Hey There. .
I've told you how the move or transformation of music has come from the tradition to the modern era of invention - which includes computer technology. In sociology this developed as the Era of Modernity and came about with the Modernisation Theory being adopted to explain development. Emile Durkheim states that a society moves from traditional culture to modern culture with a relationship of interdependency between people. I belive that there are obvious alterations to pre-industrial ethics as people start accepting norms and values which are established by the society as a whole. Marxism says that these norms and values, though, are of the dominant class; meaning that the subordinate class is victim of ideological control.
With the development of New Media and technology, we can see several traditional elements and cultural norms and arts (such as music and narrative) being replaced or "improved" upon by technology and scientific epistemology..
Looking at music we can see the development of genres which contribute to the forming of subcultures in society such as Hip Hop; Punk and such others - where individuals share common social interests - these subcultures create a sense of belonging for their members. Even when looking at virtual reality - people recreate their identities to suite whatever they may prefer, therefore the new media becomes an element in creating social groupings; social identity and also individual identity, but removes pre-obtained cultural ways of living while trying to create a common way. Marx, as mentioned, sees this common way being conformity to the dominant class's ideology (please comment and/or criticise this).
The move from the traditional methods of music production to the modern digital music producion has given people advantages and an opportunities. Anyone can take advantage of a digital software such as Fruity Loops Studio (FLS) and create a master piece instrumental of any genre. You don't really have to learn to play any musical instruments, just learn how to use the software and take time perfect it to be maybe even better than composers such as Abdulah Ibrahim.
Fruity Loops comes with a large and diverse collection of instruments (from percussion to bass to strings) and once a person learns how to use this (programme), a lot of things are possible. I started playing around with this software in 2005 and I'm trying to master it. What it (and all other softwares after learning the operation) requires is the users creativity in terms of music - guitar/piano lessons are expensive and take time.
However, you do need to understand how music composition works and its requirements - the advantage is that you don't need instrument playing abilties. Ironically, its also an advantage if one can play an instrument, as this adds a better understanding of that particular instruments and its best abilities and also can contribute to digitally playing the instrument.
The users can get an opportunity, through the use of such softwares, to explore their creativity. Infact, one could become a superstar producer as they master the software and also become more creative as they grow musically. Popular music producer, Timberland (USA), is actually a user of FL Studio and is currently ranked as one of the top producers of contemporary Hip Hop and Popular Music (Pop). Producers such as Quincy Jones (USA) and Sankomota (SA) will always be recognized as legendary and gifted producers, but with New Media technology, all a person needs is a computer and a software to work themselves up to being top producers.
New Media, then, enures the users' participation in the available media - anyone can now do several things that they couldn't or wouldn't have been able to do previously.
Explore FL Studio on its Web-site and see if it makes sense to you - I think its a fantastic programme to use . . Click on This Link
Peace and Blessings..
Friday, April 11, 2008
Look At This....
Hey. . . If you've read my post before this you'll remember me talking about the bongo drum and its cousin, the Conga drum - - these were two of the pioner Beats from the African tradiotion.. The mystery behind them is that can put someone in an hypnotic trance. But the thing is, its not a mystery...FROM THESE CAME THE PERCUSSIONS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE DRUM KIT.. . . .
The drums became one of the best musical inventions, contributing to just about every music genre (except the opera and some classical symphonies, such others) . . The drums are basically the "Beat" of any musical instrumental; they are the trance setters.. I like the drums, infact I should get a Yamaha drum kit - the Japanese often know what they're doing.THE DRUM MACHINE
Then came this - The Drum Machine. .This is basically a digital drum kit, enabling a person to programme a drum loop into the machine which then plays the loop/rhythm back as if it were played live. The more the drum machine became upgraded and computerized more input channels were created with this; making it seem as if the drummer has a lot of arms like the Hindu God, Shiva.. Imagine an Octopus playing the drums live with all tentacles holding drum-sticks (not chicken pieces) and playing; there'll be eight different sounds of beat, don't you think?
That is what the drum machine enables one to do, infact, the development of technology as a whole has made "the impossible possible" and several things that humans couldn't do (like one person playing the drum with eight arms) are now possible and most people are estatic because of this. It does remove the skill part of composition though, but the creativity is still there - all one has to do is learn how to use the technology such as a drum machine and then apply their musical creativity to ensure a good final production. Whereas for the drum kit and bongos/congas, a person also requires the physical skill and ability to play a rhythm. .
So who do we call a better producer/composer - the live or the digital composers? Does new technology give an advantage or does it remove skill, over power skill and possibility? I guess in the virtual world we are all able to do whatever we want - that how humans can play any instrument if their acquire a computer software such as Fruity Loops; Reason and Cue Base to name a few.
DIGITAL PRODUCIONThis is a software called Fruity Loops Studio (FL Studio), it basicall enable one to compose a full song using all types of instruments (from the drum itself to a violin; guitar; bass guitar or even an organ). . . I've attached a link which allows you to download the demo version of this software and you can see what you can put together, test you musical creativity - it could actually be your future.. You can also Save your song as MP3 format and play at your parties; imagine YOUR production being played at any event - Check it Out . . Peace and Blessings...
Click Here..
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The Traditional...The Drum
Hey People,
You know when music began it differed in Western culture to the African culture. I don't want to get deep and critical in analysing both cultures at once, so I'll start with Africa...
