Re: What's experimental?

["Ben" <benoitruelle@yahoo.fr>]

>
>> What's Experimental [music]?
>>
>> I can't explain it. But I know it when I hear it.
>

I don't think this is true.
Audience and player don't share the same point of view.

I can "experiment" playing guitar thru a looper without amp so I can't 
hear 
me during 30'.
Then I turned on the amp, record and send the mp3 and let you hear the 
result.
Depending of my skills (or my intentions), this could be experimental or 
not. Do I know my scales? Is my timing good an could I sync to the 
flashing 
tempo LED of my jamman?,....

As someone said the background and education of the listener is important. 
When I was 18 (in the 90's), Sonic youth was experimental (hey look, you 
can 
have a guitar for each song, What? There is alternate tunings?). Now, I 
still like them but I don't find the music so experimental anymore, it's 
their "style".

Having played with several random/algo/fractal music generators (a cat in 
a 
piano ;-), I can say that even for this kind of music, after a while it's 
also sounding the same and I find it boring. The soft has its "style".

Playing with a tenori_on is experimental, ... for a while,... or in front 
of 
an audience discovering it. Then if you are "educated", you'll say "so 
what? 
this is just a step sequencer with several tracks of different lengths, i 
can do this with my Rm1x or my ...)".

IMHO the goal of music is to entertain, either the listeners (top 
50/pop/dance stuff) or the musician (new experiences: scale, rhytm, 
instrument or whatever ...).

Just my 2c,

Ben.