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Musicking Toys, Instruments, and Playful Learning
Having a blast with PlayGround from Herrmutt Lobby. This, for instance, really fits my musical tastes in an unexpected way. Some of it sounds like some Jack DeJohnette might have played in the early 1990s. Maybe my tastes are stuck in that era, which might explain my interest in iWavestation.
Of course, it’s just about remixing something that somebody else has made. And it’s not really possible to do much within one of these “scenes”, or even figure out exactly what each element does. In other words, it’s “just a toy”. But toys can do a lot, even for adults.
Now, the obvious comparison is KRFT by @studioamplify. Heard so much about it through this forum and the usual blogs, but only bought it when they added MIDI out. Only played with it for a few minutes and can understand the potential. Will take the time to properly learn how to use it and should be able to eventually make something cool out of it. Some of the network “surfaces” allow for the same kind of musicking as in PlayGround and will probably spend time with those.
Unlike PlayGround, KRFT allows people to design their own sets. A huge advantage for musicians. In the hands of someone like @jakoB_haQ, it makes for a really powerful instrument. In other words, KRFT isn’t a toy. It’s in another category, even though it can act like a toy.
Posted something on Facebook comparing the learning experience with an instrument like KRFT or a toy like PlayGround with the type of learning in a toy-like interactive animated movie like Monument Valley or, the classic example, a game like Portal. There really is a deep thing happening when you _play _with these things. Whether it’s a toy, a game, a piece of interactive media, or an instrument, the playing has value beyond the “endgoal”.
Got the impression that instruments are preferred over toys, on this forum and some other adult-focused contexts. Even with kids, many educators would probably describe a straight path from toys to instruments or their equivalent in other fields. But maybe there’s a Sir Ken Robinson thing going on, here. Not that Sir Ken advocates for toys over instruments. But there’s something about the open nature of creativity which relates in interesting ways with the simplicity and even the closed nature of some toys like PlayGround. While most remixes of Herrmutt Lobby’s “Hello Wrong” may sound the same (and mine certainly isn’t very “creative” in the strong sense), it’s easy to imagine someone using that very same scene as a set of building blocks for something truly interesting.
KRFT is an open-ended tool affording tremendous flexibility (especially since the MIDI out update) and PlayGround is a closed-down toy with less flexibility than remixing tools like Launchpad by @blocsxnovation or Ninjajamm. Sure. But toys may have their own advantages, in certain contexts.
Some of it has to do with the “onboarding experience”. In fact, PlayGround was just updated with an improved onboarding experience. It was already pretty good. In fact, spent more time playing through each step than what was required for the basic learning. And there was this hedonistic moment of having pleasure with such a simplistic thing as a quantized shaker object. Felt like so much fun, right from the start. And noodling within a scene is the same kind of self-indulgent pleasure which gives us jam bands, albeit at a “baby” level. Much inspiration comes from spending time exploring the affordances of fairly simple things, especially when they produce satisfying results with little effort.
A neat thing about iOS is that we do have a lot of toys and some iOS-savvy musickers respect toys, even as they focus on instruments. @jordanwizdom is a neat example as he can obviously derive a lot of joy from a musicking toy and go on to release flexible instruments.
Maybe toys are a bit of a guilty pleasure. Like playing with presets, some people don’t want to admit they’re having fun with toys. But nothing in music needs to generate guilt.
Sooo... What are your favourite musicking toys, on iOS? Would you consider Bebot more of an instrument? If you were to design something for young kids, what would be your approach?
Comments
Yeah man, I'm on board with everything you just said. As I've said many many times, ikaossilator followed by Figure are my favorite toys. If they were to have midi out, they'd be transformed into that wonderful thing that exists in between a toy and a tool. Fun AND useful
I don't bother to evaluate whether apps are toys or not, I'm mostly interested in learning something new, being able to connect it into existing setups, or apps that have demos that peak my interest. My guilty pleasure is that by and large the entry level for most apps is fairly low in terms of money for me relative to desktop software or hardware. The limitations are how much time I have available to learn a new app or if I already have apps that cover the same territory (quite a luxury).
I do find apps that are limited in their options like games where you're going down a path created for you by the developer to be much less appealing. Even a simple AU effect app is more appealing as I try it out in various setups to hear what it can do.
Since I enjoy playing/creating music rather than having a goal to create a song as a product of music creation, DAW apps really do not excite me. While the principles of mixing and mastering seem worthwhile goals for those who are creating music to share with others, I find the process to be very tedious and to drain the joy from the creative process.
Many modular apps and other aspects of music creation require a significant amount of initial investment to learn. I find the freedom to create my own thing as well as the musical/mathematical principles I learn along the way to be worth the effort which would otherwise be a pain in the ass.
I've spent too much time engaged in analytical thought, so I find being able to play music in a spontaneous way where I learn based upon where my curiosity takes me to be a welcome change of pace. Having headphones and an iPad means I can indulge myself whenever the urge to do so strikes which I'm very thankful for. Getting out hardware, connecting the cables, and setting levels is something I just don't find myself doing on a regular basis despite having invested considerable time and money into them. Even the hassle of a laptop and trackpad versus the immediacy of iOS puts me off.
In summary, KRFT rules!