So following the interesting and successful experience of my collaboration with Yuko using GarageBand and IMovie, I have been keeping my eyes open for other possible applications using MacBooks for live music making.
This site, (http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/slork/index2.html) lists a very intriguing premise...using MacBooks literally as "musical instruments", rather than merely as a platform for applications such as GarageBand and Logic Pro. Members of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra ("SLOrk"), utilizes an interface such as keyboards, mousepads, USB controllers, or even the tilt of the monitor, on their respective MacBook in a different way to create a unique sound. It's a mix of programming knowledge and musical performance, but as their leader, programmer Ge Wang, notes, “The ensemble is really two classes in one,” says Wang. “There’s programming, there’s computer music, there’s composition and arrangement, and on top of it all it’s a performance class. The best part is there are no requirements to join, just an excitement about music.”
As a musician myself, I can't help but note with some envy how easy it is for members of SLOrk to collaborate, create, and perform together--and all this is possible among musicians of widely varying experience levels, musical interests, and, thanks to technology, different locations. As the line between technology and music continues to blur, how long is it before musicians clamor for a similar kind of versatility, ease of use, and "hands-on" experiences from "real" musical instruments?
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