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Re: "Instrument" vs "Effect" (was: laptop-loopers (guitar)



--- Krispen Hartung <khartung@cableone.net> wrote:

> box for crying out loud...just because a person
> tweaks nobs, pushes buttons 
> and changes parameters doesn't make the box an
> instrument, nor even make him 
> a musician."   

Like a Mini Moog?  Here's why I think in the above
case the Fireworx (or any other effects processor that
can be manipulated in real time) is at least part of
this thing we call an instrument.

What's a guitar?  String.  Hit the string and it
oscillates.  So you have a basic mechanical
oscillator.  Nice.  Bend the string... that's a pitch
effect.  Amplify it, mute pluck it... tap it... all
mechanical effects we call "technique"  The root being
"tech."

In the case of applying an effect to a loop, the loop
is your "oscillator." and your technique is your tech.
 If it's modified in real time to shape the sound for
the intent of musicality, than so be it.  It is in
this exact way that a DJ who scratches goes from 
someone being a collage artist/remixer to a musician. 
No one would say that Klause Schultz tweaking a fliter
on a Mini Moog isn't music... just because that effect
is built in to the "instrument"  Why does it have to
be?

Mark


But that would be a bit strong for me
> to state explicity as a 
> strong opinion, because there is a lot of fuzziness
> and semantics going on 
> here. We can define terms easy enough so that an
> effects unit is not an 
> instrument...that's just linguistic gymnastics; but
> whether an effects box 
> is an instrument in the same way as a guitar is a
> different matter. We are 
> getting into categories of instrumnetation of
> varying degrees. Okay, it's 
> half an instrument, and I'm half a musician by
> playing it. Heh heh....
> 
> Kris
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Per Boysen" <perboysen@gmail.com>
> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
> Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 2:23 PM
> Subject: Re: "Instrument" vs "Effect" (was:
> laptop-loopers (guitar)
> 
> 
> > On 25 aug 2006, at 22.13, Daryl Shawn wrote:
> >
> >> On the effects tip, I like Krispen's analogy of
> the palette,  because it 
> >> also implies the difficulty of having to try to
> become  familiar with a 
> >> huge number of possibilities, and then, having to
>  choose among those 
> >> possibilities. More colors, but more judicious 
> decision-making and 
> >> experience are required to master the canvas.
> >
> >
> > That's exactly why I don't like "adding effects"
> but rather "playing  with 
> > effects". I always put effects before the loopers,
> so eventual  effect 
> > sound will be part of the foundation of the
> building I'm  construction 
> > (fancy wording for "looping" ;-) as opposed to
> being  paper wrappings on 
> > the outer walls. Less is more fun ;-)
> >
> > Greetings from Sweden
> >
> > Per Boysen
> > www.boysen.se (Swedish)
> > www.looproom.com (international)
> > http://tinyurl.com/fauvm (podcast)
> > http://www.myspace.com/looproom
> >
> >
> >
> > 
> 
> 
> 


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