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At 2/17/14 12:35 AM, jaysummers759885 wrote: I think the main argument here is whether or not a computer is a musical instrument. Yes, you can use the computer as a tool to make music, but the physical thing itself can't be defined as a "musical instrument". If we go with what you are saying, and say that tape recorders are musical instruments, you can say that to virtually anything. You can physically hit anything...anything on the planet and create some sort of noise, but we wouldn't call that a "musical instrument", because that object was not engineered to be used in a musical environment. Tape recorders were made to...record.

You can slap a sandwich to make some sort of noise, but the sandwich itself was not made to be musical, it was made to be eaten. It doesn't matter if the sandwich lacked lettuce or the bread (comparing violin strings on violins). It just wasn't made to make music.

Going back to what I was saying, a computer was made to compute sequence of operations and codes to do specific tasks. It was not specifically made to create music. Therefore, we can't say that the computer is a musical instrument. Even if the computer is equipped with synthesizers and effects, we still can't say that the computer itself is an instrument. The VST/RTAS synthesizers itself would be considered the instrument in this case, and the computer is only a tool to be able to compute the vst plugins.

And also, I don't find any validity on the "modern composers" statements, because it loses the main focus on the argument. A train...is so far away from being a musical instrument. From whatever perspective, you just can't say that is made to be musical.

Thats my side of the argument

Everything that makes a sound that can be registered in the hertz range of the human ear, to me, is considered a way of expressing music. So, therefore, I deem a computer an instrument of music depending on the intention of the composer. Whether to use it as a tool of porn, or a tool of music. Much like the sandwich when slap together can sound alike, either can be used to create percussion.

Good times,

~J

Okay. So I don't exactly know what "hertz range of the human ear" means...
I apologize in advance, I don't mean to come out aggressive, but Hertz is a unit of frequency. The higher the Hertz, the higher the frequency.
Going with your statement, obviously, intentions are everything. If a musician utilizes a unique object, such as a wrench, to create musical elements with that, then what he is making is "music". However, the object itself, the wrench, can not be called a musical instrument, because the tool was not made to be used in a musical environment. In fact, it was made to give us a grip, or mechanical advantage to turn nuts and bolts.

As time passed, musicians realized that hitting a wrench created a unique sound with perceivable "pitch" that can be altered by the length and shape of the wrench. Using this theory, a Wrenchenspiel was invented to clone the xylophone but with a different, more distinct sound. The metal xylophone keys were replaced with tuned wrenches to give it its distinct timbre.

Now, this...the Wrenchenspiel as a whole, can be called a "Musical Instrument", because it's intentions were clear. Using the unique timbre of a wrench, musicians created an instrument that had perceivable pitch. Now I'm not saying that it needs pitch in order to be a musical instrument, but the intentions has to be clear as a musical tool.

I don't think I need to go through the history of how a computer was made in order for you to get my point. A wrench is not a musical instrument, but a Wrenchenspiel is. A computer is not a musical instrument, but a VST Plugin is a musical instrument.

Cheerios
-T

At 2/10/14 12:08 AM, camoshark wrote:

At 2/9/14 11:57 PM, Omegeist wrote:

At 2/9/14 11:24 PM, cheezz wrote:

At 2/9/14 11:07 PM, Omegeist wrote:

But having software without a computer, is like having strings without a guitar, isn't it?

But having a car without windshield wipers is like a person without a head. Isn't it?

Looks like you're forcing me to play my trump cards, but Electroacoustic/Musique Concrète has used tape from tape recorders as musical instruments since the 50's, so you'll have to think of another way of defining the limits of what an instrument IS.

Modern composers/musicologists have stopped defining an instrument as to WHAT sound it can produce, but by HOW it can be played. For example, Pierre Schaeffer used a train as his main instrument in his song Étude Noire.

In the most extreme and literal of examples, I could use the actual physical computer as a musical instrument (isn't that the essence of CHIPtune?).

Anyways, you get my point. I'm not trying to go too much into semantics here, but you can't start discriminating musicians by arbitrary rules like that.

I think the main argument here is whether or not a computer is a musical instrument. Yes, you can use the computer as a tool to make music, but the physical thing itself can't be defined as a "musical instrument". If we go with what you are saying, and say that tape recorders are musical instruments, you can say that to virtually anything. You can physically hit anything...anything on the planet and create some sort of noise, but we wouldn't call that a "musical instrument", because that object was not engineered to be used in a musical environment. Tape recorders were made to...record.

You can slap a sandwich to make some sort of noise, but the sandwich itself was not made to be musical, it was made to be eaten. It doesn't matter if the sandwich lacked lettuce or the bread (comparing violin strings on violins). It just wasn't made to make music.

Going back to what I was saying, a computer was made to compute sequence of operations and codes to do specific tasks. It was not specifically made to create music. Therefore, we can't say that the computer is a musical instrument. Even if the computer is equipped with synthesizers and effects, we still can't say that the computer itself is an instrument. The VST/RTAS synthesizers itself would be considered the instrument in this case, and the computer is only a tool to be able to compute the vst plugins.

And also, I don't find any validity on the "modern composers" statements, because it loses the main focus on the argument. A train...is so far away from being a musical instrument. From whatever perspective, you just can't say that is made to be musical.

Thats my side of the argument

This is my submission for NGADM

• 
  Not Everday by Mystek

  Made With Ableton

  Score

  5.00 / 5.00

  Type

  Song

  Genre

  Dubstep

  Popularity

  3 Views

• Loading...

This is my submission for NGDAM Round 1
The track is called Rosso

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/545309?updated=1

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/540650
I messed up the Url format. I hope this works.
Good Luck to Everyone!

Somewhere I Don't Belong
Good luck to everyone auditioning!

Clarity (Mystek Remix)
If you have any spare time, please come see my remix of Zedd's Clarity