linuxaudio.org

On Sun, 12 Mar 2006 14:10:08 -0800 (PST)

Renato Fabbri  wrote:
>

quoted text
>

> --- Brad Fuller  wrote:

>

> > Rob wrote:

> > > On Sun March 12 2006 11:48, Jeremiah Benham wrote:

> > >

> > >> Most of the composers I know just use pencil and

> > paper.

> > >> Usually it is staff paper.

> > >>

> > >

> > > Believe it or not, I've only ever known one of

> > those, and he

> > > still did most of his work via MIDI.  (I notated

> > on staff paper

> > > myself a lot in high school, too, but that was

> > before the Amiga

> > > came out....)

> > >

> > but, if you are trained on that, as most of us are,

> > that's what you do.

> > Even now writing on paper for me is superior to any

> > other composing

> > software. There is no contest.

>

> I write music on staff and compose electronics on

> computers without thinking of a single note. Different

> things to do different things. Of course, it is nice

> and ok to like bananas better than pineapples, or inverse.

To me the invention of MIDI was the opening of a door. For very many

years I struggled with notation on paper, and achieved very little. I

was physically incapable of realising my ideas on a keyboard with

anything more than the simplest of melodies and the most basic

accompaniments. Dots on paper simply didn't convey anything to me - in

spite of 5 years formal piano lessons as a child.
Once I had a sequencer however. I could immediately just *play* the

melody, and part at a time add in counter-melodies, rhythm patterns and

anything else I wanted. The few pieces I've put up for people here to

hear would never have been done without. On my website I even refer to

that with 'The Crystal Ship'. I spent so many years of utter

frustration with the musical 'image' quite clear in my head but

absolutely no way to realise it. I also believe that having that image

there was probably sort of blocking me from developing other ideas.
--

F