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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Arthur Pewtey)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Many thanks for your kind responses
Message-ID: <1069@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Jun-85 21:38:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1069
Posted: Tue Jun 11 21:38:12 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Jun-85 20:09:42 EDT
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Organization: The Chartered Accountants Who Want to Be Lion Tamers Association
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> Thank you all for your responses. They have been most helpful, educational,
> informative. And polite, too. It is a pleasure to argue with such fine
> gentlemen. Since you collectively have covered the topic in its entirety,
> let us then consider the matter resolved. I am the richer for the experience.
> If you will allow me, however, to make these miserably insignificant points:
> 
> To Rich Rosen: Sorry I disappointed you so. I promise to do better next time.
> I realize now that listening to the opinions of the top practitioners
> of a craft is not useful in defining it. I was also mistaken in believing
> the saying that goes "Anyone in the band can swing, but it's the drummer
> who swings the band." And I now understand that you know better than I what
> may be inferred from my postings.  [MARCEL SIMON]

Oh please, spare us this, sir!  You were unable to corroborate your statements
about rhythm being THE most important element in music when pressed for it.
There are lots of cute epithets in this world that are simply wrong.  If an
important (not "the only") element in swing is percussive rhythm, then the
drummer may be the driving force behind it.  That does NOT make percussive
rhythm or even rhythm in general THE most important element in music.  It
is to you because that's your personal taste.  My personal emphasis in
listening to music is on harmony.  Am I listening to music in a "wrong"
manner?  Are you going to educate me now on your "right" way of emphasizing
rhythm first and foremost?  It's interesting to note here some of the beautiful
elements of the net itself.  Not long ago there was a discussion on this very
topic (or rather on the meta-topic around it):  are there absolutes in music?
The conclusion of the abstract discussion was "no, there are not".  But now
we got to see a practical example on the same topic:  one person claimed that
his tastes/preferences were in fact absolutes, and others responded with their
own perspectives on listening to music, showing that the first person's tastes
were indeed not absolute at all.

Mr. Simon, as for your last statement above, it may shock you at times in the
future when other people do actually know better than you do about certain
things.  I hope it doesn't upset you too much then.
-- 
"Do I just cut 'em up like regular chickens?"    Rich Rosen    ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr