Four Fields of Music Making

There are four fields of music making and the majority of them are over looked by the common population of the US. The most popular field that we associate with music is High Fidelity music where there is a clear difference between the performer and listener. But one that we might not associate with music is Participatory in which there is not distinction between the artist and audience. But here are some examples for all four fields of music making.




Participatory

World Music Festival Drum 


There's no band or title for this song and that's kind of the point. Notice at the beginning of the video that the organizer of the circle invites anyone else around the festival to join in and perform. This is a key characteristic of this field of music and even by refusing to play or just watch can be an insult to the circle. That's why when this video is viewed it makes the watcher feel uncomfortable to watch instead of being apart of the action. There is no distinction made between the artist and the audience because there is only participants and potential participants. This puts a strong emphasis on social music and the quality is judged by level of participation achieved. In this particular example its considered simultaneous participation in that everyone performs together at once. There are also several limitations and potentials to this field of music as there is to all fields. The limitations is that it can't be recorded or captured because to really listen to it you have to be a part of it. Thus this kind of music can't be sold or marketed. Some potentials to this field of music are the connection made by bonding, democratic character, and absence of a hierarchy. Because music reflects society and also generates society this music can be more commonly seen in non-capitalistic countries because to them its not about creating a product like it is in the US. To the non-capitalistic country its more about the connection, performance, and bond that is made by participating.




Presentational

Take it or leave it (live on the David Letterman show)- Strokes


The Strokes have a rich history and vast fan support and this is one of my favorite songs of theirs. In presentational music there is a clear group of people providing the music and a clear group of who is listening to it and this video shows that perfectly. There is even a pronounced separation between the artist and everyone else by the introduction that Letterman gives. This music is purely for listening and the performers are left with the task of providing and sustaining the interest of the crowd. The performance was strictly rehearsed but each performance wont be the same as the last. The potentials of this field are the false sense of being apart of the concert and cheering in the crowd and also the benefit of a well planned out rehearsed performance. The limitations are that not everyone is involved and it can not be repeated. In our culture we like to go to an event such as this and feel as though we are apart of the outcome when in fact we have no affect on the performance unless it's a true participatory event. Bands and musicians make millions by selling out concerts to people who like the idea of being a part of a concert which in actuality they have no impact on the performance.




High Fidelity

Lusitania- Andrew Bird


This recently released album from Andrew Bird is commonly seen as his best and one of the songs that ties the album together is Lusitania. This is not a live performance nor a participatory event but a high fidelity performance. The sounds from this recording index a live performance. This track represents what this performer actually does in a live performance and we trick our minds into believing that we are actually listening to Andrew Bird at a live concert even though were just listening to a recording he once did. It was produced in a studio and mostly likely in multiple stages preventing the musicians from playing and singing together. In this case the studio engineers have the most control in the music making process and the song must make up for a lack of visuals through variation. The biggest thing to take away is that the value is placed on making a product to sell and not on the connection or bond that could be made with music. The potential for this field is the repeatably of the track and that it will always sound the same. The limitation is the close to zero connection and participation to the artist and performance. This clearly defines the performer and the listeners as two separate groups






Studio-Audio Art

Son of Flynn- Daft Punk


The last field is studio-audio art and it provides the most separation between the artist and the listeners, its also can't even be performed in a concert because it was recorded with no expectation that it could or should be performed. Son of Flynn is from the movie Tron and was created by Daft Punk. This song doesn't really make any sense or have a place outside of the frame of the movie in that specific scene it was in. It's free from the idea of authenticity and is based on a more abstract approach. This field is similar to abstract art in the sense that the finished piece is abstract from the known world. The artist has maximum control over the finished product and is best described as almost complete hierarchy. There is little human interaction from anyone and is based on an iconic flow. It helps us to resemble a sound and connect to the mood in the movie but it is also limited to that. The potential for this field is the iconic and deception it can play on our mind as it attempts to create a sound that we recognize as well as being repeatable. The limitation is that there is no connection to the performance from the listener and has no place outside its frame as well as being unperformable.