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Hmmmm.... If I may be as bold to respond with an oberservation and a few opinions. Too much analysis and inspection and too little submission to what the music youre listening to actually needs to be "heard" effectively. Ive come to find Influences, patterns or lessons are all meant to be absorbed and forgetten or moreover used as vehicles as opposed to destinations. Plus there are a bizillion ways for anyone to pick from to get from point A to Point B musically speaking of course. Though music and life and its living have many and often interesting parallels and correlations. If you are focused on which way is "better" than another or put emphasis on the processes you and or others employ, you'd spend a lifetime of analysis not ever really hearing much music(s) or allowing any music to come into you as a musician. We all have influences and need to lose them or moreover be able to work with them like a modular piece of hardware without ever letting them become deriviative as opposed to evocative. I dont think we have to have our predilections or "learning" overtake and rule our musical vision or reception of music(s). They become obstacles that way. Also that stuff/junk/process/technique/learning/analysis can be either for clairty or for confusion and easily slip into one aspect or another in a heartbeat where they become indistinguishable. Also, "like and dislike" are mostly meaningless as well as process and/or technique in the overall picture. IMHO its the knowing/awareness of the "when and where" to let go of all of that junk that is crucial to anyone who is involved in music be it the spice girls, prince, miss piggy or wagner. And though clearly its a "process" I'm refering to its still something deeper and more than just what ya'd immediately imagine that process being in and of itself. Rather, it evolves and reveals something beyond itself. I think the draw of any music and the particular salient or underlying "selling" point in improv is you get it all from musician(s) where its gonna be uncensored, per se and raw and a bit of a risk taking endeavor. Its also a rare thing to have music come out of anything, composer, player or orchestra that is 100% "ON" right off the bat. And there are always highs, lows or points where you'd rather go see how the blonde in the front row looks up close. The point where ya break from yourself (s) makes something more than just a collection of notes, words, patterns or thoughts or individuals. I also believe (IMHO again) it is very possible for one person to have a conversational (in any musical medium/format be it improv or compositional based performance) relatioship with music that actually goes somewhere. Though its very difficult and hard to get to a point thats gets the flow rollin on a higher level. some people can and do carry things thru while others are just hit or miss. In responding to this particular posts tone, it sounds like listening clearly gets in the way of hearing while being wrapped up too heavilly in the processes/analyses to see what can actually happen and really does happen when your looking for everything else but music's magic. The post seems says more about a particular individual than it does music any music I'm sure that person has certainly heard either clearly and or creates/created. Just an opinion/observation - Not a flame :) future perfect wrote: > The key words in my post were 'for me'. I know that lots of people can > appreciate music on all levels no matter who performs it. For some >reason, I > can't. Also, with 20 years of schooled guitar and music studying, it is >hard > for me to not listen to the music, and try to figure out where it came >from. > If I know someone's body of work, for me, I seem to appreciate the music > more in context. I am also more liable to sit there and listen to it, and > not write it off as 'noise showcasing the limitations of the performer'. >For > that reason, I got into experimental music by way of jazz and rock. There > were musicians I studied, and I bought their recordings- then they went >all > 'weird' on me, and I liked it. > > Sometimes I hear something and I don't know if I think it is good. I >have to > look outside the music for help in this area. How does this fit in with >the > artist's body of work? Is this CD just a contractual obligation for the > artist, consisting of outtakes, etc? Do I have any evidence that the >artist > has studied music and their instrument? Does it influence my own >studies? Do > I think this way to justify those music comp classes I took, and the >endless > hours of lessons? > I can't seem to listen to stuff these days with entirely fresh ears-kinda > like an ad exec that looks at commercials. > Well the good thing is that there is all types out there, and we can > appreciate the way we each view experimental music without thinking it is > 'wrong'. > > Dave Eichenberger > ********************************************************************* > 'Future Perfect' - art music > http://home1.gte.net/artmusic/ > > >> > >> For me, it is easier to listen to free music if I know the 'noise' >being > >> made isn't just a limitation of of the performers involved. In other > words, > >> I can enjoy Thrakattak because I respect what the muscians involved >are > >> capable of. > > > >See, this is an extremely problematic issue for me. It smacks of what > >I'd call the emperor's new clothes syndrome -- the music in quesiton is > >judged more on the pedigree of the players than on the actual sound > >that's produced. > > > >At this point in time, I've got very little patience for music that > >needs some sort of extra-musical justification in order to have it hold > >up -- be it the intellecual conceptualism behind an experimental project > >that doesn't hold up on its own, or the straight-ahead pedigree that > >gives a jazz player the licence to then play "out" and not be chastized > >by his peers, or the talk of "breakbeat science" and "progression" > >that's used to pass of the profoundly stiff and boring sounds of a lot > >of modern drum & bass. > > > >--Andre > >