Four Musical Domains

Music is a very broad and abstract concept. Even though the definition of "music" varies from country to country and region to region, it is universal. Music is inescapable and interminable. Whether listening to music in the car on the way to work every morning in New York City, or singing songs with fellow farmers in the rice fields of China, music is a part of everyone's life. All forms of music, however, are not the same. Music making can be divided into four groups; participatory, presentational, high-fidelity, and studio audio art.

Participatory music making is classified as having no clear distinction between the artist(s) and audience members. An example of this is a drum circle in which all members are participating and contributing to the song. This type of music is usually highly repetitive and anyone, regardless of skill level, is encouraged to join in. There is little to no rehearsing or practicing, it is all improvisation and coordination with fellow members of the group. Since skilled players/singers/dancers along with neophytes are performing together, the overall quality and virtuosity of the piece is diminished; however, participatory music is not judged on the quality, but rather the amount of participation and level of social bonding that takes place. Those cultures less focused on overall talent and competition have more participatory, whereas a country like America which is more cosmopolitan values presentational music more.

Presentational music is intended for listening, not doing. It is directed towards providing and sustaining interest of the audience members. An example of this is an orchestra which performs for a seated audience. Only the talented players/performers take the stage and those who are less experienced are excluded. The effect of this is a competitive environment and the encouragement of artistic expression. This type of music does not create the same social bonding of those involved like participatory music does, but there is more extensive variation available and less repetitiousness. These musical performances are less redundant and require practice and rehearsal. Entire performances are scripted and rehearsed prior to the show. If going to a live performance is not an option however, high-fidelity recordings are a valuable alternative.

High-fidelity recordings are meant to be indices of live performances. These recordings are readily available for download or purchase, which distinguishes this type of music from participatory or presentational. The production of the recording is designed to preserve the feeling of the performance— although there is no social aspect involved. The overall goal of these recordings are to create revenue via record/ CD/ cassette/ itunes sales.While the studio engineers maintain most of the control, the artists still play some part in the music-making process— unlike with Studio Audio Art Recordings.

Studio Audio Art is abstract sonic artwork. This type of music is a different type of recording which is also focused on sales. Studio audio art is completely controlled by the studio engineers and there is no expectation that it could be performed live. This form of music has recently been popularized due to the internet and advances in technology. An example of this type of music is Skrillex's Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. It contains abstract, computer generated sounds and beats.