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I grew up with music made
almost exclusively
on acoustic instruments.
Some guitars were electrified,
with pedal and other effects, of course,
but they still sounded
and looked like guitars.
Sometimes musicians manipulated
in the recording studio,
but live music was real.
Then came digital synthesizers,
primitive and a poor cousin
to harpsichord, piano and organ.
Then personal computers
infected music with gimmickry.
Sophisticated sampling,
let musicians pretend
they were making music,
then came automated tracks,
so live musicians weren’t needed,
and now it’s AI-generated “music.”
Some musicians play
instruments you can hardly recognize.
Violins and basses
with just the strings and no body.
Sigh.
Much as the effects are
(sometimes) fun,
it’s all terribly artificial.
I grew up with Jimi Hendrix
and Gustav Leonhardt.
I feel lucky.
April 13, 2023
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