What defines 'real music'

[Yeargdribble]

@Hythloday

I guess I need to stop listening to anything written more than a few months ago. Beethoven is crap. Stravinsky was a hack. I wasn't even alive when that stuff was written, so how could it ever "speak to me" and remind me "where I was in my life" when I was listening to it.

There's something hipsterish in your little diatribe. It sounds like nobody else really experiences music but you because you've "sought it out" and are on some great plane of existence being one with the music you've found that encompasses your personhood. I call BS.

I didn't have to seek out much of the music that touches me. First time I heard the Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde... was in a music history class. I cried. I cry most times I listen to it. I'm also touched by plenty of more recent music. There's music that resonates with me because I feel the same things the lyrics are describing. There's music that reminds me of a particular time in my life as well.

For many people video game sounds tracks and TV theme songs do speak about where they were and what was going on at a particular time in their lives.


To make a sh**ty analogy. Is love more awesome when you seek it out or when it sneaks up on you? It seems that generally the best relationship happen when you're not particularly looking.

Here's something completely relevant. I discovered Tim Minchin by accident and love his music. I suppose to some it's not real music because it has humor in it... but I love. And this song is a good example of my analogy.

YouTube - You Grew On Me by Tim Minchin

[Hythloday]

@Hythloday

I guess I need to stop listening to anything written more than a few months ago. Beethoven is crap. Stravinsky was a hack. I wasn't even alive when that stuff was written, so how could it ever "speak to me" and remind me "where I was in my life" when I was listening to it. It doesn't matter when it was written.

There's something hipsterish in your little diatribe. It sounds like nobody else really experiences music but you because you've "sought it out" and are on some great plane of existence being one with the music you've found that encompasses your personhood. I call BS.

I didn't have to seek out much of the music that touches me. First time I heard the Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde... was in a music history class. I cried. I cry most times I listen to it. I'm also touched by plenty of more recent music. There's music that resonates with me because I feel the same things the lyrics are describing. There's music that reminds me of a particular time in my life as well.

For many people video game sounds tracks and TV theme songs do speak about where they were and what was going on at a particular time in their lives.


To make a sh**ty analogy. Is love more awesome when you seek it out or when it sneaks up on you? It seems that generally the best relationship happen when you're not particularly looking.

Here's something completely relevant. I discovered Tim Minchin by accident and love his music. I suppose to some it's not real music because it has humor in it... but I love. And this song is a good example of my analogy.

YouTube - You Grew On Me by Tim Minchin

Why does it have to be written recently? Music is about emotion, idc who you are or what you say. If you can't sense an emotion Beethoven was trying to convey, you aren't picking up what he was putting down.

I'm not trying to act superior to anyone. I liked all the songs I mentioned. But at the same time, I've known people who have only had that on their iPods, and insisted the same songs everyones heard over and over again be played over and over again. It's simply because a lot of the time, it's all they've known because they don't seek out music. It kind of comes to them. Which is fine, you hear a song you like on a commercial, game, show, or movie and if you like play it all you want... but can you see where others would get frustrated with everyone playing the same song over and over.

If you don't know someone who bugs you because they play the same from a movie, videogame, show, or commercial you probably are that person. And, as a common courtesy I'd just like to say, I enjoyed it the first 500 times I watched the movie, played the game, saw the opening sequence to the show, or was forced to sit through in the commercial.

I'm not on some higher smurfing level, I just know when people are just being too lazy to find something actually interesting.

[Shiny]

The people who say real music is anything they like and what isn't is what they don't like are ignorant.

[Mo-Nercy]

I'm not on some higher smurfing level, I just know when people are just being too lazy to find something actually interesting.

It mightn't always be the case that people are too lazy to find the 'interesting' music that you preach is better than music from video games, movies or TV. You speak as if everyone loves music, but just isn't as good as you at finding it. I honestly am not that into music. I just like to have something to listen to when I'm walking or driving. I don't even like half the songs on my player and I usually listen to radio show podcasts anyway, so if you were ever a passenger in my car and asked me to pop in some tunes, I wouldn't have a whole lot to show you. I certainly don't have any songs that I feel "connect with me".. at least not for any longer than a couple of days.

[The Man]

<span style="font: 13px Candara, Skia, Corbel, 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, Geneva, Helvetica, Lucida, 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; color: #38bcee;"

The people who say real music is anything they like and what isn't is what they don't like are ignorant.

This. This. This. Also, this.</span>

[KentaRawr!]

Go on MySpace, Last.fm, Pandora, hypem.com, music blogs, your friend's last.fm, go somewhere and just listen to some stuff you've never heard. I mean, really search for hours until you find something that speaks to you, and when you do you'll know what they meant by "music". I really think they meant music in the sense that you know it by something other than movies, shows, or videogames.

I've done this quite a bit, actually, but in the form of youtube browsing. I found out about Richard Galliano this way. Also, I even listen to music from video games I've never played, so it's not that I really like the video games, I just find myself enjoying their soundtracks.

[Rad Bromance]

The people who say real music is anything they like and what isn't is what they don't like are ignorant.

Anyone who actually uses the term "REAL music" is silly.

[jenovajunkie]

@Hythloday
Beethoven is crap.

My god...... YOU ARE CRAP!
Music is defined by the listener not by anyone else. There is no term "real music". I hate to intrude but anyone and everyone has their own definition for music. Islamic people have what we (western cultures) would call music, but they do not. It's called " the call of prayer" and to them it's not a form of music. Before you go make judgements like "Beethoven is crap" and something isn't real music, think about think bout this: If it's not real music, why do people listen to it? Why do people make it? How are they enjoying it?

Just because you think one way, doesn't mean that's the only way.
Music is whatever you receive as music. Real music is what you perceive it as.

(SPOILER)................ psychology is a science!

[The Man]

psst, Yeargdribble was being sarcastic about the bit you quoted to make a point.

[Mr. Graves]

As The Man (Aaron) said in a previous post, anything with a melody can be 'music'. Other than that, it comes down to a matter of opinion, really.

I've really come to love anything metal (death, industrial, etc.) in the last few years. In my opinion, anything that doesn't come close to rocking hard is mellow, and nothing I would listen to regularly. Of course, people are as varied in tastes of music as they are varied in personalities. Each person should like what they like.

Anyone who thinks someone else is inferior due to something like musical tastes is just shallow, and not worth hanging out with. Musical taste should be last thing that matters when it comes to who you hang out with, who you become friends with, etc. Seriously, what does it matter, anyway.

[nik0tine]

Plenty of famous composers don't use melody... from Bach to Philip Glass.

Name one Bach piece that doesn't make use of melody. Hell, name one Bach piece whose primary focus isn't melody.

[jenovajunkie]

Oh my apologies for calling you crap then.