Monthly Archives: December 2010

Skid Row

Posted on December 23, 2010 by midiguru

Serialism (12-tone composition) was Arnold Schoenberg’s attempt to unfetter classical music from the bonds of chord progressions. It could only have arisen, one imagines, in an era when the unfettering was already well under way, when the harmonic bonds that … Continue reading →

Posted in music | Leave a comment

Picky, Picky, Picky

Posted on December 23, 2010 by midiguru

Two weeks after my piano tuner’s $140 visit, I was hearing some rather rambunctious beating in certain of the unisons. Nothing against the tuner, who is well qualified and conscientious. It’s this darn rainy weather. If I could afford to … Continue reading →

Posted in music | 5 Comments

The Impenetrable Veil

Posted on December 21, 2010 by midiguru

What is the essential difference between agnosticism and atheism? People sometimes make silly assumptions about these things. My tongue-in-cheek definition has always been, “An agnostic is a person who is afraid that if he admits he’s an atheist, God will … Continue reading →

Posted in random musings, religion | 6 Comments

More Krasnyisms

Posted on December 21, 2010 by midiguru

As I doggedly plow through Michael Krasny’s Spiritual Envy, I continue to stumble upon bizarre assertions. Not to overburden my previous post, which has at least the virtue of shape, if not brevity, I thought I’d collect a few of … Continue reading →

Posted in random musings, religion | Leave a comment

Agnosticism Unzipped

Posted on December 21, 2010 by midiguru

A friend loaned me Michael Krasny’s new book Spiritual Envy. My friend and I share a reluctance to buy into any of the conventional religions with which the human race has saddled itself. I consider myself an atheist, while my friend … Continue reading →

Posted in random musings, religion | Leave a comment

Is Talent Irrelevant?

Posted on December 20, 2010 by midiguru

Being an insider in the music technology community has a hidden down-side. A couple of years ago I had occasion to be discreet about my feelings. Richard Boulanger, whom I greatly respect for his work championing Csound, was raving about … Continue reading →

Posted in media, music, technology | 3 Comments

Gibberish

Posted on December 7, 2010 by midiguru

Music has been described as a universal language. This is a nice way of saying that people all over the world play music. But as a practical matter, every culture develops its own music. When a European or American listener, … Continue reading →

Posted in music | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Blind Alley

Posted on December 5, 2010 by midiguru

When my cello is making funny noises, I like to remind myself of the adage, “It’s a poor workman who blames his tools.” On the other hand, when I finally got around to getting my bow rehaired, the squeaky noises … Continue reading →

Posted in music, technology | Tagged , | 2 Comments