Video+Article+-+Technology+and+Music

Consider the following questions:
=== • Does music creation through technology have the same value as music created on acoustic instruments? === === • Does technology such as "hyperscore" help provide a musical education to the masses or does it help to diminish music literacy? === === • Do you feel that the musical technologies introduced help to inspire future musicians? === === • Does music through technology threaten the creation of music on acoustic instruments or enhance it? ===

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Brian Liu Music achieved through modern technology will never achieve the same effect as that achieved through conventional acoustic instruments. So much of the nuances and mechanics of Classical music are sacrificed when resorting to modern technology (hyperscore, Brain Opera). Sure, they can help provide musical education en masse, but the education is dumbed down. In the short term, it's a nice solution to allow music into the lives of the less fortunate, but it does not live up to the expectations of proper music making on proper instruments. Quality > quantity.

However, one thing that did fascinate me is the opera "Death and the Powers". It is interesting the unique opportunities modern technology brings to music. The opera allows the audience to connect to the music that is brought to life on stage. Unlike Classical music which can explore serious and often complex themes, this opera brings a 21st century fantasy element made available by technology into the opera: the idea of literally immortalizing yourself using your surroundings. I concede that conventional acoustic instruments will never achieve the same level of interaction and sophistication as in the opera.

David

As an opening point, music is human, and technology could never capture the human aspect of music. That having been said, technology can yield new ways to play music as long as the focus doesn't shift too much toward the technology and away from the player, the actual articulator of the music.

Many of the technologies presented in the video were more so assistive than novel. The use of the various instruments from the Brain Opera, for instance, is an equitable way to bring music-making to a beginner and to inspire interest in music, but it reduces the self-augmentative value of musical performance. While it is true that the instruments of the Brain Opera were originally designed so that anyone could play them, they are the equivalent of training wheels.

The demonstration at the end, however, was an example of how technology can make music more accessible to the world. A lot of focus was on the technology (surely, this would be the case because of the novelty of the prospect of paralysed musicians), but it wasn't stolen from Dan, someone who was unfortunate in his circumstances but who has, because of technology, found a new way to express himself. It was an awe-inspiring performance by Dan, and it sets a precedent even. I believe that there is a future for technology in music, but it needs to find its niche first.

Rose

I do not think that music through technology could ever be the same as acoustic music. listening to music performed on an acoustic instruments gives the audience a better connection of the performer, rather than listening to a machine play the beats. Having a connection with the performer is crucial to get the full effect of a performance. It isn't just about the piece itself, but also about how it is portrayed by the performer. This is especially important because not all performers are the same nor do they have the same teaste in music. As a result, the way people interpret music differently is such an important factor to the musical world because it brings diversity and variety to the table.

I think that music through technology is great for people to experiment with different types of instrumentation without having to spend many years learning a new instrument. However I think that that defeats the purpose of truly taking the time to start from the bottom and feel the satisfaction of knowing that you worked hard to achieve a high level of musicality on a certain instrument. Music by technology almost wastes talent and doesnt allow people to experience the instrument by hand.

Sandy

Music through technology will not hold the same value as instruments. Although the technology can provide education and possible solutions towards people with illnesses, the acoustic instruments will forever provide the feeling of creating music and the satisfaction of connecting with the instrument as well as the sound that is personally made by the musician. The acoustic instruments also provide a detailed education on different ways of creating sound rather than pressing some buttons on a screen, it is an experience that can only be gained after you have been through it.

I think that as technology advances, the acoustic instruments will slowly fade away. I am afraid of that because the acoustic instruments were the creations of generations past, and have been a part of everyone's lives for many many years. Without the instruments the musicians would have never experienced the enjoyment of physically making sound and personalizing it. It indeed helps music spread to those who would've never have been able to produce the sounds, but for those who can, they should go through the pain and joy of playing an instrument.

Lucy When determining the value of music purely on its sound, an acoustic instrument has more value with its richer, authentic sound. However, after watching the video, I think the accessibility of music is an equally important factor when determining value of music, and therefore music through technology has an equal value as acoustic music. Musical technology can never mimic the human element of music, so people will continue to play acoustic music and musical literacy will not diminish. If anything, more people may be interested in becoming musically literate since more people would be exposed to music due to the widespread accessibility created by technology. I think that some future musicians will be inspired by technology because they will discover music through technology. Whether they are kids who are playing the musical ball things or people like Dan who are composing on hyperscore, people who may not have been interested in or capable of music are given a chance to discover and be inspired by music through technology. Technology will never replace acoustic music because a machine doesn't connect to an audience the way an performer or instrument does. However, technology does enhance acoustic music because technology allows more people to access and learn to love all types of music.

Allan Liu Technology not only makes music more accessible to the less music literate, but is also enrichment for experienced musicians. Musical toys open the door to music for younger kids; Hyperscore allows music to be composed with just lines and colours; hyperinstruments are innovative instruments that provide a unique performance experience for established musicians; and “Death and the Powers” is a transformative opera that uses the entire stage as the main character. Evidently, technology embedded into music is a great way to enhance music education for aspiring or established musicians.

