Now, I'm going to start this by stating that I understand Music is a very frequented topic on Zoodle. In fact, it's probably one of the most consistent themes used on this blog! But that's not a bad thing in the least, since music is a heavily inspiring element. Depending on the song, music helps inspire one to Zoodle! In fact, just now I'm listening to a great classic by Dream Theater...I felt moved to write on this subject just now because earlier I was having an online conversation with a friend about a particular band (Which will not be named) that I don't particularly like, but has a large fan base. I remarked that I found it weird they could be so popular, because in my opinion, they weren't anything special! Just a bland type of band...and I thought to myself, "What does it take to be a good band?" In the conversation, I listed a few qualities that I didn't think the band had, and my friend said they didn't need that to be a good bad.
When I hadn't thought deeply about it, I sort of assumed the qualities for being a "good" band, were to be Beautiful, have Appealing Sound, Exciting, Poetic, Unique, and/or overall talent. Some of those are a given, (Have appealing sound, talent) but not everyone cares for Exciting, or Poetic. So it comes down to pure opinion at this point, but can anything truly be judged from pure opinion?
I don't really have a solid conclusion for this one, I'm hoping some people can help me out! Post your ideas below!
Merry Christmas!
I think everyone has a different definition of good music--what appeals to him personally. But really the test of music is if it's popular, right? No truly good music will be hidden forever. If a piece is good, we'll hear about it. That does depend on the audience making it popular, though...
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree that no truly good music will be hidden forever, I don't think that being popular is synonomous with being "good". There's plenty of wildly popular stuff out there that I would hesitate even to classify as music, let alone good music. Of course there are many true gems as well, but I believe that most of contemperary popular music is just a flash in the pan.
ReplyDeleteI would say that the best test of music is time. What of our music will endure? What will resonate with people all over the world and hundreds of years from now?
~Knute
This is true, but I think that there is a heavy over emphasizing on popularity, or time. What if a brilliant musician makes a masterpiece, but never publishes it or publicizes it? Just because a handful of his family and friends loved it for a while until they are gone doesn't mean it wasn't a great piece...this is what's put me to asking this question.
ReplyDeleteFor me, a definition of a "good band" is authenticity. If a band's music is not authentic, they will not last the test of time as Knute mentioned. I mean, any average garage band can create a catchy tune, but it's how they enhance it that counts. They have to add elements to it that elevate it from the norm: and that's where genre comes in. Some find that synthesizers reflect the best out of a particular tune, while others paint it with a violin. And it's not just instrument choice, either. For some music, lyrics are a large part of a band's music as well.
ReplyDeleteYou can play 50+ songs on the same, single instrument, no matter what the genre the song happens to be or what original instruments were used to make the song in the first place. It's how a song is crafted that makes it great!
Yes, lyrics are a very important part in some people's opinions. Just like classic literature, these stand the test of time because of lyrics, as well as talent, crafting, and popularity.
ReplyDelete