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MID STUDY PERIOD REPORT
ABHISHEK DAHAL

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 Introduction

The purpose of this report is to outline my proposal for the Creative Portfolio in the
Major Study: Composition 5. The focus of my project will be a 15-minute long
collection of several songs with a mix of contemporary RnB, Soul, and modern
Indie genres. My project aims to showcase my skills in creating a cohesive musical
work that presents both unity and contrast. The report will present a production
schedule and document a plan for achieving Creative Portfolio objectives and will
also brie y explain the creative process, musical choices and the challenges faces
moving toward onto week 7.

Project Objectives

The primary objective of this project is to create a cohesive musical work that
presents both unity and contrast. The songs in the collection will be musically
related to each other, but each song will have its unique style and characteristics.
The project will be a mix of contemporary RnB, Soul, and modern Indie genres,
and the songs will be written, arranged, and produced by Remi beats (second
producer on most tracks) few vocalists and myself as the main producer/
composer.

Another objective is to showcase my skills in creating a larger, longer, and more

complex musical structure from limited material. I aim to create a work that
sustains musical interest over an extended period and presents a diverse range of
musical elements.

In terms of writing the project I really want it to capture the musical essence I have
as a producer and want it to represent my style with the topic of the project being
an individuals refection on his relationship in retrospect, capturing the love the
sadness, the hurt and the lesson and also mixed feelings of love, longing, losing,
frustration and even hatred towards a romantic partner.

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 Scope of the Project
The project will consist of 5-6 songs, each approximately 2-3 minutes long, for a
total duration of 15 minutes. The songs will be a mix of contemporary RnB and
soul, and the project will be inspired by artists like Frank Ocean and Omar Apollo.

I plan to work on the project in four phases: pre-composition, composition,

arrangement, and production. During the pre-composition phase, I have de ned
the project's goals and develop a schedule with milestones to ensure consistent
work throughout the trimester. The composition phase will involve writing the
songs' lyrics and melodies, while the arrangement phase will involve arranging the
instrumentation and harmonies. Finally, the production phase will involve
recording, mixing, and mastering the songs.

Production Schedule

To achieve the creative portfolio objectives, the following production schedule will
be implemented:

Week 1: Pre-composition: De ne project goals and themes, develop a production

schedule, and outline the song structures.

Week 2-4: Songwriting: Write the lyrics and melody for each song, and develop
chord progressions and arrangements. Experiment with di erent sounds and
production techniques to enhance the songs' emotional impact and musicality.

Week 5-7: Recording: Record live instruments and vocals, and program electronic
elements. Experiment with di erent production techniques and explore new
sounds and styles. Collaborate with other musicians and producers to enhance the
songs' musicality and creativity.

Week 8-9: Mixing: Mix and master the songs to achieve a cohesive and balanced
sound. Pay attention to details such as EQ, compression, and reverb to enhance
the songs' emotional impact and musicality.

Week 10-12: Final Touches: Finalise the songs and prepare them for release.
Create album artwork and promotional materials.

Challenges and Progress

One of the main challenges I have encountered in the project's early stages is
de ning clear objectives and goals. I found that researching and gathering
inspiration from other artists in the same genre helped me to develop a clear
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 project concept and plan for songwriting. Since I write in various genres that are
not close to each other whatsoever, deciding the overall cohesive sound of the
project was the biggest challenge. The genres I write range from Rnb and soul
(like this project) to Film scores and lm music, to Hip hop and trap with 808s,
Electronic and future bass and also Alternative and soft pop.

To navigate this challenge I decided to try and make it cohesive not only musically
but also in lyrics and context and wanted it to be in the context of romance and
heartbreak and the contrast of the two simultaneously; when a person feels all the
love and frustration with their romantic interest all at the same time. This made me
decide to create an indie soul project with a big component of contemporary rnb
and a huge reason to go this direction was that I thought of this project as an idea
and expression rather than go with what I usually write i.e hip-hop and trap.

Another challenge I anticipate is balancing the di erent phases of the project,

particularly the arrangement and production phases, to ensure consistency and
coherence across the songs. I plan to address this challenge by regularly reviewing
and re ning the arrangements as I progress through the production phases.

In terms of progress, I have completed the pre-composition phase, de ning project

goals, and developing a production schedule. I have also started researching and
gathering inspiration from other artists in the same genre, which has helped me to
develop a clear project concept and plan for songwriting.

As of week 6, I’ve arranged 4 songs each being about 2 minutes 30 seconds in

duration. All of these songs are pretty much there in terms of arrangement and
structure and now needs a vocalist to tie the songs up. I’ve had a few singers in
mind for it including myself and needs some work with melodies and lyrics from
what I already have now.

As I made the production plan at the start of the unit, it was incredibly di cult to
stick with it. I had to decide whether to write the melodies and record vocals one
by one on each track or to have the beats nished and then do the vocals and
melodies altogether and I decided to nish the 4 beats rst and then have a
vocalist and melodies on it, which did work out much better as the prior would
have been heavy on the creative work load.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this report has outlined my proposal for the Creative Portfolio in the
Major Study: Composition unit. The project will still need a lot of work but I can say
the direction it is going in is satisfactory.

Some additional goals would be that I also want to include a VoiceOver track
relevant to the topic of the project for example an individual talking about their
experience (without music) with the duration being about 30s and also add an
album art to tie up the entire project.

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