--- Brian Ritchie <brianritchie@mac.com> wrote:
> Hi Jason,
>
> Music is a language of sorts
What does it signify and what are its signifiers?
Language is characterized by ambiguity, so where does
this get us?
> (the most habitual improvisors in Western classical
> music) have a
> classical vocabulary
This is true in a linear, rational universe. There is
also a whole range of improvisation based on modal,
static harmonies. Musical education focuses on things
it can analyze: chord patterns, themes, variations.
There's a whole universe of music outside this sphere.
Memory is only one aspect of listening.
> learning the traditional music
> forces you to develop
> techniques and pitch relationships that nobody
> (Japanese or Western)
> would develop "naturally".
And the evidence backing this statement is? Do you
mean to say that Japanese traditional music is
unnatural and that is a reason to learn it? Culture,
in this way, becomes a kind of perverse pursuit.
> The natural scale
> of the shakuhachi is
> the minor pentatonic but it's not the most common
> one used in
> traditional music.
But it is the blues scale minus one passing tone. You
can play Amazing Grace with just the natural scale of
the shakuhachi, for instance. So it is A common
traditional scale.
> with no musical vocabulary to
> back it up people tend
> to stick to whatever is easy to produce given the
> mechanics of the
> instrument they are playing.
By this argument, you would recommend writers to
practice typing other people's writing in order to
develop their own style. My point is that human
ingenuity is the source of inovation, and imitation is
the source of copies.
This whole discussion reminds me of the bogus
evaluation of someone else's enlightenment on this
list. How can I evaluate someone's improvisation if I
have never heard them. And in any case, my assessment
of someone else suffers from my limitations. I cannot
necessarily hear what you are saying if my opinions
clog the channel.
Improvisors, play on.
Regards,
John Baker
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