#vivinotes

hello! ahhh i’m so happy to see that you’d like to be a music student :’) here’s how i do my living room sessions:

for covers and improv:

i choose a song that i like and that i think other people will like, or i ask my followers what they want to hear if i’m running out of ideas.

then i listen to the song multiple times and really get to know it. i figure out the melody and the bass line, and that becomes my “skeleton” to work with when i start arranging.

now it’s time to come up with an arrangement. i completely avoid listening to other covers of the song so that my arrangement can be as original as possible and so that i won’t be influenced by others. i take my “skeleton” and start building chords, figuring out what sounds nice to me, making small tweaks here and there, and putting everything together.

arranging can take anywhere between just a few minutes (improv; in this case, skip steps 1 and 2), to a few days (mini covers), to a whole month (longer/full covers). i’m trying to get better at being more efficient with my arrangement process, but i’m also very meticulous with how i want my final recording to sound lol.

record! i just use my phone since i can’t afford professional equipment at the moment. the recording process can take a while, but every now and then, there are *magical forces* in the air and i can do it in one take (example: my “shelter” cover). however, i usually have to do multiple takes (example: my full “spring day” cover took me over 30 takes lmao).

i upload the final recording to tumblr, add a brief description, tag my supporters and other people who i think might like it, and post!

for original pieces:

i find inspiration from other artists/songs/genres that i like. for me, i usually like to explore pop, electronic, lo-fi hip-hop, jazz, and sometimes classical.

...or sometimes i just wait for a sudden wave of inspiration to hit me like a train and i snap out of the creative block (kinda like writer’s block) that i’m in.

...or i just sit at my piano for a while and experiment with playing random melodies and whatever comes to mind. it’s kinda like improv, but not really.

compose! a lot of the time, i actually don’t bother writing it down unless i feel like it or i feel that it’s necessary. it’s usually all in my head, and i just continue building and working with whatever is in my memory.

composing can also take a while. example: i’ve been working on “unravel” since this past summer, and i’m still not done yet. i’m currently stuck in a creative block, so i have no idea when i’ll finish, but hopefully i’ll be done sometime soon.

record and post!

i would imagine that my process would be even longer if i ever decide to include more instruments and more layers, but for now, i just like to keep it simple. :)

hello! edX is another great site where you can take online courses and learn super cool things. i’ve taken a couple courses on there and i really enjoyed them. “the rise of superheroes and their impact on pop culture” is probably my most favorite one that i’ve taken!

i’ve seen some people recommend skillshare as well. i’ve personally never taken a course on there, but it seems like a good place to learn stuff, too!

here is a masterpost with even more sites to learn stuff online!

sugar: tell me about your first crush

he and i have known each other since kindergarten. we’re neighbors and he lives down the street from me (he still does), so we basically grew up together. he used to come over to my house pretty often while his mom was busy at work, and we would eat snacks and play on my piano together. he’s so kind and silly and knows how to make everyone laugh, but he’s also very smart and talented! i don’t have a crush on him anymore, but we’re still good friends! :)

bubble tea: what ride would you pick at an amusement park?

already answered!