As we transition yet again from one year to the next, I find myself reflecting on the value of the “old” things in life as well as the value of the “new” things. Must we really let go of all that is old to make way for what is new? I would hope not, but yet if we hold on too strongly to what has gone before, we can indeed lose sight of what is yet to come. This leads us to the inevitable balancing act, and it takes on many forms. In this issue, I’d like to talk about the relative merits of old versus new – and simple versus complex – technology.

As a parent, one of your major tasks is choosing which values to try and pass on to your children, and then to try and find a way to effectively instill these values in your offspring. I have some friends who see an ever more “plugged-in” world – and see teenagers who are glued to their smartphones and cannot spare enough time to form complete sentences – and they have taken a firm stance against such technology, banning computers, video games and cell phones from their home, and instead, surrounding their children with books (real, tangible books!), art supplies, and Lincoln Logs. Other friends have taken the opposite route, and have their kids launching apps on their iPads before they can launch peas off of their spoon. After all, it’s an ever more technological world out there, and I don’t want my kid to be left behind!

Personally, I feel that there has to be a reasonable balance to this childrearing dilemma, and I’m proud to say that while my kids know how to use a smartphone and a word processor, and can – with supervision – surf the internet, they both still love to read books, draw pictures, and build things with Legos. And yes, they can still form complete sentences (though admittedly, neither has reached their teens, yet).

So what does this have to do with music, Papa Bowlus? Well, the players may change, but the game’s the same. All-tube heads with NOS glass, versus tube emulation in the digital realm. A ’51 P-bass with “only” four strings and no batteries, versus an 11-string extended range bass with active electronics. Standing in front of a “wall of sound,” versus in-ear monitors. Vinyl versus MP3.You get the idea (I hope). Technology advances at an ever increasing pace, and it’s really amazing what you can do in the digital realm (just check out Tom Lees’ article on iPhone/iPad interfaces in this issue). But music has deep roots, and even the most simple of instruments can work magic in the right hands.

Some people swear by “old wood” when it comes to instruments. Phil Maneri’s mid-Nineteenth Century European upright certainly supports this theory, as do any of a number of vintage Fenders I’ve had the pleasure of playing. But other folks – say, those engineers at Yamaha – are looking for ways to impart the benefits of the aging process into new instruments (see Vic Serbe’s review of the BB2025x). Still others are looking to new materials and new compounds with which to make instruments, such as carbon fiber, resin-impregnated plywoods, and different plastic compounds.

Who is right, and who is wrong? Well, people from any of the “camps” I have just mentioned can argue until they are blue in the face espousing theirs as the one true vision, but I don’t buy into the notion that there is any one path that is superior to the rest. Much like the values which a parent chooses to (try and) pass on to their child, the choice of tools which an artist embraces to help their share their art with the world is a very personal judgment call.

It’s a balancing act, but we all get to walk our own tightrope. If you want to mix it all up, and jam your vintage Gibson through an iRiffPort, then have at it! It’s your muse to serve, and no one else’s.

That’s how I see it.

Take care, Tom.