In AMPLINEX 004, we carried a feature about the desirability
of publishing original (rather than transcriptions of someone else's) music and
about the merits of the Music 5000 as a musical instrument. Since then we have received
several more comments on these and similar subjects, and we have decided to
bring these together here in order to further the discussion and to encourage
other responses from members.
Jim Brook
I could not disagree more with Richard Nevill in AMPLINEX 004
- melody has to be the supreme element in music, and I invariably find that the
most attractive sounds I hear on the Music 5000 are compositions which were NOT
written with it in mind. Give me 'To the Manor born' before the 'COSMIX' stuff,
every time. I'm busy at the moment with a 'Handel-style' arrangement of an old
nursery rhyme that I came across, and although I wish I was more skilled in
using AMPLE, I still find the results exciting.
Ken Hughes
I should like to add my support to the views expressed by G
H Richardson in AMPLINEX 004 on the type of music that AMPLE can be used for. I
myself use AMPLE mainly to help me in my attempts to play the organ and a PSR 70
keyboard. As I find it almost impossible to play a tune that I do not know
completely, I transcribe the tune into AMPLE and then learn it by listening to
it and playing along with it on the keyboard. I am also able to play music I
could not otherwise play by playing the melody part on the keyboard along with
a backing part from AMPLE.
My favourite music is the middle-of-the-road type and I for
one would like to see copies of well-known music of this type included in AMPLINEX.
I would be very interested to see some orchestral arrangements of simple tunes
such as those given in books like 'The complete keyboard player'.
Michael Harbour
I have just received and listened to AMPLINEX M06, and I
think that AMPLINEX music discs are a great idea. I am a bit disappointed,
however, at the number of 'originals' on each disc. Most pieces seem to be straight
transcriptions of Bach or Grieg. Apart from the Chorale Prelude (which I thought
was VERY realistic) the other transcriptions lacked a certain realism.
Although I don't knock what Bach and Grieg wrote, if we want
to hear their music, surely we should buy records. The more realistic the Music
5000 pieces get, the closer they become to a record track. So, again, why not just
settle for the record version and spend the time composing good original material?
Graham Firth
I can't say how much of a pleasure it is to see some 'real'
music in the AMPLINEX jukebox. I do not wish to take anything away from those
members who are clever enough to write music, but to me there is nothing nicer
than to hear something well-known coming out of my Music 5000.
I know some people don't like to hear poor imitations of
records but I have to disagree, and if they are based on a record, then the
nearer they are to the originals, the better. If they aren't, then a nice
arrangement is always a pleasure to listen to.
Bob Cornford-Wood
The comments in AMPLINEX 004 show the diverse spread of
musical interests that the Music 5000 is able to cater for. From my point of
view, I find the system exciting to use mainly because I'm a woodwind player
with virtually no keyboard skills. Being in control of more than one musical
part is a great feeling - whether it's a transcription of a piano rag, or an original
composition.
Ivor Abiks
I've often wondered to what use other members put their
AMPLE systems. I suppose there are those who use them as 'accompanists' when
learning a solo instrument piece (such as flute, violin, cello etc.). On the
other hand, are there any who have thrown away their CD players, and use a
Music 5000 as an 'alternative' digital sound source? Anyway, for what it's
worth, I'll tell you how I use mine. It may start something.
I play semi-professionally in a band (well a duo actually),
but, with backing tapes made with the help of my Music 5000/4000/2000 system,
we sound like a cast of thousands! My Music 500 synthesiser, upgraded to a
Music 5000, is connected to a Tascam 244 Portastudio. An Alesis Microverb (used
with discretion), makes the Music 5000 sound absolutely fantastic.
Together with a Korg DDD-5 drum machine, Yamaha TX81Z, and
Yamaha PSR-70, I can (almost) reproduce the type of sound that is to be found
on most chart singles (can't quite get Kylies' vocal sound though).
I find the results of entering notation from sheet music
somewhat variable. Sometimes, the performance is very 'mechanical' and needs 'humanizing'
by adding parts, riffs, etc., via the Music 4000. At other times, the
performance seems to mimic the original very well. There seems to be a variety
of quality/accuracy in the transcribed sheet music that one can purchase.
I generally use the Music 5000 for any piano parts, the FM
piano voices on the TX81Z are not very realistic in my opinion, even though
they are touch sensitive. I don't use any multi-tracking techniques because I find
I have sufficient voices (8 on the Music 5000, 8 on both TX81Z and PSR-70 and
14 on the DDD-5 - a maximum of 38!). The only problem I encounter is finding
enough RAM in my BBC B+ 128K.
The resulting recording is then copied to conventional
cassette for use 'on the road'. Any pub-frequenting members in the Cambridge
area may well have heard a Music 5000 at 100 watts - and I don't mean near
Hybrid's headquarters! To what use do other members put their systems?
'Robonk'
When you buy a guitar and learn to play it, the first tunes
are always established pieces - 'My bonnie lies over the ocean' or 'She'll be
coming round the mountain'. It's similar with other instruments. When you're relatively
competent, people will ask you to play something - they might even be slightly
interested in your own composition - but play the latest 'Bros', 'Houston' or
whatever and you'll be brilliant. Most professional musicians play 'covers'
with very little 'original' music, especially 'classical' instrument players.
I like to hear good original music such as Obernell's (which
I find very hard to write) but I would rather hear a thousand good copies than
ten dreadful originals.
Editor's note:
Further comments, opinions and details of uses of the Music
5000 are welcome.
The policy of AMPLINEX is to publish a mixture of the best
of both original and transcribed music, within the limits of our copyright
agreement. We wish to encourage creativity in the use of the Hybrid Music
System and believe that this can be achieved in both original compositions and
the imaginative arrangements of other people's music.
Published in AMPLINEX 011, May 1989
