IanB wrote:
stray wrote:
singingringingtree wrote:
And, i know it's outside yr point that mainly relates to rock bands, but there are scenes where "learning to play" in any accepted sense, doesn't make any sense ... like noise, or a lot of electronica ... i mean, can Masonna "play", or Florian Hecker? or even Aphex Twin?
As much as I too kinda dislike Ians point about it's importance I reckon he has a point in as much that some sort of (albeit only basic) understanding of music theory is required, even if you're just knocking out soundscapes and edited found sound collages. The physics of sound and music production is however a more important skill in electronica than playing ability, definitely. Mind you, a mixer, decks, racks etc are instruments as far as I'm concerned, and can be played as such.
I agree totally. I am not advocating some muso hegemony where Malmsteen and Kenny G gain extra credit for the number of hours they put into practicing their instruments regardless of how boring their output is.
What I am trying to say is that knowing what the rules are can make you a more effective rule-breaker and on that rare occasion you need to know which chord will say the exact thing you want to say musically at that point in time then it can be good to have that in your locker too. Saves time you don't have to spend trying all the other combinations. Doesn't mean you have to resort to cliche. Though I admit that a lot of schooled musicians do exactly that.
Same applies to technologies. Learning what all the knobs do doesn't mean you need to use them all all the time which is the Trevor Rabin / Mark King / Kenny G problem. They are too concerned with letting us know how clever they are. That's their number one aim in life.
I would put taste and the ability to self-edit over learned musical ability but I wouldn't undervalue the do ray me. Even if you fancy chucking the whole 12 tone thing in the nearest bin and going microntonal.
What is wrong with simply being good at what you do, being driven to do better and bring the fans along?
That's what people loved about Prince, Beatles, Hendrix, Zep, Radiohead, Neil Young, Miles, Bowie, even Madonna, etc.
It's a business, it's how they make their money, we vote with our dollars.
The same standards I Place on myself in business apply to musicians. When I have a job, my clients expect me to know my stuff; the same when I hire someone else. If you want to play around don't enter the arena, stay in your bedroom.
