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ZorbaTHut  2yr ago (text post)   3691 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 30, 2022

Be advised; this thread is not for serious in depth discussion of weighty topics, this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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How many different instruments/parts do you prefer to hear in a piece of music?

I am inclined to feel that anything in excess of three, or maybe four, is overkill/bloat. But maybe I just listen to too much chiptune/MIDI stuff.

According to Wikipedia, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, a great piece of music, has far more: " A solo plucked bass guitar part, backed by hi-hat cymbals drumming, establishes the musical theme, a simple three-note figure; the bass is gradually joined by other instruments, including a blues guitar, wah-wah guitar, electric piano, handclaps, strings and solo trumpet; all are tied together by the ever-present bass guitar line and repeating hi-hat rhythm."

I can't even tell how many instruments are in a piece of music.

But maybe I just listen to too much chiptune/MIDI stuff.

Ironically(?), I think some of the best kind of "programmed music" is the 16+-channel tracker music (example). Some tracks, you have to pay attention to the complexity of the composition, and thankfully, most videos are recorded in tracker programs so that you can see each "note" scroll by.

MIDI and 8-bit chiptune, though, I can see where there are hard limits (though I think MIDIs could be elevated by the ability to use more instruments/channels).

MIDI and 8-bit chiptune, though, I can see where there are hard limits (though I think MIDIs could be elevated by the ability to use more instruments/channels).

Apparently you've never encountered the genre of Black MIDI.

I thought about mentioning that, but didn't. I figured that was obviously right out.

What is a part? Is a chord on a guitar six or one parts?

Is a choir one part, 4-8 or ~8-48?

If I have an orchestra using a bunch of different instruments to produce a single chord is that one or multiple parts?

Is the guitar and bass guitar different or the same part?

Maybe I should differentiate more clearly between overkill and bloat. When I listen to a piece of music that has overkill, I wonder why there are so many different sounds playing at once, when it would sound less confusing/overwhelming/bad to have just three or four sounds. When I listen to a piece of music that is bloated, I wonder why there are so many different sounds playing (whether simultaneously or in sequence), when it would have been so much simpler/cheaper for the composer to use just three or four sounds.

What is a part? Is a chord on a guitar six or one parts?

I guess that's one spot where the synthesized instrument and the physical instrument can diverge significantly in bloat, even though both compositions have exactly the same position on the overkill meter. Many physical instruments, of course, can create a chord standing alone—but an electronic tracker may require one synthesized "instrument" for each note in a chord.

Is a choir one part, 4–8, or ~8–48?

Similarly, a choir would (I assume) be around four instruments in terms of overkill regardless of its physical or electronic implementation, but a physical implementation could be horribly bloated, with dozens of members beyond the minimum.

If I have an orchestra using a bunch of different instruments to produce a single chord is that one or multiple parts?

I would say that, if an entire physical orchestra is being used to generate a single chord, it's horrendous bloat, but not necessarily overkill. MIDI, of course, has the "Orchestra Hit" instrument that can be used to eliminate the bloat.

Is the guitar and bass guitar different or the same part?

I don't know much about musical composition, but if they're playing the same note then I imagine I probably wouldn't be able to tell that there were two instruments. However, if they're playing the "same" note at different octaves, then I might be able to tell, and to wonder what the point is.

Three or four instruments in one entire piece or three or four instruments going at the same time? These are two very different things.

Personally, I would say it depends on the piece of music and how complex each of the individual parts are. A track can sound very, very dense and disorienting with quite little if the sequencing and/or sound design is sufficiently detailed. Here's an example.

Three or four instruments in one entire piece or three or four instruments going at the same time?

The latter—though, on the other hand, the former can be considered bloat (as opposed to overkill) if they're real physical instruments with human players who are just sitting around doing nothing when the score doesn't call for them, rather than a single computer player swapping between instruments instantly.

the former can be considered bloat (as opposed to overkill) if they're real physical instruments with human players who are just sitting around doing nothing when the score doesn't call for them, rather than a single computer player swapping between instruments instantly.

I suppose by that standard you would consider most classical orchestral music bloated beyond belief, then?

Yes.

I like ska, jazz and orchestral music so I don't think there's really a limit for me.

Is https://youtube.com/watch?v=BtyWhHwCXIU too much or close to right?

Is https://youtube.com/watch?v=BtyWhHwCXIU too much or close to right?

Well, that's three or four different parts, right? Guitar, percussion, and one or two synthesized parts (I guess—I'm not an expert at decomposing music). The tune sounds a little generic to me (I have no knowledge of the Scott Pilgrim franchise, so I have no feelings associated with this video game), but I don't find the instruments objectionable.

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