RE: painting (was mp3 of G2 & EDP)

[Matthias Grob <matthias@grob.org>]

Krispen brought up nicely:

>I like to make analogies between loooping and painting.

this is great, because both come to exist by puting line after line.
Reduced FeedBack is not quite like overpainting, but I bet the 
painters would love a paint that acts like FeedBack :-)

>  For me, a
>strictly ambient looping performance is like painting a sky, sea, and
>distant range of mountains on the canvas and leaving it at that. For me,
>that is neither intriguing nor particularly inspiring, but if the
>painter goes back and adds some interesting and creative detail, this
>means to me that the artist has something to say,

here I dont agree, creating a cloud is saying something

>and they have mastered
>the use of the palette and paintbrush well enough to express it
>artistically.  This is a generalization and personal preference of
>course. There are paintings and ambient recordings out there that I find
>intriguing and inspiring, but very few.  For example, I'd rather see an
>abstract landscape with something peculiar about the textures or color
>choice, rather than a realism portrayal of my back yard or the fruit on
>my counter-top.

I would say the background rather sets the state of mind, while 
melodies call emotions. Its interesting to go though all kinds of 
emotions within a state of mind, and those can change rather quickly, 
like in a movie - which fits to what
Steve Sandberg said recently:
>I've experimented taping myself with and without the loops, and it
>consistently sounds better and sounds freer and more emotional without the
>loops.

Ambient music lets you space to imagine your own details. The focus 
is on the whole, or nowhere. As soon as you put a cow into the 
landscape, it atracts the focus. But done right, the landscape still 
comes through, and still leaves space... but a subject is given, 
somehow.
Why would we choose between ambient and emotional music, if they 
combine as easily as a cow and a hill or a ray and a cloud in a 
painting?
Some say that emotions inhibit spiritual openness... I rather see 
them as calls to open channels...

But yes, Steve, if you want to tell a story at the speed of cinema, 
loops may slow you down too much.
For me, most movies are to quick and most loopers to slow :-).

I recently asked a pedagog how many repetition it takes to learn something.
Once is only enough in emergency situations. Teaching through shocks.
Peacefully, twice is often enough. 3 or 4 to make sure. This is for 
mental memorizing.
To get into a mood takes more.
To reach a state of mind usually more even.

So a rough loop recepy could be:
Put a very slowly changing background to reach the state of mind
Use quicker changing loops to create moods
Live the emotion in the solo
(and then you can still sing a text if you have concrete info to give :-)

But I dont really recommend to follow such rules. I am thinking to much.
-- 


          ---> http://Matthias.Grob.org