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Richard very well put amn,thank you kindly for turning me on this guy as well what a voice! cheers Luis --- Richard Sales <richard@glasswing.com> wrote: > As you may have noticed by my lack of emails, I'm > trying to spend less > time writing and doing email and more doing music > and pursuing a > sustainable life. But this is a great topic and I > have a thought: > > If it works it works and if it doesn't it doesn't. > Music isn't > mathematics or something that can be codified at > all. We ALL try to do > it - to explain the inexplicable. I remember > learning music theory in > college and realizing this is what people who aren't > standing in the > river do. They describe the physics of swimming. > But it's just what > we do when the Muse isn't speaking to us. When She > speaks, it doesn't > matter if we're pre recorded, over or under dubbed, > playing advanced > guitar or primitive digiridoo or what. If the music > speaks to the soul > and smile etc of the listener (and, more importantly > the artist) then > we're all, to complete the metaphor, swimming home. > Or maybe floating > home. > > So the goal is to draw the listener into the water > with us. For some > it will be unrehearsed, totally spontaneous, never > thought of before > stuff and for some it will be completely ironed out > highly polished > diamonds. I'm guessing most all of us have done > both. > > It's the spirit and inspiration that count. I and I > don't think most > listeners care HOW the music is made. Musicians of > course do care but > I still think that's describing swimming. And, as > someone so wisely > once said, "I don't think any one walks down the > street whistling the > sound of a $30,000 Telefunken mic." > > As someone wisely pointed out, even karaoke can turn > some folks on. > American Idle and all that. Not my cup of tea but > I'm too busy to > worry about that. We're all evolving at light speed > and you gotta > start somewhere! > > To me, really great music is nearly - no - TOTALLY > impossible to > describe or codify. I recently worked with a new > very young artist who > is dazzling good. His/our recordings just got a > rave hot pick in Spin > Magazine. > http://www.spin.com/articles/catch-buzz-joe-pug > > What makes his music and lyrics stand out? I don't > know. But I know > it when I hear it. And the same applies to loops > and loopers etc. I > do have my fave loopers and their music has this > mystery factor. I > have my fave looper pundits and analysts and their > minds and passion > for purity etc is so fun and really inspiring to > read. But that's > concepts, and concepts can be crippling when it > comes to art and > (devil's advocate) concepts can be the key to the > highway in art. > Plenty artists in the 20s thru the 60s made a big > splash with their > culturally advanced minds as opposed to their fine > art talents. > Depends on the level of passion and timing etc. > For the record, most > conceptual art doesn't speak to me but that doesn't > mean it's not > wonderful etc. To me, it's intellect. That's > something else. > > Music is like the spiritual world. The people who > spend so much time > trying to define God (or deny God's existence) are > standing by the > pool, in pressed slacks and wingtips, dry as a bone, > pontificating on > the people in the water. Of course God doesn't > exist! Just like you > can't codify what makes music some music great and > some music great > background stuff. The difference is intangible! > But of course God > exists. Just like some music just hits you in the > face and knocks you > down. > > If we really knew how it worked, it wouldn't work. > > So pre recorded or not doesn't matter to me. It's > whether the music > moves me, stops my mind dead in its tracks. I call > it the God Moment. > I think it was Thomas Aquinas who first pointed this > out. When the > mind stops, eternity touches the earth. If it stops > long enough and > for enough folks, history is made... Hendrix, Dylan, > Robert Johnson, > Beethoven, Beatles etc. > > After 40+ years of trying to figure out music and > God, I'm realizing > that it's all a mischievous paradox that teaches, > humbles, mystifies > and bamboozles us into pushing forward. > > For me, if it does that, it's real and it works. > The core of the > answer is a mystery. I really love how it humbles > me. > > All I really know is, I like the feeling of water on > my skin. I've > dedicated my life to it. I don't get in the pool > all that often, but > when I do, all the sit ups and training suddenly > seem worth it. > > So - here's hoping no one sees this as a dis. It > isn't. It's the rant > of a man who loves music and no longer knows why. > > richard sales > glassWing farm and studio > vancouver island, b.c. > www.glassWing.com www.richardsales.com > www.hayleysales.com www.joannesales.com > www.blueberryfieldsfarm.com > www.broombusters.org > On 16-May-08, at 5:57 AM, > kkissinger@kevinkissinger.com wrote: > > > Quoting Rick Walker <looppool@cruzio.com>: > >> > >> Matt Davignon wrote: > >> "Things that are not OK: > >> > > The OK/Not OK issue is a test that I apply only to > myself. It occurs > > to me that what I would consider "cheating" for me > (a > > composer/performer/improviser) would be "ok" > within someone else's > > artistic space. > > > > For every thing that I can think of that I > personally wouldn't do, > > there is at least one celebrated artist who has > done those very > > things. > > > > I have to conclude that the only thing that is not > OK for me is to: > > try to be someone that I'm not and/or try to be > all things to all > > people. > > > > Whether I happen to compose a work that uses my > own pre-recorded > > material or is entirely live, I simply do what is > necessary for me to > > realize the result that I want. > >> > >> John Foxx was really > >> interested in emotions and lack of emotions: > machines interacting > >> with human > >> beings. > >> > > Yes! Yes! Often when I perform a work, I look for > a crescendo of > > emotion the same as I look for dynamic, tempo, > texture, and rhythmic > > changes. > > > > Often times, there is more excitement and tension > from "holding back" > > than from "giving 100% emotion 100% of the time". > >> > >> To me, the artificial was far more exotic and > enticing. > === message truncated === www.myspace.com/luisangulocom