Good songs and good songwriting. You have it nailed. The repeating of familiar music for the purpose of popularity and increased sales you refer to mirrors the political environment here in the States, and perhaps elsewhere too.
The politicians and their media shills make up lies and repeat them over and over until people believe them. The lies become familiar and comfortable — just like the crappy music. This technique was developed and perfected in the Hitler regime by Joseph Goebbels, his minister of propaganda, in the s and s.
The 90s the last great decade for music? The 80s were the last great decade for music. But like Prince said, the 60s, 70s and 80s were the golden era. Did you just include Metallica when discussing the 90s? That let alone tells me you simply know nothing at all young little millennial. The 80s were their creative peak. Remember that.
Michael, whether Metallica were at their creative peak in the s or early s is a matter of opinion. So one can reasonably argue that they were at their peak at least commercially if not artistically in the early s. It just means they were going to be bigger in mainstream… Same thing can be applied to Queen, the 70s were their peak between but their 80s stuff sucked even Brian May felt their output in the 80s were bad.
You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Toronto, ON, Canada. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading Next Article Vibrato for the Lead Guitarist. Great article. Used this for an essay, good work!
I really think that this page is one of a kind Like Liked by 1 person. As a Zahm House resident, we have a biweekly tradition of getting together to appreciate the female pop genre by singing and dancing along to artists like Ariana Grande, Shakira and even Taylor Swift.
However, these songs should be enjoyed with the realization that they are lacking in substance. Or, even worse, Tay-Tay is the root cause of all of this, so she can continue churning out hits about terrible men to rally her fans around her. So please, for your own sake, listen to some of the oldies and gain a little perspective as to what has happened to music. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Demand for youth sports competes with music studies, but also, fewer parents are requiring youngsters to take lessons as part of their upbringing. Besides the decline of music literacy and participation, there has also been a decline in the quality of music which has been proven scientifically by Joan Serra, a postdoctoral scholar at the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona.
Joan and his colleagues looked at , pieces of music between , running songs through a complex set of algorithms examining three aspects of those songs:. Pitch- harmonic content of the piece, including its chords, melody, and tonal arrangements.
The results of the study revealed that timbral variety went down over time, meaning songs are becoming more homogeneous. Translation: most pop music now sounds the same. Pitch has also decreased, with the number of chords and different melodies declining. Pitch content has also decreased, with the number of chords and different melodies declining as musicians today are less adventurous in moving from one chord or note to another, opting for well-trod paths by their predecessors.
Loudness was found to have increased by about one decibel every eight years. Music loudness has been manipulated by the use of compression. Compression boosts the volume of the quietest parts of the song so they match the loudest parts, reducing dynamic range. With everything now loud, it gives music a muddled sound, as everything has less punch and vibrancy due to compression. In an interview, Billy Joel was asked what has made him a standout. He responded his ability to read and compose music made him unique in the music industry, which as he explained, was troubling for the industry when being musically literate makes you stand out.
You can credit Max and Dr. Luke for most the hits of these stars:. Kelly, Zebrahead. With only two people writing much of what we hear, is it any wonder music sounds the same, using the same hooks, riffs and electric drum effects? Results showed lyric intelligence has dropped by a full grade with lyrics getting shorter, tending to repeat the same words more often.
Artists that write the entirety of their own songs are very rare today. When artists like Taylor Swift claim they write their own music, it is partially true, insofar as she writes her own lyrics about her latest boyfriend breakup, but she cannot read music and lacks the ability to compose what she plays.
Autotune artificially stretches or slurs sounds in order to get it closer to center pitch. But unlike a five-year-old riding a bike, they never take the training wheels off to mature into a better musician. The worst part is knowing that cancellation is almost always based on two deliberate falsehoods peddled by school administrators: 1 Cancellation is a funding issue the big lie ; 2 music and the arts are too expensive the little lie.
The truth: Elective class periods have been usurped by standardized test prep. What can be done? In addition, parents should encourage their children to play an instrument because it has been proven to help in brain synapse connections, learning discipline, work ethic, and working within a team. While contact sports like football are proven brain damagers, music participation is a brain enhancer.
Republished with gracious permission from Intellectual Takeout August The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse?
Please consider donating now. All comments are moderated and must be civil, concise, and constructive to the conversation. Comments that are critical of an essay may be approved, but comments containing ad hominem criticism of the author will not be published. Also, comments containing web links or block quotations are unlikely to be approved. Keep in mind that essays represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Imaginative Conservative or its editor or publisher.
My public-school child is state-ranked in piano and flute. Self-government is not a computer game. Great piece, Mr. I think you hit the nail on the head. Most pop music is so boring. And there is such thematic poverty. You know. The problem is utterly hopeless. The quality of the music is in a free fall and has been for at least 30 to 40 years…. The future of pop music will be much worse than today — which is very difficult to imagine.
Sad to see. Seek and you shall find. Being a classically educated composer, pianist and musicologist with a sincere interest also in contemporary pop music, I find this type of article a bit narrow-minded.
Yes, the West perhaps the whole world is definitely culturally declining, but it is neither a simple nor linear process. It primarily reacts on musical impacts, not the amplitude. Besides, when jazz was introduced, the well-educated generations saw it as anti-music, mere noise lacking any sophistication. In addition to school programs and private instrumental lessons, in the past many children learned music at church. What you said is very true!
I certainly agree with the concluding point of this article: schools should offer more music options for students. I personally find no issue with people having personal biases: I am of course biased towards plenty of things.
0コメント