I’ve decided I’ve got to do more work away from the computer. I’m not so much composing, in the sense of hearing music and creating the notation for that on paper, a.k.a. “writing it down”, as I am playing with dots on a computer monitor and listening to the results. It’s almost dada-istic as an approach, and I don’t think I like it any more.
I somewhat disagree with your conclusion Dale. It’s one thing, generally, if you don’t like the approach, but it’s another thing entirely if you don’t like the dada-istic approach because you feel like it doesn’t “accomplish results.” You’re a creature of the computer, a creature of revision and revision. If you don’t like how YOU create or compose, so be it, but if you don’t like it because you feel that’s ‘not how it SHOULD be done,’ then you’ve got to reconsider your art. Why isn’t playing with dots on a computer monitor and listening to the results productive? You know, that on some level, it is.
That’s all I said: I don’t like it any more. I wasn’t passing judgment on the system. Heavens, most of my best bits are total accidents! I just want to gain a greater sense of control/direction because I think I can work more efficiently, i.e., produce more effective results more consistently and more quickly. The tool of the happy accident will always be in my back pocket.