Klarinet Archive - Posting 000185.txt from 1994/09

From: "Jay Heiser, Business Development" <jayh@-----.COM>
Subj: aesthetics
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 01:32:52 -0400

Musical instruments have always been decorated. Check out some prewar
banjoes if you really want to see something decadent looking. ;-)
It seems to me that pop & folk music tend towards the gawdy side while
orchestral instruments tend towards to be more minimalist. In both
cases, appearance is an issue.

IMHO, there is some deep seated human need that brings together several
several senses into a total aesthetic gestalt. I'd be afraid to attempt
to even measure it, but I'm convinced that it exists.

One thing that strikes me when visiting the Smithsonian instititution
is how machinery was decorated in the 19th century. A modern machine
shop doesn't normally put hand-painted details on milling machines and
lathes. Certainly there has been a change in aesthetics that accounts
for some of this, but could it also be that contemporary society no
longer identifies itself with machines or tools in the way that it once
did?

Do we decorate musical instruments because we identify with them?
Musical instruments are intensely personal, intimately manipulated
artifacts. Isn't it human nature to want to personalize such a thing
with decoration?

-->From sco.sco.com!vtbit.cc.vt.edu!vccscent.bitnet!klarinet Thu Sep 22 12:00:15
1994
-->Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 09:44:22 EST
-->Reply-To: Klarinet - Clarinettist's Network
<KLARINET%VCCSCENT.BITNET@-----.EDU>
-->Sender: Klarinet - Clarinettist's Network
<KLARINET%VCCSCENT.BITNET@-----.EDU>
-->From: Steve Prescott <mipresc@-----.EDU>
-->Subject: aesthetics
-->Comments: To: klarinet@-----.bitnet
-->To: Multiple recipients of list KLARINET
<KLARINET%VCCSCENT.BITNET@-----.EDU>
-->Message-ID: <9409220832.aa20719@-----.COM>
-->
-->I wrote to Gerald Evoniuk's personal email address (I think) so here
-->is the essence of what I wrote:
-->
-->"Our industry for too long has been clouded by hear say and often
-->voodoo. Hard scientific data is very difficult to get and I don't
-->think that a professional effort has ever been made to tie
-->acoustical data to the psychological and sociological elements that
-->drive marketing decisions."
-->
-->Well put! The problem with the musical instrument industry can be
-->summed up in one word "tradition." Valentio products are a classic
-->example. We as clarinetist must be more open minded. Like the
-->mechanic who never has time to work on his auto, I don't have alot
-->of time to work on my clarinets. I've had Valentino pads (Pete's
-->cork-like pads) in my clarinet for 4 years with no problem.
-->
-->I think the aesthetics issue is not debatable. If you feel good
-->about your playing you will play better. - "The inner game of
-->tennis/music", Arnold Jacobs "Paralysis by analysis"
-->
-->Hope this isn't a repeat.
-->
-->Steve Prescott
-->Instrument Repair Tech.
-->Indiana State University
-->mipresc@-----.edu
SCO Government Systems Group
703-715-8727