Rock of Ages
January 19, 2008Music has taken an interesting turn this last century, if you really think about it. It has gone from a codified, organized, highly refined art to a street-wise, anybody-can-do-it part of pop culture. The question I pose to you is this: Has it done music any good?
The Pros
These days, music is for everyone. It takes no ear training to appreciate, most anyone can add to it in some way, and there is a sound for everyone. Don’t like punk? Try some Rage Against The Machine. Sick of all the over-political maniacs? Perhaps the Beatles are more your style. Too mainstream? I suppose there’s always rap.
What I’m getting at is that music is far more diverse than ever before, and everyone can listen to it and/or play it. I’ve lost count of how many garage bands/singer-songwriters/rappers/techno producers I know personally. I’m part of that crowd, as a matter of fact.
There are no more rules, and so creativity is free to roam. New, wonderful ideas have sprung up out of nowhere, doing things nobody ever thought possible before. These guys are a perfect example. They’ve fused elements from a number of different styles to make something new and exciting. What sort of crazy ideas will we see in the future? Nobody really knows.
The Cons
Of course, the flip side of this coin is that there’s a lot of really, REALLY bad music floating around. Half the stuff on the radio seems to be over-produced white noise, providing no true musicality and nothing but a marketable hook. Some of it sells just because of the dance and holds no real musical value. So much of today’s music is about the money, or appealing to the widest audience, that it seems to have lost it’s soul. It’s no longer music, but just a few catchy hooks intertwined with teeny bopper ads and a lot of hot air.
Not to mention, all sorts of new “rules” have cropped up to replace the old ones, ranging from reasonable to just plain ridiculous. The ridiculously shattered and over-genrefied (is that even a word?) dance music scene is evidence of that, with very strict guidelines as to what is “okay” and what is “not”, right down to the specific beats per minute. Personally, I’m sick of it all. Perhaps the old addage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies here. If anyone got the rules right, it would have to be this guy. Precise, meticulous…and brilliant. Ain’t no way fiddy can compare wit dat yo.
Conclusion?
So is music better off now? Or would it be better if pop had never risen to power? What do you think?
Personally, while I find the marketing, the lack of artistry, the tasteless white noise, and the pointless genre wars sickening beyond comprehension, there’s very little in this world that can re-create the energy of a live performance.
But don’t ask me. Leave some comments, share some opinions, and let’s settle this age old question once and for all.
Then are those of us who try to compose music, and thinks that first chairs and being the best is over-rated and that everyone even conductor should be equals. All of whom share a common passion for music. Those who go on with life because they are inspired by composers like Mozart and Beethoven and Gustav Holst, as well as many countless people. They want to write pieces of magnum opus worthiness.
Sometimes composers often performing there music with the orchestra ill-rehearsed. Such as when symphony #5 by Beethoven was performed for the first time, they had only rehearsed once and the concert was like 3 hours.