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How Technology Changed Jazz Music

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How Technology Changes Jazz Music
Throughout history, jazz has been a crucial block in the establishment of music. Generations of artists found inspiration in each other’s work, and a variety of collection was thus created. Despite the varying styles in different artists’ work, the core of the music always belonged to the jazz genre. The genre of Jazz has evolved throughout the ages and a lot of that change wouldn’t be possible without the development and integration of new technology. Technological advances within Jazz music have allowed new instruments and computer equipment to emerge in Jazz music. This new knowledge has changed the genre in ways people never could have imagined. Things such as the radio and new recording methods were also apart of this new technology that allowed jazz music to change and improve.
The phase of music that we are experiencing more of now is involving computers that allow the musicians to create synthesizers that weren’t possible before this new technology. “MARSALIS: Well, I'm not gonna put that on his head because he can do stuff Hendrix never thought of doing.” What Marsalis is talking about is the musical icon Prince and how you can’t compare him to Jimi Hendrix because technology was so different between their times. Jimi Hendrix came from a time where live music was the main way people could listen to their favorite artist. As the electric microphone made advances in its technology, it changed the development within the recording session. Eventually with the arrival of recording tape, studio-recording sessions could be mixed down and with multiple inputs from multiple microphones; producers are able to construct the overall recording to their exact specifications. Furthermore, recording tape allowed for several recordings or multiple takes to get the sound the musicians want.
The microphone not only changed the recording process, it also changed the way of live performances. Before the microphone, solo instruments could not really be heard because if the whole band was playing, the sound levels were all the same making it hard to hear a soloist. With a microphone, during live performances a trumpet player could put the microphone right where the sound comes out of the instrument and the sound level would be raised so that instrument could be heard over all the rest. The microphone allowed for a different way of experiencing a live performance. Without the microphone, live performances were more of an orchestra because the musicians played as one blending all the instruments into one unified sound, while microphones gave soloists a chance to be heard over the rest of the band.
At the beginning of Jazz music, musicians played live shows, weather it is on the street or up on a stage. Recording systems were difficult to obtain and with out the right connections, recording music was virtually impossible. Therefore, live shows were the main way of listening to Jazz. However, from 1920 to the 1980’s, recording systems evolved immensely. During World War II, recording tape was developed; changing the way people could access music. By the 1980’s, digital recording became the norm in the musical recording industry. Digital recording allowed producers to fully fine tune the recording unlike previous recording methods. Digital recording allowed music engineers to alter any part of the recording to make a much more “perfect” sound that could not be achieved in a live performance. While live performances has a charm to them because live performances allow the musician to put their soul into the music, recorded performances sound much cleaner.
Another technology that has changed the way jazz music was enjoyed was through the invention of the phonograph. This meant that people could listen to recorded music in the privacy of their own home. The phonograph technology impacted jazz musicians because there was less of a demand for live performances. As a result of less live performances; only the best of the best were the ones who were able to make a living. Consumers were able to buy records from their favorite artists, leaving the less popular musicians to lower record sales. It wasn’t until recording costs went down significantly that independent recording artists could make money selling their records.
Phonographs made it easier for consumers to enjoy their favorite music from the privacy of their own home, but there was another technological innovation that took the purchasing of records by storm. Some people can argue that vinyl records are the most pure form of recording sound but since the digital age, it is a dying way to enjoy music. Computers and the Internet have had a huge impact on how many records are sold. Programs like Napster, and LimeWire are example of how selling music has changed immensely. These programs allowed people to share and download music straight to their computer without having to buy the individual record. This is a problem for any musician who wishes to sell their music to make a living. While before the Internet, people had to go to a record store and buy the musicians records, producing revenue for that artists, people can now search the vast internet and download virtually anything they want. Although this wasn’t a problem before the Internet was invented, it has made selling records today a harder task. However, jazz understands the changing times and the need for other ways of selling the music, therefore they have added links to download music legally through meeting devices so people can listen to the tracks on mp3’s. This helps bridge the gap between the history in the music and the new technology of today.
Technology is always changing and improving on things that with out the new technology would never change. The introduction of the radio and digital recordings along with the introduction of the phonograph evolved the jazz industry into what it is today. Without the growing innovation of technology and new ways of recording and live performances I feel that music would have been stuck in a stagnant place. Musicians have a chance to grow their own sound and make it unique to them, which is what is so great about new ways of making music. The music industry is so vast and technology gives everyone a chance to discover what they like the best and what they don’t like. The stories being told in the music haven’t changed very much over the years but the variations in instruments and new sounds formed by the new instruments, have changed from what it used to be.

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