Joshua "Jeldon" Head
MUSICIAN & SONGWRITER
Project 3: Fast Lane
For this project, I decided to follow the guidelines in the R&B Section, which featured "Cuff It" by Beyonce and "Women."
​
I took on many personalities to create the Melody. The lyrics and the title were the first objectives before I wrote in music.
Progress Log
8/5
-
I listened to all of the music in the listening.
-
Constructed a chord progression
8/6
-
Constructed a melody on a beat based on the first choice in selection.
-
I decided that I would use female lyrics for the song.
8/7
-
Created two rhythm ideas
8/14
-
Update the lyrics to get rid of the “slow down” Reference.
-
Added melody layer to pronounce the sound.
8/15
-
First recording session –
-
Changed some of the words in the hook
-
I also changed the hook melody in between the first line.
-
Recorded the first verse
-
8/17
-
Recorded the Second verse
-
I edited the vocals, but I had to fix the hook layer.
-
Updated Lyrics "
-
Catch up to the real or I am passing
-
I’m the next/You know I’m a dime/ running it up/ya falling in line/:
8/18
-
Further edits with the vocals
-
Conduct a static mix of the overall sound.
8/21
-
I updated the arrangement to remove sounds during the verses.
-
Changed the take to a more energetic tone
-
Removed the Tuning.
-
Properly arranged the bridge
8/26
-
Tammed frequencies on the vocals.
-
Added more low end on the kick drums
-
Removed tunning on the vocals
-
Remove noise from vocals.
Lyrics:
Key: C Minor
Tempo: 127 BPM
Song Form: ABABCB (Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge)
Lyrics:
Title: Fast Lane
Title: Fast Lane
(A )Verse 1 (Rap/Sing)
nothing is holding me back/
Why are you wasting my time?
you know that Im fly/ nothing is holding me back/Holding me back
It was just a kiss/ now your all in my trap/trap(yeah)
Breath Breath
Lower your tone or your gone end up alone
Pushes and pulls got you out you zone,
you are way out of line
ya know you did the most
Breaking the code
(B)Chorus (sing)
You’re moving too slow on my fast lane
Catch up to the real or I am passing
I’m the next/You know I’m a dime/ running it up/ya fallin’ in line/
You’re moving too slow on the fast lane
Catch up to the real or I am passing
To the next/ I need the strength, man
It too much competition for my last name
(A) Verse 2
It takes more than gassin’
I switch to babe to cash in/
he calls me lil sassy,
I stay classy/
First-class trips
Order Chardonnay
wine glass,
I don’t play
/nails done/ real one/
I stay fly head to toe
bankroll im bout it thou
mis Dior ya probably thou
I make the waves like a motorboat
I know how to get it
now you know
make like em sick need an antidote
make the waves like a motorboat
no makeup one
I stay fly
(B)Chorus
You’re moving too slow on my fast lane
Catch up to the real or I am passing
I’m the next/You know I’m a dime/ running it up/ya fallin’ in line/
Are you slowing down on the fast lane
Catch up to the real or I passing
To the next/ I need strength, man
If you want to take my last name
Just a vibe
Music Production: My Final Project 1
General Reflection
In this track or music piece, I decided to use the Project 1 chord progression in this final project. This reminded me of a pop song by an artist such as James Blake. Even though the artist’s representation is present, the music sounds like it can be a part of a sci-fi movie. The minor chords bring an emotion of triumph and accomplishment. The choices for each of the synth instruments add texture.
Rhythm Section
The synths on the melody inspired the rhythms and drums section. The staccato melody rhythms helped me determine the type of drum sounds. Initially, I used the default drums. However, after further editing the piece, I added an aggressive kick drum to help drive the groove. The use of various distortion effects helps beef it up, with the pedalboard used to change the tone of the kick hits in a tone sequence. The overall drum kit sound decision is to match the electronic space grooves’ melody.
Harmony & Melody
Bars 1-16
Dm | CM | BbM | Am | CM BbM | Am
Bars 17-32
Csus2 | GM | Bb sus2 | Gm | D/CM | C/FM | Am | Dm
The chord progression of the first 16 bars was me challenging myself using the minor keys. I like the adventurous and mysterious tone of the minor keys changing the major. After learning about the Sus keys, I was inspired to use them intentionally in this piece. As you can see from the progress, the second begins with a Csus2, which I found naturally goes into the GM. It was not disruptive when the Am from the first 16 bar transitions to the Csus2. It enhanced the space vibe I was trying to create and helped tell the story.
Synth/Sampler/Audio
For the synthesized tracks, I used the ES1. It is only used on some of the ending transitions of 8 Bars. I created a pad-like sound with a slow attack time, giving the melody an alien or sci-fi texture. I recorded my voice with the sampler, saying, “Keep up on my game.” I then added the voice file to the sampler and chopped up sections of the phrases. After, create a melody with a few words, such as “right now.” In addition to the recordings, I added a singing section that came to mind.
Processing
​
Multiple dynamics compressors and gates were used throughout the session. One of the dynamic processors I used was the gate for the vocals. It cut out some of the noise floor so that when I added the time-based effects, they would not pick up any artifacts. Also, the Eq’s remove the low-end frequency and other tones in the vocals in the recordings. For the session, I used two delays and a reverb. For the snares, I added a room reverb with an eq curve to remove the high frequency and the low to capture the warm frequencies of the reverb. I then used a compressor to stabilize the position of the reverb within the mix.
​
​
HipHop Cue
This month, in the FullSail course, I was challenged to create three various cues for production music. For this review, we will look at the Hip-Hop Cue. The hip-hop cue, a genre with many applications, is often used for sports, urban, and various product offerings. Its high energy and minor key composition make it a versatile and powerful tool in the music production arsenal. When writing hip hop, the melody is most prominent in the music's bass, where the chord structure supports the bass melody. Since the bass is often the melody, the drums and melody must be locked in sequence to maintain a solid groove.
My journey in creating the music began with crafting a catchy bass line using an 808. I chose to use Logics Alchemy 808 for the melody. In the E minor key, I programmed the bass to step down every third of the key using a staccato rhythm. I then layered the 808 with a synth bass sound to bring harmonics of the mid-range to the rhythm. This process was a labor of love, and I'm excited to share the results with you.
​
The Kick drum follows the 808 basses, using a Boom Bap, a traditional hip-hop drum structure. Once the rhythm with these two instruments was solid, I began building upon the drums by adding the shakers, hi-hats, and snares. Using a loop to create the elements before composing the music allows me to stack various sounds and counter melodies. In this case, I used a Brass instrument that hits on 1 of each section to add additional energy to the music.
The main melody line of the instrument I use is the Retrosyth, in which the melody does a repeating phrase throughout. The melodic line follows the bass. In the building sections of the music, I also introduced guitar sounds to build upon the energy.
For the Hey Sounds in the music, I sampled the logic loop, chopped the Hey out of the sample, and used it as a counter rhyme throughout the music. I enjoyed the process of creating Cues. Once I understood the format of the music, it was simple to compose a beat and be as creative as I wanted within the guidelines.
Mix Project
Fullsail Mix Project
For this project, for the Engineering Skills for the Music Producer, we were to conduct an essential mix using a reference version of the song and limited tools within Avid Protools. I enjoyed this class for programming Midi bass parts and other sounds, which humbled me. But if you listen, you will hear my progress.