Re: Oh! The pain!

[Jon Drukman <jdrukman@us.oracle.com>]

Tree of Schnopia babbles:
>>>>Always note the sequencer - this will never let us down.
>>>As opposed to those pesky musical composition skills.
>>do people really still hold such antiquated notions?  you probably
>>think computers are a bad idea and steam engines are going to put
>>miners out of their jobs.
>I see nothing antiquated in the notion that machines are tools,

a computer sequencer is more than a tool, it's an instrument.  you can
play it well or you can play it badly.  it's up to how much time you
invest in learning the skill set required to use it.

>But I am, by my own admission, not fully aware of the range of technology
>available to today's songwriter.  Does there exist some machine which can
>take a musical ignoramus and use his/her fingers to produce a symphony to
>rival the much-adored Fifth?  If so, I'd love to have one!  :)

absolutely not.  sorry.  "algorithmic composition" programs don't do
anything particularly clever except give you sub-Philip Glass-style
minimalist loops with minor variations.

>I think, to reiterate, that the quarrel lies not with the technology, but
>with the accompanying atrophy of human skill.

that's such bullshit.  it's a DIFFERENT skill set.  if i give up the
piano and take up violin, my piano playing skills may well atrophy.
is that intrinsically bad?  you might lose a great piano player and
gain a mediocre violinist, but on the other hand, you may produce
another paganini...

Jon Drukman                                         jdrukman%dlsun87@oracle.com
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Always note the sequencer - this will never let us down.