iPad meets Pink Floyd

[bruno]

Indeed 64G's - Korg and Roland have a history of making tools for music - their company focus is making music, their R&D budget is all about that killer instrument. Apple, god-bless-them, are a computer company, with the hots for marketing. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Apple-fan-boy, and I grew up on Unix, but general purpose vs. made for purpose, the later tends to win for me. As always, there is great software - and there is bollox-soft, and all the shades in between. I've been very impressed with people using thumb-jam in their songs on this site, but I really don't get the iPad - to me its a computer with no peripherals! The interface (i.e. touch screen) isn't tactile enough for music in my opinion - but it will improve immensely over the next 10 years I'm sure.

[cuthbert]

I don't have an iPad, but I do have an iPhone and not all music apps behave like that guitar thingy (which I don't have) which was posted.

Most of the apps I have on my iPhone are music making apps, with either a virtual musical keyboard where you have to play the notes with your fingers - which can be tough on the iPhone if you don't have slim, tiny fingers - or some other interface such as an electro-theremin, where you roll your finger along an x/y graph for pitch and volume or drum pads you hit with your fingers.

These apps do not make the music for you, and aren't game-like in any aspect.

All that said, I don't use my iPhone music apps very much except when I'm away from my other gear...probably because of me clumsy fumbs!  

Oh, and that Wavedrum looks freakin' awesome!

[Gnasty]

Holy Shit yeah that wavedrum is amazing but it really isn`t an app. But damn your making me wanna buy it!

I am the same as Cuth on this. I only use my Iphone apps but really there are only i few i like that i myself get
any sorta inspiration from. And the ones i have recorded i do get a soulful feel from them and theyre not super easy to play at all.

Who says that the ipad players of the future won't attract the same crowds.  They could easily replicate that youtube video on a large video screen behind the band.   I bet my kids would go!  (but I probably wouldn't).

My daughter hears me play guitar everyday but she`s not even interested the least...lol Maybe kids would go out and watch an Ipad performance but if you took them to see a live band i think they would be smart enough to know that it would be a better and more talented performance. Just my opinion but the whole art to watching entertainment is to see something that you can`t do yourself. That`s what makes you thrilled and keeps you watching. They might see it once and like it, but in the end knowing they can do it too, they wouldn`t be thrilled anymore.

[T.C. Elliott]

That wavedrum looked so interesting I went and googled it. The evil google told me it retails between 500 and 600 US and that I can get one on ebay for around 300 or a bit more. For a fake drum (even though it sounds amazing.)

On craigslist I can get a crappy starter drum set for 70 bucks (minus cymbal stands.)  But then my wife would kill me. Still might be worth messing with to see if I can do even a basic beat on my demos *sigh*

Why do all the cool toys have to cost so much?

[Oldrottenhead]

i can see where you guys are coming from but it sounds a bit elitist. i recall an interview patrick moraz gave when punk rock hit the shores of the uk. his opinion was that no musician should be allowed anywhere near a stage until they had spent 10 years studying and mastering their instruments. like wot he had done.

punk rock in the uk was all about do it yourself, and that anyone could do it as long as they had something to say, a grass roots cottage industry was the result of this ethic, granted there was a lot of rubbish but so much came out of it and still resonates in music art and media today.

now that home recording is cheaper and more accessible due to products like the micro br, i think there is a ressurgence of that do it yourself thing. i dont consider myself a musician,very few of my songs i could play live. so i cheat by multitracking, i layer sounds and add words and sometimes a song comes of it.

but it is me that is interfacing with my mbr, i am making decisions and my mbr is one of the instruments i use, i would say it is the instrument of all the musical instruments i possess that i am best at playing tho i still have lots to learn about it.

now you can get a swathe of £5.00 apps that can be used to create music, some of the stuff tharek has done with thumbjam on his iphone blew my mind, but i am sure there are lots of folk messing with it in ways that would make my skin crawl, but again it is about who is interacting with it.

as these apps develop and become available because of there low cost more folk will dabble and i am sure more will come of it.

if you have something to say that resonates with another member of the human race whether it is played on a £30,000 or £10 guitar, an ipad or whatever it doesn't matter what we think.

the revolution continues.

[Tony W]

i can see where you guys are coming from but it sounds a bit elitist.

I need elitism, without it I'd have to turn to religion so that I may look down my long nose at others.

[IanR]

the revolution continues.

Well said comrade


Ian

[bruno]

I don't think it is elitist to call it the way you see it. I'm a believer in the 10,000 hours theory - there are no short cuts - to be good at something requires effort - if its easy, generally it becomes very dull very quickly. And I'm not saying that you can't use this device to make music, you clearly can - you can also use an empty can to make a sound. That's not the point - its whether you can make interesting and new sounds that connects with the listener. Punk was a rebellion against many things, and one was against over clinically produced music, the battle of the buck vs art/creativity. If you listen to the chart now - clearly punk has lost.

So back to the point, this device is interesting, technically advanced yada-yada-yada - however it left me cold. It didn't connect. That's not to say someone can't produce something brilliant on this device - but I would say it would be difficult to do so because it lacks expression - and call me old fashioned, but I believe expression is at the heart of all great music, even punk - coz you could feel the need to rebel.

Really interesting thread btw.

[Oldrottenhead]

if you listened to the charts in 77 punk never existed then either  

i fall on the side of pete townsend, who once said he would rather see a band giving their all on three chords than see someone play something perfectly but with no soul.

for me i would rather go see a monkey blow a penny whistle and have a great time trying than go see something like g3 i'm sure these guys have practiced for years but  that leaves me cold.

re the tin can, i used to play smoke on the water with a rubber band and matchbox  

loving this thread  

[Gnasty]

for me i would rather go see a monkey blow a penny whistle and have a great time trying than go see something like g3 i'm sure these guys have practiced for years but  that leaves me cold.

loving this thread  

Whoa, I think we're getting way off topic with that quote. But if you want to? To say the least that Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have no soul is 100% untrue.I don't think you've listened to their albums because they have more talent musicianship and soul in their guitar playing then anything.they play the way they do because they can't sing and basically sing melodies with their guitars. I think it's hypocritical to defend apps and call that kind of music cold.
And it also doesn't make sense to me that people hate heavy-metal yet they like punk music? They're both heavy loud and the singers are shouting so what is the difference? Bottom line is heavy-metal has better musicianship and singers too IMO.

By the way welcome back Jim glad you had a great vacation !!