On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 1:58 PM, john saylor js0000@gmail.com wrote:
ciao
Gareth Loy with the title 'The Composer Seduced into Programming' "It is important to note just what the seducing agent in these cases really is. It is certainly not carpentry or programming, or we would have ceased as artists and become tradesmen. It
is
really the will of the composer, expressed through the discipline of the
art
form itself which, in all cases, not just the ones under discussion here, causes the artist to stray into these seemingly distant fields."
i find it beneficial to try and make explicit assumptions, in persuasive writing or music composing.
what is the difference between artists and tradesmen? are either more valuable than the other? [try getting to work in a contrapuntal study]
'the will of the composer' that's a very evocative phrase what about zen composers? [john cage] what kind of will do they have?
i am suspect of self importance. i think learning how to use something [a digital audio environment, pen and paper musical notation, ...] will enrich a person. it's all connected.
a person has to make choices on how to spend their time. are they good choices or bad ones? it is not for me to say.
i think spending time learning dsp or any tools is worthwhile. as i said above, i find it enriching.
also, we are not machines. it is ok to have multiple interests [it means you are just more engaged in the world around you]. it is ok to fail. it is part of what makes us human [and not machine].
nonetheless, machines can be very helpful.
Just to bring it back down to my simple level ;o) indeed, many things can enrich a person's/musician's life: some programming, a hike in the forest, even a lucky car crash! But making your own instrument has a more direct advantage: you will know your instument better. While you're playing it, you'll know more about what's happening inside it, and that will certainly add something important to your music. Remember, ancient people used to make their instruments, sometimes taking a lot of time. Actually, whatever i'm operating, i find it an advantage to know how it works inside, and an ultimate advantage to operate my own creation. 2 cents, Andras