Re: My "Pretty Song"...

[ArsOcarina@aol.com]

Kris,

In a message dated 7/18/05 4:37:17 PM, kris.hartung@hp.com writes:

> http://box.net/public/khartung/files/298935.html

Personally . . . I rather like it. But then again I like a little bit of everything
anyway, even polka -- when it's done well (with feeling, even thought there
might be little imperfections here and there). 

I've been following this thread and have a slightly different "take" on the 
whole "art" vs. "audience approval" thing. I spent many long years studying 
to be a visual artist long before I ever seriously considered "going public"
with any of my musical nonsense.

The way I look at it, limiting oneself to only one way of thinking/working
harmonically/melodically/modally is like choosing to only use one color 
of crayon from the box . . . or only one size of brush (or a paint roller)
or something as a visual artist. It might be nice for an individual piece 
(or suite of pieces) but not a whole career -- IMHO.

I tend to look at the choice between using ALL BLACK per se, and using
ALL PASTEL COLORS as more-or-less a choice between avenues of approach
with equal value/merit/creative possibility. Six of one, half dozen of another,
as they say. There is nothing to judge there as long as your artistic motivations
are fairly "pure." Motivations are the key.

In visual art (or any other) I have no criticism of artists who choose a particular 
way of working if that's really who they are, or choose to be . . . authentically. 
Example, I have no problem with any number of painters who might do most
of their work in a representaional, "realistic" vein. But I cannot abide Thomas
Kinkade (pardon me if there are fans present) http://www.thomaskinkade.com/
His stuff is so phony (and so popular too) really makes me ill.

On a spectum scale of artists' sensitivity, ranging from total indifference to 
total pandering that guy is completely off the pandering scale. But I digress.

What are we making music for? To be popular, have the worshipful obessiance
of fans, sexual attraction and all of that? Or to make something we like, choose
to create, make well and with pride, to please, express or to satisfy ourselves 
in some way? Or, perhaps, some blurry mix of the two (or other) motives? 
Perhaps it is to give others a good time -- a perfectly virtuous and altruistic
aim in itself.

I would guess that a lot of us are a mixture. Personally, if I were still doing my
music in my garage studio as a solitary exercise as I was 20 years ago I could
be nearly perfectly content to be indifferent to what an audience might want.
Since I went public, I now (somewhat grudgingly but not entirely) must face 
the fact that I HAVE to take into consideration the new environment in which 
I do what I do -- the physical mechanics of the venue (the space) the social 
mechanics of the people there (the audience and/or other performers). I try 
not to pander. But there is an element to it that is akin to doing "site-specific 
artwork."

For myself, I am soooo very limited as a musician that any thought of pandering 
and any real possibility of popularity is probably beyond my ability anyway (heheheh). 
However, that still leaves plenty of room to be at least a little sensitive to who 
is in attendance and how much squonk and noise I should try to get away with -- just
how far I can push the envelope with these folks in this venue. Who else is on the bill?
What sort of musical territory will they be marking out? It just seems sensible to
at least consider these things. 

To me, it's all comes back to choosing the "colors" your going to paint with . . . and
that is only a temporary choice. It's not like you have to stick with it for a whole 
career . . . or even a whole evening. If I find myself having scribbled the air with 
blistering, caustic, black tones and dark chords for most of a set I'l usually give 
the audience a reward for their endurance . . . something "pretty," a piece of 
dessert music, a little musical after-dinner mint, or something.

Hey, I like "pretty" too. Pastels are nice from time to time.

Best regards,

tEd ® kiLLiAn

"Different is not always better, but better is always different"

http://www.pfmentum.com/flux.html
http://www.CDbaby.com/cd/tedkillian
http://www.guitar9.com/fluxaeterna.html
http://www.garageband.com/artist/ArsOcarina
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2845073
http://www.netmusic.com/web/album.aspx?a_id=CBNM_17314
http://www.indiejazz.com/ProductDetailsView.aspx?ProductID=193

Ted Killian's "Flux Aeterna" is also available at: Apple iTunes,
BuyMusic, Rhapsody, MusicMatch, MusicNet, DiscLogic, Napster,
AudioLunchbox, Lindows, QTRnote, Music4Cents, Etherstream,
RuleRadio, EMEPE3, Sony Connect, CatchMusic, Puretracks,
and Viztas. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Blah, blah, blah. So???