The Courage to Encourage

The Courage to Encourage

.........................

I like Dan Stearns was active for about a 10 year period in what was
then called the "Home Taper's Scene". A partner of mine and I ran our
own creative underground cassette label between 1985-95, which had
over 70 releases of music with a wildly wide range of styles
represented. There was microtonality, comedy, rock, dance music,
jazz, electro-acoustic "classical" styled, free-form improvisation
etc.

All this was going on during a time in which the technology to record
our own CDs was still out of reach, so being unable to do this, we
harnessed the power of the venerable cassette to network with other
artists and "zines". The exciting vibe about the flourishing taper
scene, was that of total unchained creativity, and it showed me that
what we see/hear coming through the popular media hardly represents
the true ground of creative work that one likely would never become
aware of through the usual popular means.

The underground cassette review "Zine" was a vital part of this Home
Taper Scene, and this is where one would hope to get their music
reviewed, and would offer ways to network with others doing
interesting creative work. This is where I first became aware of the
fantastic music of Dan Stearns. Truly some of the best that was going
on. What a delight it was to come to this internet community to find
Dan here - and also learn that his deep creativity extended into the
field of microtonality.

Now with the power of the internet and mp3, things happen much more
quickly than for the Home Tapers. One can create music, and the same
day deliver it to those who wish to hear it. It is like a dream come
true really, to be able to network this way. No more snail mail -
just instant gratification. And with the ability to publish to the
web, what are the online equivalent of the Zines, the opportunities
for the microtonally inclined are also greatly increased. Not to
mention exciting forums like Make Micro Music, where we all have the
wonderful opportunity to come together to share our diverse
approaches to this beautiful art form.

While all of this may be taken for granted if it's all one has ever
known, when one has had to work with much less, then it is easily
apparent how things have changed for the better.

While on the one hand I hold in highest regard the effort to create
microtonal CD works, I'm still even more at heart an advocate of just
playing for the pure joy of it. I feel that it is not always
necessary for us to have to be making some kind of imagined "high
brow art" in order to just have fun and great pleasure from what
microtonality offers us. This simple pleasure of "just playing" for
enjoyment, is what keeps me going through the years, and not
ironically, casual playing has taught me more about microtonality
than all I've been able to "read" about it. The emotional impact and
power of musically exploring the rich palette that microtonality
brings to the curious composer/musician is in large part ineffable.
Basically this is because sound/tuning has a somewhat symbolic
emotional impact, and as one might guess, the words we use to
describe "things" are not the things themselves - in this regard,
there is an *understanding* coming through the music that defies our
ability to always and in every case define it. Musical experience of
and with microtonaltiy is the way to really begin to grasp its
powerful nature in music. When one sits down to their chosen
instrument and begins to play and explore the new sound patterns, and
directly experience the emotional impact of new tunings outside of 12
tET, this is where the ineffable "magic" is discovered.

Back during the Home Taper days, I got to hear many different kinds
of new music - some rough - some brilliantly polished, and I always
made an effort to deeply listen and appreciate what the musician was
trying to say, no matter how roughly recorded the music was. It was
just the excitement of being able to network and share music in this
creative scene that kept me interested in what other creative people
were doing for the better part of 10 years.

This is the same hand and set of ears that I like to apply to what I
encounter in this forum. While it's easy for some to say things
like "I don't care for much microtonal music that I hear being made",
it takes Courage to Encourage, and even more Courage to Create. To
me, there is no "lesser vision". I'm excited about new listening
experiences - I'm constantly wishing to hear new creative work,
especially if I know the artist(s) who are doing the creative work.
Everyone's unique take in this art form is where my direct interest
lies.

That's what I'm extending to the members of this vibrantly creative
group. I will listen attentively to every single piece of music that
anyone at all posts here, and make an effort to comment. It matters
not to me if it's played on a single keyboard timbre, or a symphony
orchestra - it matters not if it's got noise, clicks and pops - it
matters not to me if it sounds like 8 bit audio played through a
Victrola. I'll listen to anything and be interested, because it is
here in this forum, where individuals have gathered to finally turn
the theories into realities, that I've found an environment that I
like to call "home". Tuning alone does not good music make, and it
is a honor to be in a place where others are up to the ultimate and
larger challenge of making it live in music.