It warmed my heart to see the reaction of the audience after Dan’s performance. Music therapy has been shown to be effective at helping disabled people like Dan. For them, music is just as important, if not more so. For sure, music is a solid form of enjoyment, but Hyperscore takes it to the next level and allows them to //play// music. Playing music is an experience of its own, as giving your own interpretations of music or creating your own music is an unrivalled way of expressing feelings. As such, I agree that technology like Hyperscore is an important innovation that will greatly improve the life of disabled people.

Jason Sohn

Inventing a new instrument is like providing a new sound to the world. Recently, technology has delivered tons of ways to create new sounds and music. It has unlocked the new genres of music such as techno, house music, and disco. However, each of them will never have the same value as music created on acoustic instruments. Music created by technology can only deliver few emotions that are temporary such as anger and excitement. Sadness and Relaxation can be hardly found in technology music. Technology could be the easiest way to make music however it can cross out insights and power of delivery from music

Kelly No

Music creation through technology does not have the same value of music created with acoustic instruments because hearing music produced naturally is different from hearing music produced mechanically. With acoustic music, it is more expressive due to the different dynamics, tempo, style, and etc. This helps the audience to feel more emotions while listening to the music. However, with music created with technology, the beats and melodies are the prevalent factors, prohibiting the stylistic features that are present in acoustic music. Consequently, the difference in the structure and production makes the two distinct creation methodologies to have their own unique values.

I do feel that musical technology helps to inspire future musicians because it gives the opportunities to experiment with the production of music. As a result, musicians will be able to explore and play around with making music, and to produce unique works that may inspire other current or prospective musicians as well.

Bethany

The value of music is surely very profound, whether it’s music creation through technology or acoustic instruments; I think they both have a very high impact in people’s lives. Our music choice is solely based on personally preferences. Different people enjoy different music and have different connection with different genres of music. For instance, some enjoy dub step and some enjoy classical music. However, what makes music impactful is how people are able to connect to music with different memories and feelings. Thus, music creation through technology is not better than music creation through acoustic instruments because all music have an audience and a meaning to them.

It’s amazing how technology opens so many new ways which people can assess, play, and make music. Toy instruments brings children to the joy of music. Another thing, it’s very emotional when music therapy can help disabled people like Dan too. The technology allows him to play and compose. Lastly, there are music computer programs such as hyperscore that provide an easier way to compose music. Music is known to have profound impacts in one’s life, one’s emotional state, and even illness. Thus, technology has brought music advance to the next level, allowing it to be more assessable and impactful to every around us.

Emma Li

I believe that music and technology should have a stronger connection, since they are both feats of ingenuity discovered by mankind. With the development of current technologies advancing at such a quick pace, I believe that soon technology can produce music at pretty much the same quality as it can be played by a human. Every note can be correct, every dynamic followed and every tempo as on point as a metronome. Yet, technology can never replicate the things that aren’t written in the score. One piece, performed by 3 different musicians, can sound like 3 different pieces. Technicality aside, music is the pure ability to convey feelings and thoughts. Technology is a great tool to get people introduced to the world of music, yet it will never replace the joyous feeling of hearing the same piece with the added colour of the player’s emotions.

Mike Yang

This video sparks a debate on a topic that has long been discussed. With all the technological advancements in the world, many new and young artists have chosen to use a more advanced way to express their works of art. Because of this, many listeners argued about which type of playing is better, the traditional acoustic instruments, or the newly developed technological devices. In hind sight it is fairly obvious that both ways of delivery shows different styles and feelings, and so it can be said that technology will never be able to replace the music from an acoustic instrument. Playing and hearing from an acoustic instrument is unique to itself and trying to have it replaced by a machine does not and will not ever deliver the same experience.

Even though technology can never replace the traditional acoustic instrument style, there are new techniques that have recently been developed to be a beneficiary to the development of new style of music, or even possibly the combination of traditional and "hip". This new technology can also be a good way to aid beginners in their studies of music. Are the traditional styles being threatened by such developments, maybe a little bit. Since the beginning of music there have always been people who like different types of music, and as of now we have more styles than there ever was. There will always be an audience who appreciate the style that they prefer, and when time comes, a certain style will be the most favorite of the crowd. During the 1800s, classical, and romantic have dominated a majority of the music industry, but now in 2010, mostly pop, hip hop, and rock are at the top of the charts. Not everything last forever, and when something new is introduced, people are curious and will try to incorporate that into their lifestyle.

Malcolm I do not believe that the creation of music through technology has anywhere near the same value as music created on acoustic instruments. Of course, this is only my opinion. From my experience, music created using technology is usually awful and not something that I would want to listen to. There’s something about it that I just do not like. It seems very artificial to me, and it often lacks the variation in tone and timbre that acoustic instruments have. Furthermore, the fact that it is performed by machines rather than human beings means that there is no room for interpretation or expression, which is the very essence of music itself. Furthermore, it takes away from the human element of music, and you don’t really feel the sense of appreciation for the artist performing because you know that it’s just a machine. Music created using technology usually has irregular rhythms and jumbled melodies that cause it to not sound very good. Also, the composer doesn’t have to tailor his music to different instruments, so he/she can pretty much do whatever he/she wants, which eliminates the need for musical literacy. If you want to compose music, you have to learn how to compose first, and I think that techno music promotes the idea that you don’t need to be musically literate in order to compose good music. If people start to think that way, my prediction is that music will only get worse as time goes on, which is a frightening thought considering how bad it is now.