Slightly odd title I know, but I will explain!
I took a look at my library of music on i-tunes and realised that for the past six months or so, I've been listening to music that has little to no conventional drum tracks. By that I mean that the drums have either been sampled and processed, or have been completley synthesised. Music by artists such as; Thom Yorke, Boards of Canada, Radiohead Chris Clark and Ulrich Schnauss.
This got me thinking about the role of timbre and the acoustic properties of the drums/instruments and propensity to assume (in some people) that because it doesn't sound like a "real" drum played by a "real" drummer, or a "real" guitar played by a "real" guitarist, that it is illegitimate...or somehow not worthy of being called "real" music. The fact is that since the ninteen-fifties, the format of bands and music has nearly always been tied to the same basic format; vocals, guitar, bass and acoustic drumset. It's only in the past two decades that we've seen music being produced that is artificial (and I use that word cautiously), where the old format has been swapped for synthesisers, software and technology.
A lot of the negativity directed towards this format might be found in a perceived purity in producing music with a physical instrument. The value we have to find however is not in purity or having a physical connection with an instrument rather the music it's self! It's the musical ideas we connect to when we listen to a piece, they may be produced by an instrument but looking past the means of communication, it's the message that is key. It might be true to say that music in it's purest form is inside the composers head and then once it leaves the mind and is channeled through and instrument, the qualities, timbre and sound of that instrument forever tarnish the idea.
I don't know about you but when I start looking at purity within music in that way, the only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that purity cannot be found when communicating music, you're always going to tarnish the "idea", no matter which means you choose.
Hope everyone is well,
Casey
A lot of the negativity directed towards this format might be found in a perceived purity in producing music with a physical instrument. The value we have to find however is not in purity or having a physical connection with an instrument rather the music it's self! It's the musical ideas we connect to when we listen to a piece, they may be produced by an instrument but looking past the means of communication, it's the message that is key. It might be true to say that music in it's purest form is inside the composers head and then once it leaves the mind and is channeled through and instrument, the qualities, timbre and sound of that instrument forever tarnish the idea.
I don't know about you but when I start looking at purity within music in that way, the only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that purity cannot be found when communicating music, you're always going to tarnish the "idea", no matter which means you choose.
Hope everyone is well,
Casey
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