My portfolio for this trimester is composed of three tracks of different genres. In order to express the content of these works more effectively, I will now conduct a comprehensive analysis of my portfolio from several aspects, and summarize my learning experiences and shortcomings during the first trimester, so that I can make fuller and more sufficient preparations for the CMP2.
I. Artistic Vision
During my process of growing up, pop music played an indispensable and irreplaceable role in shaping and influencing my sense of aesthetics. I love many different genres of pop music, but most of the works I prefer are mainly those produced with acoustic instruments, such as the early songs written by Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, as well as a large number of excellent tracks created by Chinese songwriters. At that time, electronic methods of music production had not yet become widely popular, and producing music still relied on studios and also required the division of labor and cooperation among many specialized people, such as players, recording engineers and so on. Of course, in that era which placed great emphasis on musicality and melody, mature composers were also indispensable, because lyrics and melody were widely regarded as the core and emotional foundation of pop music.
Throughout such a growing experience, I developed a musical philosophy that continues to influence me to this day, which is “sounding good” should always be the first and foremost priority of music. This may sound like an apparently self-evident statement that does not seem to require separate emphasis, yet in today’s gradually diversifying musical environment, with the maturation of music production technologies and the widespread availability of low-cost and highly convenient producing methods, many musicians have already begun to forget the essence and fundamental nature of music. They no longer take sounding good as their goal and starting point, but instead attempt to demonstrate their so called “professionalism” through overly complicated technical approaches, production methods that are alternative and not aligned with the nature of music itself, exaggerated lyrics and melodies, and so on. In reality, these practices violate the aesthetic value that music should possess. Therefore, whether as a listener, songwriter or a producer, I tend to prefer hearing musical works that are the most sincere. For most conventional pop songs, such songs should be led by lyrics and melody, possess a very high level of listenability, and be able to convey emotions easily and evoke resonance in listeners. In terms of production, the approach should be neither excessive nor insufficient, but should find the mode of expression most suitable for the track, maximizing the characteristics and value of the song itself. For example, Adele’s hit song “All I Ask” features a touching melody, progressively layered vocal performance, and rich emotional expression, making it easy for listeners to become immersed in it and forget that this is a song whose production relies entirely on the piano to fully bring out its emotional depth. For other music genres, such as electronic music, the choices of timbre, production techniques, and so forth become the dominant elements, providing listeners with a richer, more diverse, and more experimental auditory experience, for example, the classic album Melodrama by Lorde, Billie Eilish’s first album “when we all fall asleep, where do we go?”, and so on.
Therefore, under the influence of this aesthetic and this musical philosophy, I applied this concept to the portfolio for my final project. And since I personally prefer musical works with strong melody, also because I have some experiences creating such kinds of music during my studies at conservatories, this portfolio mainly uses acoustic instruments, simple and clearly defined chords, and strongly melodic musical writing. I aim to construct my own expressive style through solid musicality. For instance, in “Just Like a Cup of Affogato”, I used a typical R&B groove, building the foundation with basic piano, bass, background vocals and drums, and then adding synths to create a old school atmosphere. In the latter half of the piece, I incorporated jazz elements such as brass and double bass, adding a sense of contrast and providing richer layers for the music. In “Ruby’s Lullaby”, due to the slow and lyrical nature of the piece, the piano becomes the main instrument, accompanied by a large amount of strings to enhance a warm and delicate listening texture. Unlike the two purely instrumental works mentioned above, the third track “The Meaning of New Year’s Eve” is a vocal song. Through the groove of swing, call-and-response style of background vocals and saxophone solo, this track highlights a romantic vibe that fits the mood of the festive season.
But no matter what kind of arrangement or production methods I use, everything should serve the purpose of finding a mode of expression that belongs to the music itself, and achieving an effect that is pleasant, sincere, and detailed. This is my premise, and also the final goal I hope to achieve.
II. Process and Development
Before entering Leeds Conservatoire, although I had a certain musical foundation and experience in songwriting and performance, I had barely explored production in any substantial way. In my previous experiences, producing a piece of music was usually a collaborative process with others, especially with professional arrangers and mixing engineers. They were responsible for arrangement design, DAW operation and mixing, while my role was mainly keyboard recording, background vocals writing and vocal production.
