Week 5 - Forum

This weeks forum was again on collaborations. And again, this week most of the presenters were exploring where collaborations have been applied and have worked.

Although, like last week, one person made a presentation that caught my attention and I'm going to base my blog around that as I have limited word count. Darren's presentation was exploring whether collaborations is always the appropriate term.*(1) For example, if two people are collaborating together to try and make a mix of two different ideas or styles then it would be justified in being called a collaboration. However, if the collaboration is based on one persons independant idea that is only able to come into existence because of another persons involvement, is it really collaboration? When people are collaborating through necessity rather than through choice.

According to Darren, this is fairly common and is still a useful tool. For example, when a classical composer wants to take his arrangements to a new level, and introduce drum beats but can't play that, then he has to get in another musician to 'collaborate'. However, this musician has no real input into the final product except to play what the original composer wants.

Darren gave many examples of what he believed wer real collaborations and collaboration through necessity. It was an interesting way of looking at it, and I hadn't thought about it that way before.

Of course, there is then a line that needs to be drawn: How much joint collaboration IS through necessity? Whether the necessity to improve the sound of the music, or the necessity to gain a bigger audience.

As usual, forum has proven to show more questions than answers.

*(1) Darren, Music Technology Forum, 29/3/2007