Lesson 3 Production on "That Feeling"
Essential Question
What does it feel like in the studio to create a song from both the producer and the artist's perspectives? How do they each participate in the finished product?
Objective
Students will gain an understanding of what it feels like to record a song in a music studio from the perspective of a performer and a producer/engineer.
Materials Needed
Summary
In this lesson, students will see firsthand the logistical choices that producers make to streamline the recording process. They will also analyze effective communication styles.
Instructional Activities
Part 1
As a class, go through the Recording and Production: Logistics clips and use the prompts to spark class discussions - the clips and discussion questions are also available on this slideshow, with additional information in the speaker notes section.
In the beginning of this clip, the organist asks for help adjusting the balance in his headphones. Why is this important? You can hear the performer playing two kinds of licks here- why might he need a different balance of organ/band in his headphones for each part?
What is the performer asking for from the producer? Why is it important to work these things out before starting to record?
What do you hear? What do you think is in the player's headphones?
What are the producer and engineer looking at? What can they hear?
When the harp is recording, what do you think the producer and engineer change in the mix they are listening to? Why is this helpful? Why not listen to the harp alone?
The harpist asks for a click- what is this? The producer gives her a few tries to listen to the click to figure out when to come in- what is she listening for?
Part 2
Part 2: As a class, go through the Recording and Production: Communication clips and use the prompts to spark class discussions - the clips and discussion questions are also available on this slideshow, with additional information in the speaker notes section.
While the harp warms up in the booth, the producer talks to the vocalists before they record. What does he mean when he says he will give them space to express themselves? Why is this conversation important?
How do the producer/engineer and artist communicate? How do the physical and audio setup allow for immediate communication?
Notice when the artist makes a creative choice of her own. Does the producer accept the suggestion?
In this part of the song, the producer asks Niu to record the same part three times, layering each take over the last. How does this affect the feel of the song?
The producer and artist need to have a common set of vocabulary so that they can talk about different parts of the songs. What words do you hear when they are discussing the form of the piece?
What do you notice in terms of the producer and artist giving and receiving feedback? In the beginning of this clip, the artist wants to try another take- how does he let the producer/engineer know? How fast are they able to reset and record again?
How does the artist ask for a second try recording a part?
How do the producer and performer work as a team to record efficiently? How do they communicate when the producer wants to change something?
How does the producer show the artist what he wants in terms of the melody? Is he able to copy the phrase correctly? What skills do both the producer and artist need to be able to do this?
Related Materials
