- There is virtually no song or piece of music that is produced in the modern world without the assistance of some kind of electronic device along the way. This could be from making the score of the music to the recording process and mixing of the music. This has affected every genre of music.
Some of the good things about computer software being used to compose music is people are now able to make clean looking scores that everyone can read. Many years ago, before the time of printers and computers, composers like Mozart and Bach had to write down each note of the score by hand. Even composers of the modern era had to copy music this way. Printing was expensive and if you wanted to get your music out there you had to make do with what you had.
DAW software has also allowed composers to hear instant mixes of their pieces and also to play with the balance and tone of different instruments to create the mood or effects of a piece. It also allows them to edit out mistakes and bad pitches and so forth.
There can be problems with this, however, one can be the luxury of having instant playback. When the introduction of MIDI came about many composers did not like because it hindered their ability to be able to just read scores like a book and know what was going on. They could just listen to the MIDI and hear it instantly without the need to play it on the piano or just think about it in their head while looking at the notes on paper. It hindered their ability to try to interpret the music aurally.
Another way that electronic assistance can hinder musicians and composers is that it gives them a desire for the music to have good recording quality and also precise timing. This mean no mistakes. This hinders the live performer because they are now under a different kind of pressure then before. People in the audience many have heard the piece of music they are about to play and already have an expectation of how it should be. If they make a mistake some may not think it as good of quality.
As for my opinion I think that if a musician makes some mistakes it shows that they are a real person and that they are also a musician. They need to be able to add their own expression to the music as well. That is what music is, art. The composer writes it for musicians to play and add their own interpretation of the piece as well. Music is unlike most art in that it is collaborative in the manner.
Furthermore, Music notation software and DAW can be used as tools for composers, but they should also be aware of some of the hindrances as well. Music should still be art even through these tools. MIDI is only an example of precision. It is non-emotional. The musician is what brings the music to life.
For more information on this topic, please visit these sources:http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/How-does-using-music-notation-software-affect-your-music-Robert-Morris/http://www.zaft.org/gordon/mse596s/music.html
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