Music. What is It?

administrator

Where would you prefer it to be?

Pinstriper

Classifieds would be for a place for ads of things for sale/trade.

administrator

I see. I didn't realize it was in the classifieds.

A Former User

@Dr-GO
For me, defining music is kinda like defining porno.
For porno; I know it when I see it.
For music; I know it when I hear it.
Dr.Mark

Dr GO

@Dr-Mark said in Music. What is It?:

@Dr-GO
For me, defining music is kinda like defining porno.
For porno; I know it when I see it.
For music; I know it when I hear it.
Dr.Mark

And that porn is even better with the right music behind it... where can we get a gig like that... so we can be on site to make sure we get the accents right... that's all I am saying... Right?

GREAT TO SEE YOU HERE DR. MARK. You have been sorely missed.

A Former User

@Dr-GO Yes, Dr-GO
I think we're on the right page. Unless I missed a repeat!

Dr GO

@Dr-Mark said in Music. What is It?:

@Dr-GO Yes, Dr-GO
I think we're on the right page. Unless I missed a repeat!

WE are on the same page Dr. Mark and you missed nothing!

J. Jericho

I just watched this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Vn9V-tRCo&list=WL&index=638&t=0s

GeorgeB

@J-Jericho
A very interesting video. With some of today's music I scratch my head, listen closely and try to make some sense of it, but I can't. IMHO, music without melody ( and all the things that make melody ) just isn't music and my ears just can't stand it.

A Former User

Hi J. Jericho,
The death of melody IMO is wrong. The 4 components being melody, harmony, rhythm and tone color (according to A. Copland) are what music is made up of. The commentator suggests that the melody is part or also the harmony. To this I disagree. Do all four part need to be in sync with each other? Well yes unless you're Ornette Coleman. To suggest that we "hear" the harmony when we play the melody does not constitute the death of melody.
Let's take a look at one of my favorite composers, Bach. In the Concerto in D Minor Cello Suite No. 2, Mvt. 6, Bach uses big jumps followed by a series of sixteenth notes. Yes, if I play the piece in a cave (lots of echo) it can have harmonic effect and even does without the cave but not at the expense of the melody. The commentator suggests that the melody suggests a harmony. Well duh! And what happens when it doesn't? Noise or dissonance.
Then the commentator whines and bitches about Taylor Swift Lady Gaga, and one direction for their sparsity of notes. When one listens, the melody is very apparent. Just because it's based on one, two, or three notes or tones doesn't make it a lesser melody. To say Lady Gaga's melody isn't strong on Poker Face just doesn't hold water. He goes on to say about the pop songs of Swift, One Direction and Lady Gaga "If there's a melody there its not used as an expressive tool". This is just rude. Miles Davis knew a piece didn't need a lot of notes. Just the right notes in the right place.
I don't agree with this guy but if he likes melodies that are "notey" that's okay, but don't say that the examples he uses lacks a very understandable melody. All in all, he's incorrect. He goes on to say "it's not cool to write a good melody anymore" Who the hell is this guy and where did he go to school because his professors should be fired and he should be issued a refund if he went to a music school.
In a nutshell? Horseshit.

GeorgeB

@Dr-Mark
True, there is a lot of what he says " horseshit " but there is a lot of so-called music out there today that makes me scratch my head. In the case of Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, they are talented ladies and lots of melody in what they do. I love Gaga in particular, because look at some of her work with Tony Bennett. That girl can sing.

A Former User

Hi GeorgeB,
If a song makes me scratch my head, as a youth, I'd say, "Wow, that sucks"
As an adult, if a song makes me scratch my head, I say to myself, "I don't understand it" My approach to music is that if a song is selling like hotcakes and I boohoo it, then it is I who miss out. Music is hear to entertain. If I fail to find the enjoyment, then its a loss on my part. I'm still trying to appreciate Ornette Coleman but like a famous musician once said, "I've listened to him both sober and drunk and still I don't get it."
Will I stop listening to Coleman? Nope. If I can hear it, I can have it and I can't hear it yet.