The Music of the Future?

Subject: Is the Music of the Future Trash?
From: *daylia*
Date: 05 May 04 - 08:45 AM

I've been thinking about this ever since I found this music project from the uk on the web the other day .... Trash Music

They make their instruments made of trash, and believe it or not the music they make sounds great! Here's some samples of their own music, and if you click on "samples" you can create your own using the sound bites they've provided. S'fun!

I think the idea of creating instruments out of non-biodegradable garbage is a wonderful idea! Playing them en masse sure seems to inspire a wonderful sense of community -- like a primordial drumming circle.

But the future I've been reluctantly envisioning since I found that site is quite a bit less than wonderful. I keep thinking about all the modern (and not-so-modern) doomsayers, the Native prophets, the Mayan calendar etc which all predict that the world is soon to be destroyed again by a "cataclysmic event".

I keep imagining the few wretched homo sapiens who might survive such a catastrophe, and what their world might be like - and I see it like this huge garbage dump, the people building their shelters and making all necessities of life out of what is sure to be this century's greatest bequeathal to future generations - the mountains and mountains and MOUNTAINS of trash we are leaving behind.

And what would these survivors build musical instruments out of? Trash, of course!! Could that site be a glimpse of the future -- of music, of this species???

What think ye?


On a more upbeat note, here's a quote from an excellent book I've been enjoying very much lately called The Music of Life by Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan;

Music has a mission not only with the multitudes but with individuals, and it's mission with the individual is as necessary and great as its mission with the multitudes. All the trouble in the world and all the disastrous results arising out of it come from a lack of harmony. This shows the world needs harmony today more than ever before. So if the musician understands this, his customer is the whole world ... he must develop music in his personality.

... The true use of music is to become musical in one's thoughts, words, and actions .... producing harmony in one's life.

... If this principle of music were followed there would be no need for external religion. And someday music will be the means of expressing universal religion. Time is wanted for this, but there will come a day when music and its philosophy will become the religion of humanity.

I like this! What think ye??

hoping this is not "too much" for one thread, and looking forward to reading your thoughts,

daylia

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: *daylia*
Date: 05 May 04 - 08:46 AM

Oops I meant to use the BS tag -- go right ahead and move this please ye Mudelfs if you think it belongs "down under".

daylia

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 05 May 04 - 09:08 AM

No, it's not BS. thanks. The virtual batphone is cool. I think I'll make one for my back yard.

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 05 May 04 - 04:32 PM

You should have seen Art Thieme's instruments made from empty cans, scrap wood and fishing line. Also the dulcimer from the lunch box was a great trash instrument. He has a great yarn about that while he was at the Winfield festival once.

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 May 04 - 07:15 PM

Music is wonderful, but it's not the religion of humanity. The religion of humanity is Love. However, primitive music is a great uniter of people and builder of community. I think chanting is the most powerful primitive music of all, because it engages the voice and whole cardiovascular system in the most complete way. It engages more emotion than percussion alone.

Children have a natural gift for primitive music, and so do many animal species. Water and wind also make music of a sort.

- LH

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: *daylia*
Date: 05 May 04 - 10:34 PM

Music is wonderful, but it's not the religion of humanity. The religion of humanity is Love

When music and love are known completely, "they" are truly one and the same LH.

Khan's use of the word "religion" bothered me a bit. But his teachings, although published only recently are over a century old. Attitudes toward "religion" -- and reactions to the word -- have changed considerably since then


Water and wind also make music of a sort.

Yes - so the breath and heartbeat .. the "Grand Fugue" of biochemical rhythms that are the very essence Life itself ... express a "less primitive" sort of music I suppose?

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: Rev
Date: 06 May 04 - 01:18 AM

Has anyone here heard about the ensemble, I think they're from Scandinavia somewhere, who plays concerts on instruments they make out of fresh vegetables - mostly wind and percussion.
At the end of the show they make a goulash.
I kid you not! I think that's very futuristic/post-modern.

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: Escamillo
Date: 06 May 04 - 06:15 AM

This could be another approach, not pretending to make music of the future, but creating instruments from trash very intelligently.
Les Luthiers
is an ensemble of Argentinean musicians who have put together humor and music. They are classical artists (López Puccio conducts the National Polyphonic Choir and other top choral ensembles)

Un abrazo,
Andrés

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 06 May 04 - 07:12 AM

Music is wonderful, but it's not the religion of humanity. The religion of humanity is Love

But music helps a lot to understand foreign people whose language you don't understand. It creates a feeling of togetherness which could lead to an allembracing love. Had this experience recently.

