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> By that same token, I'm not sure I would be prepared to take criticism > about looping seriously if it came from a guy who has had clearly > stated > reservations about the approach for at least the last decade, and who > apparently can't work through the manual for an Echoplex Digital Pro. Andre, I didn't want to work through the EDP manual. It is a horribly written thing and I don't handle this well. No patient. > > I wouldn't even begin to take myself seriously in assessing the > originality or uniqueness or "meaning" of a classical > guitarist/composer, as I lack any meaningful understanding of the > specific world you inhabit. So I'm not sure where a person with > Larry's > background is coming from in saying (for example) that a fantastic, > musical, expressive player like Bill Walker doesn't have his own voice. I just didn't hear it that night Andre. That's all I've heard of Bill but I can very much see that a night is just a night and I've had nights that I'd just likely forget. > > If you're going to judge somebody's work - and especially if you're > going to make conclusions about the meaning of their music in the > context of their life in general - then it seems to me that the barest > minimum requirement is to judge it in the appropriate context. You may be coming into this late. There was this very good composer, Tony who addressed the group for comment on his wonderful piece. Someone said that it was too busy and he needed to delete some of it. This was an ambient guy and Tony's music wasn't ambient. I lost it and charged that, and you speak of context, that there are some people that are in the group that, either are not musicians or they have no perspective to judge and give advice. Bill and Rick were innocent bystanders and I have already apologized to Bill offline. Tonality is the thing here. If I hear someone doing too much tonal stuff I figure that's all they do. That's OK but it leaves a gap when approaching music that is non-tonal or fleetingly tonal. It's not that I am against tonality it is just that a lot has happened since. By being a guitarist I had to work really hard to not be an anachronism, a New Age guitarist, a guitarist that just genuflected to the prevailing currents of guitar playing. > > And that context is not about what kind of degree you have, or whether > you > hang out with Segovia's ghost at the local Ouija board house. It's > about understanding the particular musical dialect a person is > speaking, > and knowing the proper historical context for that dialect. (And maybe > even being able to speak it with a fair amount of fluency onesself.) You know? Someone asked me for my reason for making judgments by asking me what accomplishments and so forth I had. Segovia actually made me very sick and it is a natural thing that he did make me sick after a while. I could give a crap about paper. I didn't even get a high school diploma because I was playing in a band and all things associated to that. They made me get a GED at CalArts for my undergraduate. I am conversant in most musical languages and can work in context that i can stand. > > Stirring shit up is fine, as long as you're willing to spend time > picking turds out of your beard. Recognizing and acknowledging the > immense limitations of one's own abilities, when compared to the vast > and unknowable immensity that is the world of music, is a really > healthy > and sobering thing, though it tends to sound a bit insincere when > "qualified" by endless paragraphs trumpeting the breadth and depth of > one's own resume. That's what I keep saying. I say my music is crap compared to the music of Rautavaara or others. Well Andre, I was asked for it and within my resume I said very specifically that you can put a noose around my head and kick the chair out and fully expected, you in your very kind way, to do it. I've been on this group for 8 months and kept it to myself. Michael, from AU asked to put my money where my mouth is. I only ask for a break on this matter on all the rest I don't. I could give a shit about what a resume says, the question is; What are you now doing? > > And accusing other musicians of being stuck in a regressive teenaged > mindset is an interesting thing to do, particularly when it's > accompanied by the more or less explicit statement that "That's not an > opinion, that's a fact, because it's how I feel." No, it's a judgment based on empirical evidence in some cases. I am judge and jury as to what I accept as mature, immature and dishonest maturity. > > Ah well. > > Glad to hear the career is going well, Mr. Cooperman, and that time > hasn't diminished your immense musical talent, or your singular charm > and interpersonal panache. I've had an interesting time of it too, > since we last talked. I don't know how my work measures up to any > particular yardstick in the grand scheme of things, but it sure was > great to see a pair of beautiful girls dancing to my solo guitar loops > for half an hour at a party last October. Thank you Mr. LaFosse. In the grand scheme of things Looper's Delight should be careful about giving talented young composers advice and leave their personal limitations out of their comments. > > Right now I have to go practice for a series of gigs next month, using > five Echoplexes at the same time. It was actually booked by a > classical > guitarist named Dominic Frasca, who plays solo arrangements of Philip > Glass tunes, and has recorded some of Phil's work for widespread > release. I'd be curious to hear the two of you debate the relative > merits of looping (or merely your respective resumes) some time... I know Dominic. I just reviewed some of his music via Kevin Gallagher's suggestion. Kevin is another NY guitarist that is as wide as a Western landscape. Cut the resume stuff and I will be happy. Like I said and I'm sure that it's been heard. I never flash my resume unless someone asks and I was asked and now I'm hung. Well hung. > > In the meantime, my advice: if you don't enjoy a list, or the climate > therein, you can always unsubscribe! It worked (and continues to work) > for me... > > Singing off (again), > > --Andre LaFosse > The Echoplex Analysis Pages: > http://www.altruistmusic.com/EDP > > Larry Cooperman New Millennium Guitar http://www.newmillguitar.com