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RE: circus animals? (Re: WAS: Who uses looping in their promo material? NOW:Prerecordedmaterial)
Max and Daryl, two absolutely amazing posts in my opinion!!!
Thank you both!!!
This all seems to touch on people's simple (or not so simple :) )
views on music, or, as has been also said here of late, music / art; I
personally don't separate them...
My personal view on music is that if something touches or moves
someone (anyone / anywhere) in a positive way, inspiring them, then I
think it's good. And for me, it's really as simple as that.
:) I may not share the experience, or understand it, or agree with
it, but I do accept and respect it...
Just my thoughts...
Have an awesome day!...
Smiles,
Cara :)
At 09:19 PM 9/13/2007 +0000, you wrote:
> My favorite line: "Your
music sounded great to me, although I don't
> know anything about music."
>
...There is a famous story of Chet Atkins to whom was commented after a
performance that, "that guitar sounds really good!" Chet
immediately laid the guitar on the table and asked, "How's it sound
now?".
There is a good point here: it ain't the gear (gtr, looping device etc.)
it's the guy/gal working it. If you have something musical to say
that will come across regardless of the "instrument" being
manipulated (which brings to mind Rick's and Kris' "tunes with
toys"...).
Canned tracks, drum machines et al. can be very plain, droll and boring
or they can be wildly inventive, amusing and entertaining.
So can guitars, keyboards, basses, loops and vocals....
I have, in the past used the term "looper" or
"looping" in my promo material. Now I don't. I
prefer to think of myself simply as a musician (and, without pretention,
an Artist with a capital A). I use looping extensively, (tho' not
as extensively as others on this list) but feel it is an integral part of
and extenstion of what I play. I do not limit myself to being
solely a "Looping Artist", and should my looping devices go
down in a show I could (and have) carried on the performance "sans
loops".
Once, when asked what kind of music I play I responded "you mean
there's more than one kind?"
I am a musician. I make music, play music. Not just
"loop music", not just "bass music" (tho I am a
bassist)---just music.
I used to explain the process of looping in performance. It didn't
really matter to the audience. I no longer do that and keep the
loopage as stealthy sort of extension of the performance.
In general we seem as a culture to crave defintions; we want all of our
toys placed in their respective boxes...as we like the proverbial
"us" and "them" placed in their respective boxes as
well. This leads to the myriad of sub-genres and classifications
which, while well-intended to help a listener (or would-be listener)
define their listening experience (...hmmm me wonders if that is really
neccessary?), really only seem to muddle the landscape with more boxes to
fill.
A few years back I got into a bit of hot water with the
"experimental music" community. I was playing an
expertimental music festival, and this event was being filmed for a
documentary. I was early and was being interviewed. The
question arose as to what makes an "experimental musician", and
I replied that a great number who classify themselves by that title do so
simply because they cannot play their instruments very well...if at
all. It easy to be "experimental" when you don't know
what it is you are doing. Not that that is a bad thing
neccessarily...it certainly qualifies as self-expression. But, is
beating the face of a guitar with a bologna sandwhich really a musical
expression...or just silliness? Many "experimental"
players have no concept of structure, which exists even in
"free" playing, know neither how to listen nor how to hear, and
while they can, for the most part, manipulate whatever machine(s) they
are employing to perform the tasks they were designed for, most cannot
really "play" those machines; work them in a matter from which
they coax the music out of both the machine and themselves.
And does an "experimental musician" limit his/herself to only
playing what might somehow be determined to be "experimental
music"?
Does a "looping musician" only play with loops?
I have a good friend who is a very fine "electronic
musician"...and I suppose "experimental" as well. He
loves Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Go figure.
This a great thread....and it has taken some curious turns. The
terminology used to describe one's art, the use or not of canned
loops/backing tracks....or even how "difficult" or impressive a
performance is (btw, my "money" gig of late has been playing
country bass; which is not all that impressive or difficult, yet requires
a very different measure of virtusosity, and has been one of the most
challenging--and rewarding-- gigs I have ever taken), is all not as
important as what kind of musical/artistic statement one has to
make.
We tend to, at times, underestimate our audiences. We either feel
they cannot fathom the degree of complexity in the music, cannot be
challenged to listen in new ways, must be pandered to.....but they
can. And, sometimes, they don't really want to know the wizard is
hiding behind the curtain.....they just want to enjoy the show.
Max
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