General Music Chat

. . . an outdoor symphony concert featuring Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, and . . . most of the audience were 20 somethings. And they were digging it . . . .

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I didn't realize this kind of thing is happening.
Thanks for passing it on . . .

Seems to be a slight trend towards real music again. I've been contacted by some young guitarists (18-25 years old) who are really into some of the old blues greats. (One of these young guys is auditioning with us tomorrow). Occasionally I listen to the current popular music radio stations and watch MTV or VH1 once in a while. I've been pleasantly surprised by some of the recently recorded stuff. We've been through such a long drought of redeeming music that there almost has to be a change for the better. I think of the music that was popular in each decade and there's always change in the music industry. It gives me some encouragement that real musicianship and vocals that you can actually understand are making a comeback. I always say "make music , not noise." That should be every musicains motto. Later...

Personally I do think there are some good bands out there right now, but what can't stand is how much Rap "music" is corrupting the minds of kids my age lol! I dont consider it music really. I mean its not that hard to loop a beat on a turn table, or beat box or whatever they use. It takes real talent to play a guitar, or drums. Anyone can go out and put together a rhyme, it takes real talent to write whats going on in the world and how the world right now is influencing you, instead of writing your life story, and how growing up in the ghetto were some of the hardest days of your life over and over and over again. I'm not saying that's bad, but I mean when it's the same thing over and over, it gets boring. And when they're writing lyrics that talk about masterbating and crap like that...i mean since when did they consider talking about that kind of stuff REAL music. It's not and I'm sick of it. We need another Beatles or Nirvana, or Collective Soul to come back around. We need real music to come back.
P.S. I know not everyone liked Nirvana, but I'm just saying they influenced alot of people in a good way, and that's the message I'm trying to get across.

I have to laugh, because alot of rap is actually the newest take on a very VERY old form of verse that goes back to ancient cultures. The "dissing" sh*t was not invented in this time.

When I watched Eight Mile, and the competitions these guys got into basically using word and verse to dress down their opponent, it rang a bell. This is not the first time this form of verse has been used.

In the ancient Norse culture there was a person called the "Scaldee". He was a prophet, seer, poet, magician, healer and sorcerer. His main weapon was his command of words. They say that a Scaldee could take down even Kings with his command of language, causing boils on the skin of his targets and so devasting them with his excoriating use of words that they become virtually ostracized in their communities, unable to show their face again in public. For that reason the Scaldee was the most respected, most FEARED in the culture. When you watch Eight Mile and see how these guys put each other down, that's what the Scaldee did but with more dire consequences.

He basically burned the targets of his ire with the power of his language. Later on, his name would be associated with what happens when boiling hot water makes contact with your skin. You get....

SCALDED. See?

So none of this is new. We keep seeing the same stuff, over and over again with each successive generation thinking they invented the wheel. It's pretty hilarious.

^ there is nothing new under the sun.

Good ol' Sir Isaac Newton said, (if I may once again misquote),"We stand on the shoulders of giants" ...
I take that to mean, "thanks to the accomplishments of our predecessors, we have much to build on" . There's a whole lot that is still not known about fundamental physics. there are plenty of good stories yet to be told, and there are many great songs still to be composed. If everybody believed that this was not the case, Mankind would be standing still.


In the "age of recording", I have come to consider Louis Jordan as a great improviser of words, set to a jam. (5 guys named Moe - Big Moe, Little Moe, Eat Moe, Four-eye Moe, No Moe, Momomomomoe! ) He gos back to the 1930's .
It has taken me quite a while to come to appreciate Rap and Hip hop , but like every thing else, it can be an acquired taste. I really like the work of "Will Smith". Especially the theme from the movie "Men In Black".

Irmy,
I enjoyed reading about the "Scaldee". Thanks for posting.

Howlin'

Like himelementskater, I understand rap, but do not appreciate it.
It seems that he music of savages in the jungle is more sophisticated.

Excellent replies all. Thank you. As a musician, I don't think age, (my being older) has a negative consequence here. Actually, just the opposite. From my experiences, I have learned and adapted to the "New Style" of music. My basic question is still valid. What happened to music?

As for the answer "you just need to look to find it", back in my day, it was all around you. There was no need to "Look" for good music.

Like himelementskater, I understand rap, but do not appreciate it.
It seems that he music of savages in the jungle is more sophisticated.

Some people try and compare rappers to musicians, but they should be compared to vocalists instead. They are like the lead vocalist of a group.

