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- Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!paladin.american.edu!auvm!UGLI.TSD.ITG.TI.COM!BORCH
- Message-ID: <9212211245.AA13659@ugli.tsd.itg.ti.com>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.emusic-l
- Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 06:45:02 CST
- Sender: Electronic Music Discussion List <EMUSIC-L@AUVM.BITNET>
- From: Mark Borcherding <borch@UGLI.TSD.ITG.TI.COM>
- Subject: Re: Composing philosophies from a "gearhead"
- Comments: To: EMUSIC-L@AMERICAN.EDU
- Lines: 37
-
- Mike,
-
- > This is very much how I work. I love timbre for its own sake, and my
- > works are generally very spare in terms of traditional melody and
- > harmony and counterpoint, focusing instead on the ability to let a
- > listener take in a timbre, savor it, and place it in the larger
- > context of a larger sonic environment. Over the years, various people,
- > demonstrating the maturity, wisdom and tact so common to traditional
- > musicians, have called my preferences lazy, immature, lacking in depth
- > and meaning, and simplistic. They sometimes choose to ignore the fact
- > that my music pleases and moves many of those who listen to it, and
- > brings me satisfaction as well, and hold up my timbral explorations to
- > be ridiculed as "useless noodlings," "bleeps and bloips," and
- > "pointless sound effects." After many years of attempting to reason
- > with these people and explain my motivations, I eventually decided
- > that doing so was a waste of time, and have resorted (rather
- > childishly, I am afraid) to answering their criticisms with equally
- > subjective and wrong-minded criticisms of their so-called "REAL
- > music." This brings me only a temporary and childish satisfaction and
- > accomplishes anothing, so usually I don't bother. I push at the borders
- > I choose to stretch, and take my music where I wish to take it. I push
- > myself hard and try to accomplish great things. People who choose to
- > ignore this aggravate the hell out of me, and trying to teach them
- > where I'm coming from is usually a damned waste of effort.
- >
-
- I agree with your line of thought and think it is this very type of exploritory
- thought that takes us new places. Are waterfalls, surfs, lightning, or wind
- just a "sound effect". I approach music the same way I draw that is to put
- something where there was nothing. I feel compelled to do this. I have seen the
- results of people with "Professional training" and not much creativity. They
- are so busy analyzing their work with a scanning electron microscope, that they
- miss if their listeners (customers) appreciate their work. I am convinced these
- people simply cannot understand what motivates hard-core artists like yourself
- me, and others that seek art for something other a ego massage.
-
- Mark.
-