Ever since I've played around with electronic instruments, it has worried me the level of direct expressiveness found in acoustic instruments... voice, guitars, and other things. voice especially.
I believe that what makes these forms of expression beautiful is the expression itself... the relationship that the person has with the instrument and the way they are playing it rather than the instrument itself.
But still, sometimes when I hear beautiful and extremely direct acoustic expressions I feel a bit useless.
Maybe the key is to do whatever the acoustic musicians did... work very hard to develop an intimate relationship with their instruments. The voice can be a pretty dull thing too. It is the process of animating it expressively that makes it beautiful or not.
I've heard lots of electronic tracks that have this feeling of 'naked' expression, whereyou can feel the performer through the machines. But just when I hear some vocalists expressive range I feel like I have a lot of work to do.
Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud, but maybe some other people have been thinking on this matter too.
It was a lady called Vashti Bunyan that put me on this train of thought. I was gonna post a track but it's a little full on and needs the next tracks to even it out and I don't wanna upload the whole ep.
anyways... here's an easier going one. her voice. wow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npOqK7_hMys
learning from acoustic musicians
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oblioblioblio
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wow... this music is incredible. I love the tones and thank you for sharing. 
and also I feel the exact same way. useless. So to correct this, I've got all the midi instruments i need to make everything seem like a live performance/recording session. So I'm looking forward to doing some more organic sounding stuff with extra expression on those midi style instruments.
I also purchased a condensor mic to mess around with record vocal sounds rooom sounds.. .foley etc. Its amazing!
and also I feel the exact same way. useless. So to correct this, I've got all the midi instruments i need to make everything seem like a live performance/recording session. So I'm looking forward to doing some more organic sounding stuff with extra expression on those midi style instruments.
I also purchased a condensor mic to mess around with record vocal sounds rooom sounds.. .foley etc. Its amazing!
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http://soundcloud.com/kirkwoodwest
http://soundcloud.com/kirkwoodwest
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oblioblioblio
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I'm really pleased that you like the sounds.
Her voice is so wonderful. This really simple charm. Here's the other track, it's from about 40 years later but her voice is still as lovely. A collaboration with a really amazing band, I recommend the rest of this record ('Prospect Hummer')and both of their individual materials.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ac16ej
Back on topic, I kind of answered myself a little bit. I think a lot of it just comes from lots of work with your instruments.
A vocalist needs to try out different positions and ways of manipulation in the same way as someone with a synthesiser playing with different parameters.
There are differences in electronic and acoustic instruments but there are also some major similarities. The vocal cords are just custom built machines that we need to learn to play the same as electronic instruments. The range of instruments is different. Like you're never gonna find a specific synth that can do as much as vocals, but I think it's definitely possible to express ourselves in very similar ways.
I think personally it's quite a good way to push myself musically to think of this topic. I'm gonna spend time thinking about special properties of individual acoustic playing... like the dynamics and tone of a particular singer, or guitarist. ad also try working with machines in a variety of circumstances like maybe with some friends just makig qierd noises or possibly playing along with music that I like in order to develop as close a relationship as possible with these machines.
Her voice is so wonderful. This really simple charm. Here's the other track, it's from about 40 years later but her voice is still as lovely. A collaboration with a really amazing band, I recommend the rest of this record ('Prospect Hummer')and both of their individual materials.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ac16ej
Back on topic, I kind of answered myself a little bit. I think a lot of it just comes from lots of work with your instruments.
A vocalist needs to try out different positions and ways of manipulation in the same way as someone with a synthesiser playing with different parameters.
There are differences in electronic and acoustic instruments but there are also some major similarities. The vocal cords are just custom built machines that we need to learn to play the same as electronic instruments. The range of instruments is different. Like you're never gonna find a specific synth that can do as much as vocals, but I think it's definitely possible to express ourselves in very similar ways.
I think personally it's quite a good way to push myself musically to think of this topic. I'm gonna spend time thinking about special properties of individual acoustic playing... like the dynamics and tone of a particular singer, or guitarist. ad also try working with machines in a variety of circumstances like maybe with some friends just makig qierd noises or possibly playing along with music that I like in order to develop as close a relationship as possible with these machines.
i think about this stuff all the time.
there are so many things you can do to add expression into electronic music, something as simple as a sustain pedal connected to the envelope on a synth can do wonders.
i always take time to learn synths, you have to know what its capable of, and then learn how to use physical controls to add expression.
i'm only just now getting to grips with my moog which i've had for nearly a year, because while i totally understand how it works, its a fairly simple synth, its taken me time to learn how to play it, and figure out its idiosyncrasies.
because its a well designed, ergonomic, physical instrument, i feel it deserves the time ive put into it, to get the feel of its controls.
there are so many things you can do to add expression into electronic music, something as simple as a sustain pedal connected to the envelope on a synth can do wonders.
i always take time to learn synths, you have to know what its capable of, and then learn how to use physical controls to add expression.
i'm only just now getting to grips with my moog which i've had for nearly a year, because while i totally understand how it works, its a fairly simple synth, its taken me time to learn how to play it, and figure out its idiosyncrasies.
because its a well designed, ergonomic, physical instrument, i feel it deserves the time ive put into it, to get the feel of its controls.
I think about this a lot as well, particuarly because I really love folky stuff, like you (don't even get me started on my weird music tastes). But I do think that these two types of music are 'accessing' different parts of the brain, if you like.
This song you posted is awesome, but I think electronic will only rarely be as 'upfront' emotional as that. More often, electronic works when it seems predominantly 'machiney' and then cracks through with a little droplet of emotion - if you see what I mean. It's the interplay of cold electronics and the human warmth behind them that produces the emotional effect, for me at least.
Anyway, on kind of a side note, I've recently been trying to make my synthesisers sound like real instruments, and then using automation or whatever to "evolve" and destroy what the ear first thought was a physical instrument. I think that's one good way to try to bridge the gap with acoustic instuments, but keep things distinctly electronic.
This song you posted is awesome, but I think electronic will only rarely be as 'upfront' emotional as that. More often, electronic works when it seems predominantly 'machiney' and then cracks through with a little droplet of emotion - if you see what I mean. It's the interplay of cold electronics and the human warmth behind them that produces the emotional effect, for me at least.
Anyway, on kind of a side note, I've recently been trying to make my synthesisers sound like real instruments, and then using automation or whatever to "evolve" and destroy what the ear first thought was a physical instrument. I think that's one good way to try to bridge the gap with acoustic instuments, but keep things distinctly electronic.
i always try to work towards acoustic music, after all acoustic music was here first, and electronic music grew out of it cause of new technologies and new possibilities....
you can learn allot of it, like ritme, melody... how it's build up, the different layers they use...
i try to listen to acoustic music as much as possible...
you can learn allot of it, like ritme, melody... how it's build up, the different layers they use...
i try to listen to acoustic music as much as possible...
its impossible not to be influenced by all music really, theres quite a bit of amazing acoustic music around now.
i do wonder about the fact that because we develop our senses in an acoustic world (radio, our families voice etc) that is it a learned thing, the reason we respond to those sort of things on an emotional level?
i do wonder about the fact that because we develop our senses in an acoustic world (radio, our families voice etc) that is it a learned thing, the reason we respond to those sort of things on an emotional level?
