[Harp-L] "Emergence", or "the whole is more than the sum of its parts"

["Bob Laughlin" <rlaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As I was alluding to, in my last post, a band can be more than merely a collection of players, but at times can take on a synergy that makes it profoundly more significant than if one were to observe each individual member standing alone. This principle is encapsulated in the saying that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts".

This principle, called "emergence" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence), is evident in philosophy, systems theory and the sciences , and is a phenomenon which can be observed in a musical sense in bands and orchestras.

Here's an article related to this. Halfway down the paragraph there is a reference to the orchestral example:

http://books.google.com/books?id=YoccAFgAvzoC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=the+whole+is+more+than+merely+the+sum+of+its+parts&source=web&ots=jnsvtixjSA&sig=h6W2JSV6YGcu2Ucm1PdBGkryRuI

This phenomenon seems to indicate that there is some value in bringing the members of any band, any musical group, into a proper appreciation of one another, and not merely of themselves alone. The individual band members, properly appreciated and encouraged, can bring forth a synergy that could make that band shine brightly, brighter than any individual harmonica player, guitar player, bassist or drummer could individually perform. Then, the band is not merely a "spectacle", a "side show", or a novelty, but a complex experience, not based on one member alone.

BL