Reading Response #4 

to Artful Design • Chapter 4

Anna Gruzas

Due 10/20/2024

Music 256A / CS476a, Stanford University

Reading Response: Computers as Instruments

From this week's reading, I'd like to respond to a specific part of Artful Design: Principle 4.5: “Design things with a computer that would not be possible without.”  

I really like the idea of “designing to the medium.” This concept makes me think of how composers should write parts with the instruments they’re using in mind. As a horn player I come across a lot of pieces where it’s very clear that the composer wasn’t really considering the capabilities of the instrument that they wrote a part for. They may be a bit overzealous in the technical difficulty that they’re giving the horns, or unfamiliar with the instrument’s range and give us an unfairly high note. This seems to me like a case of not designing to the medium. If they want a super fast technical passage in their piece, they may want to give that to a woodwind instrument, and give us some whole notes or a nice melody. Good composers design their scores with the instruments in mind, in my opinion. 

I also really like the idea of using the computer as a “personal musical filter to the world.” Something I love about music is that everyone brings a unique perspective and take on how something should sound, and with instruments at least, it’s interesting to see how different two people can approach the same piece of music with their style, phrasing, etc. Computers are capable of doing pretty much anything at this point, and they allow for so much more personal exploration than any instrument could possibly provide. There are so many physical constraints on instruments or with the voice, that there’s a definite limit on what you can technically do. With computers, of course there are some limits, but there is less of a constraint on creativity, which allows people to take their ideas further whether it be with making music or creating an app. Something that I don’t like about playing an instrument (in a classical setting specifically) is that there are clear bounds to what I can and should do. There is a highest and a lowest note that I can physically reach on the instrument, there is music written for me that tells me how loud to play and when, and there is a teacher or a conductor to tell you when you’re not playing how you should be. Of course my perspective might be different had I been trained in jazz or on a bit of a more flexible instrument. The point is, I’ve really enjoyed getting to play around with Chuck and try to break down my ideas of what I should do musically.