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Re: Discuss Amongst Yourselves....



Just had to put in my 2 cents regarding the reference to Sheila Chandra.  I
have noticed (IMHO) that the achilles heel of loopers is that sometimes we
make a big deal out of the mechanics, technology, and process of making
loop based or drone music.  The audience, however, often doesn't care HOW
we made the music, or our philosophy behind it.  They just want some good
music.

If any of you have spent any time reading Sheila's liner notes, you would
think that the music on the disc was just the most spiritual, technically
flawless, most amazing thing you were ever going to hear...and then you pop
the disc in and ummmmm....it's ok, but....what's the big deal?  that she
can hold a drone note and she likes delays and reverbs alot?  or that she
can do the 'human beat box' thing?

I don't mean to slag on her, i like her music... I just have a hard time
with the 'look at how amazing my music is, and look how i'm tying into
eternal music and such' approach.

rich


>
>The New Scientist Article Ken mentions (
>http://www.newscientist.com/features/features.jsp?id=ns22273 ) is
>excellent. Worth checking out, especially if you've read "Godel, Escher,
>Bach". Putting your brain through some strenuous mental excercise! I think
>it was Neils Bohr who said "anyone who fails to be completely shocked by
>quantum physics hasn't understood it".
>
>I have noticed that playing loops manually (just playing a phrase over and
>over again) can be quite an experience, and certainly a different one to
>using a looping device. Sometimes, your fingers just take over, and you 
>can
>hear the "loop" interacting with the rest of the music.
>
>I happen to have a Sheila Chandra CD with me today, so on this subject, I
>quote from the liner notes:
>
>"Sacred Stones: Somewhere all of us intuitively understand the links
>between ancient musics, that is, that drones and chanting are at the root
>of all musics.
>
>The act of chanting is like throwing a stone into a lake - however small
>the stone is, the ripples (vibration) it creates affect the whole lake. I
>believe that making sound can make you 'sound' (whole).
>
>Om Namaha Shiva: An ancient chant, a new melody. Shiva is the destroyer of
>ignorance. I find the 'clever' part of me wants the chant to 'go 
>somewhere'
>- instead I listen to the harmonics the chant creates, or just to its 
>frail
>simplicity ... One for all of you to join in with at home!"
>
>    [from the CD "Weaving my Ancestors' Voices" (RealWord CDRW 24 - 0777
>86722 2 7) ]
>
>John
>
>