From: walden@ready.eng.ready.com (Eugene Walden)
Subject: Re: How Engineers make music (was Usenet Tape depression sets in)
Organization: Ready Systems
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 18:44:49 GMT

In article <35042@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> tmfm writes:
>I think you're right, engineers do approach music algorithmically. It
>probably is because we are accustomed to work everything exactly, within
>precise rules and parameters, and here we are in this game of inspiration,
>of unbounded rules.
>
>I had so many problems with my band because I kept (and still keep)
>"planning" music carefully, approaching it like a mathematical problem
>(okay, this goes here, but... if I put this here, then that goes there,
>which means this part must be like this). The rest of my band created
>light, "free" songs, totally different from my approach.
>
>However, I believe planned music has an advantage (or is it a
>disadvantage?) in that it usually is more complex than simple music
>(No, I don't want to get flamed! Please!!! 8-} )

I've had the same experience. I asked an old teacher of mine about my 
tendency to be so precise (and therefore slow) in learning how to play 
the piano. I knew other people who seemed to have a much more intuitive
approach, so I was wondering if there was something "wrong" with the way
I was learning. 

He told me that he had experienced the same doubts when he was learning
to play, both growing up and in college. Some of his friends had an
intuitive approach that allowed them to pick things up more quickly,
whereas he was slower and more thorough. 

Either way can get you to your goal, but the advantage of having a thorough
grasp of music theory and the chops to go with it is that you have a very 
large musical "vocabulary" to work with. 

Thus, when some of his more intuitive friends may have to resort to 
"musical platitudes" in a song, he would have the vocabulary to express
whatever he wanted. 

I'll stress, though, that I am not saying that either approach is better. 
Blues was created and played by many musicans who played without much 
knowledge of music theory. If you add too much complexity too a blues 
tune, it stops sounding like the blues. 

In any event, I think that engineers are just more comfortable than most
people with the analytical aspect of music. That doesn't mean that we
can't handle the creative part as well; it just means that non-engineers
might think the precision to be overbearing. 

Consider some classic anal-retentive musicians, though. I heard a funny story 
about Donald Fagen once. It seems that he hired Mark Knopfler to do a 
guitar solo for a Steely Dan album. He made Mark play the solo 37 times, 
after which Mark got so pissed that he threw down his guitar and left. 

Anytime I listen to Aja, though, I am thankful for his attention to detail. 

There was a series I heard once on Beethoven's Fifth. It was some famous
classical pianist (can't remember the one) going through Beethoven's 
rough drafts to explain why he had kept some ideas and left others. It 
was a peek into the editing cycle that Beethoven went through. It was *very*
precise, very methodical... almost "algorithmic". 

I don't think precision is contrary to creativity; it's just a different
part of the creative process. Get an idea, refine it, etc. 

>
>Luis
>let@reef.cis.ufl.edu

   - Eugene Walden (walden@gate.ready.com)

Xref: sparky rec.music.synth:7516 rec.music.makers:5447