Kris cites two definitions of instrument and then says...
So, is my looper or effect device a instrument? In my opinion, no,
according
to the above, unless they can be used to produce music by
themselves,
otherwise I think they are musical "tools" that take music
and transform it.
A looping device IS a tool, a means to an end - something to
augment the sound you're making from something else.
KH: You are preaching to the choir
here....I think what you say follows intuitively from the definitions, unless
you can find a looping devive out there that will produce music on its own,
without audio input. So this point need not be belabored.
And, as such, I think this may also be a reason why some people (i.e.
most of the general populus) isn't drawn to performers that only
qualify themselves as a 'looper', as if a 'looping' needs no further
explaining.
KH: I think you are confounding "looper" as tool
with "looper" as human being. We are talking about looping tools here,
not musicians who loop. In this case, I think we are establishing consensus
that a looping device is a tool, and not an instrument....based on the above
definitions. So, I'm not sure what the relevance is in introducing the idea of
the "looping human" in this particular discussion of discussing tools and
instruments.
I mean, would you go to a concert that is advertised as 'the guitarist
has a distortion pedal', 'the cellist plays with a bow
and her fingers', or 'the drummer has cymbals'???
KH: I don't follow you here. I'm not sure how we
jumped from talking about objects to performers. We are talking about
instruments, and what counts as an instrument.
And if something's a device or a tool, then what matters is the end
result. If I'm a carpenter, people shouldn't hire me because I
own $500 chisels - they should hire me because of the work I've
done before.
KH: It doesn't matter, but again you are
introducing an entirely different topic here. I'm not sure what context you
are commenting on here, but I am focusing on the notion of an instrument, and
whether certain effect units, looping units, etc....count as
instruments. Yes, in the end, the quality of the final result shouldn't
be impacted by whether we're using a tool or instrument....theoretically, at
least. :) But that is a diffferent topic altogether.
As a musician, there needs to be some positive effect on myself
and/or my audience. (And if you add money to that, then things
can get screwy.) And how you affect others isn't
coming from your effects, but through them.
KH: Why? What dictates that this is necessarily
the case? Some art has a negative impact on audiences, and it is
sucessful in doing so. There is no absolute positive and negative, only
emotive reaction, in my opinion. If I achieve an emotion response as an
artist, whether construe as positive or negative, I consider my art a success.
We can't dicate the responses of our art. Positive, negative?
Bahhhh.....that's too fuzzy to use as a criteria for good art,
IMO.
When I hear a piece of music, I rate it on how it affects my mind
and my heart. We've all heard music that's technically
fabulous and you look at their gear list and say 'wow' but if it
doesn't affect your heart and be memorable, then chances are it won't
stay in regular rotation.
KH: This is entirely subjective. What moves you
may not move someone else, and what you percieve as overtly technical and
sterile, may be very moving to someone else. There are no absolutes in
this domain of art.....can you find one?
To paraphrase: it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that
swing. And swing don't come in the box with your looper.
KH: Subjective. You are making a claim
about our own personal emotions, not the absolute character of music....unless
you've done some experiment and prove your claim that "it don't mean a thin if
ain't got that swing". Some people loath swing music. Swing does
come in a box...it's called a CD player....a digital replication of
big band, for instance. We are still talking about objects,
right?
I'd rephrase with, "It don't mean a
thing"...period. :)
Kris
ted harms.
"Indeed, naturally I think that a film should
have a beginning, middle, and an end — but not necessarily in that order."
Jean Luc Goddard
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