Treated Pianos Program

[Concretefx]

Hi there

Some interesting programs for those in the UK . There is a program about treated pianos (and the 1960's experimental music movement in general) on tonight, with also a repeat of the Radiophonic Workshop program , an episode of Doctor Who and a program about 1960's British science fiction TV. It all starts at 7.00 on BBC4

Cheers

Jon : COFX

[tetraplan]

Looks interesting.
I'm not in the UK but I'll see if I can recieve R4. Maybe on LW, but it's been ages since I last tuned in.

Thanks for the heads up, Jon.

Groet, Erik

[Concretefx]

Hi there

Sorry don't thing that will be possible it's on BBC4 which is one of BBC's digital TV channels, rather than Radio 4

Cheers

Jon

[ejr]

The Prepared Piano program was also shown last night and is highly recommended. Worth sitting through just for the shot of Eno in a red beret with the Portsmouth Sinfonia right at the end

[tetraplan]

Hi there

Sorry don't thing that will be possible it's on BBC4 which is one of BBC's digital TV channels, rather than Radio 4

OK, I misunderstood.
Well, thanks , anyway.

Groet, Erik

[steveholt]

I just watched the Radiophonic Workshop program. Those people were heroic! When I heard what John Baker created using a razor and tape as a sequencer - I will never complain again. That was real work.

The most telling comment to me though was about creativity and technology - that the 'golden age' ended when the technology caught up with, and then passed what the creative people were trying to do. That makes us definitely 'post golden', and I think it's correct.

Steve

[scuzzphut]

to hear a sequenced synth line at that time was amazing.
now there's nothing interesting about it at all.

what is the next step - what are todays equivalent of the radiophonic workshop struggling for hours to do that will be done with a click of the mouse (or a nod of the head and a gesture with the eye) in 10 years time?

[steveholt]

what are todays equivalent

I think creating real sounding music with sampled instruments is still more perspiration than inspiration (outside of percussive instruments). Though you can do a lot now, it still takes a lot of work to get close to replicating what real musicians could do on a first take.

I somehow hope this remains true! It's a bit like saying real actors are better than animation - what would a world be like if that wasn't the case?

Steve

[snooky]

to hear a sequenced synth line at that time was amazing.
now there's nothing interesting about it at all.

what is the next step - what are todays equivalent of the radiophonic workshop struggling for hours to do that will be done with a click of the mouse (or a nod of the head and a gesture with the eye) in 10 years time?

I guess Melodyne and Live4 is hinting at the future

[tetraplan]

what is the next step - what are todays equivalent of the radiophonic workshop struggling for hours to do that will be done with a click of the mouse (or a nod of the head and a gesture with the eye) in 10 years time?

Datahacking/databending.
Pd or Max/MSP.

Groet, Erik

[Col.G]

When I was in High School we had a music teacher that was jazz pianist in the 50's and 60's. He was teaching us one day about expirimental music and the whole John Cage thing, and he showed us how to prepare a piano. He didnt think any of us were paying attention.
We waited 2 weeks until his lesson about chord progressions came up and we snuck in the music room before the class and prepared the piano with screws and rocks and any other shit we could find.
He started to explain about the importance of chord progressions in various music styles and then went to the piano to play us an example.. He didnt get mad, he started laughing and said "good job, you guys were paying attention"! He was a cool old dude.