A Finnish turn: Digital and synthesiser musical instruments

Abstract

This paper will follow a musically experimental trajectory from non-mediated musical sound through many centuries of musical innovation from the simplest forms of resonation to today’s synthesised musics in electronic – digital and synthesiser musics – with side looks at how changes in musical technologies play roles in the player-instrument and listener-music relations. I shall then look briefly at the modern, electric amplification of ‘electric’ instruments and much ‘louder’ musics with their equally radical changes in audience-performance situations. Finally, then, I will turn to electronic variants, which yet again drastically change the musical gestalt of player-instrument and listener-music relations.