BTECSoundRyanHobin: Creative Arrangement-7 Nation Army (Reggae)

My newest project for my BTEC music tech course was the creative arrangement in which I chose a song and converted it to a new genre. In this case 7 nation army by the white stripes and reggae. I initially found it difficult to begin to convert the song into the new style despite being very familiar with it. I decided to resolve this by researching genre specific tendencies that i could being to incorporate into my arrangements. By researching other reggae related genres such as ska, and roots reggae i was able to link the rock 7 nation army to the more funky and mellow reggae rhythms.

One of the first things I began create was the well known bass riff of the song, by adjusting the timings at which some of the notes started and finished I was able to create an off beat tune that gave the funky tone of the intended genre, I made two subtly different versions of the riff and alternated them every other bar. This added to the off beat effect of the reggae and also allowed for some subtle variation of the track in order to keep it interesting. Later on in the song when it comes to the end on the chorus and beings a build up to the next section I chose to keep the bass line as it was in the original as I felt this created tension and a dynamic change in the tone. I also used an EQ on the bass track in order to strengthen the lower notes and reduce the high end. This gave it a much more bassy and thick tone that I was very happy with, and that I felt fit the genre well. I used the solid pick bass sound as I found this to be the deep smooth tone I was looking for, with some harshness at the start of each note.

After this I decided to create a traditional reggae guitar track by using off beat staccato strums of guitar chords that can be found in so many tracks throughout the years. I found that this was when the track actually started to sound as though it could become a legitimate reggae piece as it gave the track a good solid back beat that was easily relatable to reggae. I used an electric guitar sound to create a more rocky tone to create some effect of power behind the track. Later on in the sequencing process i decided that the guitar track was too cutting and was uncomfortable when it ended. In order to counteract this I added a reverb effect which allowed each chord to end over time which felt much more natural and smooth. The reverb also helped to make the track fuller as the effect of each note was felt for longer. I also added a subtle EQ to make the peak of each chord stand out more.

I then proceeded to create a drum track. One of the reggae ticks that I found was reasonably common can be seen as the drums begin, where some bongos can be heard in a small piece just before the rest of the drums kick in, this was used by reggae legend Bob Marley. Most of the drums I used were a mix of lower floor tom sounds and a bass drum, as well as some bongo like sounds. I also used some closed cymbal sounds and a snare. I found that often higher pitched drums are used in a very sharp and choppy way in reggae and so I tried to recreate this in my track. When vocal lines were playing I stopped most of the higher pitched drums to allow for the rest of the song to not be drowned out by them, adding them back in once their was a vocal break or in key moments.

Next I added the main vocal line. I was unable to add actual vocals for this project and so resorted to finding an alternative. In my research I found that brass sections were/are very popular in reggae related styles and so i decided to use a trumpet sound for the vocal melody line. I found that this worked very well and that the tone fit the rest of the song very well. However i found it to be somewhat empty when compared to other reggae tracks I had listened to. This led me to the conclusion that I should compose some of my own vocal melody lines with other brass instrument sounds to give the true effect of the reggae/ska brass section whilst also providing some backbone to the vocal melody line. I began by making a lower harmony track to the main vocal using a tuba sound. I found that this alone gave the desired effect of strengthening the vocal track and so for the rest of the extra melody lines I decided to avoid complicated vocal like melodies.
I found that for long solo notes a harmonica sound fit very well and gave an almost wispy effect to the vocal melody, I decided that in order to increase this effect and make the track stand out more in the song I would add a reverb input on it. I found that this was a very good combination with the chosen instrument. Next I chose to add a steel drums track as I felt this would cut through the song well and give a potent effect, this proved effective and gave an almost quirky tone to the vocal line. However I felt that complicating the melody would cause the rack to become too convoluted, this is why I