The Importance of Breakbeats and Sampling in Music | help

[sonar]

my mate is doing a music course and doing this big investigation into sampling and stuff. He made this questionaire and needs to get the opinions from people from different musical genres. if you could spend a few minutes filling it in that would be sound, cheers.



The Importance of Breakbeats and Sampling in Music.
Questionnaire.


Approximately how long do you think sampling has been around?


Do you consider sampling to be as reputable as any musical instrument or is it “cheating”?


What do you think of its role in music and how do you think it should be used?


Do you believe in free use of samples or do you think that royalties should be paid to the artist, if so why?



What genres do you associate sampling with?


How do you think electronic and sample based music compares to instrumental music?

[narcossist]

Approximately how long do you think sampling has been around?

since the 10's or 20's, whenever it was people started making music out of sounds, can't remember the chronology of it but think it stemmed from futurism and then was luigi russolo the one who wrote the art of noise? Pierre Schaeffaer ? and his recordings of trains. Sorry my memory is gash but tell yr mate to look up early musique concrete

Do you consider sampling to be as reputable as any musical instrument or is it “cheating”?

Is hiphop cheating? allows non musicians to do stuff with sound that makes other people happy or dance. If everyone had to play every instrument in their productions alot of music just wouldn't exist. Just another instrument really though a more scientific one than standard instruments


What do you think of its role in music and how do you think it should be used?

To give emotion and humanism to tracks that others would be robotic and turgid. The sample should be used in a way that innovates on its original use in whatever capacity the producer is capable though rather than as a shortcut to song writing.


Do you believe in free use of samples or do you think that royalties should be paid to the artist, if so why?

If you nick a whole tune the person who wrote the riff or beat should get money, if you use a just hit i think its a bit anal for the sampled artist to expect payement


What genres do you associate sampling with?

anything inorganic

How do you think electronic and sample based music compares to instrumental music?

its all the same, as i said above samplers just a tool in the same way a guitar or drumkit is

[soi]

Do you consider sampling to be as reputable as any musical instrument or is it “cheating”?

Is hiphop cheating? allows non musicians to do stuff with sound that makes other people happy or dance. If everyone had to play every instrument in their productions alot of music just wouldn't exist. Just another instrument really though a more scientific one than standard instruments

Hmm, interesting issue.
Have been thinking bout this some time now.
Off course some albums wouldn't sound the same if sampling wasn't allowed. There's no Dj Shadow without a sampler.
But how about some f.e. whack hiphop bling bling producer sampling some Shirley Bassey, pitching the vocals up, adding some beat underneath it? Basics are the same, but the output/creative aspect is way under my terms of sampling as a creative outlet.
In any case, i think all producers/musicians nowadays should really bare in mind that they have an overwhelming spectrum of ready-made samples at their disposal.
Never forget your roots.

[narcossist]

fair point man but sampling isn't to blame for bad exponents of it, just like you can't blame guitars or riffs for shit like eric clapton*

*just an example before someone says he's better on the guitar than i'll ever be etc etc...

[shonky]

Approximately how long do you think sampling has been around?

I was thinking Stockhausen until Narcossist added in his slightly better know-how


Do you consider sampling to be as reputable as any musical instrument or is it “cheating”?

As there have been killer tunes with outrageous lifts from other music, I think the end justifies the means. Plenty of older hip hop tunes imo are better than the tune they were originally nabbed from

What do you think of its role in music and how do you think it should be used?

Very important. Even in tunes that you wouldn't necessarily think of as using a sampler (i.e. replacing drum parts with individual hits in rock tracks) it's changed the face of music as we know it. Plenty of music would be impossible to make without it.


Do you believe in free use of samples or do you think that royalties should be paid to the artist, if so why?

If the samplist isn't making money from it, then I don't see any problem. If it's for a hit or noise then I think it's unjustified of the original artist to think that he had a contribution in the new composition. If it's robbing the main verse or significant hook and goes on major release then I think a percentage should be forthcoming, but on smaller releases the money involved isn't worth getting lawyers involved.



What genres do you associate sampling with?

I think it probably shows up in the majority of styles apart from the real hardcore, record to tape, non-digital crowd. Obviously big in electronic music genres, but also in most music recorded digitally one way or another.


How do you think electronic and sample based music compares to instrumental music?

Sampled music often puts more emphasis on the sounds at the expense of musicality, but then sometimes not knowing the rules allows a more creative approach. Bad sample use is as poor as bad guitar music - depends on the artist and how creative they are.

[b-lam]

The Importance of Breakbeats and Sampling in Music.
Questionnaire.



Approximately how long do you think sampling has been around?

40 years ish.

Do you consider sampling to be as reputable as any musical instrument or is it “cheating”?

It's not for me as reputable, but there is a skill to it nonetheless.

What do you think of its role in music and how do you think it should be used?

I think it is good sampling has eroded some of the boundries between genres. Also, sampling means that no piece of music is 'sacred', which again is good in my opinion.

Do you believe in free use of samples or do you think that royalties should be paid to the artist, if so why?

Depends on context, if the sample is used in a creative way that does something new with the content, then i believe it should be free. i think music should be open to everyone to sample for inspiration, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. it is difficult to make this kind of distinction between using someone elses music creatively and just ripping off their ideas however.


What genres do you associate sampling with?

electronic music.

How do you think electronic and sample based music compares to instrumental music?

It's good. Comparing music to try and find which one is 'better' is meaningless, it's subjective, you either like it or you don't, I like it.

[downsize]

This great video by artist Nate Harrison is an in depth analysis of the most significant drum break in all of recorded music.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 5279162532

Great stuff.