Due to there were professionals strictly overseeing the production process most of the time, I had almost never completed an entire piece independently. This became a significant weakness I realized after joining the MA music production. I still remember the panic I felt in the first session when I had to create a 30-second track within just ten minutes, feeling anxious about relying entirely on myself. Precisely because I lacked experience in completing most of the production work on my own, I often felt technically limited when working on many assignments, resulting in productions with insufficient completeness or robotic listening quality.
To solve this problem and complete my portfolio, as well as prepare for my future production projects, during my first semester, I not only concentrated in class, but also spent my spare time learning knowledge that related to production online, such as the functions and usage of different plugins and effects or how to connect various equipment, just in order to enrich my technical foundation. Besides this, in terms of creativity, when I encounter difficulties in creation, I prefer to listen to tracks produced by other artists, analyzing their chords, the timbres of their arrangements, the characteristics of their mixing, and how these techniques influence their final works, then gradually finding a way of expression that suits my preference and aesthetic. To collect ideas for my portfolio, whenever I had an idea I was satisfied with, I would record it immediately, whether it was a short melodic motif, a chord progression or any thoughts of instruments. Through this period of study and accumulation, I clearly felt more composed when beginning a new project, and by mastering basic production techniques like adjusting EQ, compression, reverb, delay and so on, I gradually established my own aesthetic and producing habits in music production. This increased my practical experience, and laid a solid foundation for my further study in CMP2 at the same time.
III. Context
In this portfolio I submitted, as I mentioned earlier, I hope my works express my emotions through delicated melodies and engaging listening experience, so the techniques I employed lean more toward traditional pop music concepts.
In the piece “Just Like a Cup of Affogato”, I wanted the entire track to feel unhurried and calm. Therefore, at the beginning, I chose a piano solo as the intro for the track, using flexible rhythm to convey a sense of openness and gently lead the listener into the emotional journey. Subsequently, the hi-hat in the drum set signals that the main theme is beginning, which is then highlighted through the classic four-piece setup together with background vocals, emphasizing the R&B genre’s melodic richness and rhythmic drive. In addition, to distinguish the piano intro from the R&B thematic section, I not only made slight adjustments in groove, but also modulated the key, starting with the F major piano solo, transitioning via the F major secondary dominant G, and finally moving to C major when the main theme begins. This two-part intro is quite common in pop music, the two sections not only fully establish the emotional groundwork for the piece, but also create clearer contrast and layered texture. An example is “Brutal” by Olivia Rodrigo, which opens with strings and then immediately introduces distorted guitar and punk-style drums, creating a strong contrast that showcases the musical theme of the song.
Returning to my piece, after the intro, with the addition of the lead synthesizer, the track acquires a slightly retro listening quality, which is the effect I intended to achieve. I wanted this track to combine the warm texture of acoustic music with the diversity and vintage feel of synthesizers. Therefore, in addition to using a lead synthesizer for the melody, I added several other synths, playing arpeggiated or block chords that interact with the main melody and acoustic instruments, making it sounds richer and more diverse.
To further enrich the texture of this track, I chose to change the genre again toward the end, incorporating elements of jazz such as double bass, brass, and swing groove to contrast with the earlier R&B part, creating a playful and lighthearted effect, and finally ends with a piano playing a blues scale. Just like enjoying a cup of affogato, I wanted this music to have a sense of transition and resolution, and keep introducing new elements to achieve a colorful and dynamic listening experience, almost like an auditory suspense story. Of course, the affogato is just a metaphor, I hope that when listeners feel the changes in this piece, they can associate them with their own stories, just as the saying goes, “a thousand Hamlets in a thousand minds.”
