Yoon & Teoh: Correlation between composition and conlanging?

On Thu, 10 Aug 2000, Yoon Ha Lee wrote:

>On Fri, 11 Aug 2000, Markus Miekk-oja wrote:
>
>> >If I could figure out microtones, pentatonics, etc. and understood more
>> >about non-Western modes of music, I would try it.  As it stands I'm too
>> >afraid I'll screw it up.
>>
>> Well, I've been toying with the idea of creating a whole new music system,
>> and I know abit music-theory (though only having played paino for
>> three years (and I hated it!) and fallen in love with a Guitar about a year
>> ago...)
>
><wry g>  I was given a copy of Donald Grout's whatever-the-title-was and
>just couldn't get through it.
>
>I play piano decently, viola poorly (out of practice since I went to
>college), soprano and alto recorders okay, harmonica okay (self-taught),
>pennywhistle okay (self-taught, but the fingering is intuitive),
>classical guitar okay (out of practice).  Notice that these are all
>Western instruments.  :-/  My mom wanted me to learn kayageum (a
>Korean...zither?) but never got the chance to enroll me.
I guess if we're comming out with our musical "talents"... I play
piano decently as well - and have been practicing much more than usual
on account of having to play organ for a friend's wedding in November.
Haven't touched an organ in a decade, but it'll all come back (I sure
hope). I can (almost) recognisably scratch out "What Would You Do If
You Married a Soldier?" on the fiddle. I can play almost any wind
instrument passably (and own enough to start a brass band) except
flute; and the bigger, the better. Can't abide strings; and never
really tried percussion (except once in a high school concert when one
of the bands' timpani player was sick and the band director said "When
you see that note, hit that drum; I think you can sort out the rest."
Also got to do bass drum that concert.) Am also trying to learn
cornetto (basically a recorder with a wee little trumpet mouthpiece);
but it's a right bitch to play bad, let alone sounding musical. It's
the only instrument I've ever come across that you can play pretty
near two (chromatic) octaves with only one fingering.  I don't compose
very well: most everything I've written sounds a bit off in some way.

Back to conlanging: I have written a few jigs and other such Folk
Music; which will eventually get made into a book of Kemrese
traditional music, the book of course being written in Brithenig.

>> However, I think this discussion should take place on conculture...so I'd
>> be happy if somebody could tell me how to subscribe :-) ... ?
>
>Same here.  :-)
Go on over to egroups.com and search for the list "conculture". You
can sign up for the list there.

Padraic.

>YHL