- Digital Sampling makes us questions the line between quotation and stealing. Especially if we think about Clyde Stubblefield and Marvin Gaye.
- This chapter also asks us what is added in new iterations and if we can consider these new iterations art. Do these new iterations say something new about culture, history, and our relationship to it? Perhaps thinking about the song "Daydream" by the Wallace Collection, its re-mix by I Monster titled "Daydream in Blue," Lupe Fiasco's rap version titled "Daydreamin," and Alex Calver and J. Walker's version titled "Day Dreamz" might help us think about these questions. What
- Notjustmoreidlechatter should make us consider what music really is. As might this.
Of course, all of these questions are important to us as writers as well who have to integrate sources within our writing to make new arguments that are clearly articulated as both argument and art. As a writer, what can digital sampling teach you about your craft?
Digital sampling can teach me that you can give credit to someone and admire their work even though you don't want to sound academic. You can use it in a type of informal way and while it did catch your eye for one reason, you can use that same piece of their work and shape it into what you are trying to convey. The credit is not taken away from them, but the meaning of the source may be skewed (or rather, it's context may be changed by these other factors). So it really teaches me that while there are lines that cannot be crossed, it has become a lot easier to write a review with a few nods to other sources without sounding academic or straying away from an open and relatable brand.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling shows me that as a writer, I may need to expand my views of music in order to write a unique, thought-provoking piece. I wouldn't necessarily think to write about a song that has been digitally sampled since it's not the original, and the issue of stealing is present. However, these songs are more complex in their differences than I would originally think. Ordinarily written songs aren't the only ones that I should consider as music, and I should take that into account when I'm doing my writing.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling shows me that all art is based on some sort of inspiration, and using that inspiration to my advantage in my writing is not necessarily a bad or unoriginal thing. Digital sampling is a delicate subject to play with. It has been criticized as a form of stealing that lacks originality when in fact taking a piece of art, messing with it, and turning it into something new can reveal my own originality/individuality as a writer. In addition, I learned that using another source to my advantage can not only better my writing but also provide a better understanding of the original work itself. Pulling ideas from an outside article can shed a new light on that author's themes while also working to form a completely distinctive argument in my own writing through manipulation.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling shows us as writers that it is okay to build off of the ideas of others, but it is not okay to take ideas completely without citation. The same is true for music. After we find out that an artist heavily sampled without giving credit, it often discredits them and personally, I lose some respect. In writing, we often "remix" the ideas of other, often as a sort of conversation with another piece. This functions similarly to the original of "Daydream"'s relationship to the I Monster version. They are in conversation with one another.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer, digital sampling teaches me that there might not be an answer-- and that that's okay. It teaches me that the definitions we have of music and genre and sound are really just social constructs, and that a writer shouldn't see music as black or white. For example, with the ever-so-slight modifications made to "Daydream" with each new digital sample, the song changed genre completely. We think about music as these separate boxes-- as all of these different genres that are very much independent of each other, and as a sound that is very much independent of other sounds. But it's actually much more intricate than that, with one small factor having the capability to change everything about how we classify it. And if that's the case, then one small factor of a piece could the base of everything we're reviewing about it. I guess the foundation of what I'm saying is that I should be writing about pieces as processes, and not about them as something that's definite.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling can teach us how to use original sources such as scholarly journals and magazine articles to enhance our writing. Artists take an original piece and manipulate and rework it to create a new piece of art, making it their own. We can do this in writing as well, using quotes or even just information from previous works to make our own point, increasing the credibility of our argument.
