What's wrong.....with todays music?
- Thread starter Lucky13
- Start date
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My parents and uncles brought me up from the start to listen to and appreciate a wide range of music, independent of a constant stream of commercial radio. I take decent rock, blues R&B, jazz any day over the over-engineered, artificial crap that passes for music.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJrAyZenJY
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4z3Q-X0Sqk
Now that, I like
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJrAyZenJY
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4z3Q-X0Sqk
Now that, I like
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,954
- Jun 25, 2013
When I was a teenager, US law prevented one company from owning more than seven radio stations. This meant that, unless you were in a severely isolated area, like Nome, you had a number of different voices on the radio. Now, just about all the radio stations are owned by two companies (Clear Channel and Infinity). They program all everything from the corporate HQ, and they decide what music will be played when. If they decide that the radio will play nothing heavy-metal polkas and Milli Vanilli, that's what you'll get.
For some variation, you've got to go to independents, which, right now in the US, means college radio and Internet radio.
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
The problem with todays music(wow I'm sounding old) is lack of discernable melody and what little there may be is overproduced into sonic mush.
There are exceptions of course but for the most part music ain't what it used to be.From Mozart to Glen Miller to Sinatra to Judas Priest(some of my favorites)(yes i have eclectic taste) most music wether one liked it or not had a discernable melody/ chord progression then starting in the 90s everrhing started to turn into bland sonic mush.
There are still people our there making good music but they don't get any airplay/ recognition so you eealy have to hunt them out.
There are exceptions of course but for the most part music ain't what it used to be.From Mozart to Glen Miller to Sinatra to Judas Priest(some of my favorites)(yes i have eclectic taste) most music wether one liked it or not had a discernable melody/ chord progression then starting in the 90s everrhing started to turn into bland sonic mush.
There are still people our there making good music but they don't get any airplay/ recognition so you eealy have to hunt them out.
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,954
- Jun 25, 2013
What's wrong? It's not what we grew up with.
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
Yes there certainly is that dynamic but I think there is a quantifiable lack of strong melody( jumps between 4ths and 5ths in a scale and half step, step and a half movements, ending a motif on a say a 2nd or third then resolving it on a strong note like the 5th in the next expression of the motif or the tonic being 3 examples of this) in most popular music made in the last 20 years or so.
We didn't grow up with Mozart either but like his music or not I think most can recognize the strength of the composition. Ditto the other examples I gave.
There certainly are guys out there making goog music, Gordon Goodwin if you like jazz/ big band stuff for example, but they dont get much attention these days.
I guess what is good music is somewhat subjective but that is as much as I can boil it down into mechanics of what is good music at least to me.
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I don't know. I never listen to it !
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
Well in my opinion with a few notable exceptions your not missing much.
Might want to check out Gorden Goodwin though if you like big band/jazz. His stuff is truly exceptional.
Thanks for the suggestionWell in my opinion with a few notable exceptions your not missing much.
Might want to check out Gorden Goodwin though if you like big band/jazz. His stuff is truly exceptional.
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
You're very welcome.
mikewint
Captain
Not entirely. MUSIC by definition is MELODIC. A set of drums and some bass guitars and some Gomer screeching garbled verbiage into a 1000 watt amplifier while he does the Saint Vitus twitch is not music. Neither is the same bass line repeated endlessly until fade.
If'n you can't whistle it...It's not music
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
That last line really sums it up.
Heck, I don't even mind some fairly repetitive stuff if there is at least a tonal question and answer so to speak but alot of today's music doesn't even have that.
That is an opinion...
You know whst they say about opinions? They are like assholes, everyone has one.
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
I guess what is good music is subjective and so everything having to do with that subject would be to a degree opinion but i think there is something more to the satement " if you cant hum it it aint music "than just opinion.
Music has two basic components pitch and time(rythem). A series of pitches no mater how well organized without a coherent rhythm will sound like disjointed noise. Conversely even if you have time (4/4 the most popular in rock music for example) but the series of pitches(notes) is not well thought out you will end up with bland mush. Perhaps even disjointed bland mush.
I think it is the later of the two that discribes all to much of music made in the last 20 years or so.
So if the melody is so weak/ poorly thought out that it is in un humble,ie so bland you cant even pick the melody out yes it may be music( its got pitch, its got rythem) but at least to me it wouldn't be very good music
Of course opinions may differ
I guess what is good music is subjective and so everything having to do with that subject would be to a degree opinion but i think there is something more to the satement " if you cant hum it it aint music "than just opinion.
Music has two basic components pitch and time(rythem). A series of pitches no mater how well organized without a coherent rhythm will sound like disjointed noise. Conversely even if you have time (4/4 the most popular in rock music for example) but the series of pitches(notes) is not well thought out you will end up with bland mush. Perhaps even disjointed bland mush.
I think it is the later of the two that discribes all to much of music made in the last 20 years or so.
So if the melody is so weak/ poorly thought out that it is in un humble,ie so bland you cant even pick the melody out yes it may be music( its got pitch, its got rythem) but at least to me it wouldn't be very good music
Of course opinions may differ
I listen to all kinds of rock music, but mostly heavy metal. I prefer the older bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, etc. Mostly because that is what I grew up with.
Metal bands today have evolved over time to being more extreme. They however still have melody and rhythm.
It is just a matter of opinion and personal taste if one likes that melody and rhythm.
Everything is subjective.
Take Amon Amarth for instance. I am pretty sure I am only person here who will find this song great. I love the melody, rhythm, vocals, etc. I can hum it over and over as you say...
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndu33Uv7Aco
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
Fair enough. All the bands you mentioned are my mainstays also. Especially Priest and Sabbath. I also like an eclectic mix of clasical ,jazz, big band, pretty much you name it if it's got effective rythem and melody I line it regardless of style. My point was so much of today's music does not but I guess the line between opinion and objective reality is blurred hear but i do think there is a quantifiable deterioration in effective writing in the last few decades at least on popular music.
I liked the music in the song you posted I just don't care for that vocal style but thats a matter of taste. I was more trying to nail down what i feel is blandness of composition that has pervaded the music industry(at least as it pertains to popular music) recently.
There is nothing blurred here. Thats my point. What someone feels is blandness is subjective and opinion.
Music is art. And like with all forms of art, everyone views things differently. Everyone hears and sees things differently. What speaks to you, may not speak to me.
There is no right or wrong answer, just different opinions.
mikewint
Captain
Nope definition:
noun
noun
- an art of sound in time that expresses ideas in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.
- the tones or sounds employed, occurring in single line (melody) or multiple lines (harmony), and sounded or to be sounded by one or more voices or instruments, or both
Good Grief Charlie Brown!!! A prime example of the title of this thread.
Mike I don't give a flip what the definition is. It is irrelevant. What melody you like is taste and opinion. Nothing more.
As for the song I posted it is a prime example of "opinion", and I give no fucks if you share mine or not...
michael rauls
Tech Sergeant
- 1,679
- Jul 15, 2016
I agree and disagre at the same time. Whatever art speeks to a person is certainly valid in that respect and i would not want to denigrate it( at least not to virantly) but at some point lack of organized tonal variations if you will crosses the line into an objective lessening of musical quality beyond mere taste. ( at least in my opinion
)Drawing a line where that point is was what i was referring to as being blurred.There is alot of music I dont personally care for but i recognize is good ie well written but don't see that in alot of the newer popular music( I'm always thinking I can't make out an actual tune hear just sounds). Your point however is well taken that with art of any kind if it works for someone then its good for them at least.
