Re: "Instrument" vs "Effect"

[a k butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk>]

Krispen asks
>>So, how does one define "instrument" in this forum?

and some time later Stefan chips in
>Anything you use to transform your emotion into music and you 
>couldn't do it without "...fill in whatever, VST's, strings, 
>amps..." is part of your instrument, you're not playing guitar, your 
>playing an amplified VST-guitar.
>The effect on its own won't be an instrument for most people (as for 
>a lot electric guitarist the guitar alone wouldn't be their instrument 
>either).

which is rather hard on the guys who try and show off their technique,
as you don't allow they have an instrument :-)


>Astonishingly a philosophical point of view didn't arrive yet:

or any thoughts bringing the thread back to looping, which was what I had 
hoped

>Does an instrument exist without musician?
>Does the wood exist without observer...?

the unobserved cupboard door I banged my head on surely existed,
...felt like it anyway


>Back to the word effect: An effect is usually not only related to 
>electronic devices, its something which makes an effect. A lot of 
>effects have been used in music history.

but does the instrument itself have a musical function?

"There seem to be two main attitudes to the instrument among 
improvisors. One is that the instrument is man's best friend, both as 
a tool and a helper; a collaborator. The other attitude is that the 
instrument is unnecessary, at worst a liability, intruding between 
the player and his music."
...Derek Bailey in "Improvisation, It's Nature and Practise in Music".

does the functionality of the looping device in some way participate 
in the creation of music?

andy butler