“Stravinsky is just one of countless examples of the experimental composer, of course. Monteverdi experimented… Bach experimented, and in doing so wrote in a harmonic style that was often 150 years ahead if (sic) its time. The conclusion that I come to is that all composers – all sincere composers – experiment because it is their very nature. It comes down to the innate search within each of us to find our own voice as a composer, combined with a sincere desire to expand the possibilities of the art, along with the ears of our audience. Some find it early on in their careers, some go to their graves having never discovered it, but in the search is the great experiment: What can I, as a composer who is uniquely me, contribute to the art that no one else has done, or, at the very least, will be instantly recognizable as something I did? A musician who is not experimenting is either probably engaged in a rote academic exercise (a 3-part invention for their counterpoint class perhaps) or auditioning for American Idol… [It] all come[s] from the spirit of ‘let’s push this button and see what happens.’ And we allow these creations to interact and watch the results.
If the experiments have all been done, then there must be no music left to write.” (McGarvey, 2003).
This one is for the music teachers out there. I have found many Web 2.0 sites that are chock full of samples for arranging. While this can be a valuable project for students, I believe that there is no substitute for true composition and experimentation in learning about music. The Audiotool application at www.hobnox.com is a great step in the right direction.
Audiotool is an interface with virtual mixers, instruments, and effects. You can make your own beats using two different beat boxes, learn about polyrhythms and patterns with the Bassline bass sequencer, and learn about matrices and sequencing with the ToneMatrix (a virtual take on the Tenori-On; if you don’t know what that is, YouTube it, it’s neat).
Users can compose simple beats and melodies using the various virtual instruments, then record and share their compositions. The creators stated, “The Hobnox community is about collaboration and connection - For example, the recording feature allows you to directly upload your track to your profile page in the community” (Layman’s Reviews, 2009). The community is international, as hobnox is based in Germany. There is an active blog, where users share music and general information. In a quick scan of the blogs, there were users from Germany, China, the U.K., Finland, and the U.S., so this is really a place where students can bounce their ideas off of a world audience.
I have found Audiotool to be great in stimulating student interest. In an interview, the creators of Audiotool stated, “It is about exploring music and having fun experimenting” (Layman’s Reviews, 2009). The interface is intriguing and gives enough direction for users to experiment. I have also found Audiotool to be useful in teaching about music production and basic recording technique. My school cannot afford a music lab, and being that I only see students for a quarter, this is an easy, efficient way to explore the aforementioned ideas.
Admittedly, I have two gripes with the site. Gripe #1 with the site is the inability to save as you go. Even with a profile, users cannot save a work in progress; in order to save, one must record their composition (which they CANNOT access at a later time). One work-around for this is to simply document on paper what you have done to create your sound. Although tedious, this may be a valuable lesson to students in the amount of effort it takes to make a composition. Gripe #2 is that you cannot currently download your completed song. Again, there is a work-around, where you can import your song into another one of Hobnox’s interfaces, the Livetool, which is geared more toward video production (but at least you can download!).
My simple 2min 23sec example:
What are the greatest differences between this and GarageBand?
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