[linux-audio-user] RE: More Homemade Muzak

[james at dis-dot-dat.net]

On Tue, 17 May, 2005 at 12:42AM -0400, LinuxMedia spake thus:
> >>>> Herky-Jerk (OGG audio file, 3.4MB)
> >>>> http://www.xscd.com/pub/music/herky-jerk.ogg
> 
> >> I like that.  Can I request a beat, though?
> 
> > Drums are a real weak spot with me. I have a good sense
> > of rhythm and I always wanted to be a drummer instead
> > of a keyboard player (but my mom and dad forced me to
> > take piano lessons). I love Hydrogen but I always
> > feel that if I were to try to add a drum part it would
> > sound ultra-cheesy and unrealistic.
> 
> When I actually have everything set up the way I want it and get ready 
> to make music, I will probly eventually look into electric drum pads (or 
> whatever you call them). I'm assuming they are all midi. Would midiable 
> drum pads help to make it more musical for you (assuming one could use 
> the drum pads to trigger sounds via midi and a linux sequence/sampler)?
> 
> > On the other hand, I feel that if I were to START with
> > a drum part, it's metronomic nature would restrict or
> > prevent more fluid, expressive tempos for the rest of
> > the parts of the music.
> 
> When I think of "starting with drums", I think of it as an exception to 
> the rule, possibly as a way to inspire me to write new sounding music 
> (instead of my usual approach of writing by playing my main instrument 
> and accompanying it with my singing *then* adding drums). This way, 
> starting with drums would actually be a creative thing to make things 
> fresh and different. And if the Electric Drum Pads helped open up 
> creativity, then maybe this approach may actually make things more 
> creative for you.

I start with drums quite a lot.  Partly, I suppose it's because I'm
influenced by, and aiming at, something different.  Rhythm and bass,
for me, are at least as important as melody and vocals.
 
> > In a live band (I was a professional
> > musician for about a dozen years), the drummer and ensemble
> > are all in "psychological sync" in a way, so that the tempo
> > fluctuations sound "tight" and realistic, yet human and
> > variable. That seems hard to achieve using software percussion
> 
> Yeah... nothing beats a group of musicans that click and all adding 
> their personal sound to one complete song. Just being with people and 
> playing can inspire more creativity.
> 
> Just a few thoughts.
> 
> Rocco
> 

-- 
"I'd crawl over an acre of 'Visual This++' and 'Integrated Development
That' to get to gcc, Emacs, and gdb.  Thank you."
(By Vance Petree, Virginia Power)