Music 256A: Week 3 Reading

Principle 2.6: Technology Should Create Calm

Will computer-based instruments someday replace traditional instruments? I certaintly hope not...we are explorers, not destroyers.

In today's digital age, some see technology as a disruptive force. Aside from the fact that many have difficulty learning how to use a computer, these new inventions seem to threaten existing values. Consider the lawsuits against Apple and Amazon: privacy is being compromised when Siri and Alexa record your words without you knowing. When you ask your parents for pizza at dinner, they listen without you saying "Hey Siri" or "Alexa". Next thing you know, an advertisement for Dominos appears on your feed.

Historically, tapping into people's private conversations is nothing new. However, developments in technology make eavesdropping pervasive, yet subtle on a massive scale. This is why technology is becoming more feared the way industrialization was viewed by romantics in the 1800s: technology seems to have so much potential impact that to an ordinary person, it causes an active disruption. What values technology threatens to change is also important. The more important/ingrained a tradition is, the more resistance people show towards the catalyst of change. Like the textbook mentions, what practice is more ancient and vital to society than music? "Humans, across all cultures, have been playing music for thousands of years. They've usually taken advantage of the technology of their times" (90). If technology today is seen as a threat to music instead of a benefit, then how can we evaluate the design of computer music to preserve the aspects of music we've held so dear while evolving and experimenting with new forms?

The book brings up an interesting point: technology should create calm. One of the ways is to design with function following form so that computer music looks, feels, and sounds like it's acoustic. The design of Ocarina feels natural, it "responding to breath" (80) and has a nice visual design to make people forget that they're playing on a phone. Them the function resulted in the form and design of Ocarina. The connectivity of the phone allowed Ocarina to have a global feature where one could listen to strangers play music. Normally, I think people would feel threatened by this aspect because broadcasting music detracts from the authenticity of live music history is so accustomed to. However, because the form was the root of Ocarina, it's easier to focus on the aesthetics than it's purposes.

Yamaha's disklavier invention for piano is also another way to use technology in music. This technology calculates the pressure and duration the performer holds each key down. These data points are replicated on another acoustic piano so you can see the keys being pressed down and hear sounds that you would normally hear on a non-electric piano. This allows performances to be virtually transmitted across all disklavier pianos. Unless you were in the same room, you wouldn't be able to tell that the piano is being played without the performer at the bench. As a pianist, I don't really pay attention to the fact that performances can be virtually transmitted. I'm more impressed because the original sound quality is preserved. A typical electric piano does not have the same sound quality as an acoustic one, which is why I'm always a bit apprehensive about technology in music. The disklavier, which seeks above all to mantain the authenticity and look of a classical piano, is something I'm very enthusiastic about.