And good rappers certainly have alot of skill. There are different areas to excel in, within rap. Some rappers are not as good at the vocal aspect, but are amazing lyricists, like Eminem. Other rappers have certain vocal stylings, like Biggie Smalls, whose rapping could sometimes almost be called singing. Other rappers, like Twista, are known for being able to rap quickly, while staying on rhythm, so that their lyrics flow almost like a drum roll. Rap is certainly a recognizeable skill, which is indisputable, since anyone knows when they are hearing a good rapper and a bad one. Besides the rhythmical aspect to the lyrics, and the emotion and intensity, rappers usually write their own lyrics, shocking people, telling stories, making you think. They are usually story tellers, and sometimes the stories they tell are intricate, intelligent and even occassionally profound.

In Eminem's "Stan" a story is told of an obssessed fan that writes letters to Eminem, but never gets a response, until the end of the song when it is seemingly too late. The songs tells a good story, building in intensity to a fever pitch by the end of the song, matching the stalkers frustration. Eminem raps as the stalker, and himself, and tells a complex and interesting story, all the while relatiing ths story to a potential reality, since Eminem IS famous and probably gets bizarre letters all the time. It even has a little of a twist ending, and unfolds like a drama.

Check it out...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BWgEcOLYzXU


Here's another by Eminem, that is based on his own relationships with his daughter and ex-wife and his career in between it all. This one is moving emotionally and you can feel the reality behind it. When it elicits emotions like sadness, just as easily as a good singer or actor could, how is he not an artist?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YIT3xvCHQG4

I dont listen to a lot of rap anymore. I was in a metal group in the early 80s and the singer started doing some rapping or what sounded like rap style vocals. We kicked his butt out of the group cause it didnt fit the style we were going for. I wonder what ever happened to that guy cause in retrospect he was a lot more cutting edge at the time than the rest of us.

I think groups like Disturbed, Lamb Of God, Slip Knot maybe even Soulfly owe a lot to the rapping genre. The white version of rap seems to incorporate more screaming and growling than the gangsta rap styles. I guess the Beastie Boys capitalized on this genre first (metal,rap).

The only rap song that seems to stick in my mind theu the years is that LL Cool J song Mama Said Knock You Out. That song even thou I havent heard it in years still rings in my head.

Yo J.W.,
Forgive me for going "off topic", but is that a good ol' Triumph I see sitting in the garage in front of the Fonz? Back in the day, I rode a Triumph Trophy 500. (always wished for a Bonny, but never had the cash.)
now back to rappin'!
Howlin'

I'd like to see the progressive rock genre make a comeback. I always felt that music changed so much between 75 and 85, that so much of the progressive and new age music never got a change to blossom before the next big thing came along.

In the end, I'm kind of hoping my next band takes that job on!

Real music went out the window a long time ago, along with lyrics. Meaningful lyrics were common from the 1920's-1990's. Then it all halted once 2000 hit.

Sadly talent has gone out the window, and the only talent that exist now is mainly from back then (Veteran bands, so to speak).

Peace out, GuitarAnatomy.

First comment to the OP: Lyrics have always been confusing. Case in point: Bob Dylan. 'Nuff said.

As for talent and real music going out the window: Bzzzat. Wrong answer, I'm happy to report. That stuff didn't halt in 2000.

All the talent and musicianship you can take in: Dream Theater just celebrated their 20th anniversary last year (check out the Score DVD, complete with a 40-piece backing orchestra; they did the entire "Six Degrees" track, all 44 minutes of it, and "Octavarium"). A couple months ago I heard one of the best tunes I'd heard in a decade - stuck in my head like I couldn't believe (and was radio-friendly). Check out "Roses" by RPWL. And if you're looking for lyrics that are absolutely brilliant (reminiscent of Neal Pert) and you can understand them, go get Enchant's work. "Blueprint of the World" is a great place to start, but "Juggling 9 and Dropping 10", "Blink of an Eye" and "Time Lost" are all great albums.

The music is out there. You just have to realize that MTV and the radio are not going to cater to this stuff. There's commercial music, and then there's everything else, and I've found over the years that what falls into the "commercial" category is really very limited compared to "everything else".

Colors Fade, I would have to take a look into some of the bands you mentioned there. Yes, truthfully speaking, there are some bands remaining today that have talent, but not many, the majority stink.

Dream Theater is a veteran band in my eyes, so they do not count, lol. Any band that has existed over a decade is a veteran band to me. Although, there are some like Green Day, who write dumb lyrics, and simplistic guitar parts.

Peace out, GuitarAnatomy.

As I always say...You can't spell "crap" with out "rap".

GOD, I hate rap and everything to do with it!