TEACHER MATERIALS
Unit 4
The Structure
Activity 3 - Soundtrap
Build It Up
Create chords and a bass line to match your rhythm track.

STUDENT/PLAYER GUIDE

We're back in the studio to work on creating chords and a bass line that go with the amazing rhythms that we created. CHORDS are two or more notes played together - they can add hold together the rest of the music -  the bass, rhythm, and melody. BASS is the low end that holds the root of the chords and the feel of the groove. How does it sound to you when different notes and chords are combined? Do you wonder how the pitches work with each other? This is your first step into music theory, and your mission is to learn how to use Soundtrap to record, input, and change notes, as you and your band experiment with chords and bass.

Step 1: In Soundtrap, we explore the chords and the bass line, in a song called “Lean On Me.” What do the chords do in a song? What does the bass do? Discuss.

Step 2: Chords -  In your lane, on the Chord (keyboard) track, create at least two chords with at least two notes in each chord: this is the start of a chord progression.

Step 3: Remix - Use the piano roll to edit your chords - you can add/remove notes and change the pitch and timing of your chords. Remember to listen to the results as you make changes, so that you end up with something you like.

Step 4: Bass - Now add a simple bass line on the Bass track in your lane. A good start could be to use the lowest (bottom) note of each of your chords. This can lead to a groovy bass line.

TEACHER/PRODUCER GUIDE

  1. Introduce the activity and confirm all players understand the steps.
  2. Share your screen with the class as you demonstrate chords and bass in the “Band X Music” studio in Soundtrap. We recommend you work with a band to discuss and demonstrate the following steps.
  3. Step 1: Demonstrate a chord progression and bass line by playing the “Lean On Me” demo lane in Soundtrap. Solo the chord and bass tracks individually. Highlight how the (bass) root note of each chord is essentially a melody that follows a pattern. Now mute the chords and then the bass to show what the music sounds like without these components. Lead a discussion on what the bass and chords can do in music - not only structurally, but also emotionally.
  4. Step 2: Explain that our first challenge is to record at least two chords with at least two notes in each: the start of a progression. Open the keyboard instrument on the “Chords” track. Ask players to note the different keyboard sound choices - for longer chords, they’ll want a sound that sustains--(ie. the sound continues as long as the keys are pressed). Set the loop indicator over your lane, and press Play. Now with the rhythm looping, touch keys on your computer keyboard to model how to experiment with chords, perhaps in the key of C major, (the letters z,x,c,v,b,n,m on the computer keyboard). Encourage them to listen to their rhythm, and use space (rests), as they play with it. When they have some chords they like, invite the players to record. To enable recording, click the “R” button on the track, and then press the red Record button. Voila! Next, listen back to the recording - do you like it? Is it “close”? If so, move to the next step. If not, delete the region you just recorded, and try recording again. 
  5. Step 3: Remix - Demonstrate how to open the piano roll by clicking on the “Piano  Roll” tab. Show that you can zoom in/out to work on what you just recorded. With the tools, (edit and pencil), model that you can adjust notes - individually, or even groups of notes that you select by dragging over them. Demonstrate that 1) you can move notes in time (left/right), and pitch (up/down), and 2) you can adjust the length (duration) of notes by clicking and dragging the note edges. To remove notes simply select one or more, and delete. To add notes, you can copy/paste, or you can use the pencil tool to “write” them in. With all of these tools, remind players that the process is to listen, then experiment, then listen again, and keep adjusting as desired. It is important to think of this work today as a (very) rough first draft that they can keep working on later.
  6. Step 4: Now we’ll move to the “Bass” track. Open the keyboard track and model how to choose a bass sound, and then experiment with notes that work with your chords and rhythm. You can remember, (or look at), the root (lowest) notes of each of your chords. Suggest a basic rhythmic pattern (e.g., quarter notes). Bass lines can often be simple and repetitive. Another starting point that students can try is to copy the region(s) from their “Chord” track into the bass track, and then delete all the upper notes of the chords, leaving just the root notes. These notes may need to be dragged/transposed down an octave or two.
  7. Note: We should mention latency - the delay that happens when you record something “on” the beat, but by the time it ends up in Soundtrap, it is after the beat. There are hardware/software “fixes” (e.g. use a faster computer, and/or close browser tabs and programs to optimize performance. After recording, you can also adjust the notes (or audio regions) by dragging them earlier. Another method is to “Quantize” the notes in the piano roll.  (See tutorials below on Latency and Quantizing for more info.)
  8. Option: Some players prefer to start with a bass line first and then add chords on top of it.
  9. Option: If students want/need more challenges, the teacher can add more measures, (or add more tracks), to students’ lanes. Professional beat makers often use more than one rhythm track to create layers of rhythms that can be adjusted, mixed, and arranged individually.
  10. When finished, students will listen to their bandmates’ chords and bass and give KSHH feedback (verbally, in the Soundtrap chat window, or in the band's slides). 
  11. Invite each band to update their Google slides with their new work and to give their bandmates KSHH feedback on the next slide. To export an mp3 from Soundtrap, select File>Export>Export as mp3.

RUBRIC

Exemplary (5)

  1. Step 1: Explore Chords and Bass complete
  2. Step 2: Create Chords complete
  3. Step 3: Re-Mix your Chords complete
  4. Step 4: Create a Bass line complete
  5. Export and Post Up complete
  6. KSSH feedback with another student

Proficient (4): 5 of 6 complete

Progressing (3): At least 3 complete

Emerging (2): At least 1 complete

Beginning (1): 0 complete

TEACHER RESOURCES

Video: Latency fix in Soundtrap, by Manweiller Music, YouTube.com, August 2020

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Video: The Grid and Quantizing in Soundtrap, by MusicEdTech, YouTube.com, March 2020

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Video: Playing & Recording Chords Using Computer, MusicEdTech, YouTube.com, April 2020

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Video: Playing and recording chords, by Clark Eagling, YouTube.com, May 2017

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Video: Adding a Bassline by Duplicating Tracks, by Clark Eagling, YouTube.com, May 2017

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