Strings of Life was performed live on a keyboard, not sequenced — it was a real-time production

May clarifies that ‘Strings of Life’ (1987) was not programmed by drawing MIDI blocks on a screen but performed in real time. The piano parts are played; the orchestral sections were recorded from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on cassette during childhood visits and then played as progressions on the keyboard through an Ensoniq Mirage sampler. May emphasises this to push back against the idea that electronic music is purely programmatic: ‘We always wanted to make sure people knew we were playing the music.’ The track exists as a performed, expressive act despite being made entirely with electronic gear.

Examples

The Ensoniq Mirage (a sampling keyboard) was the sequencer; the ‘orchestra’ samples were cassette recordings of real musicians. May still performs Strings of Life with the Transmat original at gigs.

Assessment

Describe how ‘Strings of Life’ was created according to May. Why does he consider this relevant to the broader question of musicianship vs. programming?