EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 52, Issue 15 This issue's topics: Alternative Keyboards Dancing about ... Eeeerrrrr... Looking for a Lyricon Q: obtaining a grant? Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 May 1993 17:45:53 GMT From: Matt Thallmayer Subject: Alternative Keyboards [ Article crossposted from rec.music.makers.synth ] [ Author was Matt Thallmayer (mathias@elroy.ocis.temple.edu) ] [ Posted on Thu, 27 May 1993 17:42:35 GMT ] In the June issue of _Electronic Musician_ there is an announcement for a new alternative keyboard, the Bilt 4-Speed. >From the announcement: "The 4-Speed's keys are laid out in a symmetrical pattern of twelve alternating flat and raised keys per octave, instead of the usual asymmetrical cluster of black and white keys. The keys do not use the familiar black-and-white color pattern and are specially contoured: the 1-inch-wide flat keys have playing surfaces both in front and between the raised keys, while the raised keys have broadened posteriors..." This seems to me to be a variation on the van der Voort keyboard which in turn was a variation on some thing else. So, my guess would be that each row is a whole tone scale. They have a demonstration video that I am going to send for. But in the meantime, I have some questions. Has anyone played this keyboard? How about other alternative keyboards? What are your thoughts/reactions? Does anyone know of any books, magazines, interest groups, music groups devoted to alternative keyboards? Would you as a keyboardist considered augmenting your set-up or even switching to alternative keyboards? If not, why not? Either e-mail me at mathias@elroy.ocis.temple.edu or post here. Thanks, Mathias ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 May 1993 09:44:13 +0000 From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Dancing about ... >>There is a quote, (and I wish I knew who said it.) "Talking >>about music is like dancing about architecture." At the moment, the British/European contemporary dance scene is rather fragmented, but there are some quite distinguishable threads: there's the physical theatre contingent (the word "mime" has too many bad connotations, but this is one end of the spectrum, the other being theatre work done through movement and possibly stylised narrative), there's the more conventional performance-based dance culture (which is rather short of direction right now, due I think to burn-out from the early 90's EuroCrash technique-laden contact improvisation stuff, Dr. Martens mandatory), and there's the more stratified, abstract, installation-based dance work: installation-based because, even though it has progression and flow of energy, the philosophy is one of making art in a specific performance space, rather than putting on a show. One of the UK's premier proponents of this school of dance is Rosemary Butcher (which whom, and with one of whose dancers, I had a fascinating conversation about characterisation and sexuality in intensionally pure art dance, but that's another topic): her material is mesmerising, very striking. She put together a three-performance project in 1990, which is why I first got into this dance stuff: it was the first dance work I'd ever seen. The title was (I think) "d1/d2/3D", featuring a development and exploration of space by process and removal of constriction in direction. The topic of the work? Architecture. Having established by inference and example that music can be talked about, I have a few brief comments about the Yanni thread, although I don't want to be drawn into it too much. Firstly, it's interesting that we get irritated by Yanni because of his (in some opinions) trashy music, and yet don't get irritated by Kylie Minogue. She sells more, and is less talented. So? Perhaps we feel that Yanni is "on our turf", and we're all getting tarred by the same brush (electronic/new age/...). This is the real problem, I think. Since I've deliberately tried to keep myself clear of the music industry with its propensity to pigeonhole everything, I am not too worried by this. (I do have a problem when people ask me what kind of music I make, though.) Having said this, I do have an aesthetic problem with Yanni's style of music and the new age stuff in general. It's anodyne, and I don't believe in anodyne music. Music should challenge an audience, make them think, make them feel. New age is the antithesis of this - it sounds nice and requires no commitment from the listener. Sorry, but the world is a fascinating, rich, challenging, dangerous place and music which only aspires to be "nice" has no place in my head. So, let's all slam Yanni as a dreamy new age "musician." Well, no. Talk is cheap. It's too easy to bad-mouth someone's material, and that's not playing fair. If you're going to shoot, shoot, don't talk. (El Brutto.) If you think some category of material is trashy, prove it by doing better. I think Joe said something about expectations of audiences (yes?) - part of the responsibility of being a musician is IMHO to educate the audience, and take them with you as you come up with more and more complex and challenging and rewarding ideas and messages. A dance colleague of mine says that he wants to put on performances such that the audience is then dissatisfied with anything else they might see. I see what he's getting at. Playing new age year after year is stagnation, IMHO: you have to move forward, and pay attention to who comes with you. Nick Rothwell | cassiel@cassiel.demon.co.uk CASSIEL Contemporary Music/Dance | cassiel@cix.compulink.