I have been working on my new book (working title “Sound Actions”) over the summer. It mainly focuses on instruments, and I have struggled to find an analytic lens to explain how “instruments” are changing due to new (music) technologies.
Now, I have come up with the concept of a musicking quadrant that summarizes four main types of musical activities: composing, performing, perceiving, and analyzing:
Of these, the performing and perceiving parts are happening in real time, one being more “passive” and the other more “active”. I have ended up grouping instrument makers, composers, and producers into a “maker” category. They are all somehow involved in shaping musical experiences, yet “out of time” with respect to a performance. Similarly, analysts are also working “out of time” but on a reflective, not creative side.
The idea is to use the musicking quadrant as a way of framing the different parts of the book. I am also looking forward to testing it on students, to see if it can help clarify different roles of musicking.