Noise Vs Music

[Urban Noise]

Where ends music and begins noise? Or where does a noise composition begins to be music?
Are there any limits on the "definition" of what can be noise?

Maybe this was already discussed, most probably, but since I'm new here and new to Noise/PE too, I'm curious to know what's your opinion on the subject.

Personally I see noise as an attempt to make music with different sounds or "instruments". Attempt, in a way of experimentation, creating a melody out of anything at our disposal. Even if that melody is not that melodic.

[burdizzo]

A lot of noise bands are not attempting to create anything remotely like 'music'. They're certainly not concerned w/ melody, either. In some ways, it's an anti-music stance.
I think it's a bit of a redundant debate, anyway, since any sound one considers worthwhile can be considered 'music'.

[JK-blodrode]

yeah, it depends on how you define music and non-music. To me, any sound is a kind of music as soon as you start paying attention to it. this was also the thoughts that trigged my interest for noise and field recordings etc

[dmkerr]

Putting aside for a moment my agreement with the other posters that music is sound, I'd have to say that the focus on notes or scalar improvisation vs sonics themselves is the dropping off point. Now I don't think that Coltrane's "sheets of sound" is all that removed from The Rita's "walls of noise", at least conceptually, but Coltrane was playing several specific notes over chord changes (or something there about, during his later period). 

To take Coltrane to the noise format, I give you Borbetomagus as an example.  Saxophones playing "sound" instead of notes.  So somewhere between "Live at the Village Vanguard Again" and "Barbed Wire Maggots" lies the link you're searching for. 

[Urban Noise]

Thank for the tip! Will search for it!


If someone is only making random noises and put them together without any intention of creating some kind of melody/music then that's just generic noise/sound and honestly I don't see much interest on it, maybe as some kind of research on noises, but that's all.
Now, making noise on any materials and use that to make music... that's really what fascinates me.

[tinnitustimulus]

rhythm: loops, lfos, delays, frequency beats, start and complete decay of a repeatable action or gesture
pitch: filters, tape speed, feedback level/distance to speaker, pitch shifter

these are the common rudimentary musical elements in noise. I feel like there is a sense of timing of when things change in noise, japanoise especially. I know I try to hit different frequency ranges at different times at different qualities, in a vague pattern, vague enough not to be obvious.

I have to say the ones that defy this are vomir and jliat from creating stasis, no structure at all.

[tiny_tove]

fuck music (while listening to mellow acoustic ballads)