music. They were my main influences to the song, A blues piece enfused with classical piano.

18. Question 6 - Example SAM CLARKE
6 - What is the relationship of your composition to its context?
My musical composition was inspired by Kasabian, The Specials, The Jam and Madness. These influences have conjured together a consonant harmony in which two musical cultures are used. African and Indian culture. The African bongos in my drum section demonstrate the different bongo techniques and forms used throughout African music. These African ‘mini-sections’ have been inspired by my past music lessons over the past few years and have influenced me to include them in the composition, the usage of repetition is used for these African drum parts and gives my music variety as this is not included in my two AOS’ that I had chosen. In addition the traditional Indian Music is reflected in my piece as the Sitar is the one of the most featured instruments in my composition. After researching Indian cultured music and hearing the instrument live, hearing the sitar ascending by tones and semi tones and the mixture of durations it has, the change of tempo it uses had influenced me to include some of these different aspects in the music I had created. In addition my choice of AOS 2 which has the elements of a pedal and a drone, gave me the initial thought that these were most commonly found in Indian cultured music, and having experience and a notion of how I wanted my music to be structured I knew how I could link the non-cultured music in with the cultured.
As my music was inspired by Ska/rock/mod bands, I wanted to achieve a marching rhythm song (which is what I used the drop quantise and 100% swing time for in Cubase) and an upbeat disposition about the song. The ‘Ska Mania’ period had used a mixture of chords and each band had their own way of sealing their name on their own songs/albums. With Madness and The Specials it was the norm to have a wide custom of the ‘Brass Family’ in the music so that when you listened to it you (the listener) could immediately recognise or have an awareness of who it was. With my composition I wanted to use my Sitars in the same way Madness, The Specials, The Jam or Kasabian would use their main instruments to stamp their name on a song. So I wanted my Sitars to symbolise the ‘Brass Family’ in the context of Madness and The Specials. These two bands mainly used Saxophones and Trumpets. So my Sitars were attempted to be presented in this significant way.
The crash cymbals used in my drums (an example would be bar 1 where the music starts) are usually used to bring an opening to a musical piece or bring it to a close. I had used this concept in my music as it was a direct influence from what I originally had heard before in some songs from my influences.
To finish off the use of a section of strings had only two ‘influences’, this was from the song of Days are Forgotten and La Fee Verte by one of my musical band influences of Kasabian. The sound used at the start of these songs may not have necessarily been in the ‘strings’ concept but when I listened to the songs, it kick-started a conception that it would make my piece sound like the ‘old school ska style’ I was hoping to conquer. Not only have that but given a ‘stamp’ of authority that would give my music a recognisable sound. Also it would be easy to use a mixture of durations from this type of idea.
All of these ideas have all derived from my musical band influences and have not been copied in any way, shape or form.

19. APPRAISAL – POP MUSIC The Appraisal
Your appraisal will be marked according to how well you have analysed and evaluated the success of the process of composing and the outcome of the final completed recording. In your appraisal, you should address the following points:
1 - What Areas of Study did you choose and what is the focus of your composition within the given strand?
Say what areas of study you have chosen then say what particular focus you have concentrated on within the pop music strand (refer to Unit 2 PowerPoint for list of ideas).
2 - Why did you choose these Areas of Study and the particular focus within the given strand?
Give a little detail about what artist and what it is about their music that influenced your composition. Then go on to speak about the specific features / elements of the Areas of study you have chosen; If possible Include why you added each feature / element. Then do the same for the focus within the strand.
3 - How did you go about composing your music and how was the final recording achieved?
Talk us through the best bits of your composition (aim for 10). Do not bore us with information about your composition that didn’t even end up in the final product. Only talk about musical elements/features in the composition. This can include elements/features from any area of study.
As part of the 10 bits you can also talk about how you used Cubase or wrote on guitar and then punched into Cubase or added effects using technology etc.
Also - There is a detailed and accurate description of the composing process and a sound understanding of how the music has been developed. Problems and difficulties are readily acknowledged and solutions identified. These are clearly evidenced in the composition. Any weakness in the composition has been identified.
4 - What difficulties did you encounter during the task and how did you overcome them?
Musical and compositional difficulties only!!! (Aim for 8 issues and explain what you did to solve each musical problem). You may comment on the crap equipment we use but that won’t get you a mark unless you explain how you got around the issue. The same when explaining compositional difficulties, for example composing a bass line that was different to the guitar part or adding triplets over a straight crotchet rhythm. Maybe you will comment on writing a vocal part as vocal melodies aren’t your forte and therefore you had to use a scale composed on piano. Maybe your vocals were so far out of tune that auto-tune was the only solution. Maybe vocals aren’t your forte so you put a different approach on them all together?
5 - What makes your composition successful in relation to the Areas of Study and the focus chosen within the given strand?
List the main features and elements of your chosen areas of study and go into to detail about what they do that puts them into that specific area of study. Then do the same for the link to the strand.
“I think my composition is successful in relation to my chosen Areas of study. Timbre and dynamics both featured highly in my piece through my use of instrumentation variety and extreme dynamics ranging from pianississimo to fortississimo” – Good fact with small examples.
6 - What is the relationship of your composition to its context?
This one is hard…
Who inspired your piece? This question is all about style, what styles have you used then say what musical techniques, sounds, features or elements have you used in your composition that are typical / always heard in your chosen style, genre or artists music.

20. APPRAISAL – POP MUSIC The Marks out of 20 20 –16
• Appraisals at this level demonstrate a thorough understanding of the success of the composition in relation to the Areas of Study and strand.
• There is a detailed and accurate description of the composing process and a sound understanding of how the music has been developed. Problems and difficulties are readily acknowledged and solutions identified. These are clearly evidenced in the composition. Any weakness in the composition has been identified.
• The candidate demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the essential musical elements, characteristics and conventions relating to the Areas of Study and strand.
• The candidate uses a wide range of relevant musical vocabulary.
• There will be few, if any, errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.
15 –11
• Appraisals at this level demonstrate a broad understanding of the success of the composition in relation to the Areas of Study and strand.
• There is an accurate description of the composing process and a clear understanding of how the music has evolved. There is an awareness of problems and difficulties encountered and solutions suggested.
• The candidate demonstrates a broad knowledge of the essential musical elements, characteristics and conventions relating to the Areas of Study and strand.
• The candidate uses musical vocabulary relevant to the chosen task accurately and in context.
• There may be errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation, but they will be infrequent.
10 –6
• Appraisals at this level demonstrate some understanding of the success of the composition in relation to the Areas of Study and strand.
• There is some understanding of the composing process and an understanding of how the music has been created. There is some awareness of problems and difficulties encountered although remedies and solutions may not always be in evidence.
• The candidate demonstrates that s/he has some knowledge of musical elements, characteristics and conventions relating to the Areas of Study and strand.
• Some musical vocabulary associated with the Areas of Study and strand is used appropriately.
• Errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation may be noticeable and intrusive and suggest a weakness in these areas, though the candidate’s meaning will be discernible.
5 –1
• Appraisals at this level demonstrate limited understanding of the success of the composition in relation to the Areas of Study and strand.
• Comments on the composing process focus on technical demands but lack understanding of how ideas have been created and developed. There is little or no awareness of problems or difficulties encountered with little or no evidence of remedies or solutions.
• Knowledge of musical elements, characteristics and conventions relating to the Areas of Study and strand are limited or entirely lacking.
• Musical vocabulary associated with the Areas of Study and strand may be sparse or inappropriately used.
• Errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation may be intrusive, making the answer difficult to follow.
The candidate’s work shows no evidence of the skills being assessed.