Head To Head
Log In
Register
Unsung Forum »
Black Sheep @ the Bristol Festival
Log In to post a reply

109 messages
Topic View: Flat | Threaded
suave harv
suave harv
704 posts

Re: Black Sheep @ the Bristol Festival
Sep 23, 2009, 13:43
Squid Tempest wrote:

You're confusing the map with the territory. The music isn't the stuff written on the page - you can't listen to a piece of paper. The written stuff is merely an aide memoire. As for staves, clefs etc, what about traditional African music? You don't see that on staves. What about John Cage and graphic scores? Is that not music? What about microtonal music or eastern scales? Just because something can't be represented using the standard western system doesn't mean it isn't music.


Like anything, there are grey areas. Is a six foot skateboard with a motor on the back technically a car? If I put a slate roof on my tent, is it then a house?

There's no black or white in most things and you're arguing the grey. I'm trying to point out that call something music we need a reference point, just like we need to call anything anything. And the three rules of music can be mapped using written music. I'd imagine most music that involves any of the three aspects can be written down, using whatever method, western or not. Improvised music too (I play improvised mostly, before someone accuses me of being a dot-reader).

I'm using written music as an example of what the definition of what music is. I worded it wrong saying written music is what music IS, of course, it's not. But you get my drift, it's a way we can illustrate the difference between what is defined as music, and what is simply noise.
Topic Outline:

Unsung Forum Index