so what are the good points about pop music?

[Tash]

we have a tendency to pay out pop music quite a bit, but it must have some good aspects. like i'm impressed that it's still churning out different melodies all based on the same 3 chords (though i think if i went and compared every song rhythmically and melodically separately some might have some similarities) (and yes that is a generalised statement on chords)

[Waldszenen]

It's easier (and more appropriate) to headbang to? 

[sergei r]

It's very simple and therefore can be listened to and understood by a wide audience, and therefore can make the most money.

[astroboy]

you can dance to it!!!! imagine dancing to fur elise or something..

[Kassaa]

you can dance to it!!!! imagine dancing to fur elise or something..

You can not dance on every sort of pop music, as you can not dance on every sort of classical music. But you can dance on a waltz ^^ .

[Ruro]

 It entertains the younger generation who usually can't enjoy Classical music.

 Probably blame it on maturity perhaps, or lack of Musical perception at there age, to understand the Intricacy and appreciate it. They need something like Alkan's Etudes, not Vivaldi's Autumn Season... why on Earth does my Headteacher from Primary think the children will enjoy it?? What was it someone said... more focused on Rythem then Melody? I can't imagine a Primary school kid enjoying Rachmaninoffs Concerti, with the few exceptions of course.

 But one of the good things, is that if you look in the right place, some Pop music is pretty good, specifally Jpop, nothing like a little Maaya Sakamoto or Chara

EDIT: I noticed I easily managed to walk away from the question at hand. I sort of explained my point, about the different approaches to the music itself. I can't really say why exactly I enjoy Jpop more though, I guess it carries the Japanese "Culture" or "Sense" with it, which leads me to enjoy it.
 Pop music does seem more socially accepted though, as the standard of Music, which is why I should stop wishing for Classical to be played where I work :/ Generally, people can't "dig" and enjoy classical. Atleast, that's my opinion.

[emmdoubleew]

Hhaha  , you guys are totally taking a classical listener perspective to approaching this question.


I think I can answer it fairly well, since I used to be a fairly hardcore rap listener. The reason I was innitially attracted to classical has nothing to do with its complexity but with its beauty: I enjoyed listening to it, just like I used to enjoy listening to rap.

The complexity and intricacies of classical music only came to me later on. Now I'm familiar with more composers and pieces than anyone one I know my age, and I'm enrolled in the college level course AP Music Theory and excelling at it, as well as being a student composer. I'm trying to prove that I'm not foreign to the complexity of classical music compared to rap, but that complexity (or non-complexity) has nothing to do with why I loved either one. I still listen to rap today and still don't think classical is "superior," albeit more complicated.

[aoife mac]

I think it probably depends on what criteria you decide to judge it with, you couldn't judge Schoenberg and Britney Spears with the same criteria simply because they are not striving for the same aesthetic or ideal.No one type of music  can be catagorically said to be better than another although pop as a genre isn't striving for the kind of ideals that i think are cool.It should't be considered a battle between "crap" music and "real" music, i.e Classical. The Beatles were considered pop in their heyday simply because they were popular but the music they made certainly didn't depend on the same few chords, whereas nowadays what we infer from the term "pop"  is something completely different. I don't think it is solely about the music, but also the video, the image of the performer, their money making potential etc etc. Its a particular genre which seems to be reaching saturation point, thankfully! people don't seem quite as interested in boybands and pop idols anymore, but i'm sure music that i would think is equally as idiotic will come along and be accessible and easy to listen to and will make plenty of money and we'll all still be tearing our hair out before heading home from the pub and listening to some prokofiev or led zeppelin or mos def or wahtever you appreciate yourself

[Tash]

ok first thing, i don't understand where on earth the entire population is coming from when you say you can't dance to classical music- what is ballet based upon? so in other words, it's not that you can't 'dance' to it, more you can't jump up and down looking retarded to it (that can only be a good thing!). i can assure you, i could give any piece of music to my sis and she could choreograph something to it.

secondly, let's look at 'pop' music as popular music in general, covering rock, rap, r&b, heavy metal, every other popular genre, so don't restrict your comments to britney spears and the likes

[aoife mac]

I disagree, the term pop cannot be applied to all "popular" genres popular is a fairly non specific word whereas I think "pop" has become representative of a very particular type of music and cannot be applied to other genres simply because they are popular. How would you define a popelar genre anyway? what are the numbers of listeners that would constitute one genre as popular over another? it's far too relative to say definatively....in my circle of friends paul simon is more popular than mogwai, prokofiev more popular than mozart, but this does't apply to everyone!!they're popular amongst alot of people, hated by others. Classical also isn't half as elite or subversive as people like to think, its hugely popular! but I certainly wouldn't define it as pop (!) , simply because that word does not mean the same as popular, if that wer the case people would be going around saying basketball is pop.....obviously it isn't 

[Tash]

ok, my definition (and yes it is only my definition) of popular music, because i can't be bothered being any more descriptive, is anything that has potential to be in the top 40 on your local, non-classical radio station, and things related to that music. yes i realise that 'pop'  is a very particular type of music, but so is classical, yet it is generally said that music that is from the baroque, classical, romantic, etc. eras are 'classical'. basically i'm just using to refer to non-'classical' music. terms are dumb to being with, they're only there so you can give people an idea of what you're on about without being ridiculously specific.

[aoife mac]

point taken re classical terms, they're always insuffucient, but if we are considering all of these types of music i.e hip hop, metal, folk, electronica, dance, rock, r+b, jazz, blues, soul, world......- then by asking us to say what's good about pop you're in fact asking what's good about hip hop, metal, folk, electronica, dance, rock, r+b, jazz, blues, soul, world etc ,and the statement that they are all based on similar chords is now obsolete since its obviously not the case. In my opinion music other than "classical" is equally as popular, it just isn't as accessible on television, radio etc hence we don't hear as much about it. Who knows what direction popular culture will take, but people will continue to like it because its spoonfed to them!

[musik_man]

1)Bass-Can you honestly think of any classical piece with good basslines.  A nice bassline can make a rock song.  John Entwhistle(The Who) and Chris Squire(Yes) are particularly good examples.

2)Drum kits-Face it, drums in classical are incredibly simple.  When used well, drums can highlight passages and create tension.  Good examples would be Keith Moon(The Who), Bill Bruford(King Crimson), and Brann Dailor.

3)Stylized Vocals-I love classical singing(particularly Mahler), but there is only one style.  A good pop singer has a completely distinctive voice.  It's very easy to tell the difference between singers like Robert Plant(Led Zeppelin), Peter Gabriel(Genesis), Lennon and McCartney(The Beatles), and David Gilmour(Pink Floyd.)

[Tash]

now that's the kind of answer i'm looking for! we're getting distracted, all i was looking for is the type of thing musik_man has said!

[aoife mac]

musik-man don't forget Bonzo for drumming expertise!