The second piece “Ruby’s Lullaby” is a gentle and soothing track. Similarly, in order to gradually enter the heartfelt atmosphere of the music, this piece begins with a sample of raining and ends with the same sound, creating a sense of symmetry between the beginning and the end. Afterwards, the piano paired with a timbre of music box, slowly introduces the theme of the track, using 1 3m7 6m7 4 to create a calm and peaceful mood. To add more weight to the arrangement, strings are almost indispensable. In this track, whenever there is a gap in the piano melody, the strings fill the space with arpeggiated chords, and whenever a buildup is needed, the flowing strings shift to unison playing to bring a heavier texture to the track. In addition, aside from the acoustic instruments that take the leading role, I also used some synths, such as 16mm Dream Sequence in Logic. The dreamy timbre and slightly detuned tone add an airy quality to the piece. Finally, similar to the first track, this track reaches its emotional peak in the final chorus through the layering of strings, piano and choir, and then returns back to piano and music box, eventually going back to the calm and simplicity of the beginning through piano and rain sample.
This piece is influenced in its genre and instrumentation by several modern composers, such as “Birthday” by the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi’s is an outstanding work built around piano and strings. Besides, the idea of making this piece truly corresponds to the name of it. My intention was to create a track that generally sounds like a lullaby, especially in this era, I believe people need quiet pieces even more, so that their minds can become less restless. This is the original intention behind the inspiration of this piece.
“The Meaning of New Year’s Eve” is a song written by me. It is a love song set against the background of the Chinese New Year, and the initial inspiration came from Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. Christmas-themed pop songs have been common for a long time, even many Chinese pop songs are about Christmas. This made me wonder why Chinese songwriters rarely use New Year’s Eve as a lyrical motif. In terms of musical design, I used a swing rhythm paired with piano and double bass to create a relaxed, romantic atmosphere. For the background vocals, I intentionally raised the volume of it, because I wanted the background vocals sound like a choir that surrounds the lead vocal, creating a lively festive vibe, rather than serving merely as padding like most of traditional songs. And in the interlude, I invited my friend Vincent to record a saxophone solo to enhance the warmth and richness of the track. I have always believed that the dynamic and “human touch” of real acoustic instruments cannot be replaced by MIDI, especially in a long solo where the sax occupies the lead role, making a live recording essential in this part of the song.
After the solo, I used double time to push the song to the peak. The clap timbre not only replaces the snare, but also adds warmth and fullness to the song. Finally, the melody returns to the verse, and the piano signals the end of the track as well as the closing of the New Year’s Eve, as everything settles back into calmness.
IV. Evaluation
As I mentioned, I tried many different production approaches in this portfolio. Whether in my overall thinking or in the small details, I aimed to achieve the best I could. Some of these attempts are things I still genuinely like, such as the way I wrote the strings in “Ruby’s Lullaby”, using arpeggiation that interlocks with the piano to create a sense of flow. In “The Meaning of New Year’s Eve”, the genre between reggae and jazz, along with the sax solo, is also something I’m satisfied with. Combined with the background vocal layers, I believe I achieved as much sonic variety as my current ability allows.
Of course, I also discovered many problems. When arranging drums, my limited understanding of drum performance led to grooves that sound robotic. And due to recording limitations, I wasn’t able to record real strings and brass. Even though I tried my best to shape the dynamics, the result is still far from the nuance of live recordings. But I will bring these issues with me into CMP2. Next trimester, I hope to deepen my understanding of production techniques, the playing methods of different instruments, arranging concepts, and the basic principles of mixing. As I continue building experience and work on tracks in different genres, I hope to gain a clearer understanding of how various production approaches function in music and how they shape its emotional impact.
In the end, I hope that whether it’s studying the courses next trimester or making music as a producer in the future, I can always stay in that beginner’s mindset, keep an open mind, and keep pushing myself forward in every aspect, from songwriting and arranging to recording and mixing. Because music, just like perfection, has no finish line. Only by constantly trying and making mistakes can I get one step closer to the perfection in my heart, and find my own expression little by little.
References
Carey, M. (1994) All I want for Christmas is you. Merry Christmas [CD]. Columbia Records.
Eilish, B. (2019) When we all fall asleep, where do we go? [CD]. Darkroom / Interscope Records.
Hisaishi, J. (2005) Birthday. Freedom: Piano Stories 4 [CD]. Universal Music Japan.
Lorde. (2017) Melodrama [CD]. Lava Records / Republic Records.
Rodrigo, O. (2021) Brutal. SOUR [CD]. Geffen Records.