Wilfried

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: *daylia*
Date: 06 May 04 - 02:48 PM

Wilfried I'd love to hear more about what happened. And Art's yarns about his lunch-box dulcimer would be a real treat too!

A backyard batphone would make an quite the impression on my neighbours, that's for sure. Those drums made out of old oil barrels too. Hmmmm ... maybe I'll wait to hear how yours like it, RangerSteve! "Trash Music" strikes me as a community endevour, maybe that's one reason why!

My son made a "copperphone" for high school music project once, using various lengths of plumbing pipe, fishing line and a wooden frame. It actually sounded quite pleasing! Cutting the pipes the exact length required to create pitches that are "in tune" with one another presented quite the challenge, though. That's where sites like "Trash Music" might come in handy.

Rev that's so funny! I googled for a couple variations of "edible musical instruments Scandinavia" but no go. :-(

Andres I wish the site you linked us to was in English. Trash and Humor and Music ... sounds intriguing! Now here's a simple example of what I think Khan meant by "developing music in one's personality". I'm going to apply the principles of musical harmony to "change keys" (ie subjects) in this discussion smoothly, without "distressing" my listeners (hopefully, anyway). I'm going to use my experience with the *AARRGGHH language barrier* at your link as the perfect "pivot chord" to modulate this "key change" ...

   See what great benefits a spiritual tradition using Music as it's model (or vehicle) of instruction and expression, even "initiation" would have! Music communicates truth while transcending barriers of language and culture. If Truth were transmitted musically, unlimited by language or words it could no longer be "misunderstood", argued with, warred over or just plain discounted because of "religious" or cultural differences.

And the meaning, the inspiration, the benefit that these "Musical Truths" would convey to each and every recipient would be unique. Custom-tailored for each one's particular set of needs, desires and level of understanding. There would be no more need for external religions acting as the "middle man" between human beings and the divine. And no more opportunities for "middle men" to mess with that Truth for their own purposes. What a great spiritual leap forward for mankind that would be!

I very highly suspect that the answers to all of the mysterious "secrets" of creation, the mechanics of the Universe and the keys to managing Life itself -- how to live effectively, "harmoniously" with ourselves, with Nature, with each other -- are to be found in Music ... it's "sacred" forms and mathematics and structures and physics, it's psychology and philosophy and sociology, it's genesis and production and uses and effects upon both the individual and collective "psyche".

ANd that ain't no Trash!

daylia

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: 42
Date: 07 May 04 - 06:44 AM

That ain't no trash but it is too complex to jump on without having had any coffee...so i'm going to do that and ponder your propositions.

j

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: Two_bears
Date: 07 May 04 - 06:56 AM

But the future I've been reluctantly envisioning since I found that site is quite a bit less than wonderful. I keep thinking about all the modern (and not-so-modern) doomsayers, the Native prophets, the Mayan calendar etc which all predict that the world is soon to be destroyed again by a "cataclysmic event".
-----

I do not worry about doomsayers. I know the future can be changed

Two Bears

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: *daylia*
Date: 07 May 04 - 01:43 PM

Two Bears, that is so true. Worry only brings grey hairs.

Subject: RE: The Music of the Future?
From: *daylia*
Date: 08 May 04 - 08:23 AM

I'd like to correct what I said about Inayat Khan above ... he introduced Sufism (a branch of Islamic mysticism) to the Western world, travelling and teaching in Europe and the US between 1910 and 1926. So his teachings are not quite "over a century old", but pretty close!

Before he embarked on his teaching journey, he was given this briefing by his dying predecessor, Khwaja Abu Hashim Madani of the Chishti Order -- Fare forth to the West as a musician of the soul and tune the hearts of men to the divine harmony.

Well, he's doing a pretty good job with mine anyway!

The Mystery of sound is mysticism; the harmony of life is religion. The knowledge of vibrations is metaphysics, the analysis of atoms is science, and their harmonious grouping is art. The rhythm of form is poetry, and the rhythm of sound is music. This shows that music is the art of arts and the science of all sciences; and it contains the fountain of all knowledge within itself."

Couldn't resist just one more quote ... but looking it over, I know exactly how 42 feels. Think I need to go make another bucket of coffee or something ...

daylia