Digital Instruments: Extensions or Media?

I argue that, from the performer’s perspective, there are significant differences between analogue and digital instruments. The unique nature of the relationship with digital instruments transforms the performer’s practice in ways that aesthetic discourse has yet to fully address. From a post-phenomenological perspective, I will demonstrate how this relationship differs from that with analogue instruments, prioritizing reading over bodily sensations. In contrast to post-phenomenological accounts, however, I will also argue that the concept of digital instruments as extensions of the human body remains ambiguous and is even further removed from traditional notions of skill and virtuosity. Although this analysis focuses on musical instruments, I emphasize that the argument applies to all artistic practices that engage with digital tools. In this respect, the article will be of interest to theorists of digital media, digital art practitioners, historians, and philosophers of technology.