Re: LOOPING PHILOSOPHY (condensed)

[Kim Corbet <kcorbet@post.cis.smu.edu>]

> So... is there a difference in (guitaring v. djing) because
> one is more difficult. Certainly. If you master a more powerful,
> expressive medium you can create more emotional, evocative music.
> ...the DJ chooses a piece of music (sound), *that
> someone else created*, to add to his mix. The guitarist makes the same
> choice but uses his own pallet, his own voice.
.......(Hiya, Slashboy)...'scuse me...Uh, I agree that whatever takes the 
most "discipline and dedication" is going to give rise to more depth and 
expressiveness.  However, I have to agree that there's no significant 
difference between the media, whether it be instrumental goddom or 
technical technique with pre-recorded stuff...so that if our hypothetical 
DJ with the aforementioned "d and d" for, say, the same 20 years some 
like-talented picker is slaving over a hot amp, the expressive result 
should be roughly the same.  They are both masters of their craft.  They 
are simply using different tools to let it out.  To say they're 
fundamentally different is to say one instrument is inherently more 
capable of deeper expression...which brings us to...

> Why are there more sax, guitar, trumpet or violin solos than other 
> instruments?
.............the actual reason there are more of these solos is far more 
historical than according to any sort of "natural selection".  Alot of 
it, I suppose, originally had to do with the acoustics of unamplified 
concerts/rituals/ceremonies.  These traditional soprano and tenor 
instruments have long been used by composers in church and concert 
settings for their ability to sing over the texture, therefore attracting 
the efforts of those with enough talent and ego to handle the solo 
demands.  Obviously, guitar is very new to the list, only since the 
advent of amplification has it REALLY stepped forward as a powerful solo 
instrument.  Before that, it was used more as rhythmic accompaniment for 
solo voice.  

Now that technology has allowed other instruments to carry the larger 
expressive role, there is (and will be) more variety in timbre and 
texture.  

Oh, sure, there will always more "popular" instruments and, not to 
completely contradict your earlier premise, but it's the very ease of 
getting started with such instruments as the guitar and tenor sax (with 
the abundance of remarkable practitioners to be inspired by) that leads 
so many future talents down the same road.  I could make the case, given 
the relative newness of the dj craft and the lack of traditions to fall 
into (without decades to hundreds of years of examples to draw on), that
it's MORE difficult to DJ than it is to squeeze out fancy butt guitar.

You may be surprised by what some of these guys are capable of in the 
not too distant future.  There're already very hot examples if you're 
interested in seeking them out.  Take a peek at Kitchens of Distinction 
and their use of hip-hop sampling techniques.  

If an artist chooses a sampler over the guitar or trombone, is he/she 
defacto any LESS capable or inspired?  

(personal note...thanks for babysitting my gear, boy...when's the next 
R+R gig we can settle up on?)