ReplyDeleteLooking at digital sampling as a writer I can learn several things. The most important thing I think is that it is okay to build off what someone else has said. That is what digital sampling is in music and it's works. But the thing is that they create something new with the previous artist's work. I could do that in my writing and I think it would actually make my writing stronger. I should look at other people's works whether that be scholarly or just another review and use that to help jump start my own review. But at the same thing you still have to be original with what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling can be a useful tool in making music, but it has to be used wisely and with proper credit. A sample used well can make a huge difference in the quality of a work and drawing from other works can inspire you to create things that are fresh and exciting. However, a sample integrated poorly into a song can make a song much worse than was intended. Poorly integrated samples can make songs sound patchy and can make other mistakes in a work sound more obvious. Digital sampling can teach the value of subtlety and finesse when adding an idea that was not completely your own and this can inspire changes in how you create your own music, ultimately leading to a well defined craft that gives a new voice to music.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling can help me understand the art I am analyzing. The art of digital sampling is utilizing the best and most impactful pieces of music and incorporating them into a new work. The Clyde Stubblefield drumbeat is a great example of how artists utilize a definitive part of a song and use that toward creating a new song. When artists due this, they expose musical aspects that deserve more attention. That drumbeat has been used in numerous famous artist's songs of all varieties of genre. The fact that it was incorporated into so many works, made that drumbeat famous. In writing, when a work is cited often, it gains exposure and popularity. Through my writing, I use a form of digital sampling by pulling information from famous works of art and utilizing those arguments to create my own. I have learned from our most recent assignment and the reading on digital sampling that taking aspects of a previously established work without citation is theft. Overall, digital sampling has many parallels to writing and I can make sure to acknowledge those similarities and learn from them in my work.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling and using sources within our writing have similar aspects. In a basic form they are both there to enhance the meaning of or give a different meaning to the basic form of the art or writing. I think that the interesting thing about digital sampling is the fact that artists can take sounds from the past and integrate them into their music. What this allows artists to do is take a sound and put their own twist on it to make it exactly how they want. The artist could speed up, slow down, change the instruments creating the beat, and do many more things to the sound to make it their own. As writers we can do a similar thing with utilizing sources. We can use sources to enhance our writing and help add meaning or depth to what we are saying. Although it is not truly our own original thought, it helps us with the message we are trying to write about. A lot of what digital sampling is is looking into the small details to make it transition and flow well. I think writing has similar qualities. The arrangement of words and transitions gives our writing a completely different feel and meaning. Digital sampling can teach us a lot about writing.
ReplyDeleteI think that relating digital sampling to our job as writers and analysts of music is an interesting concept and discussion. It points mostly to the technicalities and implications of sourcing other authors for their work and giving credit where credit is due. The way I see it, artists use samples of older music and artists and get away with not crediting the original creator(s). In turn, we as writers would be chewed alive for taking another person's words or work and using it as our own without mentioning them at all. Digital sampling teaches me to be respectful and courteous to those who have crafted statements and assessments before myself, and to give them the credit they deserve rather than passing it off.
ReplyDeleteThe use of digital sampling shows how versatile you can be as a writer. By using digital sampling you can turn your piece into something even better by using influences from previous works. You have to be knowledgable about your resources and options in order to find examples that will enhance your work and make it better. The use of digital sampling shows that you are educated about previous works and it also shows that you have the ability to use them as inspiration to improve your own work. Many people argue that digital sampling is cheating the original artist because you are using their work but I disagree. I think using an artist's work in a new piece is a compliment to the artist that their work has been able to influence these new ideas and creations.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling as a writer means that you can build off of other peoples ideas, but you cannot claim them as your own. Credit must be given where credit is due. Many times people read an article for a paper and take ideas directly from it without analyzing the ideas and putting it into their own words. This is much like digital sampling. Musicians sometimes forget to renovate the music to fit their style, and simply use it the same beat with no edits. Then, the music they are putting out is not really theirs but someone else they stole. No one like a copy-cat.
ReplyDeleteDigital Sampling is taking a recorded piece of work and using it in a new piece of work. I think that digital sampling shows the find line people walk not only in music, but in other parts of businesses as well. One example that I know of is fashion companies who knock off designer trends. The designs of Forever 21 are so similar to the origial designs that they often are pulled into law suits. The same goes for Robin Thicke with his song "Blurred Lines". We all must be careful in everything that we complete to give credit when it is due.
ReplyDeleteIn music, digital sampling is taking bits of another artists work and slightly modifying them to fit a new work. That same concept can be applied to writing as well; a writer can take a piece of another work, be it an idea, quote, structure, etc., and put a spin on it to make it their own. Of course if one writer is to take an idea or a quote from another then that must be cited to avoid legal troubles. That is something that writers need to learn from digital sampling: giving credit when taking an essential part of another work needs to be done. Many musicians find themselves in legal troubles when taking something from another artist and putting it in their own work. For example, Dr. Dre found himself in a lawsuit after using the "Deep Note" that plays before THX movies in the intro of one of his songs.
ReplyDeleteDigital sampling is an interesting concept because it will never truly be an artist's original work if he or she samples from another piece of music. However, if digital sampling is compared to writing, and writing is the obvious craft of taking ideas and styles and structures and personalizing them, there is a weird difference in society's perception of the two very comparable arts. However, if some principle had to be taken away from digital sampling and applied to writing, it would be that giving credit to those you borrow from is of utmost importance. Regardless of whether you are sampling music or writing something, plagiarism is a main concern and is not tolerated in either craft because it weakens the art, and the deception of borrowing something and calling it your own makes audiences suspicious and resentful of your work.
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