Weird Studies

Episode 38: Style as Analysis

15 snips
Jan 16, 2019
In this podcast, the hosts delve into the occult practice of music writing, analyzing how notation falls short when interpreting ambient tracks like Brian Eno's. They explore the power of good writing to reveal new facets of the ineffable world. Topics range from music analysis in popular culture to the limitations of music notation and the evolution of musical analysis techniques.
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INSIGHT

Notation Reveals and Conceals

  • Music notation abstracts concrete musical experiences but also reveals structural insights impossible to grasp otherwise.
  • Notation both loses and generates meaning, enabling analysis of motifs that shape entire pieces.
ANECDOTE

Rejecting Notation for Expression

  • JF Martel and his brother played complex rock music without reading notation, fearing that learning notation would corrupt their expression.
  • They admired Paul McCartney, who composed without reading music, embodying a folk tradition distinct from classical music’s notation roots.
INSIGHT

Meaning vs. Presence Cultures

  • Meaning culture separates experience from its abstractions, like music notation separates sound from feeling.
  • This distinction leads to confusing maps for territories, losing the immediacy of presence in favor of abstract meaning.
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