Re: Or, the occasionally opaque veil of opinion

["S.P. Goodman" <spgoodman@earthlight.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <sine@zerocrossing.net>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 19:32:PM
Subject: Re: Or, the occasionally opaque veil of opinion


> Not talking about the portland loopfest (or any other loop shows I've
seen)
> I'd like to say that I'm not really sure what you mean by "Transparent
> technology."

>From my viewpoint it is often most desireable to produce the work without
making the slightest accommodation for the technology it is produced
THROUGH.  My acquisition of looping technology was something I wanted to do
in order to achieve a result thought about many years before I could afford
to buy any of it.  I'll be the first to say I don't exploit the features of
my equipment fully.  The Loop Is then a construct that existed before the
equipment was purchased to produce it.  The only real variables I like to
contend with are loop length when it comes down to it, and the main
irritations I encounter occur when I want to sync up to utilize drums
somehow.  I have enough backlogged music to do to not have to address such
items, so for now it's not an issue.

Transparency is not non-existence, rather non-interference.  In the same
manner I find that it is by playing music that my soul is able to sing, and
in so doing I become transparent, unaffected, honest with the work.

> In the scope of world history what we're doing is *really* new.  There
will be
> bumps in the road.  I remember listening to Adrian Belew's "Desire Caught
By
> The Tail" and thinking, "Adrian's got a new Guitar Synth and he wanked
around
> with it and made an album."  All but a few tracks seemed thin in the
content
> world... unless you think of them as an album about the GR-300.  (not 
>sure
if
> this was the model, but you know...)  Later I read an interview where
Adrian
> basically confirms what I'm saying, so there you have it.

I think I remember reading something from that here actually.  I agree with
the idea, and do my best to not become ensnared in such situations.  Lord
knows when you can afford to buy items like the GR300 etc., it's inevitable
that such an effect upon playing will occur.  I would then wonder if
planning such a purchase for several years has the opposite effect, ie the
reverse of You Can't Always Get What You Want.  Sometimes You Can, eh?

> But he stuck with the Guitar Synth and quickly learned how to *use* it,
> instead of showcasing it's features.  This is difficult.  A lot of gear
can be
> overwhelming.  One must work in a sensitive way and all the time LISTEN.
I
> played at Mat's Switch Show and what I found interesting is that some of
the
> best stuff seemed to happen when musicians were all of the sudden thrust
with
> new people using different instruments.  I think it was because that's
when
> people really started listening to each other.  This is something we all
have
> to strive for, and believe me, I know I can be guilty of getting lost in
what
> I'm doing.  This is especially bad when you're shooting for purely
improvised
> music, and double plus bad if it's experimental.  There's a difference
between
> playing "noise" and making noise.  Many are not sensitive to this
difference.
> Many listeners are not sensitive to the difference either, and this often
can
> lead to bad reviews of great shows.  (I have no way of knowing if this is
the
> case in Portland)  Sometimes however, people are just wanking, and that's
kind
> of OK too if that's what they like to do and they can find people who 
>like
to
> listen to wanking.

Sometimes I think that such communications are one of the things I miss the
most here.  One finds surprises galore playing with others.  Often happy
ones.

> Oh well, I'm just rambling now.

Blood sugar's low.  Late dinner!  Arrgh!

> Mark Sottilaro
>
> "S.P. Goodman" wrote:
>
> > I don't believe however that technology should "add" to my music,
instead
> > that it be as transparent as possible to my hoped-for/intended result
>
>
>
>
>