Being Open-minded: What is Music?
30/05/07 01:40 Filed in: Music
What is Music?
This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. It's like asking what is food? or what is amazing? Neither of which can draw on definite definitions. However, we can apply meaning to certain things about music. First off, music is an art, and we all know that art is incredibly subjective, so it's not hard to say music is subjective. People listen to music everyday, but is that all the music in the world? Of course not. Does music even have to be from human beings? Couldn't someone just admire the music of a storm? or the rain forest? or whales? What I'm trying to say is that music is everywhere if you listen to it in the frame of 'music.'
Like splattered paint against a canvas, there are regions of music that are not meant to be pretty or pleasing. Some is actually quite irritating or tense, causing an audience to cringe or even frown at the music. This brings us to the first counter question; does music have to be pleasant? The answer is no. In fact, some of the deepest music is rooted in harsh melodies/ sounds. What do you think would convey the blues more? A man playing the 12 bar blues chorus after chorus? or a man that just plays two notes, that sound like weeping? Even the simplest melodies can have the most profound impact on the listener. Of course, the 12 bar blues are pleasant, fun to dance to, and even great to listen to, but the sadness can't be felt as hard as something that is definite and genuine.
Popular music says a great deal about our culture and our society. Simplicity sells. Not minimalism, but simplicity (ohh, we're not there yet). 5 note solos over three chord pieces seem to be the magic numbers. Any less and it's 'annoying,' any more and it's 'just too much.' Most people like music they can dance to and have fun listening to. Whether the lyrics are interesting, the music behind it is interesting, both, or there's something about the artist that attracts them to it, people who listen to popular genres of music are truly missing out on the wealth of music that's out there. Of course, this isn't a music appreciation course, this is just some understandings towards some age-old questions.
This brings me to my second counter question; what makes music 'valid' in the ears of a listener? Most often, people are expecting music to have a refreshing melody, pleasing harmony, a set rhythm, a cool groove, correct intonation, and image (from the band members). However, music doesn't always have these qualities. Is it still music? Of course it is. From my understanding, if any music can convey a complete thought either within the structure of the piece (harmony, melody, form, line, process etc.) or within the idea of the piece (sadness, a great structure, bugs etc.), then the piece is definitely music. And yes, a song completely composed of incomplete thoughts is, in that of itself, a complete thought, so it counts too.
What I'm getting at is that it is not the instrumentation, the era, the genre, the sound, the prettiness, its acceptance in society, or even the instruments that define 'Music' from 'Sound,' but the presence of a complete thought within the piece, somewhere that validates it. In a way, one can say that "Music, is the discipline of Sound."
More to follow in the coming weeks...
This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. It's like asking what is food? or what is amazing? Neither of which can draw on definite definitions. However, we can apply meaning to certain things about music. First off, music is an art, and we all know that art is incredibly subjective, so it's not hard to say music is subjective. People listen to music everyday, but is that all the music in the world? Of course not. Does music even have to be from human beings? Couldn't someone just admire the music of a storm? or the rain forest? or whales? What I'm trying to say is that music is everywhere if you listen to it in the frame of 'music.'
Like splattered paint against a canvas, there are regions of music that are not meant to be pretty or pleasing. Some is actually quite irritating or tense, causing an audience to cringe or even frown at the music. This brings us to the first counter question; does music have to be pleasant? The answer is no. In fact, some of the deepest music is rooted in harsh melodies/ sounds. What do you think would convey the blues more? A man playing the 12 bar blues chorus after chorus? or a man that just plays two notes, that sound like weeping? Even the simplest melodies can have the most profound impact on the listener. Of course, the 12 bar blues are pleasant, fun to dance to, and even great to listen to, but the sadness can't be felt as hard as something that is definite and genuine.
Popular music says a great deal about our culture and our society. Simplicity sells. Not minimalism, but simplicity (ohh, we're not there yet). 5 note solos over three chord pieces seem to be the magic numbers. Any less and it's 'annoying,' any more and it's 'just too much.' Most people like music they can dance to and have fun listening to. Whether the lyrics are interesting, the music behind it is interesting, both, or there's something about the artist that attracts them to it, people who listen to popular genres of music are truly missing out on the wealth of music that's out there. Of course, this isn't a music appreciation course, this is just some understandings towards some age-old questions.
This brings me to my second counter question; what makes music 'valid' in the ears of a listener? Most often, people are expecting music to have a refreshing melody, pleasing harmony, a set rhythm, a cool groove, correct intonation, and image (from the band members). However, music doesn't always have these qualities. Is it still music? Of course it is. From my understanding, if any music can convey a complete thought either within the structure of the piece (harmony, melody, form, line, process etc.) or within the idea of the piece (sadness, a great structure, bugs etc.), then the piece is definitely music. And yes, a song completely composed of incomplete thoughts is, in that of itself, a complete thought, so it counts too.
What I'm getting at is that it is not the instrumentation, the era, the genre, the sound, the prettiness, its acceptance in society, or even the instruments that define 'Music' from 'Sound,' but the presence of a complete thought within the piece, somewhere that validates it. In a way, one can say that "Music, is the discipline of Sound."
More to follow in the coming weeks...
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