General Music Chat

I am a great stickler for music originality, only performing what i have written/created myself.
Although i often wonder is there such a thing now as a totaly original piece of music, or has it already been done before in one form or another.
If so then where do we go from here, what is the next step in the search for true musical originality?

Music is like colors, Its infinite. Add a small amount of one color to another and it becomes a different color than the original. The same applys for music, It goe's on & on. Each song writer has his own influences in their music. Just like the level, & ability of different musicians. So is the standard of originality. If one is looking to create a new style of music with an original, Thats great. Nothing is impossible with music. Although the odds would be very slim unless one has the talent of, one in a million. No amount of schooling, knowledge, etc. is more important than our own, god given gift of music within ourselves. Good subject Brother, Keep on writing....................

music has been around for thousands of years, all cultures talk about it, our music is the fingerprint of a individual, some have the same ideas but the songs you produce are coming fromwithin, even if one copies another song, its still the going to show who really wrote it, keep your work, its--ORIGINAL

This may not be a popular opinion, but there isn't a totally original idea on the face of the earth right now. Everything is influenced by, or variously derivitive from, things that have come before. And that's ok. The issue is, how much of your own voice and experience are you allowing to mix with what has come before as your influences? Is it an honest expression or is it guided by what you think people want to hear from you?

We stand on the shoulders of giants. But one day you may be a giant as well, and future musicians will be standing on yours. That's the beauty of originality, in whatever form it takes.

Irminsul- brilliant reply! Couldn't have said that better if I tried.

It may depend on what style or genre you are referring to. Everything has pretty much been done before. Regarding popular music (what 95% of the population listens to), nothing has been new since the 1960s. Absolutely everything is derived from something else. Most of the modern garbage rock bands are all influenced by what they listened to growing up (the then-modern rock garbage of the '90s). Fortunately some 'indie' acts are emulating bands from rocks golden era, the '60s, and sound a bit more sophisticated (although they are only emulations and aren't portraying genuine ideas).
I personally think rock and roll should neglect the innovations (or degradations) made to the music since the '60s. Most musicologists and critics agree that the mid-sixties recordings by the Beatles (Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper) are the foundation for absolutely everything that followed. We accepted the British Invasion-music as the foundation for everything that's happened from then to now. I think rock and roll bands should ignore everything done after the '60s, because obviously EVERY genre is dead now. We should concentrate on music theory, and know EVERYTHING about American music (rock is American music - it's influenced by rural folk, blues, country, and R&B - all indigenous to America -- I don't mean rock is reserved for Americans or anything moronic like that, I just mean it's from America and it's sad that modern bands exploit it for money and know nothing of its history). We should be influenced by the folk, blues, and R&B that originally formed rock and roll in the first place. I say return rock and roll to what it was before the British Invasion and countless psuedo-artists thereafter inflated it. Rock and roll used to fun, not depressing! Cut away all the fat that has been added over the years and we'll have a great foundation to work with again. Real rock and roll will always prevail over (and inherently shine through) the phases and sub-genres that have ruined it since its golden age (Heavy Metal, Punk, Glam, Alternative, Numetal, whatever - it's all been a passing phase). Sgt. Pepper is remembered as the greatest album ever recorded, not anything by korn. Allmusic.com states that the Beatles' standing as rock icons remains unchallenged to this day, over 30 years after they broke up! The Beatles were influenced by the greatest American music (rock, R&B, blues, as well as different forms of pop and folk indigenous to England) and turned it into something completely their own (and everybody's followed since). Forget about everything done after the '60s, study composition and the history of American music (it's good to know what you're talking about - not many bands today know ANYTHING), and make your own innovations from there...

The epitome of rock and roll can be heard on Jerry Lee Lewis' album 'Live at the Star Club' (1964). It's the passion in the performance, it's how fun and exciting the music is, it's how LOUD and rowdy the band is. Seriously, it makes Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Punk, and other seemingly loud and fast genres sound like a bunch of weaklings -- no joke!! It's the best pure rock and roll ever recorded.

yes everything is influenced by things past, but surely that individuals input makes it original? 2 bands can have the exact same influences, yet it is still possible to hear significant differences in their music. it is original as no one has that exact sound, similar, maybe, but not exact! its like in the film bicentenniel man, one of the characters says about its all those imperfections that make us unique, all those wrinkles the shape of a nose..but we are all still human...surely this can be said about peoples different music.

I see that I'm in the minority - so please don't jump down my throat -:) . . . - but there ARE still unique songs being written which have no relationship to previous song styles.
But you will never HEAR them on the radio or TV, because they're not popular.
Well . . . maybe some jazz stuff, actually . . .
I pretty much agree, however, that probably ALL of what you hear on the radio/TV has some roots in someone else's work.
And - that's what makes it popular music - it's for the general population.
Isn't 'Pop' a contraction of 'population?'
But, to be accepted, most music has to be written in a familiar style.

Samic,

Could you give us some examples of songs that have no relationship to previous songs or styles? I'm honestly interested because I'm having trouble finding anything current worth-while. I just don't know where to look because radio/record companies all push garbage! I believe the very last original thing to happen in music was Rap (and that was an endless collage of styles from the recent past - so it wasn't necessarily brand new, musically, definitely vocally, though).

And I believe 'pop' means 'popular.' Pop music has always been whatever is accepted by a mass audience - and it also has (or had) a short song structure (verse-chorus-verse type songs), usually 2-1/2 minutes long (this was because radio originally only allowed songs to be played that were under 3 minutes). Of course, after Nirvana, the mass audience has accepted alternative music as the new pop (and traditional pop turned into the nightmare that is Paris Hilton, Hilary Duff, Britney Spears, etc.)...