The Music of Sounds and the Music of Things: Sonic Creativity Within Sampling and DIY Cultures [Paperback]

The Music of Sounds and the Music of Things is a book about sonic sampling and DIY (or DIT, that is, do it yourself or do it together) instrument making as two highly innovative yet inclusive forms of 21st century music making and is written by someone who has focused on sampling throughout his career and a pioneer in DIY instrument making.

This book investigates two areas in which the appreciation of sonic creativity can be easily acquired across diverse cultures, ages and interests: the music of sounds  making music with any sounds, part of todays sampling culture and the music of things  and the creation of instruments using existent materials (another type of sampling?) involving the notion of instrument as composition as part of todays DIY (or DIT, do it together) culture.

The book offers broad discussions regarding the music of things (written by John Richards) followed by the music of sounds (written by Leigh Landy). These chapters are followed by a focus on the workshop demonstrating the collaborative and inclusive potential in both areas, and a spotlight on eight artists with a broad diversity of backgrounds and approaches to sound and music who discuss their perceptions. The books conclusion focuses on similarities and differences between the music of sounds and the music of things, suggesting, finally, that both might form part of the 21st- centurys folk music landscape.

The book is primarily aimed towards students interested in current forms of sonic creativity but will be of interest to those interested in broader issues of sampling culture, hacking and sound studies.

Chapter 1  Introduction

Chapter 2  On the Music of Any and All Sounds

Chapter 3  The DIY Sound-making Artist