I have recently begun learning how to use GarageBand (a music/recording application that comes with all new Macs), as I explore music writing, and writing Celtic-inspired music in particular. With my musical skills realistically limited to vocals and guitar (memo to me, start practicing on the Bodhran I bought in Halifax a few weeks ago!), it is great to be able to enter music, and get instant feedback on the sound as I play it back. I am finding this application to be a real spur to the development of musical ideas.
As I create and record a couple of songs (so far) though, I have to admit I am wondering about if the capabilities of GarageBand mean that traditional definitions of Performance and Composition no longer apply.
First, let’s look at performance. In the song below:
[audio:http://meadowsonline.com/whistle_song.mp3]everything was “performed” using a MIDI keyboard in the songs, from the drum track to the penny whistle. While I know the notes on a keyboard, I am not much of a keyboard player, and after I recorded each penny whistle part I had to go back and correct a lot of mistakes, and in some cases improve the part; I can’t say that I could play this song live, except for the guitar drone part. Am I justified in calling this recording a performance? A large part of me wants to say no. I would certainly need some help to play this live.
In the past, I have often been appalled to hear how out of tune certain singers are when they perform live (e.g. I quite like the music of the group the Cranberries, but when I played a couple of bootleg concert recordings, I was disappointed to hear how far off pitch the lead singer was, far away from confines of a studio where fixing tuning is a trivial manner). How different is that from what I am doing?
The second concern I have is over is using third party loops. With the loops that come with Garageband (and the Jam packs that can be added), it is trivial to “compose” without having to add or play anything. While this is useful for what I would call utilitarian music (e.g. podcast stingers and intro’s, etc), I don’t think something made up entirely of loops can be called a composition, in the true creative sense; it becomes a craft, rather than an art. The biggest grey area in my opinion is a piece containing both loops and original material — how much creative authorship can be claimed in such a case? Maybe an arrangement credit should go to whoever wrote and recorded the loops being used?
In this era of mash-ups and sampling, I know I am not the first to be thinking about these issues, but I think it is crucial for anyone using this kind of technology to think about it.
True creativity and artistic dishonesty are mortal enemies.
Tags: Garageband,Music,Composition
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