May 2002 bring abundance to all, in music, joy and life.

In Peace,

Jacky Ligon

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "jacky_ligon" <jacky_ligon@y...> wrote:

/makemicromusic/topicId_1528.html#1528

> The Courage to Encourage
>
> .........................
>
>
> I like Dan Stearns was active for about a 10 year period in what
was
> then called the "Home Taper's Scene". A partner of mine and I ran
our
> own creative underground cassette label between 1985-95, which had
> over 70 releases of music with a wildly wide range of styles
> represented. There was microtonality, comedy, rock, dance music,
> jazz, electro-acoustic "classical" styled, free-form improvisation
> etc.
>
> All this was going on during a time in which the technology to
record
> our own CDs was still out of reach, so being unable to do this, we
> harnessed the power of the venerable cassette to network with other
> artists and "zines". The exciting vibe about the flourishing taper
> scene, was that of total unchained creativity, and it showed me
that
> what we see/hear coming through the popular media hardly represents
> the true ground of creative work that one likely would never become
> aware of through the usual popular means.
>
> The underground cassette review "Zine" was a vital part of this
Home
> Taper Scene, and this is where one would hope to get their music
> reviewed, and would offer ways to network with others doing
> interesting creative work. This is where I first became aware of
the
> fantastic music of Dan Stearns. Truly some of the best that was
going
> on. What a delight it was to come to this internet community to
find
> Dan here - and also learn that his deep creativity extended into
the
> field of microtonality.
>
> Now with the power of the internet and mp3, things happen much more
> quickly than for the Home Tapers. One can create music, and the
same
> day deliver it to those who wish to hear it. It is like a dream
come
> true really, to be able to network this way. No more snail mail -
> just instant gratification. And with the ability to publish to the
> web, what are the online equivalent of the Zines, the opportunities
> for the microtonally inclined are also greatly increased. Not to
> mention exciting forums like Make Micro Music, where we all have
the
> wonderful opportunity to come together to share our diverse
> approaches to this beautiful art form.
>
> While all of this may be taken for granted if it's all one has ever
> known, when one has had to work with much less, then it is easily
> apparent how things have changed for the better.
>
> While on the one hand I hold in highest regard the effort to create
> microtonal CD works, I'm still even more at heart an advocate of
just
> playing for the pure joy of it. I feel that it is not always
> necessary for us to have to be making some kind of imagined "high
> brow art" in order to just have fun and great pleasure from what
> microtonality offers us. This simple pleasure of "just playing" for
> enjoyment, is what keeps me going through the years, and not
> ironically, casual playing has taught me more about microtonality
> than all I've been able to "read" about it. The emotional impact
and
> power of musically exploring the rich palette that microtonality
> brings to the curious composer/musician is in large part ineffable.
> Basically this is because sound/tuning has a somewhat symbolic
> emotional impact, and as one might guess, the words we use to
> describe "things" are not the things themselves - in this regard,
> there is an *understanding* coming through the music that defies
our
> ability to always and in every case define it. Musical experience
of
> and with microtonaltiy is the way to really begin to grasp its
> powerful nature in music. When one sits down to their chosen
> instrument and begins to play and explore the new sound patterns,
and
> directly experience the emotional impact of new tunings outside of
12
> tET, this is where the ineffable "magic" is discovered.
>
> Back during the Home Taper days, I got to hear many different kinds
> of new music - some rough - some brilliantly polished, and I always
> made an effort to deeply listen and appreciate what the musician
was
> trying to say, no matter how roughly recorded the music was. It was
> just the excitement of being able to network and share music in
this
> creative scene that kept me interested in what other creative
people
> were doing for the better part of 10 years.
>
> This is the same hand and set of ears that I like to apply to what
I
> encounter in this forum. While it's easy for some to say things
> like "I don't care for much microtonal music that I hear being
made",
> it takes Courage to Encourage, and even more Courage to Create. To
> me, there is no "lesser vision". I'm excited about new listening
> experiences - I'm constantly wishing to hear new creative work,
> especially if I know the artist(s) who are doing the creative work.
> Everyone's unique take in this art form is where my direct interest
> lies.
>
> That's what I'm extending to the members of this vibrantly creative
> group. I will listen attentively to every single piece of music
that
> anyone at all posts here, and make an effort to comment. It matters
> not to me if it's played on a single keyboard timbre, or a symphony
> orchestra - it matters not if it's got noise, clicks and pops - it
> matters not to me if it sounds like 8 bit audio played through a
> Victrola. I'll listen to anything and be interested, because it is
> here in this forum, where individuals have gathered to finally turn
> the theories into realities, that I've found an environment that I
> like to call "home". Tuning alone does not good music make, and it
> is a honor to be in a place where others are up to the ultimate and
> larger challenge of making it live in music.
>
> May 2002 bring abundance to all, in music, joy and life.
>
> In Peace,
>
> Jacky Ligon

