Is a Computer an Instrument?

Daktari · 03-24-2010, 10:53 AM

Hi again, I'm ok now, had a quick snooze at my desk.

Sounds like you are agreeing with me there.

Like I said, a computer is a computer until a musician comes along and decides to use it's musical potential. And, as I said, almost anything can be a potential musical instrument. I do disagree with the saxophone thing though. You are correct, it is just a mass of metal bent into a particular shape that has keys attached which I already said. But, it is bent that way solely to produce musical sounds ...unlike the oil drum which is designed first to hold oil but can be turned into a drum when a musician decides to drum on it.

I have changed my mind slightly: The way I'm thinking now is that a computer solely designed to produce music, a sequencer for example, is a musical instrument. I would see a regular pc/mac as a more general tool which can be used to produce music with the help of the right software and a musician pressing the right buttons...

By the way, I remember studying all that Duchamp stuff when I was art college back in the 70's... He displayed a bike wheel as a 'ready made' piece of art. The bike wheel though was still designed first to be part of a bike like the saxophone was designed specifically to play music, that was the whole point. The computer however, is designed to be a multi tasking tool which has the potential to be a musical instrument if used that way by a musician.

Interesting. Gordon.

03-24-2010, 10:53 AM	#11 (permalink)
Daktari Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Originally from Lancashire, England, lived near Largs, Scotland and now live in Rocky Face, Georgia Posts: 154	Hi again, I'm ok now, had a quick snooze at my desk. Sounds like you are agreeing with me there. Like I said, a computer is a computer until a musician comes along and decides to use it's musical potential. And, as I said, almost anything can be a potential musical instrument. I do disagree with the saxophone thing though. You are correct, it is just a mass of metal bent into a particular shape that has keys attached which I already said. But, it is bent that way solely to produce musical sounds ...unlike the oil drum which is designed first to hold oil but can be turned into a drum when a musician decides to drum on it. I have changed my mind slightly: The way I'm thinking now is that a computer solely designed to produce music, a sequencer for example, is a musical instrument. I would see a regular pc/mac as a more general tool which can be used to produce music with the help of the right software and a musician pressing the right buttons... By the way, I remember studying all that Duchamp stuff when I was art college back in the 70's... He displayed a bike wheel as a 'ready made' piece of art. The bike wheel though was still designed first to be part of a bike like the saxophone was designed specifically to play music, that was the whole point. The computer however, is designed to be a multi tasking tool which has the potential to be a musical instrument if used that way by a musician. Interesting. Gordon.