Re: Sloppyness (was: Re: Hiromi)

["Joshua Carroll" <josh@infinivert.com>]

In college, I had a music history teacher who had a major chip on his
shoulder over people lumping Opera, romantic, chamber music, symphonic,
modern film score, etc. into one large genre called "classical."  At first
I was very sympathetic with him... that is, until he proceeded to lump
everything we wouldn't call "classical"--be it jazz, country, dance,
blues, rock, swing, hip hop, or whatever--into one large genre that he
called "pop."  He then continued to explain why "classical" is such
excellent, beautiful music and "pop" is ignorant, unskilled,
commercialized garbage that is unfit for the educationally elite, and
should be made illegal.

Now, I do agree that much "classical" music is incredible and wonderful,
and much of modern music is the commercialized, pre-packaged sonic
equivelant of SPAM, but not all.  No music teacher, however educated and
skilled he/she may be, is ever going to convince me that it doesn't take a
ton of skill and technique--albeit a different sort of technique--to do
what Stevie Ray Vaughan or Elton John or even Snoop Dog do on stage.  In
fact, the more I get deep into more obscure music, the more I think
Beethoven and the other gods my prof. worshipped would have appreciated a
good deal of the music he was dogging.  Many of these composers were the
experimental musicians of their day, and I have no doubt that if we could
somehow bring them to the year 2006 in good ol' Bill & Ted fashion and let
them experience modern technology for a few years, more than one of them
would wind up on this mailing list, looping along with the rest of us.

And the thing that really irked me that day in class how many of the other
students went right along with him.  One guy in particular went off on a
monologue about how everything involving drums or guitars was just noise
that hurt his ears and made him angry, and maybe if those musicians had
enough brains to comprehend it, they would see how stupid their music is
and ditch it in favor of music written at least two or three-hundred years
ago.  He got an A in the class.  The guy with the Musician's Friend
catalog in the next chair and I proceeded to tune out a good deal of the
rest of the semester.  Funny thing is, we both got A's as well
because--even though we were ignorant electric guitarists who played in
"pop" groups--we had better pitch recognition and could more easily
differentiate between the different instruments in various symphonic
recordings than 90% of the class...  go fig.

--Josh





> i had an argument about this the other day when i was
> talking to a guy whos is a classical trained pianist
> and blew up as i told them that technique doesnt
> really interfere in my judging of good music or
> performance,i simply react unconsciously to sound that
> sends chills down my spine regardless of
> technique,style or otherwise.He then said if music
> doesnt have some sort of competent technique for him
> is simply uninteresting and most of it(like a lot of
> rock)uncompetent overhyped commercialized trash...
> could it be that self taught people should have more
> understanding of "academics and technique" as well as
> trained people about "street and intuition"?
> I also know that to write a good song,sing,get
> interesting guitar tones,or play that overhyped
> incompetent commercialized trash u hear in pop music
> is a lot of work!
> Luis
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>> I also think that some of the most interesting
>> scientists and businessmen are largely self-taught.
>> (e.g Einstein, Jobs, Gates)
>
>
>> >and btw they recover from mistakes as much often as
>> anyone, simply they recover more elegantly so you
>> dont even hear it as a mistake.
>>
>> And less interestingly, too, IMO.
>>
>> -C
>>
>> --
>> Chris Muir           | "There are many futures and
>> only one status quo.
>> cbm@well.com         |  This is why conservatives
>> mostly agree,
>> http://www.xfade.com |  and radicals always argue."
>> - Brian Eno
>>
>>
>
>
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