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Re: "Instrument" vs "Effect"



Krispen Hartung wrote:
> So, is my looper or effect device a instrument? In my opinion, no, 
> according to the above, unless they can be used to produce music by 
> themselves, otherwise I think they are musical "tools" that take music 
> and transform it. Would I consider Reaktor an instrument in this case, 
> meaning the "instruments" in Reaktor that don't require audio input? I 
> would.  Seems like a pretty clear cut and simple definition to me. It 
> either produces music or it doesn't.  An effect processor doesn't 
> produce music per se in my book, it alters it...which is we call them 
> "effects"....they effect the audio input they received, even if beyond 
> recognition.

Actually I wanted to point to a possible absurdity of the question.
What about: Is the string of your guitar an instrument? No, but its part 
of it.
Is your looper an instrument? No, but its part of your instrument... 
(For me there is no doubt imaginable...)

The whole instrument is the interesting thing, and only a musicians love 
can make an instrument...

The Wikipedia artikle points also to 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_interfaces_for_musical_expression

> I like to draw analogies with art, so let me give one a try. Let's say 
> we call a paintbrush and paint the collective instruments of the 
> painter, meaning that they are the physical objects that touch the 
> canvas and produce what we see as visual stimuli. It seems a bit awkward 
> to say this, but bear with me. Then let's say that when the painter 
> finishes his piece, he puts it on display and places a rose colored 
> sheet of Plexiglas in front of the painting, so that the original visual 
> sense data are then altered to appear different colors. We could call 
> this the "effector" of the visual sense data...

Yes, but it belongs into exactly the same category as the brush, the 
paint and (you forgot to mention but its crucuial for the visual artist) 
the canvas itself including its material. All belong to the tools or the 
artists "instrument" to create what the artist creates. Some could 
belong to a subcategory as well and we can call it "effect" because we 
think there are only minor skills required to incorporate them... But if 
you really get into those "effects" you will develop skills which nobody 
else reaches that easy...

There is no hierachy of tools, they belong to the process/instrument or 
they don't (in case they are not used at all... ;-)

Stefan

-- 
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
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