We had a college fair the other day at school and I was so excited to view the music programs of numerous colleges and universities. I walked up to one institute for the arts extremely excited because someone was at my school supporting musicians, artists, etc. I walk up to the table and begin speaking to the gentleman about his music program at the school. He says: Oh, we don't have the traditional music setting; no orchestra or ensembles. We use electronics to produce our music, that way the music industry will have use for them and they will have jobs.
What made me so mad was that here all of us are, working hard as we can, to become the best we can be and there is a person saying all this stuff about electronics producing real music. All we hear nowadays on the radio is electronic music and I'm tired of it. Where is the musicianship in the button-pushing of it all? I am sorry if I have offended anyone, but I just needed to rant about this experience. Maybe, someday in the future, people will appreciate what hard work we put in.
Every type of music and musician has their place. It is really up to you which direction you want to go, and how far you will make it as a professional. There are still more musicians making music than machines and samplers. Even samplers have to get their samples from somewhere.
I remember in the 80s when Midi equipment got cheap. Everyone had a samplers, synths, drum machine, and sequencers. Everyone thought that is was the end of musicians. 30 years later, people still pay to see live music.
You should have said this to the guy as you walked away:
"I'm so glad that your school has gone to all electronic music but that's not for me. Playing a real flute, I'll still be able to play music and get work work after the hackers break into the power grid and shut off all electric power. You won't be able to do that. Good luck."
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--
This is something which bothers me as well but for slightly different reasons. An example would be I was at a folk concert in Sept. and one of the performers was using a device to loop her voice around an create the song that way. I will say it was very well done and very interesting. However, the thing that bothered me was imagining if it had been four people up there singing together and creating those effects right in front of us. That is far harder to do an to me also would be more impressive then using some machine to accomplish.
I agree that the electronics have there place and I understand it can be hard to be able to afford people to play/sing with you all the time. However, the thing about music which makes it so great is the collaboration of it. If you reduce everything down to just one person I feel like there is some creativity that would be lost. Mixing different people with different thoughts together to create something together is one of the biggest gifts of music and for that reason I don't think (or at least i hope) electronics will never completely replace musicians.
I agree that the electronics have there place and I understand it can be hard to be able to afford people to play/sing with you all the time. However, the thing about music which makes it so great is the collaboration of it. If you reduce everything down to just one person I feel like there is some creativity that would be lost. Mixing different people with different thoughts together to create something together is one of the biggest gifts of music and for that reason I don't think (or at least i hope) electronics will never completely replace musicians.
If you were a poor thing like me who has no peers in the region then, well, it's rather lonely to play solo. Making a few imaginary friends would be quite pleasant. Of course, I would love to play with other people. Then again, I never loop myself.
However, that'd make a pretty cool video, and I'd not mind using electronics just for the sake of that. Other than that... human interaction is the prime concern. Nothing can replace that, so don't worry.
The flute family: probing the lower limit of human hearing and the upper limit of human tolerance.
How could classical music be affected by electronics, seriously?
(off topic)
That being said,there's actually a lot of funny things available.
This is a gift for your children => http://wonderfl.net/c/9Xx7/fullscreen
lula wrote:He says: Oh, we don't have the traditional music setting; no orchestra or ensembles. We use electronics to produce our music, that way the music industry will have use for them and they will have jobs.
Sounds like that guy has a pretty closed-minded view of music. I mean there are so many different types of music and so many different listeners. I don't worry that electronics are going to replace classical just like I don't worry that pop is going to replace country. It is a pretty annoying thing to hear someone say, but I wouldn't get angry about it because I don't think it is a widely held view. Cheer up
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music." -Sergei Rachmaninoff
asoalin wrote: I don't worry that electronics are going to replace classical just like I don't worry that pop is going to replace country.
Sadly I feel like this has already mostly happened. It might just be that only the really popular country music makes it's way to me these days but I feel like everything I hear from the country music scene since the late 90's has been extremely popish with a slight country feel
Classitar wrote:There are a number of contemporary composers using electronics -
Thankfully I don't know who they are
And lets not forget (or maybe we should) Switched-On Bach
Now there's a blast from the past. I remember when I first heard Switched-On Bach, I thought, wow, this is really cool and different. Walter (now Wendy) Carlos was really quite revolutionary in applying electronic synthesizers to baroque/classical music. What followed was a whole new musical slate that composers and arrangers could work with.
Another iconic electronics composer/arranger was Isao Tomita. I recall one of his albums featured Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. During the Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells movement, the sound of the chicks was done in a very playful manner with electronics playing that so that it sounded like real chicks peeping, chickens clucking, and a cat meowing. I'm sure the purists did not approve. Here's a sample of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFIk9f1b7Is
Last year I attended a recital that included a a work for Flute with electronics accompaniment, which was really interesting. As long as electronics are used to enhance rather than supplant other musicians, I think it's a good thing.
"Never give a flute player a screwdriver."
--anonymous--
I think that, like with all things, it depends. I don't know Switched-on-Bach at all , but sometimes you can find nice music, nice effects added electronically. But of course electronic music should NEVER replace musicians....!
My whole point of this topic was to share a disheartening experience I had with a college counselor who said their school whole-heartedly supported the arts. No I do not think we classical musicians will be completely replaced but I hated that he treated me like I was unimportant to the musical society. Hopefully he realized what he said was offensive. Nonetheless, I won't be checking out that school anymore. Sorry if I offended anyone.
You're right Lula, sounds like this creep was rude and offensive
How he became a recruiter for a college is a sure sign of the (lack of) culture there!
Hopefully there are some good music programs in your area
lula wrote:Nonetheless, I won't be checking out that school anymore.
That's a wise decision! Somehow it is good this all came out before you started. It would have been very disappointing if you had already enrolled (even if of course it was disappointing even so, but it would have been even worse).
I am sure you will find a much better school...
=>
Here's a sample of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFIk9f1b7Is
, but sometimes you can find nice music, nice effects added electronically. But of course electronic music should NEVER replace musicians....!