Geez, Jacky... this is quite some statement here! I think it should
be etched in stone, or something of the like. One of the best
statements I've read of *any* kind on *any* of these forums!

Joseph Pehrson

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "jacky_ligon" <jacky_ligon@y...> wrote:

> While on the one hand I hold in highest regard the effort to create
> microtonal CD works, I'm still even more at heart an advocate of
just
> playing for the pure joy of it. I feel that it is not always
> necessary for us to have to be making some kind of imagined "high
> brow art" in order to just have fun and great pleasure from what
> microtonality offers us. This simple pleasure of "just playing" for
> enjoyment, is what keeps me going through the years, and not
> ironically, casual playing has taught me more about microtonality
> than all I've been able to "read" about it.

Same here.

> The emotional impact and
> power of musically exploring the rich palette that microtonality
> brings to the curious composer/musician is in large part ineffable.

Agreed -- the emotional possibilities suggested are staggering.

> Basically this is because sound/tuning has a somewhat symbolic
> emotional impact, and as one might guess, the words we use to
> describe "things" are not the things themselves - in this regard,
> there is an *understanding* coming through the music that defies
our
> ability to always and in every case define it. Musical experience
of
> and with microtonaltiy is the way to really begin to grasp its
> powerful nature in music. When one sits down to their chosen
> instrument and begins to play and explore the new sound patterns,
and
> directly experience the emotional impact of new tunings outside of
12
> tET, this is where the ineffable "magic" is discovered.

Yup.
>
> This is the same hand and set of ears that I like to apply to what
I
> encounter in this forum. While it's easy for some to say things
> like "I don't care for much microtonal music that I hear being
made",
> it takes Courage to Encourage, and even more Courage to Create. To
> me, there is no "lesser vision". I'm excited about new listening
> experiences - I'm constantly wishing to hear new creative work,
> especially if I know the artist(s) who are doing the creative work.
> Everyone's unique take in this art form is where my direct interest
> lies.

Well, I have to take this as partially being directed toward me.
You've expressed unbelievably enthusiastic appreciation for a little
of my music that you heard, and maybe not so enthusiastic for some
other examples. You have to understand that I'm working on several
different artistic levels at once, and that not everything
is "presentable" as of yet -- even some of the stuff that I've
presented! I like to take ideas that inspire my musical imagination,
but that I am not yet ready to incorporate into the kind of live
performer/audience interplay that is by far the most important kind
of musical experience for me, and _talk_ about them, so that others
may find their own musical inspiration from them as well. Meanwhile,
the various planes I am working on are slowly, on a lifetimespan,
expanding and coming closer to one another in a full artistic vision.
I am sorry that I feel uninspired by much microtonal music --
hopefully you can see that I am even more critical of myself than I
am of others, and hopefully you will appreciate my reasons for not
indulging your direct interest at this moment. Most likely, within
this year of 2002 I will be able to do much more to indulge it -- and
do keep up the encouragement toward all parties -- you do a mighty
fine job of it (as opposed to a certain supposed "encourager" who
operates through lies, deception, ad hominem attacks, manipulation of
out-of-context quotes, and logical fallacy).

> I'll listen to anything and be interested, because it is
> here in this forum, where individuals have gathered to finally turn
> the theories into realities, that I've found an environment that I
> like to call "home". Tuning alone does not good music make, and it
> is a honor to be in a place where others are up to the ultimate and
> larger challenge of making it live in music.

I hope to present a "tuning-math Pelog" musical example for you
relatively soon.