OllieBrooke

So DJs use decks to create soundscapes, atmosphere, vibes etc. I realise that technically they're not instruments as such but, since they are instruments of music, could you class them as a musical instrument? (if that's not too convoluted!)

 

Aqualung

I think of instruments as actually creating sound. Decks rearrange sound into songs. Which is really admirable, of course, and I don't want to put them down, but I wouldn't consider them "instruments" per se.

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OllieBrooke

Very succinctly put. I guess my take on them is that while I don't play any "instruments" I would still consider myself a musician. But how can a musician exist without instruments to create the music...?

Habey Gonzo

Well, someone can be a musician, without even playing an instrument, like composers, for instance, they could write music without needing an instrument (if they know exactly how it's going to sound like in advance).

On the other hand, I don't consider decks an instrument, since they do not really produce a sound by themselves, but use what was previously recorded in the disk (Ok, you can modify that sound by turning them faster or slower, but you get the point). It's a bit like considering guitar hero controllers as musical instruments.

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OllieBrooke

Lol, good analogy, true I guess though... So you could just call them "music presentation devices" then I suppose...

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Habey Gonzo

Yep, something like that, or FX assistants, in the same way as a guitar FX pedal is not an instrument by itself, but helps "improving" the guitar sound.

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Jody LeCompte

I don't see how they couldn't be considered instruments.

What about DJs with a background in percussion behind their scratching? Most DJs just come off as scratching randomly, but it's actually a very rhythmic process.

As far as it not producing it's own sound. What if a C major chord on a piano magically triggered Come Together's bass line. Would you not consider it an instrument? An instrument is anything that can be used in the production or performance of music. My keys are instruments, my car is an instrument, my remote and it's batteries are instruments.

If nothing else, look at bands like Incubus or Linkin Park? Would you say their DJs aren't instrumentalist making music? Strip the DJ out of With You by Linkin Park and what do you have? A song with it's balls cut off.

MorningGlory

I think that they are not instruments but are an important part of the music world. Linkin park would be dead without a DJ but you need all the instruments to make the band great. Everyone has different views on this topic though so I suppose it just depends on the person.

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Uncut Rubber

Well, synthesisers and mellotrons use prerecorded sounds and rearrange them into songs. Would they not be considered instruments then?

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sgtwatts

Agreed. It would be an instrument only in the capacity in which your using it. So if this was used to sample from other songs along with beat machines to "create" anything of a musical nature then I would consider it one. If it wasn't more most digital equipment then we wouldn't have different genre of Techno. Last time I checked Techno is a huge genre of music that requires a deck. No to mention that trying to use the software without any experience is hard enough.

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Aqualung

Yes, I've changed my opinion since I wrote that. Jody convinced me otherwise

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Jody LeCompte

Haha.

I'm glad my little car jams and what not didn't come off as weird, then.

danadax

If used in a creative way, decks can be considered instruments in their own right.

bassrocks

She's right, on the composer bit. I'm a composer and I write things for my high school band all the time. Yet, I don't play flute, or trumpet, or clarinet, or a good part of the instruments. But I know how it's going to sound.

And do I consider DJ Decks an instrument, no, I don't. To play an instrument takes a great amount of skill. You need to know your scales, so you know how the music works together. How the brightness of a flute solo can bring out the subtlety of chords coming from a choir. In order to produce sound on a Deck, you just press a button.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting them down. They're a great tool to use if you don't have the instruments. But they're simply that. Tools.

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