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 13:21:31 BST From: Gabriel Landini Subject: Eeeerrrrr... Schillenger method? Sorry I have never heard about it. What is it? I do not know if it is of relevance of the (Was: worksation... discussion, but somebody was questioning the search to an "essence of music" with an analytical mind rather than the "inspirational approach". Well this comes to the problem of what is music. If somebdoy is interested, some clues have been given by Voss finding out that most music styles and origin have special kind of fluctuation called 1/f noise (in the pitch fluctuation). I remember that some Stockhausen music did not have this and had a "white noise power spectra". I could look for the reference if anybody is interested. Gabriel (G.Landini@bham.ac.uk) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 May 1993 06:26:01 GMT From: Matt Thallmayer Subject: Looking for a Lyricon Does any have a Lyricon that they wish to sell or know of anyone who does? Thanks, Mathias ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 May 1993 09:53:55 -0400 From: "Michael C. Lee" Subject: Q: obtaining a grant? Could someone please tell me where/whom to write to (in the US) about obtaining grants for a non-commercial music project (involving computers too). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Mike ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 May 1993 06:24:16 GMT From: Matt Thallmayer Subject: Wakemen Tour/SPOILERS For all the people who enjoy Rick Wakeman, here is my review of the show in Philadelphia. SPOILERS AHEAD!! If you don't want to know, DON'T READ THIS. ______________________________________________________________________________ Well, I was at the Wakeman With Wakeman show here in Philadelphia at the Chestnut Cabaret, FRI, May 21. The band was Rick (duhh), his son Adam, Alan Thompson (I not sure about the last name) on bass, and Tony Fernandez on drums. No vocals, no guitars. Each Wakeman had two Apex stands with two keyboards on each (mostly Korgs), with one stand facing the audience and one facing the other player. The bassist was behind Adam, who was on the left, and the drummer was behind Rick, on the right. Also, they each had a red Roland strap-on keyboard that was used in the encore. They had Celestion monitors on the floor behind them and Celestion monitors on poles at head level behind them whiched blocked sight of the drummer and bassist. The set list: "Lure Of The Wild" from _Wakeman With Wakeman_, "Catherine Of Aragon" from _Six Wives_, "Eleanor Rigby" performed in the style of Prokoffiev, Adam then did one of his tunes from _WWW_ I think it was "Meglomania" w/o Rick, "Arthur" from _King Arthur_, a "new" version of "Catherine Parr" from _SW_, and the entire "Journey To The Center Of The Earth". Encore #1 was "Merlin" from _KA_. This is where they did a "Dueling Mobiles" cutting contest. They started at the extreme sides of the stage and gradually approached each other until father and son were nose to nose. Then Adam went back to his set-up while Rick continued with his strap-on. Encore #2 was "Paint It Black" from _WWW_. Adam mostly played a supporting role to his father, but showed in the first encore that he is a very good player in his own right. I can't wait to hear his new solo album, which I believe was just released. Rick was in fine form (as usual) with a few minor bloops. The sound was adequate, due to the Cabaret's poor PA. Even the recorded material between sets didn't sound good. The bassist and drummer did not distinguish themselves. The club was packed and crowd cheered as the band made their way onstage. (How do you like that cliche, 8-)? I'm sorry, my brain is toast, excuse the post.) It's true, though. The audience was very into the concert except for some dolts who insisted on talking loudly while the group was performing. Even though the sound wasn't great, the keyboards could be heard, the performances were energetic and there was no annoying vocalist. If you get the chance, check them out. It's not often that you get the opportunity to see Wakeman perform up close and personnal in a small club. -Mathias ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************