FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and it is used to transfer files from one computer to another over a network such as the Internet. Usually the file is transferred from your computer to a web server. FTP is faster than other protocols like HTTP and when exchanging large files, FTP would work well. (http://www.dynamicwebs.com.au/tutorials/ftp.htm)
The tutorial referred to above states that the objective of FTP were:
1. To promote sharing of files (computer programs and/or data),
2. To encourage indirect or implicit (via programs) use of remote computers,
3. To shield a user from variations in file storage systems among hosts, and
4. To transfer data reliably and efficiently.
There are commercial programs available for using FTP and one of those programs is Cyberduck
I started using Cyberduck in class and had a go at uploading a picture file to Cyberduck and to the CDU Server SCAH.
When you open Cyberduck you see this page:
I found some information that runs through how to manually upload a site using Cyberduck
HTML Dog has this nifty list of HTML Tags that really helped me out too.
I had no trouble creating my index and page 1 pages but could not get my image to show. I was about pulling out my hair and cursing my computer when I found some help. Thanks Page Resource! You helped me work out why my image wasn't showing up on my webpage and I was able to fix my small error and now it works!
It is time to move on from compositions and begin learning about building websites. The fundamental part of building a website is having an understanding of raw HTML. HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. Markup refers to how the text is presented - is it bold or a heading for example.
HTML is all about codes and tags. It is a language for creating web pages and determines how information will look in a web browser. There are some basic rules that you should follow when working with HTML.
1. All file names should be in lowercase
2. No special characters should be used except for underscore
3. Remember to use the 'html' extension
HTML is about lots of 'tags' and they usually work in pairs - a beginning tag and an ending tag. To begin HTML you need to start it with the tag <html> and at the end the tag is </html> (the slash is used for the ending tag). You also need to remember that any spaces will be ignored and that spaces need to be written in. The <p> tag will give you a new paragraph.
There is a general basic structure when starting a new page:
<html>
<head>
<title> name of the page </title>
</head>
<body> </body>
</html>
The majority of information goes between the <body> </body> tags.
Now it is time to use another piece of software called Reason from Propeller Heads. Reason makes the instrument sounds come alive. After listening to the sounds of MIDI while working in Sibelius it was fantastic to hear the difference when it is played in Reason.
To use Reason I exported a MIDI file and imported it into the program. It automatically puts in the instruments but then a range of combinator patches can be selected to produce the sound that works best.
Using Reason is like being in a virtual recording studio. There are so many things to get my head around in this program!
Here is an image of what choosing a combinator patch looks like:
The amazing thing about the Reason program is how life like the elements are. You can even take a look at the back of the equipment and see all the wires plugged in!
I found this video tutorial which has really helped me to understand how to use Reason.
Well it turns out that I forgot to check if the videos had a creative commons licence and unfortunately all of the videos that I have watched and thought I might like to compose to, I can't use.
So it's back to the drawing board and more video searching for an appropriate clip that I like....
After extensive searching, viewing and now feeling like I have square eyes, I have found three animations that I like. They all have creative commons licences and so I am able to use them!
The first one below is Stop-Motion Biscuit Cake by Alan Travers.
A chord progression is sometimes also called a harmonic progression. It is a series of chords that are based on key signature of the music. Chords and chord progressions are the basis of harmony.
A chord is a group of usually 3 or more notes that are played together and so a chord progression is then a group of chords that are played in a certain order. Chords are numbered with Roman numerals and they also have technical names such as dominant, subdominant and tonic. The tonic is the root note of a scale e.g. the C Major scale root note is C and a chord built on C - C, E, G is so called the tonic chord. The fifth note of the C Major scale is the dominant note which is G, so the dominant chord of C Major is G, B, D.
My weekly task involved composing a melody over a chord progression and this meant thinking about what notes sound like when played together and also about what sort of feeling I want to convey with my composition. If I choose notes that sound nice together then the music will sound resolved and if I want to create tension I can perhaps choose notes that don't blend together so well.
Here is a chart of common chord progressions that I found at Easy Lead Guitar
In most popular songs there are the same basic chord progressions. It appears to be very easy to compose songs around these chords and make them sound good and ultimately sell songs.
Check out this video that is a fantastic example of how so many songs that we hear on the radio can be built around the same chord progressions. (Please note that there is some swearing in the video) This video features many songs built around the I, V, VI, IV chord progression.
