Hi James, > and so we're back to Graham's point. Anyone can now make 'music' without > having to spend years learning a 'real' instrument etc. > It's not so much some 'musicians' can no longer play an instrument or read > music but that some extra 'musicians' can now create music without having to > play an instrument or read music etc. > That is a good thing.
Certainly if we said a similar thing about 'medicine', we'd have to question whether "that is a good thing". ;) Admittedly, the creative arts are less "critical" than medicine in a "you might die" kind of way… But as someone who cares deeply and passionately about the continuing musical arts, I offer that "spending years learning a 'real' instrument" -- that being just one example of commitment, but hardly the only one -- is not too much to ask of you before you foist your "masterpiece" on the world. Note that I don't think the current "music education system" is the best way to train musicians. In fact, I'm quite convinced of the opposite: beyond encouraging/demanding the discipline required to technically master a traditional instrument (the "conservatory" aspect), I think the current music education system *actively hampers* creativity and true musicianship. And of course many of the greatest musicians of our time (e.g., Louis Armstrong) didn't go through The System -- one could even argue that *most* of the greatest musicians of our time learned more outside of The System than inside it. But they sure spent years learning a 'real' instrument. The idea that you can create "meaningful" music without having to exert any music-related effort -- such as learning an instrument, or learning to read/write the symbols -- is yet another manifestation of our current "I want something for nothing" culture, which lionizes "Jersey Shore" participants and accepts (nay, embraces) Paris Hilton as an "actress". Cheers, Kieren. _______________________________________________ lilypond-user mailing list lilypond-user@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/lilypond-user
