Classical Music on iphones and ipads

[Dulcetjones]

The DigiEnsemble Berlin using apps on their i devices to "play" classical music. The last half of this video, where they are all playing, is very surreal to watch, there's something sci-fi or even alien about it, eerie,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeJtpFFaOHY

[ICBM]

Interesting exercise, but it strikes me as a bit pointless. There's no expression the individual players can put in other than timing*, so I'm not sure how it's any more creative than one person programming the same piece and then playing it back with real-time tempo control. Seems a bit too much like using technology for the sake of it, but still not using it effectively. I'm all for using technology to make music, but this is like using eight different keyboards to play something that could easily be done with one.

*Admittedly the same is true of playing an organ.

[Dulcetjones]

Interesting exercise, but it strikes me as a bit pointless.

Exactly. The oddest thing was the realization that I could have been witnessing 8 people texting their friends while listening to a stereo.