[sdiy] MIDI isn't musical : Flame bait?

[Scott Gravenhorst]

Don Tillman <don at till.com> wrote:
>   Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2002 12:47:48
>   From: Scott Gravenhorst <music.maker at gte.net>
>
>   I don't believe that I said I preferred to use Casio over MOTM.  In
>   fact, I didn't say that any one tool is better than another.
>   *This* point is where we differ.
>
>If one tool is no better than the other, then you're equally happy
>with either the Casio or the MOTM, right?

Wrong.  First, I am not assigning "better" or "worse" to these
or any other tools, that is an asserion that you have made.
Possibly to be purposefully absurd, but I don't know why.

Art tools are different, not necessarily better or worse.
As in palette knife versus brush.  An individual artist might assign
attributes of "better" or "worse", but for any artist that says 
a tool should not be used for such and such, you will find another 
artist that does so and creates art despite what the first one said.  
The "purpose" of tools are defined and created by the artist, not 
the other way around.  The value of a tool is in how the artist
uses it.  I don't see it to have an intrisic value other than that.

>I understand your point, that a great musician can make music from
>just about anything.  But the same musician will also have an
>instrument of choice.

Quite, and what I said is that I disagree that "MIDI is unmusical".
That statement quite literally says that music is not
possible with it's use.  That is false.  The statement is false.

>
>   I, personally, wouldn't attempt to _do_ a Hendrix solo on 
>   a keyboard.  
>
>I actually *have* played "Voodoo Chile" on a Clavinet with distortion,
>a wah pedal and the thing cranked on the verge of feedback and it
>completely rocks.  Which is another problem with MIDI; it seriously
>limits one's expectation of what keyboards can do.

So is having only 10 fingers.  That doesn't make you or I "unmusical".

>But I didn't bring up Hendrix to suggest that anyone ought to play a
>guitar piece on a synth; that's silly (especially when I do it).  I
>wanted to point out an example of a wonderful, universally acclaimed
>musical performance with passion, beauty, character and soul and the
>kind of expression and subtlety of timing that wouldn't make it over a
>MIDI stream.

And that statement, although true (for it's situation as described)
and one with which I agree, does NOT make MIDI unmusical.  I still 
stand by my assertion that MIDI can be used for music, therefore 
the statement "MIDI is unmusical" is false.  MIDI is not for
every musical purpose to be sure, but used in a way that either
avoids or takes advantages of it's limitations is certainly
usable for music of some kinds.  The same thing can be said of any 
other musical tool.

I view MIDI and it's limitations as part of a whole instrument,
if you will.  A violin has only 4 strings.  A piano cannot play
quarter tones (without bizarre tuning).  I have only 10 fingers.
I have a limited amount of musical talent.  A trumpet does not
sound like a harp.  Are these limitations?  Yes.  Do they limit
what can be done musically with them?  Yes.  Does that make any 
one of them "unmusical"?  Emphatically NO.

>  -- Don
>
>-- 
>Don Tillman
>Palo Alto, California, USA
>don at till.com
>http://www.till.com
>

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