I'm sure we all assume that we know that the first form of musical instrument in Africa was the drum, right? Well, that assumption is true. Infact, it dates back years before Era of Slavery. In African subcultures, the drum was used for various meditational purposes; entertainment (dancing, clapping and the drum-beat). The Conga and the Bongo drum are two of the first forms of drums, other such as the marimba were later developed.
What strikes me is this book I read by By Rene T. A. Lysloff, Leslie C. Gay, Andrew (FRW) Rosson titled Music and Techoculture - it has this section on the development of musical rhythm in Africa: it, firstly, acknowledges the Conga and the Bongo as the firsts, but then it mentions the hypnotical secrets burried within the African Rhythm composed with these drums, interesting? Tell me what you think.
The rhythm created a hypnotic trance induction which was experienced by the listener and also strongly by the composer. A consistence rhythm kept playing and trapped the listener in trance making them intouch with nature harmonically - (the philosopher Socrates spoke of harmonic relations of humans to society and vice cersa: Humansare living primates and nature keeps the living alive).
My Point: Through this reading I can say that: once the rhythm of life is understood, the harmony with nature ensure that everything stays in place.
However, meaning differs from generation to generation - music forms have developed from just the drum and the drum is used differently as genres of music start to develop (Rock, House, Bossanova and so on), but if you take the African myth of hypnotic inductions you might start realising how the Beat in a musical instrumanetal does 'hypnotise' someone - it even etermines the way you dance to the music. For this one reason composers and music producers such as Quincy Jones and Andreas Volenvedar see the percussion and the drums as probably the most important element in copmosing a musical instrumental.
Since more genres were emerging, from the Bongos came the drumkit - included the Hihats; the Snare drum; the Kick/bass drum; the toms - and its drum features differed in accordance with the genre. The as we move into a more technological society the invention of The Drum-Machine was significant to the modern. To play the drum (drumkit or bongos) requires skill, but with drum-machine on can simply programme the drum rhythm into the machine for the machine to play it (this requires skill, in a way, but also a alot creativity). Would you say that its malleable? It does allow one to compose any Beat or drum-rhythm.
Click on the Link and get enlightened about The Drum-Machine - this link will allow you to use a drum-machine online and save you production as mp3. Digital Technology is fabulous and it makes a lot of the previously impossible possible. It is on it s way to dominating the world and is currently manipulating us to use it and popularize it, making it an upcoming domination..Is that good or bad? Because of it, more people can produce music by using new technology and new media forms such as computers and the internet..You can to . . Click on the Link, Launch the DigiDrum-Machine from Groove Lab and try it Out . . . All you have to do is Launch It..
Click Here
Peace and Blessings..
You know when music began it differed in Western culture to the African culture. I don't want to get deep and critical in analysing both cultures at once, so I'll start with Africa...
I'm sure we all assume that we know that the first form of musical instrument in Africa was the drum, right? Well, that assumption is true. Infact, it dates back years before Era of Slavery. In African subcultures, the drum was used for various meditational purposes; entertainment (dancing, clapping and the drum-beat). The Conga and the Bongo drum are two of the first forms of drums, other such as the marimba were later developed.
What strikes me is this book I read by By Rene T. A. Lysloff, Leslie C. Gay, Andrew (FRW) Rosson titled Music and Techoculture - it has this section on the development of musical rhythm in Africa: it, firstly, acknowledges the Conga and the Bongo as the firsts, but then it mentions the hypnotical secrets burried within the African Rhythm composed with these drums, interesting? Tell me what you think.
The rhythm created a hypnotic trance induction which was experienced by the listener and also strongly by the composer. A consistence rhythm kept playing and trapped the listener in trance making them intouch with nature harmonically - (the philosopher Socrates spoke of harmonic relations of humans to society and vice cersa: Humansare living primates and nature keeps the living alive).
My Point: Through this reading I can say that: once the rhythm of life is understood, the harmony with nature ensure that everything stays in place.
However, meaning differs from generation to generation - music forms have developed from just the drum and the drum is used differently as genres of music start to develop (Rock, House, Bossanova and so on), but if you take the African myth of hypnotic inductions you might start realising how the Beat in a musical instrumanetal does 'hypnotise' someone - it even etermines the way you dance to the music. For this one reason composers and music producers such as Quincy Jones and Andreas Volenvedar see the percussion and the drums as probably the most important element in copmosing a musical instrumental.
Since more genres were emerging, from the Bongos came the drumkit - included the Hihats; the Snare drum; the Kick/bass drum; the toms - and its drum features differed in accordance with the genre. The as we move into a more technological society the invention of The Drum-Machine was significant to the modern. To play the drum (drumkit or bongos) requires skill, but with drum-machine on can simply programme the drum rhythm into the machine for the machine to play it (this requires skill, in a way, but also a alot creativity). Would you say that its malleable? It does allow one to compose any Beat or drum-rhythm.
Click on the Link and get enlightened about The Drum-Machine - this link will allow you to use a drum-machine online and save you production as mp3. Digital Technology is fabulous and it makes a lot of the previously impossible possible. It is on it s way to dominating the world and is currently manipulating us to use it and popularize it, making it an upcoming domination..Is that good or bad? Because of it, more people can produce music by using new technology and new media forms such as computers and the internet..You can to . . Click on the Link, Launch the DigiDrum-Machine from Groove Lab and try it Out . . . All you have to do is Launch It..
Click Here
Peace and Blessings..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
