Quote:
Originally Posted by Janszoon
Setting aside for the moment the fact that I think Autechre make far better music than Billy Corgan, why on earth should acoustic instruments be the yardstick for measuring things? I feel like that viewpoint is akin to saying you're not a sculptor unless your work can be made with a hammer and chisel.
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That's fair. My main thing is if you take the guys from Autechre out of their comfort zone and drop them in a completely different musical environment could they accomplish anything? Would they be able to pick up an instrument and make something happen? Maybe they could, but the impression I'm left with based on their musical output and what I've read about them leads me to believe they'd just stare at the instruments.
Conversely someone like Corgan, while still likely being a colossal dick, would be able to step out of his comfort zone and still manage to create something based on the technical and theoretical knowledge he would have learned through his instrument.
I don't quite agree with your sculptor analogy though. It's more like I'd be hesitant to call someone a sculptor if they've only ever used something like a CNC machine and never learned to use a hammer and chisel.
As for Freebase Dali's introspection, I'd still call you a musician since you retain that knowledge. You might not be a virtuoso on your instruments but you can still play in the moment right? Your focus might be refined to a different aspect of it but you've still experienced the full spectrum. I think that's really what I think is lacking with some of the exclusive computer composers, they only have the one aspect. To me it's like calling yourself an athlete because you know the rules of the sport and bought a jersey.