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 Kyma Forum
 Confabulation
 acoustic musical instruments
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SSC Administrator |
posted 06 April 2005 10:41
 
Do you suppose there might be a correlation between one's (acoustic) musical instrument and an interest in electronic and computer music? What is (or was) your main acoustic instrument before you got into computer music? And do you think there is any correlation between choice of acoustic instrument and an interest in computer music? For example, do the performers who have "less to play" tend to gravitate towards becoming composers and computer musicians? Or do instruments with a wide range like piano and organ lead more directly into synthesis? Or is it the multi-instrumentalists who, wanting to play everything, are drawn to composing and creating sound with computers? IP: Logged |
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keph Member |
posted 06 April 2005 12:07
i played a bit of brass as a kid, but if i trace it, it was all those tape drive used to load up programs on my old tandy computers. i ended up listening to a lot of programs load and save. it was also my only tape recorder/player so that single mono speakered computer tape machine was what i ended up listening what few music tapes i had on it as well. after school, i roomed with a guy who had an impressive synth collection including a couple of modulars (and met future kyma user RW all those years ago) and that was the big push off the edge. IP: Logged |
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KX Member |
posted 06 April 2005 14:28
As a kid (3-4 years old) I use to sing along trying to get the same note or doing harmony with the Electrolux hoover's motor. Sound more than music was appealing to me... Then I loved music through classical piano. After 4 years of classical studies, I add synthesis to my skills, learning both in parallel. Now I'm 50%/50% (pianist/synthesist). [This message has been edited by KX (edited 06 April 2005).] IP: Logged |
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Chris Woodrow Member |
posted 06 April 2005 16:06
I never picked up an instrument until one day a friend introduced me to a yamaha sy-35 synth and explained the whole "you can make any sound with a synthesizer" thing. That certainly appealed to me because I loved creating things and didn't really feel like learning to play a single instrument was going to allow me to create what was in my head. So I started with computer music and composition and moved on to learn some acoustic musical instruments later. IP: Logged |
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photonal Member |
posted 07 April 2005 13:42
My own view is not so much range of play as in timbre. Before ever knowing about prepared Piano, when I was eleven or so I remember taking the family upright piano covers off to reveal all those great moving parts, strings, hammers etc, and sticking the family cutlery (not silver !  ) beween the strings, after first drumming them. My grade 1 (!) piano exam, included a piece which involved holding down lower octave keys very quietly, whilst playing upper octaves - resulting in amazingly beautiful resonances...... Twenty years later, with Kyma, although without the forks, knives and spoons in the casing! mmmmm - I wonder what it WOULD sound like.... So, my interest in electronic music is really due to the possibilities of timbre exploration, rather than actual technique - for example, my music reading is embaressingly poor. Perhaps portability also plays a part? Always felt sorry for my sister who chose to play French Horn at school - the case was huge!! She doesn't play anymore, but she sure is strong. I tried the Cornet and Double Bass at school too, but found they were timbrally impaired - and was always scared the Double Bass would topple over and crush me to death - but then again there would be some timbral variation there... [This message has been edited by photonal (edited 07 April 2005).] IP: Logged |
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jesges Member |
posted 07 April 2005 14:32
> Do you suppose there might be a correlation between one's (acoustic) musical instrument and an interest in electronic and computer music? No, I don't think. > What is (or was) your main acoustic instrument before you got into computer music? Bass guitar-electric guitar, rock and heavy metal  One day I discovered the Moog Prodigy and the Roland Juno-106. This was the beginning of a new world, a new language, new words for expression. Playing the bass guitar I love to search different rhythms-harmonies, and with electric guitar I love the multifx boxes. With electronica I found the vast horizon of abstract sounds and compositions. I think that the interest in electronic and computer music come if you have the necessity of expression of your emotions with "your own language". With computer music the instrument are the concepts, the abstraction, total freedom. I don't think that it's related with the acoustic instrument that you play, it's related with your emotions, culture, books, environment, friends... >Or is it the multi-instrumentalists who, wanting to play everything, are drawn to composing and creating sound with computers? Not exactly like this. It's not the question "to play everything", it's a question of "searching-creating the language for the expression of myself with music", other people only need "the expression of myself with music", (that I think it's correct and very good too). But the computer music people need the "searching-creating the language" addendum, IMO. And yes, I think very important to play almost two or three "acoustic" instruments. I don't believe the paradigm "one person-one instrument", except If you are interested in virtuosity... Jesus IP: Logged |
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garth paine Member |
posted 08 April 2005 03:13
A sense of musicality imbues the works of perople who have played acoustic instruments in a different manner to that exposed in works by those who have not I think - grose generalisation of course. Played the flute at the conservatorium and then in professional orchestras - I feel I am coming back to acoustic instruments with electronics after some years away from the acoustic domian entirely, and very much enjoying it IP: Logged |
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rlainhart Member |
posted 08 April 2005 13:15
My first instrument was electric bass, and I think I was attracted from the beginning by the possibilities of electric sound - first with FX boxes and tape delays on the bass, and modular synthesizers soon after. IP: Logged |
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Scot_Solida Member |
posted 08 April 2005 14:58
Though I have a lot of acoustic things these days, I started out as a synthesist, and synths have been my primary instrument to this day. My first instrument was a Moog Rogue, bought new nearly a quarter of a century ago. I then got a Roland SH-09 and a tape deck. I never got into computer music until much, much later...first on a Mac Plus. Before that, I used a variety of harware sequencers (I still have my Yamaha QX-1 around here somewhere). Today, I use lots of acoustic things...more often than not as fodder for Kyma or my big modular analog. IP: Logged |
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mmarsh Member |
posted 25 April 2005 10:38
My main instrument is guitar BUT I also play just about anything with strings (and I play a really awful keyboard). My interest has always been in timbre and the combination of accoustic and electric timbres. This goes back to the first time I heard "Lucky Man": beautiful acoustic song and then WHAM that fat square wave lead with such a huge bottom end. That was it for me. I have ever since been interested in combining these in composition. The main elements of my studio are acoustic and electric guitars (with varying combinations of strings), a large analog modular, my beloved Kyma, and computer-based recording hardware and software. Mike IP: Logged |
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dickow Member |
posted 25 April 2005 18:38
This is a really great question. I play the French horn, professionally and for pleasure (yep!). ;-) When I was a youngster (in the late 50s now we're talking.) I used to tape record one part of a horn duet and then play the other part along with the playback of the tape so that I was essentially playing duets with myself. Then I started to explore SOUND ON SOUND and SOUND WITH SOUND on my goofy home recording machine. I can't even remember the brand of that tape hulk of a tape recorder ...it was a real kludge.. Anyhoo... This was so much fun, these experiences might have been the origins of my interest in electronic music. I was unwittingly delving into tape recorders and the studio tape techiques. So, I would say that it wasn't so much the French horn itself, however, that got mterested in electonic music, as it was what I could do with electronics and my instrument that began my adventure with my traditional instrument-- the horn-- and electronic manipulation. Bob IP: Logged |
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