OFF/HW: double bass...who's on first? what's on second?

[Jon Jarrett]

On Sat, 13 Oct 2001, Gesticulates Very Expressively wrote:

> On Thu, 11 Oct 2001 21:51:16 +0100, Jon Jarrett
> <jjarrett at CHIARK.GREENEND.ORG.UK> wrote:
>
> >> personally, i would much prefer the sound of 'driving straight ahead'
> >> to the sound of a hovercraft or helicopter.
> >>
> >> to rock is to be driving straight ahead.
>
> I don't disagree with this, I just think there's a little more to it.

        Well, FWIW, I was quoting Larry Boyd there, they're not my
words. I'd have to swallow a rather spiky etymology before I'd say that
for all that I know what he means.

> Think about walking down a street. To move forwards perpendicular to the x-
> plane takes two different pairs of sweeps in the y-plane, two springs
> working perpendicular to the z-plane and a torso doing its torsion thing in
> the z-plane. Eccentric motions and perpendicularity all over the shop.
> Striding around, it's not the passing scenery that tells me I'm making good
> progress, it's the nested pattern of rotation modes in assorted ball and
> socket joints.
> The music that feels like rock to me, the music that makes me feel like I'm
> driving straight ahead, has to have these epicycles too.

        And again, since Larry's a drummer I'm sure he would recognise
this were he still on-list. His kind of noise can't be made except by
continuous cyclical action.

> I mean, really, everything going forwards all together in a neat straight
> line is a bit boring. It's like sitting in a nice tin box on wheels with a
> nice soundproofed engine bay and nice sealed doors and moving smoothly
> along, looking at as much view as you can get through a single plane of
> tinted windows.. Speed, maybe, but speed like the only point is getting
> there fast, with no idea of enjoying the ride. And who wants to travel that
> way?
>
> How do you know you're going unless you feel the bite as you kick back
> against the ground?

        Sit yourself in a plane, shut your eyes and ask yourself how you
know when it goes through a turn. G-force, is what I'm getting at.

        Now of course, that's meaningless with music, I grant you, as
unless the drugs are better than I give them credit for you won't get G
pulled on you listening to `Born To Go' for all that it sounds like a
Saturn 5 taking off. And to explain I'd have to burble about stars going
straight-line and how I can hear that in Brock's guitar and then an
argument would follow based on how I'd ideally be doing this flat on my
back motionless with the lights out which might go to illustrate that
there at least two different grades of listening going on here.

> *ahem*
>
> who, me?
>
> I'll go back to lurking, then.

        Scared seven shades out of me and induced language I'm not
normally capable of at nine a. m., did reading that From: line. How long
have you been putting up with this level of noise-to-signal you strange
woman you? Yours (no, that really is my usual sign-off),
                                                         Jon

ObCD: Spiritual Beggars - _Per Aspera Ad Astra_
--
                Jonathan Jarrett          01223 514989
                     jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
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                "Wilhelm Reich died for your sins"  (ST37)