16 Dec
2002
16 Dec
'02
8:56 p.m.
16/12/02 16:51, Paul Davis wrote:
western music's emphasis on integral beats per bar
has led to a
slipping away of a great deal of the fun and beauty to be found in
other musical traditions. i've recommended it before, and i'll do it
again now:
I find your exposition on Indian rhythms fascinating and very
interesting, but I'm afraid I don't see how it relates to a discussion
about designing musical instruments.
I do not believe that the goal of instrument design should be to
accomodate every possible musical expression under the sun. A musical
instrument is always part of a culture and a history and this defines
its use.
It makes little sense to say that the piano is a flawed instrument
because it is so closely tied to Western musical values. In fact the
opposite is true: the piano is one of the great instruments precisely
because it lends itself so well to the expression of Western musical
values.
Modern technology (and software in particular) allows us to design
incredibly flexible instruments without needing to commit to any
particular musical tradition at all. That doesn't mean that doing so
is also always a good idea.
After all, is it preferable to have a piece of wood with the potential
to become any kind of instrument, or a guitar?
Pascal.