The End of Common Practice

bachus · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:11 am Post subject:

OK. I’m just a simple country boy who can’t tell hoof nippers from a pair of dikes and from a personal compositional standpoint consider esoteric analysis irrelevant. Still the following points seem important to me.

It appears that, statistically speaking, the ability to deeply appreciate a style of music has a learning window that opens somewhere in early adolescence and closes in the early twenties. I.e. it has some neuro-physiological/experiential basis and is therefore both inherently personal and universal.

There is a difference between interesting and compelling music. Compelling music survives the test of time because it has some essential element(s) that transcend its historic context. By elimination that must be the patterns and qualities of sound and their linkage to human viscera through emotion. But that linkage is a potential determined by “early” learning, at least for the majority of ears.

Radical departures in tunings can have "cultural" success only if they can be used in a way that stirs the viscera and young people are exposed to it en mass. That’s a tall order.

But then I think that speaking about music in terms other than the personal, or statistical, is typical monkey-hierarchism and contrary to the nature of the art. I gotta go clean some stalls.

Edit:
OK so I'm suspicious of intellectualism in art, so shoot me

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:36 am Post subject:

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:43 am Post subject:

Jason · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:45 am Post subject:

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:48 am Post subject:

kkissinger · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:07 am Post subject:

I don't listen to much commercial radio -- my exposure is limited to times when I take my teenaged daughter to school and she takes over the car radio. For me personally, I find a small percentage of commercial music to be particularly creative or interesting -- my comments concern what I consider to be the majority of music that is featured on commercial broadcasts. I also live in Kansas City, Mo. where there is a noteable lack of variety on the radio.

bachus · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:19 am Post subject:

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:50 am Post subject:

bachus · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:03 am Post subject:

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:06 am Post subject:

bachus · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:28 am Post subject:

kkissinger · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:01 pm Post subject:

Since we are discussing the "End of Common Practice", and cultural factors, I noticed this interview with Sheryl Crow where she says that the music business is "a failing business". Interesting perspective from a pop star (one of my daughter's favorites Smile

)

(she talks about this about halfway down the article)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221144/

bachus · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:34 pm Post subject:

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:14 pm Post subject:

elektro80 · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:23 pm Post subject:

dewdrop_world · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:24 pm Post subject:

Jason · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:29 pm Post subject:

sometimes when I hear the music I used to listen to when I was younger it makes me sick. And I think to myself, wow how could I have listened to this CRAP! I am so glad I have grown... But that is just me... LOL
I actually like the pet shop boys though dewdrop_world Cool

though I dont really listen to them, they arent so bad imho.

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:37 pm Post subject:

seraph · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:43 pm Post subject:

bachus · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:08 am Post subject:

dewdrop_world · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:32 am Post subject:

But on a more technical note... Open Sound Control is a lot better equipped than MIDI to handle temperaments. In SuperCollider I can write a custom function to convert a note number into a frequency and implement any tuning I want. SC also allows fractional MIDI note numbers (69.midicps == 440, 69.5.midicps == 452.89298412314, 70.midicps == 466.16376151809) which is very nice. Max/MSP, PD, Reaktor also accept OSC.

So, what if Logic communicated with OSC-enabled softsynths using OSC and allowed you to edit with fractional note numbers, or apply a temperament table to the MIDI data?

I'm not holding my breath...

James

bachus · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:01 pm Post subject:

mosc · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:17 pm Post subject:

Yes, rock and roll and common practice are dead.

mosc · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:18 pm Post subject:

Long live rock and roll and common practice.