Why instant-gratification music gadgets like the Artiphon Chorda are always disappointing

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

I’m writing an article about gimmicky music gadgets. Here’s the one that gave me the idea, but the piece is more general. I have also tried the original Jamstik (junk), and a zillion iPad apps that make similar promises.

The angle is that these kinds quick-fix music gadgets promise beginners too much, and we expect to become skilled music-makers with more effort. Meanwhile, they’re always too limited for experienced musicians.

Any comments on that?

It’s great that tools make it easier for anyone to make music, but on the other hand, just because we make a musical noise, is it actually worth listening to?

On the other hand, maybe these gadgets can become amazing in the right hands.

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Learning to play keys for composition not performance
#2

The biggest concern is not can this type of controller slash instrument be well made / worth playing, the question is can a small company build one that is well made and still have it retail at a reasonable price.

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#3

because making good music isn’t easy and there’s no magic solution, no matter how good the marketing is it’s up to the artist and not the magic thingy

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#4

I think that’s the whole point of this kind of thing. They offer a shortcut, one which I don’t think really exists.

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#5

My experience with such gear has mostly been disappointing. I bought the Artiphon Orba 2, but found it close to useless.

…however, one success story I can think of is with the Korg iKaossilator. A close friend that was a non-musician discovered the joy of composing and arranging small tunes on that, and then had the motivation to learn more advanced apps and gear from there.

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#6

exactly, that’s why it’s disappointing when you realize that

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#7

yep totally agree. shortcuts don’t really work. Ive found nearly the more shortcuts I take the less absorbed I become. gotta do the work to make good music. it’s a multidisciplinary thing.

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#8

Zen and the Art of Bleepy Bloopy Bloop Bloop

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#9

Is this something you think needs to be fixed?

If so, do you have a suggestion for a solution?

#10

…all the world is looking for shortcuts and instant gratification…

but we still don’t get it, how this wears off, doomed to dissapoint, since our dopamin flux just don’t work this way, on the long run…

there is no cheatsheet for real satisfaction…

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#11

the best “cheat” for me is:

hear melodies and chord progressions wherever (youtube, tv/film scores, music made by people better than me), bookmark it in an “inspo” folder, then shamelessly crib from it, make it my own. that’s it. could be on a synth, could just be on a random VST preset if i happen to be at my laptop somewhere.

it works, it’s cheap (except for the synth), it’s just a matter of putting a little tiny bit of time in. no gadgets, no music theory tutorials that i’ll never remember, just a scrapbook of tricks and motifs i can dip into when needed.

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#12

:100:

Due to their nature they also tend to steer the user in different musical directions. So there isn’t a lot of artistic expressiveness in these devices… because everything is already predefined for the user.

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#13

Getting a real piano has been one of my biggest musical joys barres by getting into synthesizers… it’s something very gratifying with just sitting and goofing around and 6 months later you realize that you’re playing stuff that was impossible for you six months ago.

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#14

Looking at this promo video I’m tempted to get one of these for the kid as she currently prefers the iphone piano app to our real piano due to size. So can’t really comment as I’ve been sucked in!

#15

Ha, yeah. I was thinking that it might actually make a pretty expressive midi controller.

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#16

Just so I don’t only dunk on the Chords in this article, are there any other examples? I reviewed a Jamstik once and hated it.

#17

I’ve watched that video the other day and think, it might be a nice controller device - but nothing more.

Every art is somthing which has to be studied, trained, and mastered. There is and will be no short-cut.

It’s not enough to want something beeing done. To make music it takes doing it, and this takes skills to do it, and those skills have to be learned first. People promising that this learning can be bypassed by useing a certain tool are deceivers, they make profit from dreamers, and they know that.

Providing early gratification for untrained people means to keep away all features demanding skills. No surprise that after a short honeymoon phase those tools get boring :wink:

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#18
About the thread title :

Let’s break this down. The responses here are top responses from Google.

instant-gratification music gadgets :

loaded terms – rhetoric used to influence an audience by using words and phrases with strong connotations.

always :

extreme or absolute language – an exaggerated, overblown, and probably untrue claim. It admits of no exceptions, and it seems to forbid doubt or questions.

Is the reaction to the gadget, and ad, which is highly crafted to sell ? Or is it to the idea that some method or thing could really be of assistance for people in accomplishing challenging creative tasks ?

I agree the Chorda is oversold. Examining that sort of thing is one small part of the reason i started the Crowdfunding The Good, the Bad and the Ugly thread.

But i also know that there are methods and things that help people be creative.

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#19

I find it difficult, though, to draw a clear line - from what point onwards would something qualify as a creativity-destroying and demotivating quick-fix gadget? What about arpeggiators, chord modes on synths, song mode?

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#20

Yes, I was thinking the same. Some gadgets were created as “quick fixes” next to a physical drum kit or a human bass player, they opened new creative ways well beyond their original purposes, and we all love them today (while still admiring drummers and bass players mastering their art).

Whether the specific gadget that motivated this thread will become a classic or not is another story.

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