On 09/01/2008, AlgoMantra <algomantra_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Even a traditional instrument, like say a guitar - it's interface or map
> is somewhat visible as the fretboard, though the 'playing program' is
> clearly
> embedded within the player's own muscle-memory. The harmonica on
> the other hand is nearly invisible.
>
Yes, I agree. Te extend this;
If I were a band leader or some sort of conductor I might instruct my
pianist to play C3, then G4, then.... or I might instruct him to play a
arpeggio going up along a certain chord. These two instructions are on a
different level. A pianist who plays a rapid series of notes isn't actually
instructing his body to do this note by note, he has trained his muscle
memory, in a way he has, by practicing, re-programed himself. (it would be
interesting to wonder whether Thelonious Monk programed in a different
"language" then a concert pianist learning to play Liszt).
Livecoding makes this distinction in levels (more) explicit and in this
process makes the performer and -ideally- the audience aware that it's there
and *how* it works. This is unlike operations in more traditional DAW's as
there it's rarely clear if the chosen operation is exactly what's intended
or whether the composer/performer makes do with what's at hand.
One thing I have been wondering about this in this context is how
muscle-memory works both in favour and against us. It's harder to learn
highly unusual piano pieces and, worse yet, a playful shove towards a
trained martial artist could conceivably trigger his muscle memory and
result in a painfull unintended elbow to your face. I wonder how Livecoding
relates to this side of the "higher level" of instructions.
This may seem off topic in a debate on language but I'm not sure it is. I
think language too has the equivalent of involuntary "knee jerk" responses,
particularly where taboo subjects are involved ("the pil", and worse yet;
"doing it", talk about careless function overloading!).
To me this is a very exciting debate so I'm hitting "send" on this but I
have a sneaking suspision this mail will be seen as wildly off-topic by
many, then again, by now the same likely holds true for many mails to this
topic...
yours,
Kas.
Received on Wed Jan 09 2008 - 12:56:32 GMT