Other creative works - Portfolio
Creative Works Portfolio: We Are Done + Higher + Mama Said
2020
Appears in NTRO Research Collection
Abstract
Creative works portfolio consisting of three musical compositions: Mama Said, We Are Done, and Higher.
Research Background
Popular songwriting remains an under researched area with specific reference to narrative theory and how story telling operates in a disparate musical form, particularly in a commercial space. Popular song is often argued against in academic literature as a sight of the mundane, holding little to no evidence of musicological value (Ward 2019). Modern instructional approaches to songwriting do not properly address the nature of narrative flux (Todorov 1961) in lyrics and music, and consequently are unable to properly blend traditional understandings of music theory with coherent storytelling (Negus 2007). This portfolio of 3 songs seeks to test three different approaches to commercial popular song writing that add to and destabilise existing research.
Research Contribution
We Are Done interrogates the nature of narrative operation in the restricted structures of popular song (Ward 2017) by deploying collective and single non-gendered pronouns in a direct address literal conversation between to existents.
Higher is an exemplar of Multimodal Narrative Songwriting (Ward and Luttrell, 2021).
Mama Said subverts concepts of modern song form (typically restricted to 7 forms (Ward)) by deploying multiple variations of musical structure to the popular song format.
Irregular sectional length and breaks in form continuity are used to disrupt the most common song forms while still adhering to the other temporal considerations of popular song (Bennet, 2015).
Research Significance
The works explore the non-traditional ideations of music theory and argue for a more versatile musical vocabulary where encompassing production, semiotics, narratology, aesthetics and multimodality. Each work is featured in journal articles currently in press. All three songs are part of a music publishing agreement with Origin Australia and after being produced for Warner Music Poland and have each received Gold Record status (15,000 physical sales).
Details
- Title
- Creative Works Portfolio: We Are Done + Higher + Mama Said
- Authors
- Andy Ward (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Date published
- 2020
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99646179102621
- Output Type
- Other creative works; Portfolio
- NTRO Classification
- NT2
Metrics
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